Larapinta Trail: American hiker dies after taking wrong turn in 42C heat 
 
 Updated 
 
 A 33-year-old American tourist has died after taking a wrong turn while hiking the popular Larapinta Trail, west of Alice Springs in Central Australia. 
 
 Key points: Man 'ran off' from companion on descent 
 
 Body found three hours later, 750m from carpark 
 
 Authorities warn against embarking on 16km Mount Sonder trek in the heat 
 
 Route has steep, rocky incline with exposed landscape 
 
 The man, from California, set out to climb Mount Sonder about 8:30am on Wednesday and was found dead about 750 metres from a carpark near Redbank Gorge at 5:00pm. 
 
 Police said the man and a companion had climbed Mount Sonder, which is the fourth-highest peak in the Northern Territory, and were on the descent when they separated. 
 
 Duty Superintendent Rob Burgoyne told ABC Darwin: "It's about 1,300 metres tall and the actual walk that they undertook was about 16 kilometres there and back — so quite a hike." 
 
 The 40-year-old man he was walking with told police the 33-year-old ran off on their way back and appeared to have taken a wrong turn. 
 
 "They both descended the mountain, unfortunately it appears the deceased took a wrong turn at that stage," Duty Superintendent Burgoyne said. 
 
 "His partner made it back to the Redbank Gorge carpark and raised the alarm, but unfortunately the 33-year-old didn't arrive and his body was eventually located about 400 metres down the track where he'd turned the wrong way. 
 
 "It was about three hours from when he was last seen and when his body was found." 
 
 Police said investigations were ongoing but it was not believed there were any suspicious circumstances surrounding the death. 
 
 Temperatures reached 42C 
 
 The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed Alice Springs reached a top of 42 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, which Duty Superintendent Burgoyne said would have made trekking conditions difficult. 
 
 "We do know he had water with him, but he did do a very foolish thing in that he apparently ran away from his companion after the descent," he said. 
 
 "It wouldn't be a terribly advisable thing to do in 40-degree heat, to actually sprint away." 
 
 Authorities warn against embarking on the long trek in the heat because it comes with a high risk of becoming dangerously dehydrated, Chris Day from Parks and Wildlife said. 
 
 "It's almost physically impossible to put back the fluids that you're going to lose as quickly as you're losing them, and unfortunately people become dehydrated very rapidly before even realising that it's even happening," Mr Day said. 
 
 "Unfortunately it is too late, quite often, once people realise they're in trouble." 
 
 Mount Sonder, the final section of the 223-kilometre Larapinta Trail which the men were on, is a steep, rocky incline with an exposed landscape. 
 
 "Its a very exposed mountain walk," Mr Day said. 
 
 "There's no big shady trees and it's very rocky, so when you've got a hot day like we had (on Tuesday) we've got a lot of radiated heat coming back off the rocks. 
 
 "Obviously on days when temperatures are forecast to be in the 40s, we strongly advise against doing any longer walks." 
 
 Incident follows death of German tourists 
 
 The death comes 11 months after two elderly German tourists perished at Trephina Gorge, east of Alice Springs. 
 
 Mr Day said it appeared foreign tourists were not taking heed of warnings about the risks involved in the Larapinta trek, however acclimatising to the Territory's hot climate remained one of the main safety challenges. 
 
 "Quite often they would've not been in Australian conditions for very long and most possibly come from the northern hemisphere — effectively winter conditions — much cooler than what they're encountering here," Mr Day said. 
 
 Parks and Wildlife recommend trekkers allow six hours to do the walk. It also advised they leave at first light, take appropriate clothing, adequate water supplies and know their fitness level. 
 
 This is the second death in Central Australia within 10 days, with a man from Adelaide killed by lightning at King's Canyon on New Year's Day. 
 
 The US embassy said it was "aware of reports of the death of a US citizen in the Northern Territory". 
 
 "We are closely monitoring local authorities' investigation into the cause of death," an embassy spokesperson said. 
 
 The spokesperson said the embassy was ready to provide "all appropriate consular assistance", but would not add any further details about the tourist due to privacy considerations. 
 
 A report will be prepared for the coroner. 
 
 Topics: accidents, disasters-and-accidents, alice-springs-0870, nt 
 
 First posted ||||| Image copyright MICHAEL BARRITT/WA TOURISM AND CULTURE Image caption The man died at Mount Sonder on Australia's popular Larapinta Trail 
 
 A US tourist has died while hiking in hot weather on a popular trail in the Australian outback. 
 
 The man, 33, was found dead on the last leg of the Larapinta Trail on Wednesday, police in the Northern Territory said. 
 
 He had set out early with a companion to scale Mount Sonder - a gruelling section of the trail - but the pair became separated, authorities said. 
 
 His body was discovered hours later, about 750m (2,500ft) from a car park. 
 
 The man, from California, had taken a wrong turn on descent, a police officer told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. 
 
 "[Mount Sonder] is about 1,300 metres tall and the actual walk that they undertook was about 16 kilometres there and back," Supt Rob Burgoyne said. 
 
 The 223km Larapinta Trail is a popular trek through rugged bush west of the city of Alice Springs, where temperatures reached 42C on Wednesday. 
 
 Police said the US consulate had been notified and a report would be prepared for a coroner. ||||| FILE PHOTO: Two tourists watch the setting sun from atop a rocky outcrop in the West MacDonnell Ranges along the Larapinta Trail about 110 kilometres (66 miles) west of the central Australian town of Alice Springs April 18, 2004. REUTERS/Tim Wimborne/File Photo 
 
 SYDNEY (Reuters) - An American tourist has died in the Australian outback while hiking though sweltering conditions on the Larapinta Trail, renowned for its ancient Aboriginal sacred sites, police said on Thursday. 
 
 The 33-year-old Californian had been walking the popular Larapinta Trail some 160 km (100 miles) west of Alice Springs in central Australia with another man, when they became separated on Wednesday, police said. 
 
 “His partner made it back to the Redbank Gorge carpark and raised the alarm,” Northern Territory Duty Superintendent Rob Burgoyne told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. 
 
 “Unfortunately the 33-year-old didn’t arrive and his body was eventually located about 400 meters down the track where he’d turned the wrong way.” 
 
 Police do not believe the death to be suspicious, although heat and exposure were likely contributing factors, police superintendent for the southern desert, Jody Nobbs, said a press conference in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. 
 
 A snake bite, or a fall, were other possible causes under investigation, he added. 
 
 Temperatures in the area reached 42 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday. The Larapinta Trail website lists over exertion as one of the greatest risks to hikers due to the potential for dehydration. 
 
 The men had hiked 16 km (10 miles) before they were separated on a path that afforded little shade and were carrying limited supplies of water, according to police. 
 
 “We live in a beautiful but harsh environment,” Nobbs said.
– A US tourist has died while hiking in what police call "a beautiful but harsh environment" in Central Australia. The 33-year-old California man and a 40-year-old companion were descending Mount Sonder on a 10-mile hike Wednesday when they became separated. A Northern Territory police superintendent tells ABC Australia the American did "a very foolish thing" and "ran away from his companion." The 40-year-old returned to a parking lot, but the American did not. Three hours after he was last seen, the Californian—who police say had taken a wrong turn—was found dead a quarter to a half a mile from the car park, report Reuters and the BBC. It's not yet clear how he died—a fall or snake bite are possibilities—but authorities say heat and exposure were likely contributing factors. It was about 108 degrees in the area as the men were hiking a section of the Larapinta Trail described by a Parks and Wildlife Service rep as a "very exposed mountain walk." Though police say the California man did have some water, the rep tells ABC Australia "it's almost physically impossible to put back the fluids that you're going to lose as quickly as you're losing them." That means "people become dehydrated very rapidly before ... realizing that it's even happening," which is why long walks in such heat are discouraged. He points out visitors from the Northern Hemisphere are used to temperatures "much cooler than what they're encountering here." The US Embassy says it's "aware of reports of the death of a US citizen in the Northern Territory" but has provided no additional information. (California can be deadly for hikers, too.)