Woman whose brother died during Camelback Mountain hike raising awareness for hiking safety

PHOENIX - The weather finally felt cooler today, and because of that, many were out hiking Camelback Mountain.

However, one woman wants to make sure you know about her brother, and what can happen on the mountain.

Camelback Mountain is majestic, but the scenery can be deceiving.

May 4th, 2011, 25-year-old Clint McHale went off the trail with a friend. That friend called 911 after McHale fell.

McHale did not have proper equipment. He fell about 50 feet to his death.

"What’s so hard for me with his passing, is it’s so preventable," Chelsey McHale, Clint's sister, said.

Woman raising hiking safety awareness after loss

Over a decade ago, Chelsey McHale lost her brother after he fell 50 feet to his death during a hike. Since then, she has been telling her story in an effort to help prevent similar tragedies. FOX 10s Ellen McNamara reports.

12 years later, Chelsey continues to tell his story to help other people.

After working with The City of Phoenix, a sign and warning to hikers was installed along the trail.

"I do see the impact and what’s happening with it and next year will actually be 10 years since the sign was installed," Chelsey said.

Chelsey often hikes to the sign.

"I never reveal myself, I just sit there quietly," Chelsey said. "I see people’s reaction to it, and I've seen people bring their child and say read this and learn from this."

Chelsey also started a support group for people who have lost a sibling, sometimes she hands out water along the trail, and she’s been featured on a podcast.

"I think I will be doing this, I don’t even know if I’ll ever stop because a lot of what I do is the education piece of it," Chelsey said.

City of Phoenix's "Take a Hike, Do it Right" Campaign
https://www.phoenix.gov/parkssite/Pages/take-a-hike-do-it-right.aspx