Officials recount harrowing ordeal after rescuing family of hikers who ignored warning signs: 'The frustration is there'

Going for a hike is a great way to spend time outdoors and to take in nature — so long as you follow the rules. One family's hiking trip resulted in an emergency rescue after they took a closed path in the midst of extreme heat.

According to AZFamily, a family of five adults and six children needed the Phoenix Fire Department after they could not complete their hike due to overheating and exhaustion.

While nature can be unpredictable, the Holbert Trail was clearly marked as closed because of the high heat. By ignoring the signs, the family did more than just endanger themselves.

"We had upward of five mountain rescue teams who responded. That's a lot of resources," PFD Capt. Rob McDade told AZFamily.

Taking risks by neglecting official signage can come at a cost to everyone. One person visiting Yellowstone National Park caught footage of tourists climbing and sitting on the edge of a waterfall.

Trails and wildlife areas can be closed for a number of reasons, most of which pertain to safety. Sometimes, these closures prevent hikers and tourists from interacting with wild animals. This not only keeps people safe but also limits human-wildlife encounters and the chance of needing to euthanize an animal in response to an attack, keeping all living things safer.

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Entering closed areas can result in fines and community service hours, though it was not disclosed if anyone from the rescued group received a citation. Luckily, everyone in the family was fine — the hope is that they learned a valuable lesson in trusting the professionals who closed the Holbert Trail for the sake of everyone's well-being.

By talking to your friends and family about climate issues, such as protecting wildlife and wildlife areas, you can help better equip everyone to take on the outdoors and decrease risk of danger.

"We're here to rescue people off the mountains. That's our job," McDade said. "But again, the frustration is there because now we're putting our folks into a position to have to go up there."

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