A northwest Iowa woman has collapsed and died in the southwestern United States. Authorities in New Mexico say 23-year-old Erica Hoekstra of Sheldon was hiking at the White Sands National Monument in New Mexico Wednesday, hiking a trail called the Alkali Flat Trail.
According to a release from the National Park Service, she was hiking with a friend, when she began experiencing symptoms of distress. The friend quickly hiked back to the trailhead to retrieve additional water and ice from their car and called 911 from her cell phone about 1 P.M. Wednesday.
According to the release, when the friend got back to Hoekstra, she was unconscious. The friend began C.P.R., which was continued by the Park Service rangers, who had to hike a half mile to get to Hoekstra. The cause of death is being investigated by the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator.
The Alkali Flat Trail is a five-mile loop trail along the dunes of White Sands National Monument near Alamogordo, New Mexico.
By Scott Van Aartsen, KIWA, Sheldon