The tragic missteps that killed a young California family on a hike

The incident serves as a reminder to thoroughly map, plan ahead and be well-prepared when hiking, no matter the season

When a young family died mysteriously on a trail in California's Sierra Nevada mountains in August, authorities scoured the area for clues. Maybe there was a gas leak from a nearby mine. Maybe the family drank water that contained toxic algae. In the end, as a new report showed, the answers were more prosaic, if just as tragic: the triple-digit temperatures and tough terrain created a fatal situation.

Nearly eighty pages of investigative reports obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle lay out the tragic missteps that led to the death of the young family and hold important lessons about the dangers of hiking in a grueling climate.