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On July 21 at 7:45 p.m., Big Bend National Park’s Communications Center received notice of a fatality along the Chimneys Trail. Rangers responded, and a deceased 75-year-old male from Houston was located approximately one-half mile from the trailhead. There was no obvious cause of death. The Chimneys Trail is a moderately-difficult, five-mile round trip hike to a series of prominent volcanic formations in the western desert of the park. Summer temperatures in Big Bend are extreme. Temperatures over most of the park reach 100+ degrees by late morning, and increase to exceedingly dangerous levels until long after sunset. On Thursday afternoon, the temperatures along the Chimneys Trail exceeded 104 degrees.