10 may 2019 | rd.com
Reader’s Digest
EVERYDAY HEROES
Photograph by Matthew CohenThe Water Angel
When Mother Nature’s dangerous
heat sneaks up on unaware hikers, this
resourceful local comes to the rescue
By Andy SimmonsUnfortunately, many people do not
heed the warnings. Fortunately, Scott
Cullymore does. When he’s not run-
ning his carpet-cleaning company in
nearby Mesa, the 53-year-old Cully-
more can be found hiking up and
down Camelback a couple of times a
day, doling out cold bottles of water
to worn-out hikers. He has helped
hydrate so many hikers that he has
earned a heavenly nickname: the Wa-
ter Angel. “I’d like a more manly name,
but, you know,” he told azfamily.com.
Cullymore was on Camelback
Mountain one day in 2015 when aE
ven if you’ve never been to
Phoenix, you know this about
the place: It’s hot. From June to
September, the temperature can eas-
ily eclipse the century mark. But that
doesn’t stop hikers from attempt-
ing the 1.3-mile trek to the top of the
city’s famed Camelback Mountain.
Signs warn that the trail is “extremely
difficult.” If you continue, a posted
checklist suggests at least a liter of
water per person. And if you’re still
not deterred, another sign farther up
declares: “If you’re halfway through
your water, turn around!”