Reply to Death in the Grand Canyon -- it can happen even to smart people

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I hiked in the Grand Canyon with my boyfriend in 2000.  Yes, there are warning signs about not doing it in one day but I was young and stupid and overestimated myself.  The other mistake was that we thought we could eat a full meal at the restaurant located on the bottom.  But you had to make a reservation beforehand because all supplies are transported by mules.  So all we got was crackers and water.
When we hiked back, I soaked a towel in water to place on my head and it was bone dry within minutes.  Anyway, after a while I got a runny stomach and I had to go right then and there (normally I do anything to avoid pooping in public).  All that really weakened me and I got mentally overwhelmed that I would ever make it back to the top.  My boyfriend had to hold my hand and lead me back up.  I could only focus on putting one foot in front of the other until we made it back to the top.  I cannot imagine what would have happened if I had been alone like the sad women in this story.  [/quote]

It seems like you didn't read the story. She was hiking with two children ages 10 and 11 (not alone). And she had a campground reservation at Bright Angel, meaning it's likely she was doing it as a two or three day hike, not a day hike.[/quote]

She was alone when she died because she left the kids (one of who already was sick from the heat) and went to get help. It seems like you didn't read the story.

It's easy to overestimate yourself, plan poorly, or just have something unexpected happen. Usually the consequences aren't fatal but here they were. I feel so sorry for her family. Everyone calling her stupid might want to think about the times you or a loved one messed up (bet you there was at least one time!) and how it was just luck that it wasn't fatal.[/quote]

+1
Maybe she did follow guidelines and brought the recommended amt of water. maybe that still wasn't enough. shit happens. sadly this mistake cost her her life. it is sad ow little compassion people on here seem to have. [/quote]

+1.  I think people like to make these judgments because its too scary to think that it could just be random chance and it could happen to them.  I remember in the book "The Right Stuff" Wolfe talks about how when a test pilot would die, the other test pilots would always come up with the stupid thing that the dead pilot had done that they, of course, would never do.  He figured it was their way of dealing with the danger of their profession.

This woman had hiked the trail before, and was less than a kilometer from Phantom Ranch, where she could get more water.  It was just a very sad accident.  [/quote]

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