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Don’t make these 3 deadly mistakes when visiting the Grand Canyon! The Grand Canyon is a spectacular place. The views unrivaled. The opportunities for deadly mistakes, myriad.
Deadly Dehydration in the Grand Canyon
During our Adventures by Disney vacation. we had the option to hike into the Grand Canyon. We took the Bright Angel trail about a mile into the canyon. Even for a short hike, our guides constantly reminded us of the need for lots of water. It gets extremely hot at the Grand Canyon in the summer and you can become dehydrated, very quickly. This is just one of the dangers at the Grand Canyon.
You can survive days and weeks without food. You may survive 3 days without water. For us Floridians, dehydration can happen deceptively fast in the desert. We’re used to the humidity in the South. You know you’re losing water because you’re sweating an ocean per hour. That doesn’t happen in the desert environment of the Grand Canyon. You sweat, but not much and you don’t “feel” like you need water.
Recently, 3 high school graduates from our area of Florida got lost hiking in the Grand Canyon. They intended to hike to the bottom of the canyon and back up, in one day. This was their first mistake and we’ll dive deeper into that, later in the article. The important thing to note, now is that they ran out of water ON THE WAY DOWN! They got lost on the way back up. With no water. Fortunately, they were found after a week. This story could have ended tragically and the lack of water would have been the primary cause.
The Ultimate Grand Canyon Selfie May Kill You
As we hiked down into the canyon, we saw a sign that said to stay out of this one area. It was dangerous. Several people ignored the sign and hiked out to a ledge to get the ultimate selfie.
The Jones Family knows, first hand, how dangerous this can be for a person. An acquaintance of Tim’s fell to her death in the Grand Canyon, shortly after getting a picture while standing on a rock. She lost her balance and fell into the canyon. While not in a restricted area, not being aware of your surroundings while getting your pictures at the Grand Canyon can be deadly.
Grand Canyon Rim to Rim Danger
Remember those high school grads I mentioned, above? Their “plan” was to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up to the South Rim, in one day.
While this can be done, as well as hiking “rim to rim” — from the South Rim to the North Rim — neither is recommended, as they’re extremely difficult hikes and often result in expensive rescues.
These teens did not have enough water for an intense hike to the bottom of the canyon and back. They also only had 3 granola bars among the three of them. No map. They stopped to eat lunch, off trail. Never, ever leave the trail. Leaving the trail was where they became lost.
Know your limitations. It’s easy to take on too much at the Grand Canyon. It’s really easy to “think” your goal is closer than it really is. Check out this pic.
That trail looks deceptively close. It’s several miles away. It would take us hours to get there and back up the canyon. We already hiked about a mile into the canyon before taking this picture.
Everything is much further away and larger than you think it is in the Grand Canyon. Stay safe by keeping this in mind when visiting the canyon.
Here’s the vlog from our hike into the Grand Canyon.
Instead of getting lost, dehydrated, or dead. We got an ice cream reward. 🙂
What precautions do you take before going on a hike? Let us know in the comments.