Grand Canyon: Death and Injury

The scenario is almost legendary, a tourist on the Rim of the Grand Canyon backs up to get into a picture and falls to death off the cliffs. Unfortunately, the legend is in many cases, a reality. The exposure to falls on the North and South Rims of the Canyon are immense and the number of visitors is huge, combined these facts make for a relatively common problem. What it comes down to is that the Grand Canyon is reality, it is not Disneyland where the rides are not real. A fall into the Canyon is not cushioned by foam rubber. But falls are not the only dangers in the Canyon.
There is a recent book on the subject of the dangers of the Canyon. Here is the citation to the book:

Ghiglieri, Michael Patrick, and Thomas M. Myers. Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon : Gripping Accounts of All Known Fatal Mishaps in the Most Famous of the World's Seven Natural Wonders. Flagstaff, AZ: Puma Press, 2001.

Although this subject is "gripping" and perhaps "dramatic" my experience has been that, more than any other place I hike, the Grand Canyon seems to attract the unprepared and just plain stupid. On one hike, down from the North Rim to Thunder River, we found two groups of hikers that were in serious trouble. One group was wandering aimlessly on the Esplanade totally disoriented and lost. Hopefully, we put them back on the trail. The second group was caught without water. According to my conversations with Park Rangers, it is a very common occurrence.

On one trip out of the Canyon, we passed a man who was limping up the trail, his boots held together with Duck Tape. Another group, a man and two very small children passed us with the children crying from exhaustion. A short time later I passed the young boy laying down in the middle of the trail. Apparently his father was too tired himself, to help him up the trail.

Stepping off the Rim, either accidentally or intentionally on a trail, is a serious business and requires preparation and planning. Once we left the North Rim where the temperature was 27 degrees Fahrenheit, by the time we reach Phantom Ranch, the temperature was 97 degrees in the shade. Although I am not sure how helpful it is to know about foolish people who fall off the Rim but here are a few stories:

Canadian falls to his death in Grand Canyon

Services Held for Canyon Death Victim

Junction man recovering after Grand Canyon hiking accident

The list goes on and on. A word to the wise, the Grand Canyon isn't a theme park.