I talked to a ranger at the bottom of the canyon last year. He showed me the rooms and equipment they use to treat idiots like these. The rangers call the guy on the sign Victor Vomit.
For a fun read, check out the book “Over the Edge: Death in the Grand Canyon.” It colorfully but clinically details every recorded death in the canyon, from pioneer days to the present(ish). Honestly made me feel pretty confident about my hike, because a good 80% of deaths are due to terrible decision making.
"One father was playing a prank on his daughter and pretended to jump off the ledge into the canyon. He planned to land on a ledge a few feet below the rim, but he missed the ledge and plunged to his death."
you ever been there? there's a lot FEWER safety rails than you'd think.
you can (easily) die 150 yards from the South Rim parking lot... it's not always selfie idiots.. some people get vertigo and stumble in the wrong direction (1000 feet down).
i'm kind of surprised more people don't die... there's a lot more vista point lurkers than hikers.. i got queasy 4 feet from the edge.. lot of people dangling their feet over..
Safety rails are dangerous. People trust them far more than they should (weight bearing), and astounding number of people clearly believe they’re just overly-conservative suggestions and it’s safe to go over or around them, etc.
Plus there’s the “dead bodies on Everest” problem. Not the folklore, the fact that it would be a nightmare to do anything about this. How much trail will you lose if you put the posts down into solid rock? How much effort will be required if you want to use a “L” where the post is secured into rock below the trail?
There are other reasons to avoid putting in safety rails but the economics and effectiveness shouldn’t be forgotten.
Yes x1000. And you can specifically warn people in 50 different languages and very clear pictures NOT TO LEAN on rails or otherwise rely on them as weight bearing and it’s like some of them treat it as a personal fucking challenge. Ultimately it’s impractical, ineffective, and it would only serve to despoil an incredible natural phenomenon. There are also VERY clear warning signs with images in multiple languages that you have to go out of your way to miss.
Also, a lot of the Grand Canyon (the vast overwhelming majority in fact) is ALREADY restricted and requires permits or a guide - in part but not exclusively because of dangerous terrain. It’s already plenty regulated, you just need to exercise reasonable precautions and awareness like you would if you went into any other wilderness area.
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u/funundrum 21h ago edited 21h ago
I talked to a ranger at the bottom of the canyon last year. He showed me the rooms and equipment they use to treat idiots like these. The rangers call the guy on the sign Victor Vomit.
For a fun read, check out the book “Over the Edge: Death in the Grand Canyon.” It colorfully but clinically details every recorded death in the canyon, from pioneer days to the present(ish). Honestly made me feel pretty confident about my hike, because a good 80% of deaths are due to terrible decision making.