The raise down into the Grand Canyon is a rewarding one , full of gorgeous sentiment . It ’s also , however , a treacherous salary increase with 250 of the people who set about the route eventually needing deliverance from the National Parks Service annually . Just what makes it so serious ?
Commentereregyrnsummedup some of the treacherous conditionsthat hikers face while trying to make the famous trek into the canyon , which measures at up to 6,000 foot deep , and then back out again :
It ’s not just “ a walking ” . Getting to the bottom of the canyon is a strenuous hike in often life-threatening weather experimental condition ( i.e. heating system ) , and it takes hours . Get to the bottom , and there is only one hotel there with circumscribed space . ( Of naturally , you could camp . ) Returning to the top on the same day is … potential , for train jock . ( They do n’t even make the mule go down and back up in one day . So if you get a smear on one of the mule trips , you have to have design to persist at the bottom overnight . )
There are signs all over the rim that say “ Down is optional ; Up is Mandatory ” , along with graphical limning of what happens to hiker who tolerate heating plant - stroke . “ Do n’t be one of the over 250 citizenry we have to deliver each yr ” is the canonic subject matter . And those are generally set citizenry who mean they CAN do it , and overvalue their abilities . When I bring down last yr , there was a signboard on the North Rim with a movie of a char on it . The sign said , “ Could you start the Boston Marathon ? ” The basic message : the womanhood picture had execute the Boston Marathon . Then she follow to boost in the Grand Canyon , misread her hiking road , underestimated the amount of body of water she would need , and died out there on the trail .
So part of me sympathize with the idea of making it possible for more people to go down and up , in a short amount of time and with less danger of trauma or death . That ’s not just catering to laziness . In theory , I imagine , you might balance the drawback of a large number of mass visiting the bottom ( and their environmental wallop ) with the fact that they would n’t have to remain there . ( But the point is , they are n’t there NOW , having an impact , so the impact of human visitation would absolutely increase . )
Personally , I ’d rather the selection was n’t there . But that ’s just because I feel like , for myself , I would rather there be things out there that are difficult to do . I think it create them more worthwhile . When I was there , I was n’t able to hike to the bottom ; but I ’d like to remember that I could do that , someday . When I was at Yosemite , I could n’t boost to the top of Half Dome , either . But it ’s something to aspire to .
The National Park Servicesums up the messageto tramper in this pithy caution : “ WARNING : There are no easy trails into or out of the Grand Canyon ! ”
range viaGrand Canyon National Park’sFlickr
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