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[–] PersnickityPenguin@lemm.ee 35 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Damn. I remember looking at a book at the Grand canyon rim souvenir shop that documented all the hundreds of people who have died by falling into the Grand canyon over the many decades. It's kind of a sobering reality when you stand right on the edge and look down hundreds of feet and realize that it wouldn't take much for your life to end right then and there.

Somewhere a photographer from 20 years ago has a photo of me standing right at the edge probably of this exact same cliff. I still can't believe I did that as I have a severe fear of heights, lol.

Hope the kid gets better and gains a healthy fear of heights after this.

[–] nik282000@lemmy.ml 9 points 1 year ago

From what I remember the leading cause of death at the Grand Canyon is still airplane crash due to several accidents before the 80's.

[–] Shortstack@reddthat.com 5 points 1 year ago

I remember reading that book. My takeaway from it was that if I go hiking in there, I'm taking a friend.

One of the major risk factors for dying out there was if you were a guy going out there by yourself. I'd bet they would all be alive today if they just had someone else there to tell them their idea was stupid, and sometimes you just need to say it out loud before you realize its dumb halfway through explaining it

[–] theforkofdamocles@beehaw.org 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon. Maybe it should be required reading—or at least required skimming—for anyone walking around out there. So many dumb-dumbs with cameras trying to get selfies on the edge, or just wanting to look over…

[–] PersnickityPenguin@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

Holy shit! That's the book! I haven't seen that in years.

[–] codapine@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

I always have this harrowing thought every time I was there (I lived in AZ, it was a once-every-few-years sort of affair). I have a memory of my Dad posing for a picture there, right where there's an ankle-high wall leading to certain doom. He didn't fall, but it wouldn't take much and it gives me such Call of the Void vibes looking at that photo.