North Rim Warnings Or Dangers Tips by Segolily

In response to Pavlik's comment that the dire warnings not to hike in the park are due to insurance and lawsuits I must respond. There are over 400 search and rescues mounted each year in the park, that is about 8 for every 100,000 people who visit. The majority are for people who thought they could do something and got in over their heads. These search and rescues are expensive to mount and maintain and who pays for them is an ongoing debate. It is not insurance or lawsuits that initiate the warnings, but need to protect us from ourselves. People die here every year. Hiking in the Grand Canyon should not be undertaken lightly, without thorough research, training, preparation and experience. Temperatures in the canyon reach over 100F in the summer and water is not readily available. You are hiking at high altitude and in reverse direction from most hikes. It is easy enough to go down, but too easy to go down too far before you realize that getting back up is problematic. Complications with dehydration and heart conditions happen, ankle or knee sprains are always a possibility. I read recently about an experienced Grand Canyon hiker who ended up with just the plain old flu while at the bottom and struggled hiking back up while sick. If you are young, fit, experienced and prepared then hiking the canyon is a wonderful adventure. However, some of those search and rescues are for exactly that kind of person, but who gets off track and lost, runs out of water, stumbles and gets hurt etc.
In today's society we are too used to having someone available to bail us out if we get into trouble. That doesn't happen quickly or easily in a wilderness like the Grand Canyon. Take the warnings seriously.