Speaking of Hiking

We were chatting with some folks on the rim of the Grand Canyon.  The man said that he trained for three months before visiting the Canyon because he did want to hike down into the Canyon, and he knew you had to be pretty fit to get back out!

There are signs like this throughout the Park:

Special Note to the young, strong and invincible:

Let's take a short quiz before hiking into the abyss.

1.  At what temperature will your brain FRY (and you die) from extreme heat exposure and dehydration leaving you utterly useless?  Answer: When your core body temperature reaches 105 degree F. or greater.  (This can happen at any summer temperature when you're overheated and underfueled.) 
2.  How long does it take to get out of the canyon on foot?  Answer: Two to three times as long as it takes to hike down.
3.  What is hyponatremia?  Answer:  A life=threatening electrolyte imbalance caused by salt depletion from sweating. 
NO KIDDING - DO NOT attempt to hike from the rim to the river and back without being prepared to possibly suffer the following:  Permanent brain damage, cardiac arrest, death.

And this:

And this:

Sheila Rowan, age 26, died in the Grand Canyon from heat stroke on the Bright Angel Trail.  Her three companions noted that she suddenly had leg cramps, acted disoriented, was breathing rapidly, and her lips turned blue.  She was just a few feet from Bright Angel Creek, where she cooled down easily -- and possibly still be living today.  *Source:  Death in the Canyon

We had a friend, his wife, and two teenage sons who hiked down to the bottom of the Bright Angel Trail and spent the night.  They were pretty physically fit folks - especially the boys.  Before they reached the top the next day, they ditched their backpacks and bedrolls.  It was hundreds of dollars worth of gear - but they simply couldn't finish the trip otherwise.  When they got back to Texas they found a message on their answering machine advising them that they had one week to get back to the Grand Canyon and retrieve that equipment or the National Park Service would beginning fining them (I think) $100 a day per pack!  Lawsa mercy me!!  But I suppose it happens SO often that the Park Service would spend all their time retrieving and selling or shipping things back to the tourists!

So those are my warnings to you if you ever want to visit the Canyon and plan on doing some hiking...  As our youngest son always tells us:  Be safe!