Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Lost in the Grand Canyon

Watched part of a movie yesterday I hadn't seen before titled "Canyon" basically just about being lost in the Grand Canyon.... and completely unprepared! Didn't see the first half of the movie, but from what I could gather a young married couple had planed (with guide) to camp at the bottom of the canyon, and somewhere along the way they got off route, mules ran off, guide bitten by snake and died leaving the couple who hadn't been paying any attention to where they were alone, with no gear, water, or food... and worse no sense of direction or where they were. Of course with tragic results.

I've never been to the Grand Canyon much less the bottom of it. But as beautiful as it is, I could not imagine a more in hospitable place to be lost in, or the words to describe the terrain.


Phil

Sounds like hollywood fiction... you could run out of water and be in a tight spot. Up/down/forward/back... it's pretty easy figuring going back and up will get you out.

the snake kill is to obvious.

Kent

Or going down will get you to water. And rafters passing by several times a day will offer rescue

And then there's the Indian tribe that lives down there.

Ain't been but I hear the Grand Canyon is a big place.

About the saddest story I've read of the place was a young man hiking down in a remote area got off of the trail and, getting low on water on a hot day, opted to continue on downhill rather than backtrack uphill to find the trail.

Following a ravine, he came to a series of ledges where, probably driven by thirst, he made the decision to drop down even though climbing back up would be difficult or impossible.

Finally he came to a ledge with an unsurvivable drop and was unable to go back up the ravine he was in. They found his body still sitting on that shelf, he had had the time to write a farewell letter to his family.

Birdwatcher

We have a video set by Nat Geographic on the history of our national parks. About the time the GC became a park, a newly wed couple decided to float it. They didn't have rafts at that time so they did it in a a wooden boat with sweeps. Both were experienced boaters and outdoorsmen. Weeks later, when they didn't arrive at their destination, the boat was found swirling in an eddy with a tie rope tangled in some submerged trees. The couple still haven't been found.

My all-time favorite tale of woe (true!) is about the young farts who rode their motorcycles down there (a no-no unto the nth degree!) one broiling summer day and were caught.

The park ranger took their spark plugs and wires � and told 'em that if their 'cycles were still down there at sunset, they'd be confiscated.

Can you imagine pushing those beasts for miles up that narrow trail just to keep the Park Service from having 'em?

I love it!

If you want a really interesting (though slightly morbid) read, try "Death in the Grand Canyon". It chronicles all those who have died since the GC was discovered. Lots of good stories, especially regarding those who have never been found.

there is more than one way to get to the bottom of the canyon, the trails within the park are only one way. I was told of another way, a few years ago, of a way the indians used to enter to get out of the snows up on top. It is there, if you know where to look. As well as another way. I have heard rumors for years of people living in the canyon that aren't suppose to be there, picking on campers and the like.

Backpacked some of the tail system in the Gand Canyon back in the 80's. Would be hard to run out of water and away from a easily recognisable trail.

Watched that Movie. Hollywood all the way!! After the Guide finally died,and was buried, the guy fell and broke His Leg.The Foot and Ankle was wedged in a Rock. the woman had to go back and dig up the Guide and get His Knife and cut the Guy`s Leg Off. Then, She built a Drag and tied Him on it and then had to fight off a bunch of wolves that tried to eat the Stump of the Guy`s Leg. Then, She tried to Choke the Guy to death cause he was Dying anyhow. and then a rescue helicopter landed and saved `em!!!!

The Havasupai

www.havasupai-nsn.gov

that was a recent case, he left his message in his cell phone (no coverage, just left a text)

Sycamore

1927, Glen and Bessie Hyde, a very through book about it, called "Sunk Without a Sound".

Sycamore

More than slightly morbid!

Every time I read it, I swear I'm never going back, too scary.

Of course I always go back.

Sycamore

I'm presently at the Grand Canyon while I'm reading this thread. I took these pics today while hiking along the South Rim. Words cannot do it justice...I've never even seen a picture that can do it justice. Rest assured though, one could easily lose their life here...it happens to people every year. One could easily run out of water, and one could easily get lost. After a century of geological survey, only about 6% of The Canyon itself has been surveyed. 'Big', 'vast', 'expansive', 'dangerous'...these are all understatements regarding The Canyon. Underestimating this place is a dangerous thing, and that mistake has cost many people their lives.

The Grand Canyon is an enormous national park. 90% of those who visit, or more, go to either south rim via Tusyan or north rim out of Jacob's lake. There are well developed infrastructures and trails out of those two places; pretty hard to get lost out of there. IF you get a back country permit and enter at some other point, it is pretty easy to get lost. Most of the side canyons are not passable without rappeling equipment. I have been in several places and fell off a 35' waterfall (dry) trying to be cute and broke my tibia. There is a permanent belay there for getting up and down it. I went up without and fell on my first step going down without!

It gets REALLY hot in the bottom in the summer; 115� is not uncommon.

One of the lesser known but fantastic trails is the Nankoweep trail. It takes most people two days to get down this trail.

There is no indian tribe in the bottom of the grand canyon. That Havasupai reservation is in a side canyon that you can hike all the way out and come out on the colorado river but they are 6 or 7 miles upstream from the river. Only rafters would see you there.

Some friends of mine hiked down the Nankoweep to fish one year in late April. A freak snow storm blocked the trail up. They ran out of food and couldn't get the rafters to share or even get a message out to their families. The families presumed they had died and were pretty shook up. Eventually the Hatches (Ryan Hatch fame)who have a rafting company fed them and got a message out with a sat phone to their families. The Grand Canyon does not suffer fools gladly, to borrow a phrase from Paul.

'Tis that, y'betcha!

1,904 sq mi (4,931 sq km) � a lot more if it were ironed-out flat!
1,218,376 acres (43,077 hectares)
277 mi (446 km) from Lee's Ferry to Grand Wash Cliffs
about 5,000 ft (1,524 m) deep at Grand Canyon Village � down to 6,000 ft (1,829 m) elsewhere
10 mi (16 km) wide at Grand Canyon Village � 18 mi (29 km) wide in places

BIG! any way y' wanna cut it!

Last scene in this movie (as to size of the canyon) was that of the rescue, as if the camera was pointed straight down on the rescue scene from a second chopper above it all... then it gradually kept panning out as if that chopper was rising, and rising, and rising straight up to some unbelievable altitude, with everything below just becoming minuscule in size, and still no view of the sides of the canyon! Trick photography, most likely but still thought it was pretty immense!


Phil