Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon: Gripping Accounts of All Known Fatal Mishaps in the Most Famous of the World's Seven Natural Wo

I purchased this book and was not disappointed one bit! In fact, it kept me highly entertained for a few cross-country flights. The stories are simply written, but absolutely compelling, such as the idiot who jumped off the wall, pretending to fall backwards, and but for a slip backwards, would have enacted a brilliant practical joke on his daughter. Instead, she ignored him, walked home, and then thought, "Hmmmm... I wonder where Dad is?" Um, maybe at the bottom of the canyon? Bingo! And the tales of the macho men who think they can swim across the treacherous, deadly waters of the Colorado are very amusing too. And imagine this: Walking along the shore of the river only to come across a bikini clad skeleton half buried in the sand.

I recently finished reading Death in the Grand Canyon. What an interesting and informative book! For some thirty years, I've made a yearly pilgrimage to the Grand Canyon. I've hiked most of the better-known North and South rim trails with a old Navy buddy who needs a Grand Canyon fix two to three times a year. We are not novices, but certainly not canyoneers. Still, I learned much from your book and certainly advice that someday may save our lives. We've always had a deep respect for the Canyon -- we hike in March, not the summer; carry enough food, water, clothing; take no stupid shortcuts or climbs, etc. So I've always been comfortable in the Canyon and I am still in awe every year of the spectacular views and majesty of the place. You said that if more folks who ventured into the Canyon better understood the place, deaths or accidents might be reduced. Well, your premise certainly worked for me. As I said, I'm no pro, but not an amateur hiker either. I've always known about the dangers of the Colorado river, the heat, loose rocks, rim drop offs, etc, but I've never really thought about sudden flash floods while in the Canyon. Yes, I've seen the results of Havasu floods, but I've never connected that to other parts of the Grand Canyon. Because of your book, I'll now pay much more attention to our camp sites and the higher ground. I should also mention how much I enjoyed your epilogue. This piece really tied the whole book together; and yes, your conclusion runs so true. We've become a nation that is no longer comfortable shouldering individual responsibility. Now, almost always, it's someone else's fault! "The buck" no longer "stops here." Thanks for a great read, and information that will make our next hike much safer.

As a former Grand Canyon backcountry ranger, field guide and author of the information website, Hit the Trail, the single most-often asked question was and still is, "How many people die here a year?" It's almost a morbid fascination but definitely understandable when you stand at the edge of the gorge looking down the distance of nearly a vertical mile to the river! Yes, people do die here, but mostly from careless behavior. This book intelligently lists each known death in recorded history without being morbid and grim. Many of the deaths extenuating circumstances are described and a discussion of why it happened and how it could have been prevented are included. You'll learn about Glen and Bessie Hyde, a honeymoon couple who disappeared without a trace in 1928 while running the Colorado River. The river runners still tell the story on river trips, and the TV program, "In Search Of.." did a special investigation and program on the couple. And those who have children that are boy scouts may want to read this to make sure you coach them before they do something foolish on a canyon trip.In spite of it's topic, Over the Edge is very easy and enjoyable to read. I sat down and read it cover to cover within a short period of time because it was so interesting and well-written. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Grand Canyon, history, and human behavior. The book is very new, haaving been published in March 2001, and unfortunately quite a few deaths have occurred since then that will have to be added in the next edition. The sad thing is that due mostly to poor judgement, this book will have to be updated regularly.

I was at the Grand Canyon North Rim a few weeks ago. Looking for information at the visitor's office, I was cautioned that a hike into the canyon is extremely dangerous and difficult. This was made clear both in the literature and by the person behind the desk. I was skeptical - I mean how tough can hiking be - and wondered if these cautions were dramatic. The night before I was to hike down, I wandered into the gift shop and flipped through this book. Before I could say "help!" I was laying down bucks to take it back to my cabin for a nightly reading experience which ran from incredulity to horror to fear for my own safety. Because of this book, I cautioned my hiking buddy not to wander off the trail, not to pretend to be falling and to avoid the temptation to urinate over the edge of a cliff (sorry ladies, it's a guy thing, and it's gotten a number of us killed). He later admitted that he was, in fact, tempted to do all these things which proves how naturally we invite accidents. Needlesstosay, after hearing about the intense heat and cases of dehydration we packed lots more water. Despite the heat headaches and blisters at the end of the day, it was a fantastic hike that ended with an awesome respect for nature.This book breaks through the assumption that a national park can be visited with the same indifference to safety as an amusement or theme park. It is written in a surprising straight-forward manner with direct comments on safety. There are discussions about how some deaths could have been avoided, as well as intelligent and professional assessments regarding events surrounding obscure or unwitnessed accidents. Accidents of all manner are organized and discussed: on the rim of the Grand Canyon (picture-taking on the rim can become a nearly fatal activity!), by environmental conditions, by flash floods, on the Colorado river, by aviation, suicide and freak accidents. Each chapter is followed by a list of victims and brief circumstances surrounding their deaths.There's a lot of history here and several tales of prospectors and frontier adventurers. Some of the stories of more recent accidents are deeply disturbing and demonstrate how much people have suffered. This book serves not only as chronicle of deaths in the Grand Canyon but also as a guide to those who visit and appreciate the enormous power of the place.

This book is a must read for anyone planning to venture into the Grand Canyon. It chronicles every known death in the canyon and on its rims. Morbid? Perhaps, but the book's real aim is to keep you the reader from making the sorts of decisions that have led to hundreds of people's deaths.The fatal incidents are grouped into categories: falls from the rim, falls within the canyon, heat/dehydration, drowning, etc. Some cases are covered in just a sentence or two; others are described in riveting detail. It's a hard book to put down.Having made 15 backpacking trips into the canyon, most of them a week long, I figured I knew everything there was to know about safe and sensible behavior in the canyon. But even for me this book was a real eye-opener. For someone going to the canyon for the first time or the hundredth time, "Over the Edge" just might be a life-saver.