Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon
by Michael P. Ghiglieri, Thomas M. Myers
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Book Summary Information
Author: Michael P. Ghiglieri, Thomas M. MyersEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2001-05-25
ISBN: 097009731X
Number of pages: 408
Publisher: Puma Pr
Book Reviews of Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon
Book Review: Instant Grand Canyon Classic!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an outstanding addition to the literature of the Grand Canyon in at least three respects. First, it's a comprehensive report on all 550 known accidental deaths below the rim of the Grand Canyon from the beginning of historic times up to the end of last year, with a thoughtful analysis of the lessons to be learned from these tragedies. Second, it's a veritable "Who's Who" of colorful canyon personalities, from James White and John Wesley Powell to Georgie Clark and Whale. And third, it's immensely entertaining. If you been following the literature of the Grand Canyon, you'll probably recognize Michael Ghiglieri as the author of "Canyon" (1992) - a popular collection of river related tales told by a veteran Grand Canyon river guide - and Tom Myers as co-author (with Chris Becker and Larry Stevens) of "Fateful Journey: Injury and Death on Colorado River Trips in Grand Canyon"(1999). As a long-time guide for OARS, Ghiglieri has seen some of the incidents (and/or their aftermath) at first hand, while Myers - a boater as well as a serious explorer of the Grand Canyon backcountry on foot - is an MD at the clinic at the South Rim, and consequently has a lot of first hand experience with both survivors and victims of various Grand Canyon mishaps. Combining their interests, experiences, and talents, they've assembled an "instant classic" that's bound to be popular for years to come. Move over, John Hance: your story telling reputation has now been eclipsed. Forget the Darwin Awards for awhile, and go grab a copy of "Over the Edge": these are true stories. While there are a lot of ways to die in the Grand Canyon, the authors have found that most fatalities fit into a few general categories: falling off of the rim (hence the title) or elsewhere in the canyon, deaths related to the environment (heat or cold), flash floods, drownings in the river, aviation accidents, suicide, murder, and a catch-all category of "freak accidents". There's a lesson to be learned from the story of each victim, and the authors hope that one lasting value of this book will be to alert canyon fans to the things that have gone wrong repeatedly. One thread that links many disasters is just plain bad judgement: ignorance, inexperience, testosterone, and gratuitous risk taking have claimed a lot of victims in the canyon. Bad luck has also figured in some of these disasters, but - overall - most of these deaths were in some real sense preventable. Throughout this book, you'll find mention of many other well known Grand Canyon figures: hikers, river runners, park rangers, park Superintendents, even - God Forbid! - the long lost Ambrose Bierce. They appear in the roles of searchers and rescuers, victims of accidents and survivors of near misses, heros, villains, accused (as well as excused) murderers, and more. There are stories with names and dates for which there were no bodies, and bodies for which there are no stories or names, just mysteries. While "Over the Edge" is rich in entertainment value, there's plenty of serious stuff as well. Most of us have stood on the very edge trying to get that perfect picture, or we've been distracted by the incomparable beauty of the canyon, oblivious to the fact that rocks fall into the canyon every day, sometimes taking a tourist with them. We've hiked too hard and too far when it was too hot, had too much to drink at camp, and survived bad runs at Crystal. While I hope we've never actually murdered anybody below the rim (or anywhere else, for that matter), if you've done enough river trips, you've probably been tempted. When you turn the last page, you may - like me - find yourself wondering why you are alive to read these stories, and some of the victims are not. While some victims made incredibly bad decisions, others just had really bad luck, just as some of the survivors of the "near misses" owe their survival to incredibly good luck that won out over the consequences of really bad judgement. But a large proportion of these stories provide a lesson for anyone who will listen: be prepared, be alert, don't take unnecessary chances, know the risks of what you are doing and do your best to minimize them. Many of these tales would be great to tell, or read, around the campfire, next to the river, or safely at home in front of the fireplace. And there are unanswered questions as well: if people ignore the signs, and climb past the fences and guard rails, how do you keep them from falling off the rim? Should the numbers of scenic air flights be limited for reasons of safety, or should we sacrifice "natural quiet" in the canyon to make room for more tourists who will be on their way out of the park in an hour? What's more important: cold beer at camp, or hypothermic swimmers dying in the rapids? - abridged from a review published in "The Waiting List", the publication of the Grand Canyon Private Boater's Association. The author of this review has been running Grand Canyon river trips since 1974, and has written book reviews for "The Waiting List" and "The Journal of the Southwest".
Summary of Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon
Gripping accounts of all known fatal mishaps in the most famous of the World's Seven Natural Wonders.Two veterans of decades of adventuring in Grand Canyon chronicle the first complete and comprehensive history of Canyon misadventures. These episodes span the entire era of visitation from the time of the first river exploration by John Wesley Powell and his crew of 1869 to that of tourists falling off its rims in Y2K.
These accounts of the 550 people who have met untimely deaths in the Canyon set a new high water mark for offering the most astounding array of adventures, misadventures, and life saving lessons published between any two covers. Over the Edge promises to be the most intense yet informative book on Grand Canyon ever written.
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