The Grand Canyon National Park has issued a press release that the 2 missing hikers of the 3 that jumped into the Colorado River are presumed dead and the search has been scaled back. Now that more information has been released, I feel it necessary to discuss this avoidable tragedy. Mark Merrill’s body was recovered just a mile down river from Boat Beach, Joey Merrill and Saif Savaya have not been found.
According to witnesses, the 3 men attempted to swim across the Colorado River. If you have ever been to the bottom by Bright Angel Camp, Phantom Ranch and Boat Beach, you will notice that the waters are relatively calm by the beach where people can get in to cool off - if you can handle the 50 degree F water for more that a few seconds. However, try to go out where the river is actually runnning and you are in for a swim of a short lifetime.
The Colorado River runs at 15,000 cubic feet per second. Imagine having 15,000 basketballs thrown at you every second, with hypothermic conditions that don’t allow you to react as quickly as you would like, in water so your chances of being able to take a breath are slim.
The outcome is unfortunate, but it is important that future visitors take their tragedy as a lesson. There were several things these 3 could have done to not become part of Grand Canyon history.
1. Read the signs - there are plenty of no swimming signs posted due to dangerous undertow.
2. Educate yourself - there is so much information out there - http://www.nps.gov/grca/, other blogs on the internet, books such as Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon, etc. that can give you the gruesome details of the dangers of the Colorado River.
3. Listen to those voices of reason - this can be that inner voice that may tell you not to do it, or other people in your group. These boys were part of a group of 30, someone had to have given the do’s and don’ts of the canyon - at least someone should have.
4. Go with someone who knows the canyon - supposedly this was the case for the 3, the Tri-City Baptist Church does this trip every year. Hopefully part of the pre-trip planning is what to do and what not to do. But to be fair, it is not the responsibility of others to keep you from doing something - with all due respect - stupid.
5. Don’t go to the Grand Canyon if you are a male between the ages of 18 and 40 (or follow someone in that demographic) - statistics show that the majority of deaths and rescues are members of this group. Testosterone is a deadly hormone for so many.
6. If the first person who jumps looks like they may have made a mistake, it is best not to follow suit. We are humans, not lemmings.
7. Think of others - putting yourself in a dangerous predicament, does the same for others. The rescuers now put their lives in danger, bystanders now may feel the need to become good Samaritans and risk their own lives. Not to mention the number of people that witnessed this event - their vacations are filled with memories, but not with ones that will leave a smile on their faces. Not to mention your friends and family. It sounds callous, but it is selfish to not think of how others may be affected by a dumb decision.
This is a tragedy, but like so many in Grand Canyon it could have been avoided. While an example for all others, I personally would rather not leave my mark on history as an example of what not to do. My condolences do go out to the members of the families, the church and friends of Joey, Mark and Saif. This is a hard time for everyone and anyone who was at the canyon during this time will be affected by this tragedy for a long time.
Tags: Colorado River, Grand Canyon, Joey Merrill, Mark Merrill, Saif Savaya
