America's 10 Most Dangerous Hikes - Two are in Utah!

[homerj]

Backpacker Magazine just listed America's 10 Most Dangerous Hikes and two of them are in Utah!

Buckskin Gluch:
http://www.backpacker.com/october_08_americas_10_most_dangerous_hikes_bucksk in_gulch_ut/destinations/12627

The Maze - Canyonlands:
http://www.backpacker.com/october_08_americas_10_most_dangerous_hikes_the_ma ze_ut/destinations/12616

The full list is here:
http://www.backpacker.com/october_08_americas_10_most_dangerous_hikes/destinations/12631?utm_source=newsletter01&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter01

[bobb169]

Hopefully the article will keep more people out ! :mrgreen:

[Cirrus2000]

Hopefully the article will keep more people out ! :mrgreen:

:nod: :haha:

[Iceaxe]

I was just thinking of a few other dangerous Utah hikes to compare this with:

The Black Hole of White Canyon (1 death)
The Zion Narrows (A bunch of dead)
The Black Box (a handful of dead)

Flash floods are a problem in all of them.

[tanya]

Kolob
Heaps

[cachehiker]

I've done Bright Angel in a day and Buckskin is on the short list.

Please don't tell my dear mother. :nono:

[Iceaxe]

I've done Bright Angel in a day and Buckskin is on the short list.

Please don't tell my dear mother. :nono:


My sexy wife loves Buckskin, we do it every few years. I don't think I'll tell her it's on anyones 10 most dangerous list. :nono:

And speaking of deadly hikes.... someone is always taking flying lessons from the top of Angel's Landing.

[denaliguide]

angels landing came immediately to my mind as well, but i don't think you can really consider trade routes like the bright angel trail or angels landing in a list like this. to make the list i think that it has to be dangerous for even a veteran and seasoned hiker, not the lowest common denominator tourist.

[tanya]

But then most of the things on this list are canyons and not hikes. Some would say all canyons are dangerous.

[Pelon1]

This is in the article for Buckskin Gulch--I would not have thought of taking a helmet...

Survival Plan It's impossible to know for sure where or when storms may strike, but hedge your bets by checking weather updates; noaa.gov issues the region's most accurate flood forecasts. Avoid Buckskin from July through mid-September, when afternoon storms shower water through the slots. Should you hear water thundering upon you, "Try to scramble up or out," advises Rich Carlson of the American Canyoneering Association. "It's surprising how many little ledges and ripples you can climb when your life depends on it." Failing that, secure yourself to something: Hikers in other canyons have survived by clinging to debris wedged between the walls. Should the current take you, ride the flood like whitewater, feet downstream and elbows in. Says Carlson, "Hopefully, you're wearing a helmet, because you're going to be a pinball."

[trackrunner]

This is in the article for Buckskin Gulch--I would not have thought of taking a helmet

that because you didn't go during a flash flood.

[Cirrus2000]

that because you didn't go during a flash flood.
And you haven't been indoctrinated sufficiently by Tom. If you go outdoors, wear a helmet.

[spinesnaper]

Hey Kev

Yeah. Funny about that. Last time I was in Buckskin, which I did solo, the single thing that impressed me the most was the vast numbers of bowling ball sized rocks that had obviously recently fell into the canyon from the lip judging by the mud splash. It was easily in the hundreds.

Mind you, I never saw one come down in my 8 hours through there. One could argue that a helmet wouldn't save you from a 5 kg rock falling 300 hundred feet. Then again, I promised myself that the next time I am in there, I am going to be wearing my helmet. At least my photos will be politically correct. Of course the other impressive thing was the absurd length of that canyon-one is exposed to objective hazards for awhile with no retreat as they say.

But dangerous hike. Get serious. Only a fool would drop into that thing without first scoping out Doppler radar-no real sport there. On the other hand people fall off Angeles Landing in shocking numbers. IMHO if "deadliest hike" means anything, it should be based on body count.

Ken

[Iceaxe]

IMHO if "deadliest hike" means anything, it should be based on body count.

That would be my rating scale.... even better is dead per number of total hikers, which is why I would put the Lower Black Box on my list. It's not hugely popular but has claimed several lives over the years.

[spinesnaper]

Ahh, a statistician!

[cachehiker]

I figure body count is the only reason Bright Angel is on the list. Overall, it's not that technical, some exposure but no flash flood danger, just long and bloody HOT! We saw a lot of people in bad shape on the way back up and most every one of them was just going to Indian Garden. The oven of schist below that pretty well fried my partner. He's an ex-expert class mountain biker and Moab rat though so I wasn't terribly worried about his ability to recover once we got back to some shade and a water source. On the other hand, I ran into one gal who was crying and a lot more that were going one switchback and rest a while, another switchback and rest a while,... I even refilled one guy's water bottle after he hurled and told him to sit down until he could keep it down. He was determined to make it back up to the top in time to meet the rest of the family for dinner.

Is being on time for dinner justification for hospitalization? :ne_nau: