Danger, danger: Utah's rugged terrain invites disaster

[tanya]

You could fall off a cliff, get struck by lightning or drown in a lake.
Your horse could fall over on top of you, your ATV could flip or your car could crash.
Deseret Morning News graphic Outside the relative comforts of your house, condo or apartment, the dangers of life are everywhere. But of all the places you could go in Utah

[stefan]

EVERYONE STAY AWAY!!!!!

[tanya]

Those are some low death rates compared to most places. I bet more slip and fall in their tubs in a city than die in a National Park? You think?

[Mtnman1830]

I get lectured by my parents about hiking alone. I don't do any big hikes with just myself as company, (that would be scary) but 5 miles or so, I enjoy.

I tell them I have a bigger chance of getting hurt driving to the trailhead.

[Scott Card]

I'd prefer the last sequence of raps in Heaps Canyon in Zion any day to living in Los Angeles. Been there, done that. Way more danger and stress driving in LA, particularly at night than in the out of doors in Utah. I lived in L.A. proper during the Rodney King riots with my wife. Bad and very scary time. Give me a cliff, a lake, a mountain any day.

[Sombeech]

For a minute there, I thought rockgremlin posted some more coordinates.

[R]

"440,000 annual deaths each year are smoking-associated in the United States (CDC)"

[DiscGo]

I thought this was a really cool post Tanya!

[epek]

People get hurt where they spend most of their time. Simple statistics. Since most people spend most of their time in their home and on their couches, it is more likeley they will get hurt there. It is impossible for average joe to get hurt in the mountains if he never goes there. National Geographic did a poll on the top 20 "most dangerous" places on the planet and the wasatch was in the top 10 I believe. Avalanches, ski injuries, falls, lost etc... I have never had a serious oops, but I have had a few but cheek muscle tighteners, and on one occasion took a 2 hour back track off a steep, snowy, rocky slope that only took me a few mins. to get out on. So far so good, but yep, it is dangerous stuff out there, statistically not as dangerous as the tub, but realistically, bigger oops possiblities in and on the hills.