Map of Grand Canyon fatalities

[chumley]

This is a both fascinating and sobering at the same time.

If you zoom in all the way, each of the marks turns into an icon representing the kind of incident and clicking on it will provide details as published in various sources.

I tend to think the actual numbers are much higher than those represented on this map. But that's just my guess.

Please remember that while the map illustrates "statistics" -- each represents real people with real families. Please keep the big bold warning above in mind before commenting.

http://www.arcgis.com/apps/Storytelling ... 18af579b5a

[neilends]

I have a very relevant comment to add.

I interned for a federal judge when I was a law student. One day I got to witness him sentence a serial killer to life in prison. The defendant took his wife to the Grand Canyon, and when no one was looking, pushed her over the edge. He got away with it for decades, because there were no witnesses and obviously no forensic evidence suggesting a homicide. But a persistent detective in Colorado learned one day after many years that the defendant was diagnosed with cancer, and drove to his house on a whim that he might get a quasi-deathbed confession. He was right. The chums confessed. He was deemed a serial killer because this was one of, I believe, 5 different deaths he was implicated in.

That was the first day in my life that I'd ever made eye contact with a serial killer. I looked at him for a second and he looked at me. This sounds like a cliche but it's just a fact: there was nothing behind those eyes whatsoever. His soul was dead.

I did say "first day in my life" on purpose. I have the dubious distinction of being able to say that he was not the only serial killer I've met, because I fight bad guys in court for a living and have met at least one other, plus a mass killer here and there. I do not have a boring job. Sorry to digress.

[neilends]

(pumpkin, lol)

[AZLumberjack]

That's a pretty impressive map Chums, I had no idea there were that many deaths in the Grand Canyon.... and so many by air crash....

[azbackpackr]

@neilends
Bob Spangler, of course. Very interesting story. The rest of you can read about it in the very popular book, Death in Grand Canyon, by Tom Myers and Mike Ghiglieri. Both authors are long-time Flagstaff residents.

If you have a big collection of AZ trail guidebooks, as I do, you may also own On Foot in the Grand Canyon: Hiking the Trails of the South Rim, by Sharon Spangler, one of Bob's several wives.

I well remember my second backpacking trip in the Canyon was New Hance-Tonto-Grandview in 1994. We used that guidebook for some of the info.

[The_Eagle]

@mnlumberjack
I'm also surprised by the number of murders...

[azbackpackr]

@The Eagle
I just clicked around a little bit and also was surprised. The book is updated from time to time. I haven't read the latest edition.

[chumley]

And apparently making some kind of edible out of the Sacred Datura is an exercise that leads to bad things. I didn't previously realize that plant was used for such things.

[SuperstitionGuy]

For those HAZ'ers whose spouse is always complaining about your constant trips. If he or she asks to go along on a trip to the Grand Canyon be sure that your Life Insurance is paid up.
Just sayin...

[azbackpackr]

I'd say get rid of the life insurance! Less motive!

[JasonCleghorn]

That is fascinating... Which may say something about my nerd/map proclivities.

[Alston_Neal]

When the book Over the Edge first came out I was struck by two things. Children died because of adults and seldom fell over the edge, which is every parents fear. I loved the kid who rode his bike off the edge after the E.T. movie came out. He landed in a tree and lived btw.

[nonot]

Interesting map, didn't find any deaths by snakebite yet. Didn't find Butchart's semi-famous skeleton find on the map either.

[hikeaz]

5/26/15 - River Rafters Discover Wreckage of Aircraft in Grand Canyon

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/ ... story.html