Over The Edge: Death in Grand Canyon, expanded 10 year anniversay edition

by Michael P. Ghiglieri, Thomas M. Myers, Kim Besom (Illustrator)

Book annotation not available for this title...Title: .Over The Edge..Author: .Ghiglieri, Michael P./ Myers, Thomas M...Publisher: .Puma Pr..Publication Date: .2012/03/01..Number of Pages: .586..Binding Type: .PAPERBACK..Library of Congress: .2011943187

Genres: Nonfiction

586 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Michael P. Ghiglieri grew up at Lake Tahoe, Nevada as the great grandson of a Forty-niner, served as a US Army platoon sergeant during the Viet Nam era, then earned his Ph.D. in Ecology in 1979 from the University of California at Davis for his pioneering research on wild chimpanzees in Kiable Forest, Uganda. In addition to teaching university courses in primate behavior and ecology and in human evolution and ecology, he has directed several semesters-over-seas centers focusing on sustainable resource management (in Kenya, the Turks & Caicos, Palau, Far North Queensland, and Vancouver Island) and has worked as a wilderness river guide and EMT. Since 1974 he has run more than 660 commercial whitewater trips and also treks in Ethiopia, Java, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Rwanda, Sumatra, Tanzania, Turkey, and the USA. These include 140+, 2-week rowing or paddling trips through Grand Canyon and more than 43,000 miles of river overall, a few in the Canyon as an NPS ranger, plus several Kilimanjaro ascents.

Reviews

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a bit of this before and then the rest after visiting Grand Canyon. It put some perspective on the young (witless) teenagers I saw (of questionable coordination and athleticism) descending off trail to precipices that could have quickly lead to death. There were so many doing it that the behavior seemed normalized to the crowd and it was the closest to the 'lemming' effect I have ever witnessed.

Back to the book...it is a very particularly indexed account of every known death in Grand Canyon from every categorical scenario possible. The national park is one of the most underestimated forces of nature in the United States due to the MANY ways, predictable and unpredictable, that the terrain and weather can individually or separately be deadly.

Too often the overconfidence of people and their underestimation of the canyon are the lethal combination, but sometimes it's murder, aviation catastrophe, and the the stark contrast and volatile nature of extreme heat, extreme cold, and rapid flooding put people in a disposition of life or death.

And yeah, back to the whole gravity and extreme height. Many experienced (and witless) people have found themselves trapped on cliffs (one of the most terrifying ways to die I think) or injured from a fall in areas far too remote for rescue. I took away a few lessons applicable to any wilderness adventure, the first being that you should ALWAYS tell someone (not in your group) exactly the who, what, when, where, and why about your trek. And do not deviate from that plan unless it is absolutely necessary.

5 stars. Would stare into the precipice again. If you are going to Grand Canyon, then read this.

[T.J. Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a nightmare factory. I loved it.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have now read this book 2 times--both editions. The second time was for a graduate level class. The 10th anniversary edition is much improved, so I highly recommend reading that version over the older one.

The book itself is informational, but Ghiglieri and Myers need a better editor. Too many grammatical errors to list. But what annoyed me most was he wrote about a "Lead Mead National Recreation Area" and although I thought "Lead" was a typo for "Lake" I still had to Google to make sure there wasn't a Lead Mead. He also spells "goos" instead of "GUs" which as a runner who uses "GU" drove me nuts (it's either electrolye "gel" or the brand name GU).

But I digress. I also wish the stories "flowed" a bit better, they all just bleed into one another and as a reader I sometime struggled to "keep-up" or follow the storyline at-hand. I think having subheadings/topics would improve future editions and make the chapters more manageable as well.

Having said that, I LOVE the end of each chapter where they list all the deaths and a short synopsis of the incident and victim. I also agree with the epilogue--National Parks aren't Disneyland and people need to be prepared when entering them. I am that person that has everything in my backpack for just a day-hike and I scoff at people hiking in flip flops and jeans. And for that reason, I will not be mentioned in future editions of this book *fingers crossed*.

*One thing that did surprise me most was the lack of deaths from animals.

[Antonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping compendium of all the deaths that have occurred in the Grand Canyon, including airplane accidents, drownings, falls incurred by less than cautious hikers, murders and suicides. I think this book is a must read for anyone who plans to hike, raft or just walk near the edge of the Grand Canyon; even if you park in a remote area, beware! There may be a human lurking nearby who is prepared to take your life. I really enjoyed the authors' upfront assessment of the causes of all of these demises: human error, arrogance and foolishness for the most part which bloomed into unpreparedness resulting In injury and/or death. It was gratifying to know that no commercially guided small, oar-powered raft has ever had a death resulting from drowning in the Colorado River in GC. So, your safest bet down there? Don't hike, float instead and go commercially. If you do insist on tackling the Canyon by yourself, and want to hike in its more remote regions, there is a handy list of what you should take to increase your chances of surviving in case of an accident. Top of the list? A friend.

[Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a very good read. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because of the flow. The story’s included when fleshed out were great. Then the chapter would end with a table of dry reading to learn about all of the other deaths. If these deaths could have been more seamlessly included this book would have been a 5 star rating.

[Amy Payne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this FASCINATING book over the course of 7 months after visiting the Grand Canyon. It’s a LOT of information to take in, and I found it difficult to sleep after reading about people dying. Thanks to the authors’ research, we can hope they’ve educated many on ways to prevent future deaths.