When we were kids, one of the adults in our Boy Scout troop would read stories from this book [1] each week, to encourage us to follow the motto, “Be Prepared”, when it comes to hikes and such.
Unfortunately, as you suggest, your story is commonplace and doesn’t always end well :/.
The takeaways I remember: (1) never hike the Grand Canyon, or any place with high exposure, in the summer, unless you’re extremely prepared for extreme weather (2) always pack the ten essentials [2] (3) when attempting a long or arduous hike, always inform an accountable third party of when and where you’re going.
Hopefully this helps somebody avoid a similar situation in the future!
Unfortunately, as you suggest, your story is commonplace and doesn’t always end well :/.
The takeaways I remember: (1) never hike the Grand Canyon, or any place with high exposure, in the summer, unless you’re extremely prepared for extreme weather (2) always pack the ten essentials [2] (3) when attempting a long or arduous hike, always inform an accountable third party of when and where you’re going.
Hopefully this helps somebody avoid a similar situation in the future!
[1]: https://www.amazon.com/Over-Edge-Death-Grand-Canyon/dp/09700...
[2]: https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/ten-essentials.html