Rescue in the Grand Canyon: The Epic Hike that Nearly Killed Dan Becker
Vložit
- čas přidán 5. 09. 2024
- @DanBecker joined me on a 45 mile Rim to Rim to Rim backpacking trip, but halfway through, Dan was having a medical emergency in a truly remote and dangerous part of the Grand Canyon. This is the story of Dan's scary saga. Special thanks to the responding National Park rangers and all medical personel who helped to save Dan's life.
Gear I have tested and recommend:
Backpacks and Hiking Gear:
Mystery Ranch Terraframe 65L
Komperdell Explorer Contour trekking poles
Tents and Camping Gear:
Big Agnes Copper Spur bit.ly/3XWSpn4
Durston X Mid trekking pole tent durstongear.co...
Sea to Summit Ascent AcII Sleeping Bag: 15F Down bit.ly/3JTea1h
Zenbivy 25 Degree Lightbed zenbivy.com/pr....
Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated Sleeping Pad bit.ly/3DbbCcO
Sea to Summit Aeros Down Pillow bit.ly/34n4749
Clothing:
Cotopaxi Fuego Hooded Down Jacket bit.ly/3iwmivF
Big Agnes Zetto Ultralight Down Jacket www.bigagnes.c....
Arc-teryx Beta Rain Jacket
Outdoor Research Echo Hoodie bit.ly/3XR4WZm
Fjallraven Keb Agile Trouser
Coalatree Trailhead Pants coalatree.com/....
AKU Selvatica Mid GTX Hiking Boots bit.ly/3eSMmvy
Darn Tough Hiker Micro Crew Cushion Sock bit.ly/3qLVyaI
Hestra Bike Ergo Grip Tactility Glove amzn.to/3GWeADc
Camp Kitchen:
MSR PocketRocket 2 Stove bit.ly/34mBc06
Sea to Summit Alpha Pot - 1.9 Liters bit.ly/3tdCZ23
Sea to Summit Watercell X bit.ly/3wv3ost
Platypus Big Zip EVO Reservoir Water Bladder bit.ly/3t2SrxF
Grayl Geopress Water Purifier bit.ly/3DbOCun
Lifestraw Peak Squeeze Water filter straw bit.ly/3Bjk88U
Pinnacle Foods Freeze dried food pinnaclefoods.co/
Vosteed Nightshade Folding Knife amzn.to/3J7XOnn
Matador 8L Flatpack matadorup.com/....
Trail Gear:
Ledlenser Neo 5R Headlamp amzn.to/3Jd8Pnu
Vargo Titanium Dig Dig Tool bit.ly/3UGgFYO
Zoleo Satellite Communicator amzn.to/3WBDRIK
Special thanks to my Global Partners for supporting my mission of inspiring and educating people to get on the trail and enjoy the benefits of sustainable outdoor adventure.
Wiley X: www.wileyx.com/
Mystery Ranch: www.mysteryran...
Cotopaxi: www.cotopaxi.com/
BeanVivo: beanvivo.com/
NOTE: These are affiliate links where I'll earn a small commission if you make a purchase at no additional cost to you, but it's a great way to show your support. Thanks!
Produced By
Heliconia Productions: www.heliconia.ca/
info@heliconia.ca
Follow me on social media
Instagram: / epictrails365
Facebook: / epictrails365
Blog: in4adventure.com/
Eric is a TRUE friend. I’m so thankful that he was there along with Jake and Emmett. I never would’ve made it out otherwise. And yes…. I’ll go backpacking with you again Eric….
Dan man, thank you for making it through and sharing with us all this important lesson. Stay healthy!
I think we're all thankful!
Phew that’s a relief! So… you wanna climb Denali or something??
Thank God Dan your ok...my whole back packing journey started with you...I'm not gonna lie and say i wasn't getting emotional watching this video...i was so scared for you...please take good care of yourself and REST..and your boys are all amazing that stuck with you...great team effort across the board...:)
Just finished your video of this Dan. An epic tale to be sure. I'm glad you're okay. Could not have asked for a better group to be with when trouble struck. Thank you Eric for taking us along!
[Hey there. Cross-posting this comment from Dan's channel here as well.]
First, as have said the others, I'm really glad that Dan was able to get help and is on the way to recovery. Wonderful news there.
So, mountain SAR guy and wilderness EMT here. Rhabdo is no joke and not actually as rare in these settings as some would lead you to believe. Oxygen deficit at altitude, high exertion over a sustained period, and dehydration are the key triggers as you discovered. I'm sorry if I didn't catch this in the video but one of the hallmarks of rhabdo is dark tea-colored urine, which is indicative of the spilling of the breakdown products. Not sure if Dan saw those symptoms or not.
I guess the only takeaways I would offer in addition to the comments offered in the video are:
1) Pushing through non-transient chest pain in a remote setting is super-dangerous, especially if you're ascending as you're pushing. If you have persistent chest pain, stop and rest, and immediately consider calling for evacuation.
2) It seems there was hesitation to call SAR resources when things started getting dicey. I think I can speak for all of us in the SAR community that we'd MUCH rather get a call to help you get out safely while you're in a compromised but not critical state as opposed to you pushing yourself into critical and risking your life hoping it makes things easier for us. We'd much rather take your gear and help you with hydration, nutrition, and warmth as you slowly walk yourself out over several hours than see you for the first time when you're unconscious and circling the drain at the top. If we can get you safe and stable to the top, evac options are much more wide open than if you're unconscious, and the range of people who have the skills to care for you in that context is much narrower.
3) For as much backcountry activity as you guys do, I would take a formal Wilderness First Aid or (even better) Wilderness First Responder course from an outfit such as NOLS (disclosure: I'm a NOLS WEMT). There's a significant section in those courses on both rhabdo and altitude sickness (HACE and HAPE) and I think it would have been helpful to the group in this case.
4) Really good call with the Garmin InReach Mini. For you and for others watching, consider what you would have done without cell signal at the trailhead. The Garmin service is excellent, but consider also other options such as ham radio for the backcountry. For example, there's a open ham radio repeater in Jacob Lake, and three more in Kanab. The first one would certainly have been reachable and likely the other three as well.
Again, really really glad Dan is feeling better and glad it turned out OK. Just food for thought above for those who might benefit from your experience.
Just saw Dan's video I'm so happy he's ok. As a retired Park Ranger I'm proud of my fellow Rangers.
The whole team of rangers were incredible. Hats off to you!
Then why did they prosecute Eric Hansen??? 🤷♀️🤔
@@mountainbirder9872 yeah that is messed up. They are national park rangers. I'm North Carolina State parks. Probably a power trip most likely. I've known a few National Park Rangers and they can be a holes. Just hope they drop it .
@@chrismoore600 my understanding is that he was fined $1,000 and now has a misdemeanor on his record. The NPS/prosecutor/judge tried to force him to never speak about this expedition (and give up his film) but instead he choose to plead guilty and accept the fine and blot to his record (which can prevent his from traveling in certain countries). Really horrific abuse of power.
@@maryesther6513 your tax dollars at work.
Thank you Eric, Emmet, Jake, Ranger, plough driver, truck driver, and hospital staff for saving our son. No words can express how wonderful you all are. I know you were guided by the Lord.
Plow
I know it's a small detail in a much larger story but that 911 operator was so good. I've heard so many bad 911 calls, it's great to hear someone really wanting to help as much as possible. Thankful that Dan is ok!
I love how Dan keeps his sense of humor through the whole thing. Get well soon Dan!
Yeah, the guy can’t not joke around!
He can’t help himself.
He's such a good natured guy. One of things I really enjoy about watching Dan & Eric together is their humor and how they joke about themselves but are close friends that obviously care for each other too.
Thankfully, everyone will recover and are wiser for it. I found it beneficial to watch both channels. I had a couple of hiking adventures last year in remote corners of the world. So I purchased Global Rescue to go along with my Bivy Stick. You never know when, despite good planning, adversity might turn life threatening.
Rhabdo is probably more known in the endurance/ultrarunning community, as it has sidelined some of the more high profile athletes. One thing I did see in Dan's video with the crew, was folks taking ibuprofen. This can exacerbate or put greater strain on the kidneys, as that is how the body metabolizes ibuprofen and can lead to rhabdo. Many ultraraces actually ban the usage of it for that reason. I would suggest reading more on that or talking to a medical professional, particularly for future outings that are very strenuous.
Likewise cold weather hydration is a not obvious thing. I forget to drink when it’s cold but it’s just as important because you still lose a lot of fluids through breath and sweat. This can contribute to Rhabdo risk too
Yes! I've worked in renal wards and ibuprofen is really rough on your kidneys if you have any kind of renal impairment, including rhabdo and dehydration. It can also cause gastric issues so if you're vomiting or experiencing acid reflux you should also avoid it.
I wish this was more common knowledge outside the running & medical communities, as you don't have to be running marathons to develop rhabdomyolysis.
They thought he was having a heart attack. When you hear hoofbeats you think horses, not zebras
sometimes when you're hiking.. getting emotional is often times a sign of low oxygen levels. meaning you're going faster and harder than you're capable of..... the signs of distress were showing early on this trip for you Dan.
You should be thanked for the decisions you made to keep him moving to a spot he could be rescued from and thinking ahead to get his shelter up before he got there. What a scary situation for all. Thanks so much for sharing. All of us novices really appreciate this. We will all learn from this.
Scary. I'm imagining being on a hike with a loved one and having this happen. Yikes.
There are ranger stations and helicopter landing pads spaced throughout the bottom of the canyon. They were moving up through altitude and increasingly difficult terrain and unknown conditions in front of them. Everything about this is stupid. They are just counting on their viewers being novices and not seeing the many mistakes or how out of shape Dan clearly is.
Eric did such a good job calming Dan and keeping his cool in this situation even while talking to emergency services very impressed
Thanks Patrick!
A good example of why you choose your outdoor companions carefully - you never know when your life might be in their hands. Glad you were able to work through the complications and take care of Dan. Good folks looking out for each other is inspiring. I'd hike with you and your crew anytime.
Glad to hear it Stephen!
It’s hard to start realising you cannot do what you think you can in terms of distance/terrain. Here in Finland where we have extreme cold you have to realise that even a few km is going to take extreme effort due to the conditions. When I backpack I have now stopped setting any distance goals but instead make sure I’m prepared for sleeping just about anywhere and that I have more food than I need. For myself I’m not a fan of planned distance hikes and I don’t join others whose fitness levels may be different. It’s been a tough realisation that I cannot manage once what I used to do so I have to be easier on myself.
Glad Dan is ok and well done to everyone involved in helping him.
I applaud your planning and reasoning.
I’m just learning this in hiking and it’s made a difference so far.
Having just hiked North Rim to Bright Angel in October, I cannot comprehend going at this time of the year with all the precautions and alerts about trail conditions. So glad Dan made it out ok but I don’t know if this was a good decision to do this. Sometimes the best decision is not to go and wait until the trail conditions get better. I appreciate the ranger that got down there to help and the obvious care and love from the hiking companions
Just watched Dan's video, everyone is so glad that you were there to take care of Dan and the others. Great work Eric, safe travels my friend.
Thank you for sharing. I think it’s so important that even experienced hikers can experience distress on the trail. Nobody is infallible. You guys seemed to remained calm and made good decisions You might save lives by sharing this important lesson. Thank god you , Dan the crew and first responders are ok.
You're using the term experienced loosely.
great info. I spent 35 days hiking the Canyon in the winter of 94. We cross-country skied across the North Rim. It was wonderful but also scary. Ran low on food, our tent froze closed one night but a great experience. We did the Bass trail, so much further from help.
Scary yes exactly right but what is scary is that you chose to hike past Phantom Ranch, a place with cabins beds, a place to eat and rest.
You're very lucky that you had such a good friend and that you had cell phone service plus a GPS locator. This was a very close call.
You're a good man Eric! Lucky that Dan had you by his side during this.
First and foremost, thank goodness Dan is okay. Second, thanks to all of you for sharing this experience with the backpacking community. It should be informative and eye-opening for all. I think you guys did an exceptional job in caring for Dan despite having limited medical training. That said, I also think this underscores the importance of obtaining some formal medical training if backcountry adventures is something you do often. It truly doesn't take that long to even get certified as an EMT - and the dividends are immeasurable. Again, thanks for sharing and wishing Dan a quick and full recovery.
Agreed. If you don't have time for (W)EMT (240-280 hours), then you can get WFR (80 hours) from a variety of outdoor schools. You won't learn as much as an EMT, obviously, but you'll be much more capable in an emergency situation than a typical person on the trail.
@@unvexis Well said, unvexis. Those are details I should have included. I consider the value of EMT training to be immeasurable; however, if outdoor, backcountry adventure is your passion, getting wilderness EMT training is the way to go. One point of clarification on my original post: I did not intent for my comments to be directed at anyone in particular - just in general.
first thought watching this was why these guys are this far out so unprepared for an emergent situation. like aren't these guys supposed to be "pros"?
@@beng3591 You can only be so prepared in the backcountry. Looks like they each brought a camera operator. They should consider WEMT/WFR training, but in the case of things like rhabdo, the only solution is rapid evacuation to definitive care, which is what they did anyway.
@@beng3591 Plus, they weren't as far out as most backcountry trips. They had good cellular service, and a ranger drove right up to their camp and hooked him up to an ECG. That's way better response time than you typically get. Whether they got lucky, or they knew risk was low, I can't say.
Glad to see Dan is OK. Also, a big shout out to you, Eric for keeping calm in this stressful situation. A good learning experience to share.
North rim: closed
Dan & friends: this is where we need to be
I want to pass on a bit of advice I learned from Dixie of Homemade Wanderlust. I believe her words of wisdom are far beyond her years. Regarding a friend or a pet hiking with you who may not be in as good of condition, let the slowest person set the pace and decide when to stop and rest or stop for the night. I understand that our love and enthusiasm for the trail can perhaps still push the slower person to go beyond their capabilities. So I repeat often that the choices/ decisions to take an easier route, go slower, stop for the night or even turn back are their decisions to make. My dog can not tell me. But his tail wagging or drooping speaks volumes.
Led trips with Colorado Mtn Club years ago. Slowest person always at front with strongest in the rear.
@@MrA1582000 makes good sense to me too!
That real good advice in any aspect of life! We are all stronger when a group works together
I agree with the concept of slower person setting the pace, but in this situation where the front person is breaking trail makes it harder to hike. And with Dan having problems when the snowshoes went on it is totally understandable for the stronger person to do the toughest part. Also sometimes the slower person in the front slows the pace even more and that is not good when they were needing to get to a camp spot to get things better. Good leadership Eric, you handled it well for what you had and it is easy for everyone to make different choices after the fact from the living room. I'd hike with you anytime Eric.
@@wandaesch7314 , I am not knocking Eric. Dan said he would hike with him and even do the route again in better weather and at a slower pace. Hindsight is always 20/20. I am a nurse and I am encouraging others to learn from this incident. As Dan stated, and I understand as a medical professional, his life was in peril. I know he and Eric have both learned from what happened. I know that with their love for one another it won’t happen again. No one is perfect and mistakes are made out of our love and enthusiasm for sport. I made a similar mistake when I was a kid. I talked a friend into swimming out to a pontoon on a lake that was a bit further than her abilities. She made it out to the pontoon okay. We had a blast climbing up the ladder and diving in over and over. But over time we grew hungry and tired. When it was time to swim back, she petered out at midpoint and panicked - wanted to go back. She began flailing. I spoke to her calmly and asked her to just lay still and float on her back. I gently towed her back to shore with my elbow under her chin. We both made it back safely. She called me a hero and thanked me for saving her. But I was ashamed. I begged her not to tell her parents or anyone. It was my fault she was in danger in the first place. Until now only a couple of people have heard this story. Now I am putting this out there for everyone. In the hopes someone may learn from my lesson too.
A truly scary situation. Eric, you are something else. Your quick action and ability to stay calm and help others to do the same is amazing. I love watching both you and Dan interact on the videos. Thank you for sharing. My prayers are with you all.
My level of respect for you Eric has grown, thank you for keeping the situation on track and keeping Dan calm. I look to you guys for adventure and knowledge of backpacking so I may one day make my bucket list of the PCT. Stay safe and Hike on!
Thanks Timothy! The PCT is a great goal, go get it!
I felt your concern and fear, Eric. You're a good man and a good friend. Hike on.
I can second the difficulty of this hike! We hiked it about week after your incident (Feb 17-20, 2023) and those last 2-3 miles, though the snow up to North Rim were absolutely BRUTAL! we didn't have snow shoes 😬 and so we were postholing from the tunnel to the top, sometimes falling up to our waist. It was the hardest 2 or 3 miles of my life! I'm so glad Dan is okay 👍
Woe. Glad your group made it too. How do people know that snow shoes are critical during certain times or the year (or always?).
Thank God Dan is OK. He was lucky to have you with him. You did a great job taken care of him.
“You’re going to be OK. Don’t panic. Drink water.” You all did a great job, making a good assessment of the situation and getting Dan the help he needed as fast as possible!🎉
I'm glad that Dan is OK and this story essentially has a happy ending.
However, nobody wants to say anything bad, so here goes:
Maybe Dan and Eric will do some more soul searching and do another video about this trip.
Eric's somewhat lame, "I guess we pushed the envelope", doesn't really cut it. Dan could have died. In fact, he is pretty lucky that he didn't.
None of the other hikers were really monitoring Dan's progress or condition as this hike went along. At one point it appears that Dan was left a considerable distance behind the other hikers. In cold and strenuous conditions, no hiker should be left behind. The group leader, which appears to have been Eric, should have stayed with the slowest hiker, Dan.
Dan's particular condition was somewhat rare and not immediately life threatening. A more common condition for a 44 year old man overexerting himself and experiencing severe chest pains would have been a heart attack. Hustling Dan to the top of the rim, even if that did provide the easiest point of rescue, could have resulted in his death were he having a heart attack.
When the rim was attained, Dan appears to have been left for several hours moaning in his tent. Again, if he were having a heart attack (age/symptoms), this could have resulted in his death. Dan should have been much more closely monitored at the very least. Did anyone take his pulse? Was he asked questions about the source and severity of the pain? It doesn't appear that any of this was carefully and diligently done.
Two things were very fortunate, they appear to have had a cell phone signal, something no one should count on in this type of location. And, there was a reasonably quick evacuation method available.
Dan also mentions that he came close to pushing the SOS on his satellite beacon. At least good planning had that been necessary, but no guarantee of a timely rescue. The beacon has to be received. Suitable local SAR units need to be notified. And those Search and Rescue units are essentially flying blind, they have no information about the nature of the emergency and no way to contact the victim, unless the beacon is an InReach or similar with texting capabilities. And my experience is that those messages can be considerably delayed in their receipt.
It is very difficult for anyone, particularly us guys to admit that we are struggling. No one wants to be the weakest link. Machismo probably kills more men than any other health condition or circumstance.
Was 21 miles of hiking with nearly 6,000 feet of descent and of ascent, in winter, a reasonable goal? Probably not. The rangers tried to warn them.
Should Dan have been monitoring his own condition and abilities more carefully? Almost certainly.
Should Dan have even been on this hike given the very aggressive goal? Maybe not.
Should the other team members have been talking with and monitoring the condition of their fellow hikers? Yes. That is just considered good practice, especially in difficult conditions. Is that always easy to do? No, we guys seem to balk at following this common sense practice. I've run into it many times myself while traveling in the backcountry.
We all have a right to go out into the wilderness and kill ourselves, I guess. What we don't have a right to do is through poor planning and bad choices endanger the lives of the many paid and volunteer members of local SAR teams.
Dude, this is exactly what I was thinking. In my Rim to Rim group on Facebook they have stated that no one should be going to the North Rim. That there are avalanches and rock falls and the trails is non-existent which we saw on this video where Dan almost slid off the trail and died that way. I am grateful for SARS Teams, Rangers and 911 operators but people need to stop putting themselves & rescue teams in these dangerous situations. I am also curious as to what training Dan did before hiking this. I just did North Rim to Bright Ángel 24 miles in October but I live in Utah and regularly hiked, with a much lighter pack btw, going up elevation to 8k feet to prepare and it still was so hard. Took us 12.5 hr without the snow. I can’t imagine doing it in those conditions. Luck prevailed here inspite of mistakes. So very grateful everyone made it and I hope a lot of soul searching happens
@@ambissing Interesting to hear your perspective. I've done down and back a couple of times day hiking (Kaibab-Kaibab and Bright Angel-Kaibab), but never rim to rim. Down and back is a tough hike, even without snow or much gear, and, as you know, South Rim is lower than North Rim. And I live in Colorado, so, like you, pretty used to the altitude.
I would like to do rim to rim, but wouldn't think of trying to do it in a day with gear.
I also wondered about Dan's training before this hike.
@@erics9214 well, I would never take a backpack as big as they did but they were doing an overnight. If you are only doing Rim to Rim it is better to start at the North Rim. Then you have to choose South Kaibab with shorter distance but steeper climb out in full sun or Bright Angel, longer but not as steep with shade and water. We plan to go back and do South Kaibab to Bright Angel. The logistics are way easier because the shuttle to North Rim from Bright Angel took 6 hrs. I am an ultra runner so used to trucking along covering 50k in a day and still thought this was hard. I didn’t need as much food as I took but glad I made room for a🍺 highly recommend buying ice at phantom ranch and filling water bottles with it and then putting baggies of ice around you to keep you cooler in warm months
@@erics9214 they just put out a video that gives a lot more information than was presented in the original videos. The pack Dan was carrying was 25lbs which is appropriate for what he was doing especially considering that he had stuff for a few nights. It sounds like a series of unfortunate events that escalated quickly. Honestly, that can happen to anyone & once you listen to the recap video, a lot more stuff makes sense. I wish they had taken the time to explain more in the original videos because those made it seem like they took unnecessary risks rather than the truth of what happened. I still stand by the idea that Rim to Rim as a goal rather than R2R2R would have resulted in a better outcome since you can start at North Rim and get that mess out of the way and you are getting closer to South Rim that has more medical services but who knows 🤷🏻♀️. No one predicted all the snow we are getting hit with this year. They also had no idea about Rhabdomyolysis as a possibility. I think that is more known in the ultra running community. Even I didn’t think of it in winter.
He tried to kill Dan ! God was on his side
Thank you Eric, Jake and Emmett for getting Dan out to safety! This was a tough video to watch but grateful you shared it Eric.
I really hope that everyone planning on hiking the PCT and CDT this year, 2023, will see this! It helps to realize the obstacles that will be faced in an extreme snow pack, and the dangers that our own bodies can offer in extreme stress. So glad you are all okay. Eric, you are a rock! Thank you!
Just watched Dan's video, which I almost didn't do after watching this one because seeing you guys in trouble was so distressing! Dan added some context though, so it was worth it. He mentioned the physical preparations he'd made, it's clear you planned and weren't just being foolhardy out there, some mistakes maybe. A few pretty harsh comments here berating you as if they never screwed up themselves. I'm just glad you all made it back and Dan is recovering. Best wishes to all of you.
Hopefully Dan is all good. He's a lovely bloke
Eric, thanks for sharing this, and I'm thankful that you all were ultimately able to make it out safely. Thankful for the park rangers and for Jennifer the 911 dispatcher. We're blessed to live in country with people who stand ready to help whenever and wherever it's needed.
You guys have so many great experiences that's it's easy to forget that there will be times when things don't go to plan. Great reminder that you have to consider all circumstances before heading out. Glad you kept a cool head throughout it all.
I missed the part where you explained why you were in such a hurry to climb the North Rim in a day.
As you say, it's a tough climb under good conditions. With snowshoes, it's a two-day hike.
So why not pitch camp where you can?
(Glad it worked out for Dan. Epic story.)
There are only a couple of places on the way up from cottonwood where you can realistically pitch camp. Two of those places are relatively close to the rim, so very easy to understand the push to the rim.
@@christopherhaak9824 Not if the climb is killing your buddy. He needed to rest and eat. Not climb more... on snowshoes.
In a pinch, camp ON the trail. It's wide enough in many places. Wide enough for one just about everywhere.
If you can't pitch a tent correctly, then wrap it around your sleeping bag, bivvy-style. Maybe not luxurious, but better than killing your buddy.
It isn't as though they had heavy traffic to deal with.
There is (important) information missing from the video. Perhaps there was a reason that an experienced team might do what they did, but they didn't explain it in the vid.
@@billb5732 bivouacking below the rim in a medical emergency solves nothing. There's 4-8 of snow on the trail and no appreciable width until past Supia. It's really easy to second guess when you're not there.
@@christopherhaak9824 The point is that there would have been no emergency if they had made better choices. Dan needed protein and rest; BEFORE the rhabdomyolysis set in. There are several ways they could have achieved that.
They could have camped instead of trying to make a mad dash to the top. On snowshoes. In one day. (Which is hard enough to do on a good day with no snow).
They could have lingered an extra day at the bottom. It's an extremely cool place. Dan was already flagging after the downhill part. There was no obvious reason to rush.
Another way would be to turn around and retreat to Phantom Ranch rather than snowshoeing to the rim. Dan might have appreciated a mule ride out by the time they got there.
As I said, there may be reasons why they did what they did, and the team is certainly experienced. They just didn't explain it in the vid.
@@billb5732 Bill, the real issue here is poor training - eccentric quad training to be specific. He had Rhabdo coming on after the first day as you note. This isn't a hike to attempt without a great deal of training. I don't think Dan really understands his body, or maybe was pressured, because he should have recognized this a couple of hours into day two and retreated as you noted - but they were "filming" for a show. People think you can just walk down and up and it is no big deal, except that walking down crushes most people. There really is not much good spot for camping from Mazanita up until past Supai and given the situation in the dark and being separated, I guess they did what they felt best. Fact is, they were all severely gassed and bad training and timing choices were made for this hike.
Dan is a great guy and lucky to have a buddy like you. Thanks for sharing, your training helped you get Dan to safety. Something as simple as comforting and reinforcing him that he would be ok and to relax, means a lot when someone is in distress.
I like how calm you were. If you would have panicked it would have scared him more.
Thank you all for sharing this! it's good to know that even really prepared and experienced hikers have close calls sometimes and it's good to have an example out of how to deal with things like this in a calm and effective way.
Thank you. If you are out there long enough, you'll inevitably have some stuff go wrong.
“Tell 'em I puked” 😂 Even when you went so hard your muscles break down and your liver is getting nuked, Dan is still joking around. I’d love to see the four of you out for new adventures that hopefully will have a happy ending!
Wow that is so scary, me and my friends had an issue like this last year when hiking for a weekend in 106 degrees temperature with little/no water because we misunderstood the trail maps, and I suffered heat stroke. Things like this happen and are unexpected and scary, if I didn't have other people with me and helping out, I wouldn't have made it either. A really good example of why hiking with good and trusted friends the best idea always!
Love this man. Far to often we brave it out or whatever you want to call it, only to push to far and end up in big trouble. You went for safety first. It's always got to be safety first.
Obviously several lessons that everyone should literally take to heart from this experience. My takeaways:
First is recognizing symptoms of health issues (any can potentially be serious in the backcountry), high exertion levels and debilitating exhaustion on the trail - which you guys did do. We all need to honestly assess how things are going, particularly when the going gets tough. Be honest with yourself first as well as keep a close eye on any partners. In Dan's case, making the tough decision to slow down but keep going to the trail head was the best of the bad options. Stopping along the trail would probably have meant even more delayed help and probably an airlift out. There is no perfect way to make this decision.
Second is thinking ahead to keep options open as much as possible and to reasonably prepare for those options. Starting to think about getting help and setting up the tent are good examples here.
Third is when to make the tough decision to call for help. Pride does often get in the way - some embarrassment and also not wanting to inconvenience others. Deciding to delay the request is frequently worse with much greater negative impact to others. The Rangers were likely very glad that they were called in this situation.
Fourth is assessing route difficulties and the capabilities of each participant before hitting the trail. Backpacking is Type III 'fun' and is typically about pushing limits and setting challenging goals (miles per day, etc). I may start adding an assessment for "probability of success" with future trips. Tough trails that push the limits of just one participant should rank low. Or maybe assign "probability of fun" on the trail - to focus more on enjoying the trek instead of concentrating on achieving specific goals. Still a subjective assessment but at least give pause during planning.
I think Dan was physically breaking down when he stopped and made the comment about being emotional. Eric was totally relaxed and not out of breath; Dan was breathing heavy and replying in short statements to hide his over exertion. Just my opinion. I could be wrong. Eric, you’re an awesome adventure buddy and anyone who backpacks with you can consider themselves fortunate.
Thanks Eric for being a great friend and staying calm. Hope Dan is OK.
wow guys! thankfully this is a tale where everyone ends safe at home. eric, emmet, jake, y'all prioritized dan's health and safety in a dire moment patiently, calm and collected, and that is so immensely valuable. the rest of the community has something to learn here! cheers to ya
Great adventure! Thanks for sharing. In June 1995 I hiked the Bright Angel Trail from the South Rim to Plateau Point. As I remember it was 6.2 miles down. I took the whole day from about 7 AM to 7 PM taking lots of video and talking with whoever would take the time. I was 50 years old at the time and in good healthy condition. However, coming up out of the canyon was the most strenuous encounter I had ever experienced. I was stopping to rest about every 100 feet. I enjoyed it so much I did it again the next Summer in 1996. However this time I cut the trip a little shorter to turn around at Indian Garden.
Eric your expression on your face showed the friendship you have for Dan, Glad you were their, God Bless
so scary! your calm demeanor and quick action was commendable and probably saved your friend. glad that it turned out ok and Dan will be fine. happy trails to you both.
thank you!
So glad that Dan is recovering!! I'm very grateful too for all the EMS, Ranger and snow removal help that was available to help you guys in your time of great need. Thanks too for each of you being good friends with Dan and helping him as you did. We can all learn from your experience; be safe out there everyone.
Wow, very informative and relevant for the outdoor audience. Thanks for sharing and thankful all turned out well!!
So glad Dan’s okay and he got the help he needed. You’re a good friend! I’ve had some elderly patients get rahbdo after falling in their homes laying helpless for extended periods of time until a friend or family member finds them. This is another way that rahbdo can happen. It’s just about the saddest thing to ever see and the best when they get better❤️
Thank you all for documenting and posting this. I have been watching Dan's content for a while and he is a good dude and a reasonably experienced hiker. To cover how things CAN go south sometimes and how to deal with it in a reasonable and calm way to address it is something every backpacker/backcountry hiker should see. You are a good friend and a great guide. Your ability to stay calm and address the situation could have even saved Dan's life. Dan's ability to deal with what happened and stay grounded was also key. Plus willingness to post this for others to see one of his worst times for what it was is quite admirable.
Backcountry adventures are very real, and sometimes they get tougher than we expected. It is not always sunsets and good times (though those usually make it worth it). Glad that Dan is doing OK and that he had a good friend to help him through this. You all will have many more great adventures along the journey.
Thanks for the video. Great job by the GC Park Rangers. They are awesome! All of them.
For GC novices out there… the Canyon is unforgiving. The R2R2R is no joke. R2R is difficult enough without snow - the effort required to reach the North rim in these conditions had to be insane (especially if you’re not 100% conditioned for an ultra marathon type endeavor). Kudos to Dan for finishing.
Don’t be fooled by the R2R2R videos. Be prepared.
Rhabdo is no joke. I’m glad that ranger was close by, as soon as he got there his first thought was immediate aspirin and oxygen (initial treatment for heart attack) and I could tell he was experienced and you were in good hands. I’m glad it all worked out this well!
I know it's not good to speculate, but I am curious coming from an ultra running background if hikers are aware of some of the risks involved with NSAIDs like ibuprofen during arduous activities. We are strongly advised against or even banned from using them in races. I know rhabdo is very rare, and it's not even clear if he himself took ibuprofen during the hike (his cameraman mentioned taking it in Dan's video), but yeah just throwing it out there. Obviously there are more important and universal takeaways from this, which should be stressed before any NSAID speculation.
I have been eagerly awaiting this video. Thanks so much for sharing the information. And glad that Dan is gonna be ok!
Maybe a video on how to plan and execute safe routes consider the weather and ambient conditions and when to stop reassess and stay put or turn around? Glad everyone made it out safe!
Everything about this trip wasn’t planned well. Not surprised it turned out like this. They should of turned around. He’s lucky he is getting fined or anything, they dont fuck around in canyon and guy who’s name is on permit is 100% responsible. Notice how rangers asked who is leader right away. This just seemed like amateur hour to me, more concerned about making a dumb video then what is actually going on around them.
@@TRUUTAH60559 yes IMHO the emphasis in the video was not on the deconstructing the existential failures in planning decision making and execution but rather dramatizing the rescue….a teachable moment wasted as I see it and a disservice to the majority of viewers caught up in the 911 and attaboys rather than the essential issues of how to safely go about an outdoors adventure. One hopes never to have to rely on the skyhook rather than one’s own sound judgement.
@@chili1593 yea none of the decisions made sense to me, starting with the permit. Takes a guy from Wisconsin and hikes all the way to cottonwood on first day?? By the time you get done hiking down the s kaibab with a full pack your smoked. Then going up north rim this time of year and that amount of snow. Maybe they could of completed if they added a couple days and not try to death marching thru the canyon
@@TRUUTAH60559 classic goat rodeo
I watched Dan's video too, but this one really highlighted the depth of the snow and the difficulty of the trail conditions. That was a monster hike.
It's awesome Dan survived and great you were there to help. We hope he has a speedy recovery so he can be on to the next quest...
Jennifer the 911 operator and the Rangers certainly showed their quality. Good on you-all for keeping your heads and getting Dan out safely. And Dan, you are allowed to scare us, but only with foot slips where your buddies save you and such. No more medical crap. Cool?
Thank you for taking care of my little brother!! Thank you so much!! I love him so much!! Thank you Eric!! ❤❤
At the 10-12 minute mark, rhabdo was my #1 suspect for diagnosis. I'm glad everyone made it out okay and that you all made smart decisions driven by situational awareness and assessment rather than ego. This is how to be a good hiker, a good steward, and a good friend. Well done!
Wow! Thanks so much for being there! ❤
Thank you Eric for sharing. So thankful Dan is doing well. Your calmness and everyone pulling together to assist was great to see. Seeing you handle the good and the bad, is encouraging. I'm a beginner back packer and I have learned allot from you both. Being as prepared as much as possible and don't panic when the unexpected happens. So many lessons to learn here. Thanks again for sharing.
Thanks Renee, remaining calm and trying to keep the whole team calm is a major part of any backcountry rescue.
I haven’t seen all of this yet…. Finishing now but goes to show how BIG nature can be. I love how y’all respect nature for its entirety and I’m just very grateful all are ok and good
Eric you are a hero. You remained calm, reassuring and composed under very stressful circumstances. You truly saved Dan’s life. What a great lesson for everyone to learn - Mother Nature always wins and we are vulnerable in those conditions
Thanks Denise. Remaining calm in these situations is incredibly important.
I'd still go backpacking with you!
Sorry guys, but I cannot help but say, you know you should’ve turned around much, much sooner on the North Kaibab trail. I’ve completed a one-day Rim-River-Rim & hiked Rim-to-Rim 5 times in my life, and anyone who thinks hiking up to the North Rim, and pushing their way through regardless how bad conditions get, in winter, is merely looking for trouble. From watching you and Dan’s past videos, I thought yourself and Dan were way more trained in knowing when to back down, turn around, just give it up and head back. I’ve got to believe CZcams, Likes, Subscribers, etc played a very very large role in the decision making for many outdoor enthusiasts, and for this video. I respect what you guys do, hiking & mountain climbing is in my blood also, and I love to video my adventures to share with loved ones & friends, but I have tucked my tail between my legs and turned around when I feel the direction I’m headed, and terrain, is beyond my skills, capabilities or comfort level. I was hoping at the end of the video you’d say, “This was a staged SAR training video and was shot in cooperation with the Grand Canyon rangers, EMS, 911 and on call doctors”, but nope, it seem you guys willingly placed yourselves in harms way. Congrats to the rangers, 911, EMS workers and Doctors (on the phone).
THANK YOU ERIC !!!....Love the calmness...I watched both video's and you are awesome on so many levels...very proud of you !! and im also proud of everyone else that was there too of course...and hats off to the responders and the hospital staff...Dan is a great guy and this could have been a tragedy...NOW REST DAN !! Please..:) We love ya Dudely Dude !!! Dont rush back !!!
Thanks Todd, I appreciate that.
I hate to say that I “like“ this, but I think it’s important for folks to see this, as well as Dan’s own post. Key takeaways are to think carefully about your own conditioning, to evaluate soberly the challenges in any outdoor activities you are planning, and to know that “just pushing through” is not always the right call. Dan’s alive because he and his team recognized his need for help. Thanks so much for sharing this video.
Dispatcher was wonderful. Jennifer diffused a situation and did everything right. Ranger is equally professional.
You were almost a chapter in Death in the Grand Canyon. The trail conditions were crap. What if a blizzard hit or even just steady snowfall. This went from hiking to backpacking to mountaineering.
I’ve only done South Rim to Indian Gardens in the fall and down to Phantom and back up on the mules. Doing rim to rim … to freaking rim in the winter just looks miserable.
This is next level stuff. Mad respect for both of you.
I appreciate that.
Eric I'm a new subscriber hats off to you. You stayed calm and professional. Outstanding job sir.
wow, so so glad Dan was ok, heartbreaking, and so so so grateful you had a phone signal!!! wow you're both so amazing and beautiful!
Glad Dan is okay! Great story, and it was good to see how calm and professional everyone involved was
One of the reasons i hike by myself is the superhiker who out hikes everyone is someone i am not. And i feel like the competition towards each other to put in miles and some out of reach goals by others can push others in group to misery and take you out of you goal. Hyoh. Im glad your good to go. And you recovering. It could happen to me just as easy. 👍🙂
i am a SLOW hiker , and refuse to be ashamed of that. it suks biut it is what it is.
Thanks Eric for sharing your part of the story.
This was nerve racking.
I have seen the video on Dan's channel too and i have to say man all of you were troopers, commited and really really good for keeping your composure.
I am very thankfull that you all made it safe and that Dan is still around to tell his story.
Thanks for sharing your terriffying experience.
It is a good reminder that all hikers, guides and experienced outdoor lovers can be caught up in tricky situation like yours.
ALso Eric, as a fellow guide myself, I have to say that I found you EXTREMELY reassuring with Dan ( good chance he still had his good spirit) and the way you have act and react during ( what I have seen ) these videos.
You did very well with the emergency calls and the follow up of the team.
In french we says:''guide un jour guide toujours''
Meaning that when you have been a guide, the knowledge you have acquiered is always somewhere inside you ready to be pull out to help others or yourself.
Caring and helping on trail or in the wild, will always be a second nature and we will always see things that others often dont perceived at an early stage.
Have some good rest all of you 🙂
These were scary and serious events. Great that this went well in the end
Glad you are ok! I am in my late 50's and have done R2R2R around 6 times, 1 of which was in Feb with snowshoes. Before I take anyone on the R2R2R, I require them at a minimum to prove they can carry their normal pack weight (water+food) up/down 4 thousand feet on a local mountain, and still walk the next day. EVERY trip that I go on starts with determining the mileage and elevation gain/loss, and then assessing the groups conditioning. Did you DO that? The fact that you could barely make Cottonwood tells me you were in no where near the shape you needed to be. I think you need to do a video on your physical condition and the training for backpacking. Did you do ANY training for this backpack trip? If so, what what it? What would you do differently to train? If you didn't do much if any training for this backpack trip then you are doing the backpack community a disservice -->you essentially just become a self-centered, social media influencer making money on CZcams at the expense of teaching people how to endanger their lives.
Valid questions and concerns.
Wow. I just hiked the Canyon the following week with my brother. We decided to not go any further than Roaring Springs on the North Rim because of snow, which was much less deep than what these guys went through. Glad you guys are all okay! Stay safe!
Thanks Eric and Dan for sharing this experience. It shows how even experienced hikers can get into a lot of trouble and make mistakes. We are all human but it’s a reminder that you need to listen to that small voice that is telling you that you’re in danger. Our tendency as adventurers is to push through and that’s what makes us love the outdoors. But it can lead to decisions that we regret later. Remember there is no shame in turning back and trying again later.
Yep, lots to learn from this one.
Thanks for being a competent, level-headed friend to Dan and a good leader for the team.
You're a good friend and a real professional on the trail. I admire what you and the team did
Never mind that Dan's difficulty were self created and therefore not entirely in Dan's control , he still managed to stay alive and safe because people that knew what they were doing choose to help. Thank God for friends and distant strangers who are simply friends we have not met yet but will always be there in times like this of great need.
Eric you are understating your role in Dan's outcome. Your years of hiking and guiding experience played a huge role in this situation. Well. done Champ!
He got him into it in the first place!
Very relief that Dan will be Ok. Get well soon! Love what you do!
Eric, my admiration for the way that you conducted yourself in the situation. All those years as a guide/training outdoors were a blessing! Take care out there!
What a great friend you are. Taking over and making a choice saved his life. I can’t wait to see you both in your up and coming hikes 👍🏼 ( Beth)
Thanks for sharing this story. Great to be vulnerable with the dangers of hiking. Glad you were all able stay safe throughout.
Great job Eric, Jake, and Emmett. Thanks for keeping Dan alive. Dan, I’m glad to see you’re still with us all.
Thank you both for post this content - very glad to see this wasn't fatal for Dan. As a Scoutmaster/HAT guide on a training plan with my crew for Philmont this summer, I'm definitely linking my scouts to your respective videos so they can see BOTH perspectives of this rescue. Too often the prep work is overly-focused on the gear loadouts, and not the skills that actually save lives... even in WFA-R courses they tend to cover CPR/bleeding/broken bones way more than equally serious internal complications like overexertion, cold-weather dehydration, and rhabdo.
Good work keeping a level head! Every backpacker needs a friend like you. Grateful Dan is recovering, and thank you both for sharing this story. I know the GC is intense, but I’ve started hiking by myself and if I do that it’s gonna be important that I don’t overextend myself.
Thanks so much. Had a scary situation myself this last August in a remote place where a fellow hiker almost tipped into heat stroke. Fortunately he was able to get himself out, but it was well after nightfall before we staggered back into base camp. Had his condition deteriorated further on the trail, we'd have lost him. This was a real wake-up call. Anybody can bonk, any time, given the right conditions. Even Tadej Pogacar!
The rim to rim alone is a tough hike for experienced hikers... The rim to rim to rim was overly ambitious especially for someone from Wisconsin that rarely sees terrain like this... Poor judgement call on this one...
Very happy you guys made it out. Dan is a trooper and
Kudos to you guys for escalating and getting him help as soon as you realized rest wasn’t helping.
Thank you Eric and Dan for being so open and frank about what happened, how you dealt with it and what it did with you guys emotionally. You are true friends. Your experience made me decide to follow a formally recognised wilderness first aid course, before we leave for the Via Alpina Red Course in France/Italy, next July, which we’ll do partially solo. We’ve been doing some pretty wild stuff in the last decades, without such training. It is not just about the practical skills you learn at a course, but also about keeping a clear head, weigh your alternatives and make wise decisions under duress. Your experience should be a wise lesson for all of us outdoor people.
Inspiring to see how Eric was calm and collected. I think I'm going to sign up for some SAR classes now.
Yeah I'd definitely recommend just about everybody have some wilderness first aid or wilderness first responder training if you're gonna be out there much.
Thanks for helping Dan. Glad you both made it out of there!
I thought it was really awesome for Eric to keep his cool and get help and right after make sure Dan's ok by giving him encouraging words. Very well done and amazing he got to keep his cool
This is an amazing account of your trials through the Grand Canyon. Im so glad it has a happy ending. I wish Dan a thorough and speedy recovery. Great job to everyone involved in his rescue, awesome friends, dispatch, ranger and emergency crew. ❤️
so grateful it finished well for Dan, I watched it in one breath. Very sobering as well, not once while hiking, I got nauseous and vomiting because of exhaustion, warmest hugs to your whole team
I am an MD in New Orleans and have cared for many pts with rhabdomyolysis. In our area it commonly occurs at the confluence of heavy exertion and heat stress. In the Grand Canyon situation it would have been a consideration but a lesser one given the cold climate and the description it the pain localizing to the chest. Despite a normal EKG you absolutely made the right move to evacuate ASAP to a medical facility for assessment.
So happy it turned out successfully for both of you and the team! Emotional to watch, I’ve followed you two for a long time so yes some tears were shed. God bless everyone who was a part of this.