About

Over four years ago, I read “Touching the Void” and I was always intrigued by situation hikers find themselves in and the incredible things they do to stay alive.

This blog is about learning from other people’s mistakes, so you don’t make the same ones.

“Better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the grey twilight that knows not victory nor defeat”

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Snowboarder Dies in Utah Avalanche

Who: 42-year-old Todd Bell
Where: Hell’s Canyon, Snowbasin, Utah
His mistake: He got separated from his partner
What happened: A man and a friend planned to snowboard in No Name Canyon, an inbounds area of Snowbasin. During the run, his friend dropped in, but one of the snowboarders ended up dropping into Hell’s Canyon nearby, an out of [...]

Snowboarder Drowns in Colorado Stream

Who: 50-year-old MaryScott King of Huntington Beach
Where: Mineral Creek Basin, Telluride, Colorado
Her mistake: Just a bad freak accident
What happened: A woman went heli-skiing with Carlo Nafarrete, her soon-to-be fiancé. Nafarrete planned to pop the question in the coming days. Unfortunately, during the trip, the woman was skiing in a remote area of Mineral Creek basin [...]

Man Dies in Grand Canyon Fall

Who: 62-year-old B. Holt Vaughn
Where: Between Mather Point and Pipe Creek Vista, South Rim, Grand Canyon
His mistake: Looks like a simple fall
What happened: A man was visiting the south rim of the Grand Canyon when he somehow fell of the side of a lookout. Other park visitors reported a hiker over the edge and rangers [...]

Man Dies in Mountain Fall

Who: A 30-year-old German hiker
Where: Tschagguns, Vorarlberg, Austria
His mistake: Taking a shortcut on steep terrain
What happened: The hiker and his 32-year-old lady partner were hiking on the Montafon at 3:30 pm when they realized it was getting dark. After a stop at a hut at Maiensäss they decided to take a shortcut in the dark [...]

Woman Falls 1,000 Feet From Angels Landing

Who: A 50-year-old woman
Where: Angels Landing, Zion National Park, Utah
Her mistake: Looks like an accident
What happened: A woman was hiking alone to the top of Angels Landing, a rock fin that jets into the sky in Zion National Park. The narrow trail – sometimes just a few feet wide – has sheer dropoffs on both [...]

Caver Stuck Upside Down For More Than One Day Dies

Who: 26-year-old John Jones
Where: Nutty Putty cave, Utah
His mistake: He ventured into an area where he shouldn’t have been
What happened: A man was caving with 11 other family members and friends in the Nutty Putty cave, Utah. Children in the group along with some other adults decided to explore the wider, safer areas of the [...]

Hiker Dies in Fall from Mt. Washington

Who: 62-year-old Dr. Wieslaw E. Walczak
Where: Tuckerman Ravine Trail, Mt. Washington, New Hampshire
His mistake: Don’t know. It was just a fall
What happened: A man went on a hike alone on the Tuckerman Ravine Trail on Mt. Washington. The man’s wife said a solo hike through these mountains wasn’t uncommon since the man was an experienced [...]

Pine Needles Blamed for Geocacher Death

Who: 56-year-old Stuart Anderson
Where: Dishman Hills Natural Area, Spokane, Washington
His mistake: A simple slip
What happened: A man was geocaching with his wife above a sheer rock cliff in the Dishman Hills Natural Area. While looking for the beloved cache, the man slipped on some pine needles and plummeted down 100 feet with nothing to break [...]

Backcountry Skier Dies on Mt. Baker

Who: A 54-year-old man from Coquitlam, British Columbia
Where: Mt. Baker, Washington
His mistake: Looks like he took a bad line
What happened: A husband and wife planned on enjoying a nice day in the snow on Mt. Baker in Washington. The woman was snowshoeing while the man went skiing. They ascended up a route toward Artist Point [...]

Hiker Dies in Grand Canyon

Who: 63-year-old Joseph Mitchell
Where: Bright Angel Trail, Grand Canyon, Arizona
His mistake: It’s unknown
What happened: A man and his family in the Grand Canyon on the popular Bright Angel Trail that switchbacks down to the canyon floor. The man started to fall behind, but his family continued on. When they noticed the man fell far behind, [...]

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