Grand Canyon - three recent river-related deaths

Three river-related deaths in the Grand Canyon since September.

November 22: Flip at Mile 77 during the 60-hour 41,000 cfs
experimental flood, but NPS "would not say whether the increased water
flow caused the accident" according to other reports.
http://www.nps.gov/grca/pphtml/newsdetail15312.html

September 15: Probable fall into river at night while camped at Mile 118.
http://www.nps.gov/grca/media/15sep04.htm

September 7: 15 foot fall in North Canyon (Mile 20)
http://www.nps.gov/grca/media/2-7sep04.htm

My sympathies to everyone involved.

-- Rex

 > September 15: Probable fall into river at night while camped at Mile 118.
<font color=purple> > <a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://www.nps.gov/grca/media/15sep04.htm</font" target="_blank">http://www.nps.gov/grca/media/15sep04.htm</font</a>>

I had a very similar incident to the drowning on Sept 15 while
paddling the Grand Canyon about 10 years ago.

You're told to drink plenty of water and piss in the river. I woke
up in the middle of the night needing to piss. Still half asleep, I
walked to the river without a flashlight. I remembered looking at the
ground to look for the color contrast between the ground (light
colored sand) and the water. That wasn't a good idea. I walked right
off a sand bluff and dropped about 2 feet into the river. Luckily for
me, I dropped into an eddy and I was able to swim back to shore. I
was so scared I pissed in my pants.

If I hadn't dropped into an eddy, I could have easily been swept
downstream and no one would have heard my cry for help because
everyone would have been asleep or couldn't hear me over the roar of
the river.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->