Rescue in the Grand Canyon: The Epic Hike that Nearly Killed Dan Becker (Being Wise Enough to Know When to Make Camp)

BY Herschel Smith
1 year, 9 months ago

This is a captivating tale, and a true one, told by the apparent leader of the group.  There are a number of good lessons in it, most or all of which we’ve discussed before in painful detail.  But let’s cover them again for the sake of education.

When the party crossed into the climb of the North Rim, I knew that one or both of them were going to suffer from Rhabdomylosis.  I knew that without being told, without having to watch the rest of the video (I did watch the rest of it to confirm by thoughts), and without reading the video description.  I knew it with certainty.

Do you recall journalist Sebastian Junger’s hard work at Restrepo?  The soldiers would come back smelling of ammonia.  It was in their sweat, and it was indicative of hydration and kidney problems.  More to the point, hydration is only one part of the story.

In Rhabdomylosis, the body no longer has energy stores to power the physical exertion and must burn muscle to propel itself.  The kidneys then have to remove that protein from the system.  This will cause kidney failure if not addressed quickly.

One method to address it is hydration.  The most important method is to stop the exertion.  The leader of the group wasn’t very wise.  He continued the climb forward for several reasons, one legitimate, and one not.  The only legitimate reason to have continued the climb was that rescue would have been nearly impossible if they didn’t reach the rim.  The irony is that the only reason this is a legitimate concern is because they didn’t stop when they should have, and this brings up the illegitimate reason to have continued: panic.  He even says so in the video.  They panicked.

We’ve discussed this before.  Panic is a killer in the bush.  It’s deadly.  The best option would have been to suspect what was about to happen, and find a place to make camp, get Mr. Becker warm, hydrate him, and get him food energy and rest.  As it was, they pushed until he vomited, only dehydrating him more.

Sure enough, according to the medical professionals, Mr. Becker was suffering from Rhabdomylosis.  He said in the video that this was a “rare” occurrence.  That’s not true.  It’s not rare among people who undergo extreme physical exertion.  It also may happen to people whose body has undergone extreme exertion for reasons other than climbing from rim to rim in the Grand Canyon.  I’m imagining a “fictitious” conversion between a certain NP and a patient: “How long have you been on this meth bender?”  “Oh, three days.”  “Well congratulations, you’re now in Rhabdo and I need to push fluids to try to save your kidneys.”

I also don’t believe that this necessarily happens to the weaker among a group.  It may happen just because it happens, for whatever reason: genetics, what a person ate several days ago, whether a person hydrated enough before the exertion, or for no particular reason that can be pinpointed.

The point is that a leader needs to be wise enough to recognize that this is a possibility and stop before it happens.  Waiting until it happens is too late.

Make the decision early enough to prevent injury and death.  Find a decent place to camp for the night.  Find firewood, and if there is no firewood, get people inside tents or a tarp and start isobutane stoves.  If there is no tent or tarp, know how to fabricate a shelter in the bush, or some sort of debris hut.  Find a source of hydration, and if you didn’t carry enough water with you, make sure you brought filtration.  Get food energy into your body.  Rest.  But most of all, just stop the physical exertion.  That’s imperative if you want to survive.  One warning sign is that your piss will be colored brown, but if it’s gone that far, you’re probably too late.  Stop before that happens.

If you don’t, it may be deadly.


Comments

  1. On March 6, 2023 at 5:28 am, wv.citybilly said:

    In October 1980, I hiked down, across, and then out the north rim of the Grand Canyon with a full pack. 1 day down, 1 day across, 1 day out. There was fresh snow on the north rim that time of year, and that side of the park was generally closed until Spring.

    I hitched a ride with a park ranger to an intersection with a little store, where I made camp, and the next morning hitch-hiked into Utah with an Italian family visiting America.

    One estimate is, the north rim is like climbing the stairs of the Empire State Building four times, but I’d say the Empire State Building would be the pick for easy walking. As outstanding scenery as you could ever witness, and it’s said, every type of ecosystem from Mexico to Canada can be found on the north rim trail. An exaggeration, but you get the point for the terrain.

    They’ve probably ruined the place since I’ve been there, par for the course with the humans, so I’ll keep my memories intact of when I slept with wild Indians, encountered wolves, ate cactus fruit, and drank from streams.

  2. On March 6, 2023 at 7:31 am, jrg said:

    So many people leave their vehicle on a morning hike with little more than a plastic water bottle. I guess they think they can’t be the person that gets turned around in the backcountry. Never have wandered just a bit off the trail and lose it completely.

    When I leave the truck, I have at least a 1 quart canteen (more often a slung 2 quart USGI bladder) just in case. I guess in my old age, an old dog CAN learn a few new tricks. Keeping hydrated being one of them. If you are carrying a small pack, the USGI Aviators pint bottle is worth it too. And the truck has at least a pair of 2 litre soft drink bottles filled with fresh H2O. South Texas is nothing to sneeze at, especially during the summer.

  3. On March 6, 2023 at 8:50 am, PGF said:

    It’s a dangerous time of year again for the inexperienced and ill-equipped. Early spring can be deceptive. Winter storms can come up quickly, and several nice days in a row can relax the mindset, but temperatures can plunge at night. Be careful out there.

  4. On March 6, 2023 at 10:38 am, Steve Parker, M.D. said:

    As a hospitalist, I’ve treated hundreds of cases of rhabdomyolysis not related to crush injuries. What I don’t understand here is the chest pain. The pain of rhabdo is nearly always in the muscles that have been over-exerted. In this case, it would be the lower limb muscles. The only way I can tie in the chest is with the heavy use of trekking poles. Apparently heart attack was ruled out, and as the patient sat in the outgoing truck, he didn’t look like someone with a pneumothorax.

    Thanks for the interesting video.

    —Steve

  5. On March 6, 2023 at 10:55 am, Herschel Smith said:

    @Steve,

    Good question. I had assumed that the chest pain was likely due to panic for an extended period of time and thus adrenaline. But of course I don’t really know.

    They didn’t do him any favors by trying to inform him of the difficulty of rescue while laying in his tent puking. And then telling him to relax.

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

Leave a comment


You are currently reading "Rescue in the Grand Canyon: The Epic Hike that Nearly Killed Dan Becker (Being Wise Enough to Know When to Make Camp)", entry #34224 on The Captain's Journal.

This article is filed under the category(s) Survival and was published March 5th, 2023 by Herschel Smith.

If you're interested in what else the The Captain's Journal has to say, you might try thumbing through the archives and visiting the main index, or; perhaps you would like to learn more about TCJ.

26th MEU (10)
Abu Muqawama (12)
ACOG (2)
ACOGs (1)
Afghan National Army (36)
Afghan National Police (17)
Afghanistan (704)
Afghanistan SOFA (4)
Agriculture in COIN (3)
AGW (1)
Air Force (40)
Air Power (10)
al Qaeda (83)
Ali al-Sistani (1)
America (22)
Ammunition (285)
Animals (297)
Ansar al Sunna (15)
Anthropology (3)
Antonin Scalia (1)
AR-15s (379)
Arghandab River Valley (1)
Arlington Cemetery (2)
Army (87)
Assassinations (2)
Assault Weapon Ban (29)
Australian Army (7)
Azerbaijan (4)
Backpacking (3)
Badr Organization (8)
Baitullah Mehsud (21)
Basra (17)
BATFE (230)
Battle of Bari Alai (2)
Battle of Wanat (18)
Battle Space Weight (3)
Bin Laden (7)
Blogroll (3)
Blogs (24)
Body Armor (23)
Books (3)
Border War (18)
Brady Campaign (1)
Britain (38)
British Army (35)
Camping (5)
Canada (17)
Castle Doctrine (1)
Caucasus (6)
CENTCOM (7)
Center For a New American Security (8)
Charity (3)
China (16)
Christmas (16)
CIA (30)
Civilian National Security Force (3)
Col. Gian Gentile (9)
Combat Outposts (3)
Combat Video (2)
Concerned Citizens (6)
Constabulary Actions (3)
Coolness Factor (3)
COP Keating (4)
Corruption in COIN (4)
Council on Foreign Relations (1)
Counterinsurgency (218)
DADT (2)
David Rohde (1)
Defense Contractors (2)
Department of Defense (210)
Department of Homeland Security (26)
Disaster Preparedness (5)
Distributed Operations (5)
Dogs (15)
Donald Trump (27)
Drone Campaign (4)
EFV (3)
Egypt (12)
El Salvador (1)
Embassy Security (1)
Enemy Spotters (1)
Expeditionary Warfare (17)
F-22 (2)
F-35 (1)
Fallujah (17)
Far East (3)
Fathers and Sons (2)
Favorite (1)
Fazlullah (3)
FBI (39)
Featured (190)
Federal Firearms Laws (18)
Financing the Taliban (2)
Firearms (1,803)
Football (1)
Force Projection (35)
Force Protection (4)
Force Transformation (1)
Foreign Policy (27)
Fukushima Reactor Accident (6)
Ganjgal (1)
Garmsir (1)
general (15)
General Amos (1)
General James Mattis (1)
General McChrystal (44)
General McKiernan (6)
General Rodriguez (3)
General Suleimani (9)
Georgia (19)
GITMO (2)
Google (1)
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar (1)
Gun Control (1,675)
Guns (2,343)
Guns In National Parks (3)
Haditha Roundup (10)
Haiti (2)
HAMAS (7)
Haqqani Network (9)
Hate Mail (8)
Hekmatyar (1)
Heroism (5)
Hezbollah (12)
High Capacity Magazines (16)
High Value Targets (9)
Homecoming (1)
Homeland Security (3)
Horses (2)
Humor (72)
Hunting (43)
ICOS (1)
IEDs (7)
Immigration (115)
India (10)
Infantry (4)
Information Warfare (4)
Infrastructure (4)
Intelligence (23)
Intelligence Bulletin (6)
Iran (171)
Iraq (379)
Iraq SOFA (23)
Islamic Facism (64)
Islamists (98)
Israel (19)
Jaish al Mahdi (21)
Jalalabad (1)
Japan (3)
Jihadists (81)
John Nagl (5)
Joint Intelligence Centers (1)
JRTN (1)
Kabul (1)
Kajaki Dam (1)
Kamdesh (9)
Kandahar (12)
Karachi (7)
Kashmir (2)
Khost Province (1)
Khyber (11)
Knife Blogging (7)
Korea (4)
Korengal Valley (3)
Kunar Province (20)
Kurdistan (3)
Language in COIN (5)
Language in Statecraft (1)
Language Interpreters (2)
Lashkar-e-Taiba (2)
Law Enforcement (6)
Lawfare (14)
Leadership (6)
Lebanon (6)
Leon Panetta (2)
Let Them Fight (2)
Libya (14)
Lines of Effort (3)
Littoral Combat (8)
Logistics (50)
Long Guns (1)
Lt. Col. Allen West (2)
Marine Corps (280)
Marines in Bakwa (1)
Marines in Helmand (67)
Marjah (4)
MEDEVAC (2)
Media (68)
Medical (146)
Memorial Day (6)
Mexican Cartels (42)
Mexico (63)
Michael Yon (6)
Micromanaging the Military (7)
Middle East (1)
Military Blogging (26)
Military Contractors (5)
Military Equipment (25)
Militia (9)
Mitt Romney (3)
Monetary Policy (1)
Moqtada al Sadr (2)
Mosul (4)
Mountains (25)
MRAPs (1)
Mullah Baradar (1)
Mullah Fazlullah (1)
Mullah Omar (3)
Musa Qala (4)
Music (25)
Muslim Brotherhood (6)
Nation Building (2)
National Internet IDs (1)
National Rifle Association (97)
NATO (15)
Navy (30)
Navy Corpsman (1)
NCOs (3)
News (1)
NGOs (3)
Nicholas Schmidle (2)
Now Zad (19)
NSA (3)
NSA James L. Jones (6)
Nuclear (63)
Nuristan (8)
Obama Administration (221)
Offshore Balancing (1)
Operation Alljah (7)
Operation Khanjar (14)
Ossetia (7)
Pakistan (165)
Paktya Province (1)
Palestine (5)
Patriotism (7)
Patrolling (1)
Pech River Valley (11)
Personal (73)
Petraeus (14)
Pictures (1)
Piracy (13)
Pistol (4)
Pizzagate (21)
Police (659)
Police in COIN (3)
Policy (15)
Politics (986)
Poppy (2)
PPEs (1)
Prisons in Counterinsurgency (12)
Project Gunrunner (20)
PRTs (1)
Qatar (1)
Quadrennial Defense Review (2)
Quds Force (13)
Quetta Shura (1)
RAND (3)
Recommended Reading (14)
Refueling Tanker (1)
Religion (495)
Religion and Insurgency (19)
Reuters (1)
Rick Perry (4)
Rifles (1)
Roads (4)
Rolling Stone (1)
Ron Paul (1)
ROTC (1)
Rules of Engagement (75)
Rumsfeld (1)
Russia (37)
Sabbatical (1)
Sangin (1)
Saqlawiyah (1)
Satellite Patrols (2)
Saudi Arabia (4)
Scenes from Iraq (1)
Second Amendment (687)
Second Amendment Quick Hits (2)
Secretary Gates (9)
Sharia Law (3)
Shura Ittehad-ul-Mujahiden (1)
SIIC (2)
Sirajuddin Haqqani (1)
Small Wars (72)
Snipers (9)
Sniveling Lackeys (2)
Soft Power (4)
Somalia (8)
Sons of Afghanistan (1)
Sons of Iraq (2)
Special Forces (28)
Squad Rushes (1)
State Department (23)
Statistics (1)
Sunni Insurgency (10)
Support to Infantry Ratio (1)
Supreme Court (63)
Survival (205)
SWAT Raids (57)
Syria (38)
Tactical Drills (38)
Tactical Gear (15)
Taliban (168)
Taliban Massing of Forces (4)
Tarmiyah (1)
TBI (1)
Technology (21)
Tehrik-i-Taliban (78)
Terrain in Combat (1)
Terrorism (96)
Thanksgiving (13)
The Anbar Narrative (23)
The Art of War (5)
The Fallen (1)
The Long War (20)
The Surge (3)
The Wounded (13)
Thomas Barnett (1)
Transnational Insurgencies (5)
Tribes (5)
TSA (25)
TSA Ineptitude (14)
TTPs (4)
U.S. Border Patrol (6)
U.S. Border Security (19)
U.S. Sovereignty (24)
UAVs (2)
UBL (4)
Ukraine (10)
Uncategorized (100)
Universal Background Check (3)
Unrestricted Warfare (4)
USS Iwo Jima (2)
USS San Antonio (1)
Uzbekistan (1)
V-22 Osprey (4)
Veterans (3)
Vietnam (1)
War & Warfare (419)
War & Warfare (41)
War Movies (4)
War Reporting (21)
Wardak Province (1)
Warriors (6)
Waziristan (1)
Weapons and Tactics (79)
West Point (1)
Winter Operations (1)
Women in Combat (21)
WTF? (1)
Yemen (1)

December 2024
November 2024
October 2024
September 2024
August 2024
July 2024
June 2024
May 2024
April 2024
March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006

about · archives · contact · register

Copyright © 2006-2024 Captain's Journal. All rights reserved.