Off the Wall--Death in Yosemite

We just finished reading this book, thanks to P's brother who loaned us a copy. Not exactly bedtime reading if you have an active imagination, but a riveting account of lots of people dying in expected and unexpected ways.

Of course, we've written about this before, including a section of this website called: Dangers on the Trail. Turns out that what more people worry about are not what they should worry about. Which is why they die from those causes.

Admittedly, Yosemite is a bit of an anomaly, because of its fame for rock climbing. In other parks, there won't be the same high rate of death from falling, BASE jumping, etc.

That said, the most dangerous thing you can do in a national park is get in the water. The second most dangerous thing you can do is to drive a car. After that, you odds go way up.

Lions and tigers and bears? Not really. The most dangerous animal in Yosemite is the horse--at least, horses have killed way more people than any other animal in that park.

Here's good chart that shows you what you SHOULD think about when you visit the national park system.

While the label might not be exactly clear, we think that the "natural/environmental" category includes hypothermia, dehydration, and generally not being prepared for the existing conditions.