Livin’ On the Edge
Jack: “ Jill, life is short. We need to grab life by the cojones and experience it to the max!”
Jill: “We?”
Jack: “Yes, WE! Some people do the Bermuda shorts adventures. But not us! We LIVE life. Give us the physical challenges, nature’s most dangerous perils…”
Jill: “Say Whaaaaa?”
From narrow roads on the edges of cliffs to deep cave dives, here are some dangerous attractions that daring travelers, like us, seek out!
Yungas “Death” Road — Bolivia
With a name like, Death Road, you know it’s got to be good! The shoulders of “Death Road” are lined with crosses and memorials for people who have died while traveling it. And here’s your sign!
The road was more dangerous when planes, trains and automobiles shared it (I kid- only cyclists and autos). An estimated 200 to 300 drivers died every year, earning the title of “The World’s Most Dangerous Road“. When cars and trucks were diverted to a new road, the death toll decreased, but bikers still ride it. An estimated 22 cyclists have died on the road since 1998. Progress.
Precipice Trail — Acadia National Park, Maine
The National Park Service reported that approximately 160 people die in national parks every year. This means the parks are generally very safe – statistically, one has a better chance of encountering a nest of Japanese hornets during the winter solstice. In Miami.
Jill: “Say Whaaaaa?”
That’s 0.57 deaths per 1 million visits. But accidents can and do happen on treacherous trails and steep cliffs.
Precipice Trail in Maine’s Acadia National Park is one such hike that involves climbing rungs on the face of sheer cliffs. A woman fell to her death while climbing in 2012, the first fatality on the trail since 1985. We have seen this first hand. It’s not something to take lightly.
Colorado Rivers — Colorado
Whitewater rafting is as popular in Colorado as skiing (or relatively close). But When temperatures rise, more snow melt from the mountains feed into and result in dangerously swift river currents. 11 people died on Colorado waterways in 2016, nine people in 2015, and 14 people in 2014, according to Fox 31 Denver. Needless to say, if you take the plunge, be sure to wear a life preserver.
Mount Everest — Tibet and Nepal
The world’s highest mountain is no easy climb. Quite the opposite. Mount Everest’s “death zone” above 26,000 feet is particularly dangerous for its low levels of oxygen. Altitude sickness can be deadly, but the most common causes of death on the mountain are avalanches and falls. Over 200 people have died while climbing Mount Everest. And if that doesn’t kill you, the cost will!
Eagle’s Nest Cave — Weeki Wachee, Florida
Eagle’s Nest Cave is known as the “Mount Everest” of underwater cave diving for its difficulty and the level of expertise required to navigate its depths, +300 feet. Twelve people have died while diving in the cave since 1981.
The Maze — Canyonlands National Park, Utah
It is hot here. We repeat… it is HOT here! Unlike in the mountains of Utah, temperatures in The Maze can reach 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and it’s so remote that it would take three days for any help to reach a lost, injured, or dehydrated hiker. That translates to, trouble.
No one has died while hiking in The Maze, at least not yet. But one poor fellow had to reach an incredibly mind-numbing decision to save his own life (catch it on Netflix). Warnings urge only experienced hikers to proceed. Still, 2,000 people hike through it every year. I’m quite sure they are not all ‘experienced’.
Mount Huashan — Shaanxi, China
In this death-defying hike on Mount Huashan, visitors walk across thin planks bolted to the side of the mountain held together with staples at 7,000 feet. Hmmm? Thin planks… bolted to a mountain side… staples holding it all together. Yeah, not happening.
Many refer to it as “the world’s most dangerous hike,” but others say that it’s actually the safest place on the mountain because it’s the only place where harnesses are required. The rumored death toll of 100 people per year has never been substantiated. Go figure.
Volusia County — Florida
Florida has some of the best beaches in the world, but swimmers should watch out for sharks (“There’s critters in them there waters!”).
In 2017, Volusia County had nine incidents of shark attacks out of the 88 total reported worldwide. That’s more shark bites in one place than anywhere else in the world (and you thought Amity Island was bad!), according to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File. None of the attacks in Volusia County were fatal, and it was six less than last year, when Volusia County also topped the list. Once again, progress.
Angel’s Landing – Zion National Park, Utah
Angel’s Landing is an extremely narrow hiking path with a 1,000-foot drop on either side. Six people have died on the trail since 2004. Aptly named for who you might end up meeting if you lose your focus while walking it!
Half Dome — Yosemite National Park, California
Climbing to the summit of Half Dome involves scaling a steep cliff using cables. Between 8 and 20 people have died since the cables were installed around 100 years ago, with more dying on the trail leading to it. The National Park Service instituted a permit system in 2010 to limit the number of climbers to 300 a day to avoid hazardous conditions. The travel site Yosemite Hikes calls the Half Dome “the one you can’t die without doing, and the one you’re most likely to die while doing.”
And THAT, our dear friends, says it all!