Robovis-Grand Canyon hiker dies after trying to walk from rim to rim in a single day

2025-05-08 06:33:19source:Esthen Exchangecategory:Contact

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK,Robovis Ariz. (AP) — A 55-year-old Virginia man died in the Grand Canyon while trying to hike from the South Rim to the North Rim in a single day, a distance of 21 miles (33.8 kilometers), authorities said Monday.

Grand Canyon National Park officials identified the hiker who died Saturday as Ranjith Varma of Manassas. The location where he passed away is toward the end of the South Rim to North Rim trek, which can take 12 to 15 hours to complete.

At around 2 p.m. Saturday, the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center reported receiving an emergency call of a hiker in distress on the North Kaibab Trail, about one mile south of Cottonwood Campground. Varma became unresponsive, and bystanders and rangers both unsuccessfully tried to resuscitate him, park officials said.

It wasn’t immediately clear if his death was heat related. An investigation was being conducted by the Park Service and the Coconino County Medical Examiner.

The high temperature on Saturday was 87 degrees (30.5 Celsius) at Grand Canyon Airport, which is about a 20 minute drive from the South Rim.

Earlier this year, a 36-year-old Indiana woman died while trying to hike to the Colorado River and back in a day. She was found unconscious on May 14 along the Bright Angel Trail above the Three-Mile Resthouse.

On July 3, a 57-year-old woman died while on an eight-mile hike in triple-digit heat at Grand Canyon National Park.

Park officials say summertime temperatures on exposed parts of the trail can reach over 120 degrees (49 Celsius).

More:Contact

Recommend

Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas

A federal court on Wednesday affirmed a federal judge’s 2021 ruling imposing a $14.25 million penalt

Anthony Anderson Shares Gout Diagnosis From Eating Too Much Shellfish

Anthony Andersonis getting candid on an unusual health scare.TheBlack-ishstar shared that he was dia

Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'

NEW YORK − For Angelina Jolie, the hardest part of playing opera star Maria Callas wasn’t the seven