Rescue in the Grand Canyon: The Epic Hike that Nearly Killed Dan Becker

@DanBecker joined me on a 45 mile Rim to Rim to Rim backpacking trip, but halfway through, Dan was having a medical emergency in a truly remote and dangerous part of the Grand Canyon. This is the story of Dan's scary saga. Special thanks to the responding National Park rangers and all medical personel who helped to save Dan's life.

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[DanBecker]

Eric is a TRUE friend. I’m so thankful that he was there along with Jake and Emmett. I never would’ve made it out otherwise. And yes…. I’ll go backpacking with you again Eric….

[ScottyPerkins]

[Hey there. Cross-posting this comment from Dan's channel here as well.]

First, as have said the others, I'm really glad that Dan was able to get help and is on the way to recovery. Wonderful news there.

So, mountain SAR guy and wilderness EMT here. Rhabdo is no joke and not actually as rare in these settings as some would lead you to believe. Oxygen deficit at altitude, high exertion over a sustained period, and dehydration are the key triggers as you discovered. I'm sorry if I didn't catch this in the video but one of the hallmarks of rhabdo is dark tea-colored urine, which is indicative of the spilling of the breakdown products. Not sure if Dan saw those symptoms or not.

I guess the only takeaways I would offer in addition to the comments offered in the video are:

1) Pushing through non-transient chest pain in a remote setting is super-dangerous, especially if you're ascending as you're pushing. If you have persistent chest pain, stop and rest, and immediately consider calling for evacuation.

2) It seems there was hesitation to call SAR resources when things started getting dicey. I think I can speak for all of us in the SAR community that we'd MUCH rather get a call to help you get out safely while you're in a compromised but not critical state as opposed to you pushing yourself into critical and risking your life hoping it makes things easier for us. We'd much rather take your gear and help you with hydration, nutrition, and warmth as you slowly walk yourself out over several hours than see you for the first time when you're unconscious and circling the drain at the top. If we can get you safe and stable to the top, evac options are much more wide open than if you're unconscious, and the range of people who have the skills to care for you in that context is much narrower.

3) For as much backcountry activity as you guys do, I would take a formal Wilderness First Aid or (even better) Wilderness First Responder course from an outfit such as NOLS (disclosure: I'm a NOLS WEMT). There's a significant section in those courses on both rhabdo and altitude sickness (HACE and HAPE) and I think it would have been helpful to the group in this case.

4) Really good call with the Garmin InReach Mini. For you and for others watching, consider what you would have done without cell signal at the trailhead. The Garmin service is excellent, but consider also other options such as ham radio for the backcountry. For example, there's a open ham radio repeater in Jacob Lake, and three more in Kanab. The first one would certainly have been reachable and likely the other three as well.

Again, really really glad Dan is feeling better and glad it turned out OK. Just food for thought above for those who might benefit from your experience.

[jeanbecker]

Thank you Eric, Emmet, Jake, Ranger, plough driver, truck driver, and hospital staff for saving our son. No words can express how wonderful you all are. I know you were guided by the Lord.

[chrismoore]

Just saw Dan's video I'm so happy he's ok. As a retired Park Ranger I'm proud of my fellow Rangers.

[LilAnnThrax]

I know it's a small detail in a much larger story but that 911 operator was so good. I've heard so many bad 911 calls, it's great to hear someone really wanting to help as much as possible. Thankful that Dan is ok!

[copythatchannel]

sometimes when you're hiking.. getting emotional is often times a sign of low oxygen levels. meaning you're going faster and harder than you're capable the signs of distress were showing early on this trip for you Dan.

[ultrahd]

You should be thanked for the decisions you made to keep him moving to a spot he could be rescued from and thinking ahead to get his shelter up before he got there. What a scary situation for all. Thanks so much for sharing. All of us novices really appreciate this. We will all learn from this.

[sarahhagen]

I love how Dan keeps his sense of humor through the whole thing. Get well soon Dan!

[SullynNH]

Rhabdo is probably more known in the endurance/ultrarunning community, as it has sidelined some of the more high profile athletes. One thing I did see in Dan's video with the crew, was folks taking ibuprofen. This can exacerbate or put greater strain on the kidneys, as that is how the body metabolizes ibuprofen and can lead to rhabdo. Many ultraraces actually ban the usage of it for that reason. I would suggest reading more on that or talking to a medical professional, particularly for future outings that are very strenuous.

[SamJones_PL]

Eric did such a good job calming Dan and keeping his cool in this situation even while talking to emergency services very impressed

[stephenbesch]

A good example of why you choose your outdoor companions carefully - you never know when your life might be in their hands. Glad you were able to work through the complications and take care of Dan. Good folks looking out for each other is inspiring. I'd hike with you and your crew anytime.

[sunnyscott]

Scary yes exactly right but what is scary is that you chose to hike past Phantom Ranch, a place with cabins beds, a place to eat and rest.
You're very lucky that you had such a good friend and that you had cell phone service plus a GPS locator. This was a very close call.

[ambissing]

Having just hiked North Rim to Bright Angel in October, I cannot comprehend going at this time of the year with all the precautions and alerts about trail conditions. So glad Dan made it out ok but I don’t know if this was a good decision to do this. Sometimes the best decision is not to go and wait until the trail conditions get better. I appreciate the ranger that got down there to help and the obvious care and love from the hiking companions

[arcticradio]

It’s hard to start realising you cannot do what you think you can in terms of distance/terrain. Here in Finland where we have extreme cold you have to realise that even a few km is going to take extreme effort due to the conditions. When I backpack I have now stopped setting any distance goals but instead make sure I’m prepared for sleeping just about anywhere and that I have more food than I need. For myself I’m not a fan of planned distance hikes and I don’t join others whose fitness levels may be different. It’s been a tough realisation that I cannot manage once what I used to do so I have to be easier on myself.

Glad Dan is ok and well done to everyone involved in helping him.

[peterfagley]

Just watched Dan's video, everyone is so glad that you were there to take care of Dan and the others. Great work Eric, safe travels my friend.

[habituallinestepper]

Thank you for sharing. I think it’s so important that even experienced hikers can experience distress on the trail. Nobody is infallible. You guys seemed to remained calm and made good decisions You might save lives by sharing this important lesson. Thank god you, Dan the crew and first responders are ok.

[HuckOutdoors]

You're a good man Eric! Lucky that Dan had you by his side during this.

[LionessHiker]

I want to pass on a bit of advice I learned from Dixie of Homemade Wanderlust. I believe her words of wisdom are far beyond her years. Regarding a friend or a pet hiking with you who may not be in as good of condition, let the slowest person set the pace and decide when to stop and rest or stop for the night. I understand that our love and enthusiasm for the trail can perhaps still push the slower person to go beyond their capabilities. So I repeat often that the choices/ decisions to take an easier route, go slower, stop for the night or even turn back are their decisions to make. My dog can not tell me. But his tail wagging or drooping speaks volumes.

[jamesh]

Glad to see Dan is OK. Also, a big shout out to you, Eric for keeping calm in this stressful situation. A good learning experience to share.

[andredeketeleastutecomplex]

North rim: closed
Dan & friends: this is where we need to be