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Virginia Man Dies While Attempting Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim Hike
KNAU ^ | September 11, 2023

Posted on 09/12/2023 10:57:45 PM PDT by nickcarraway

Officials at Grand Canyon National Park say a Virginia man died Saturday while hiking in the backcountry.

According to the park, 55-year-old Ranjith Varma of Manassas, Virginia was attempting to hike from the South Rim to the North Rim in one day when he became unresponsive on the North Kaibab Trail about a mile south of Cottonwood Campground.

Bystanders began CPR and called search and rescue personnel who responded via helicopter, which had to perform specialized maneuvers.

Their attempts to resuscitate Varma weren’t successful, however.

Officials say temperatures on the canyon’s inner trails can reach 120 degrees during the summer and they urge people not to hike during the heat of the day.

Assistance can also be delayed because of limited staff, the number of rescue calls, employee safety and curtailed helicopter capability during extreme heat or inclement weather.

The National Park Service and Coconino County Medical Examiner are conducting an investigation.

It’s the second potentially heat-related death this year in the Grand Canyon. In July a 57-year-old woman died while attempting to an eight-mile hike in the remote Tuweep area of the park.


TOPICS: Hobbies; Local News; Outdoors
KEYWORDS: grandcanyon; hiking; virginia
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To: nickcarraway

Death Valley Days


21 posted on 09/13/2023 4:49:27 AM PDT by Varsity Flight ( See"War by🙏🙏 the prophesies set before you." I Timothy 1:18. Nazarite prayer warriors. 10.5.6.5)
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To: nickcarraway

I did the rim-to-rim hike in my late 30s carrying a 75-pound backpack. I sure felt like I was going to die. Did it in October, I think, as there was already snow on the north rim.


22 posted on 09/13/2023 5:45:46 AM PDT by Reno89519 (DeSantis 2024. Successful Governor, Honorable Veteran, Respectful, Respected. No Baggage, No Drama.)
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To: fireman15
In other news... the canyon’s free Covid vax stations are now fully operational.

I trust this is sarcasm. If not, you truly are on the low side of the bell curve. The Grand Canyon has been killing people since people first explored the Grand Canyon. The rim-to-rim hike is extremely challenging even for physically fit hikers in their prime.

23 posted on 09/13/2023 5:57:17 AM PDT by Labyrinthos
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To: Labyrinthos

I am very familiar with people collapsing from heat related causes. I was first hired as a firefighter many years ago in the Spring. We had an unusually warm summer. The geniuses in charge of our training program insisted that we perform our drills in full gear including Nomex hoods and with the flaps down on our helmets. One recruit after another got sent to the hospital after collapsing in the heat over the summer.

I was not as vulnerable as most of the others because I had been a nationally ranked champion bicycle road racer and knew the importance of keeping myself well hydrated. One year at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs several of my competitors had to be transported to the hospital as the result of a long road race in hot weather.

The comment that I made refers obviously to the relatively recent phenomenon of SADS (Sudden adult death syndrome) which is related to the Covid shots. My 13-year-old cousin collapsed on the playing field and stopped breathing. It wasn’t particularly hot, and he was not dehydrated. He was revived with CPR and taken to the hospital. His collapse was caused by a massive stroke which has left him with permanent brain damage.

You would not believe the number of people who cannot make the probable connection between what happened to my cousin and the series of Covid shots that he was required to take to attend school. He had no previous medical history and had always been a very active kid.

While people often do collapse while exerting themselves in hot weather and sometimes do die... in 25 years working in busy fire stations and participating in who knows how many transports from heat related causes... none of those who was physically fit actually died. These days we hear about athletes dropping over dead all the time during competition.

Insensitive as it may seem to your tender ears... a new initiative is being led by Biden and the Democrats to encourage a new wave of Covid vaccines. People should be reminded that there are risks associated with this that have not been fully disclosed. One of those risks is SADS whether the authorities want to admit it or not. Without an autopsy nearly every SADS death can be blamed on something else... like a physically fit 55-year-old trying to hike over 20 miles in hilly terrain in a day.

Here is a slightly more complete account:

https://nypost.com/2023/09/13/virginia-hiker-ranjith-varma-dies-attempting-grand-canyon-rim-to-rim-hike/

From the article, “The temperature at Grand Canyon National Park Airport — a 25-minute drive from the South Rim — did not reach 90 degrees Saturday.” The humidity was a fraction of what it typically is in Manassas Virginia. The authorities warned others of the dangers of heat in the canyon but have not said whether Ranjith Varma’s death was related to heat. “The AP reported it was not clear if heat was a contributing factor to the death.”


24 posted on 09/13/2023 7:13:53 AM PDT by fireman15 (Irritating people are the grit from which we fashion our pearl. I provide the grit. You're Welcome.)
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To: GrandJediMasterYoda

Once you’ve had one heat stoke you are likely to have another if you are not careful. The first one somehow changes your body making you susceptible to another. I used to do manual labor in Texas north of Houston. Hot as hell but I drank lots and lots of water. I made sure I never stopped sweating. Stopping sweating is a early warning that a heat stroke is coming and that it’s time to take a break and pour water on yourself.


25 posted on 09/13/2023 7:48:09 AM PDT by jpsb
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To: SaveFerris

We hiked about 3 miles down and back into the canyon on the Bright Angel Trail with the grandkids 2 years ago. We made it to the 1.5 mile rest house and turned around. https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/day-hiking.htm#CP_JUMP_1910241
We ALL had hats, and carried LOTS of water, and even some salty snacks. We had frequent breaks, and were prepared. I had been walking 2 miles a day to prepare for the last 6 months or so, and thought I was “in shape”. It was still tough, especially going up. Well, there’s nothing like the real thing. Going down, we came across a young man who was going up. He had flip flops, a t-shirt, no hat, and shorts. He looked half dead. My wife offered him some water, and he took it. Hehehe, I went thru the whole “who’s gonna need it more? A stranger or us” thing, but in the long run, he needed it MUCH more then did we.


26 posted on 09/13/2023 8:03:01 AM PDT by China Clipper ( Animals? I love animals. See? There's one there, right next to the potatoes!)
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To: SaveFerris
The heat was hot

and the ground was dry

This would have been difficult at even age 25 with proper gear and water

It was a relatively cool day at the Grand Canyon on September 9. The high was 82 degrees and the humidity was a fraction of what it typically is in in Manassas, Virginia. Ranjith Varma was with a group of six other well prepared and physically fit hikers who all had proper gear and water. He collapsed just a mile from the campground that was their destination.

If you do a little research, you will find that none of the authorities or news organizations have claimed that this death was related to heat.

These days 25-year-olds are often in much worse physical condition than their middle-aged counterparts. Young people now often tend to have much less interest in physical fitness than people from previous generations.

27 posted on 09/13/2023 8:03:16 AM PDT by fireman15 (Irritating people are the grit from which we fashion our pearl. I provide the grit. You're Welcome.)
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To: fireman15

The “jab”, it is not a vaccine, forces your cells to produce a toxic Covid spike protein. Why anyone would want their cells producing a Covid spike protein is beyond me. You were very wise not to take the “jab”. I looked into it but once I realized what is was going to do to my body I decided not “no” but “hell no”. I did buy zinc, vitamin D and Ivermectin.


28 posted on 09/13/2023 8:03:24 AM PDT by jpsb
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To: fireman15

Are we to assume Florida man successfully made the trip?


29 posted on 09/13/2023 8:15:38 AM PDT by Palmetto State Conservative
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To: fireman15

“My 13-year-old cousin collapsed on the playing field and stopped breathing. It wasn’t particularly hot, and he was not dehydrated. He was revived with CPR and taken to the hospital. His collapse was caused by a massive stroke which has left him with permanent brain damage.”

“Pediatric strokes” are not new. They are a top ten killer of children under the age of 18, and usually caused by an undiagnosed congenial heart disease.

I ask, are there more post-vaxx sudden death among young people or are we simply more focuses on the deaths and therefore, it seems like there are more death. By analogy, the number of shark attacks has not changed over the years, but it seems like there are more because they make great headlines.

I also ask whether these sudden cardiac events among “healthy” children and adults are caused by an environmental factor that was rolled out at the same time as the vaxx: High frequency electromagnetic radiation produced by 5g cell phone transmitters:

https://www.amymyersmd.com/article/facts-about-5g#3_5G_Causes_Heart_Problems

https://heartmdinstitute.com/detox-toxins/emf/5g-health-risks/


30 posted on 09/13/2023 8:15:41 AM PDT by Labyrinthos
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To: jpsb

I was thinking about responding to your earlier post on heat stroke because it too contained good advice. My wife and I are actually very familiar with Covid having spent a lot of time at the Kirkland Life Care Center, the first known multi-level care facility in the country to experience multiple Covid fatalities.

What a circus that turned into! Government agencies from start to finish were not just unhelpful but hindrances to good care. After the crisis had subsided and the “vaccines” became available those who had been exposed and had developed strong natural immunity were fired if they were not willing to get the “jabs”.


31 posted on 09/13/2023 8:23:33 AM PDT by fireman15 (Irritating people are the grit from which we fashion our pearl. I provide the grit. You're Welcome.)
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To: Guenevere
We had friends who hiked down and up the canyon in a few hours……wearing cheap tennis shoes They lost all their toenails!

Wouldn't be surprised if some tried it in flip flops.

32 posted on 09/13/2023 8:30:59 AM PDT by TangoLimaSierra (⭐⭐To the Left, The Truth is Right Wing Violence⭐⭐)
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To: Governor Dinwiddie

I get that he has an Indian name. Why do you assume he was from India? With my last name, one might think I am from Spain.


33 posted on 09/13/2023 8:32:41 AM PDT by quilterdebbie (We will endeavor to persevere!)
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To: Labyrinthos

So, you are fearful of “High frequency electromagnetic radiation produced by 5g cell phone transmitters” but you are not suspicious of the ineffective “jabs” that by many measures have more associated injuries and deaths than all other vaccines in history combined? It is possible in your words that you “truly are on the low side of the bell curve”. Your opinions are in line with those of many liberals that I know.

More money has been spent by this administration downplaying the dangers of the MRNA vaccines and spreading misinformation than the Federal Government has ever spent promoting any other medical treatment. Why? And why does anyone who thinks of themself as an enlightened intellectual fall for this type of propaganda? And why are big tech companies and the MSM still trying to enforce an almost complete ban on coverage that portrays the “vaccines” in a negative light?

“They are a top ten killer of children under the age of 18, and usually caused by an undiagnosed congenial heart disease.” Well guess again on the cause of my cousin’s stroke. He has no history of heart problem.

And as I said previously... without an autopsy there is typically no way to prove what has caused an adult to die suddenly. So why have agencies from the Federal Government spent so little funding autopsies and studies of those suspected to have died from “vaccine” related injuries?


34 posted on 09/13/2023 8:47:29 AM PDT by fireman15 (Irritating people are the grit from which we fashion our pearl. I provide the grit. You're Welcome.)
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To: quilterdebbie
I get that he has an Indian name. Why do you assume he was from India?

Actually, Ranjith Varma was originally from India. I am sorry that I do not have time to go back and find a link for you.

35 posted on 09/13/2023 8:50:20 AM PDT by fireman15 (Irritating people are the grit from which we fashion our pearl. I provide the grit. You're Welcome.)
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To: fireman15

Thanks for the information!


36 posted on 09/13/2023 9:08:44 AM PDT by quilterdebbie (We will endeavor to persevere!)
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To: quilterdebbie

I am still looking through my history for the link.


37 posted on 09/13/2023 9:22:54 AM PDT by fireman15 (Irritating people are the grit from which we fashion our pearl. I provide the grit. You're Welcome.)
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To: quilterdebbie

I think that it was this one, but it is not really conclusive...

https://www.greatandhra.com/articles/special-articles/indian-origin-man-dies-while-hiking-in-grand-canyon-132084


38 posted on 09/13/2023 9:26:06 AM PDT by fireman15 (Irritating people are the grit from which we fashion our pearl. I provide the grit. You're Welcome.)
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To: nickcarraway

This was a very sad one a couple years ago in Yellowstone.

Mom, Dad, baby, and dog all found dead from heat.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-gerrish-ellen-chung-daughter-found-dead-sierra-national-forest/


39 posted on 09/13/2023 9:31:51 AM PDT by dforest
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To: fireman15

Thanks!


40 posted on 09/13/2023 9:37:14 AM PDT by quilterdebbie (We will endeavor to persevere!)
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