Overheard a ranger at Yosemite say half the rescues happen on trails rated 'easy'

He said people see a 2-mile loop on the map and think it's a walk in the park, then get caught without water when summer temps hit triple digits - has anyone else noticed beginners ignoring trail ratings?

3 comments

3 Comments

jakep241mo ago

Yeah that tracks with what I've seen. A lot of folks treat an 'easy' rating like it means no preparation needed, but easy trails can still kick your butt in the wrong conditions. I remember a family hiking a flat 1.5 mile loop near Sedona in July - they had one 16 ounce water bottle for four people and no hats. The trail was completely exposed with zero shade. Ranger had to meet them halfway with extra water because the mom was already showing signs of heat exhaustion. The rating just tells you about the terrain, not the weather or your own fitness level.

hugow301mo ago

16 ounces for four people in July in Sedona? That's not just optimistic, that's basically a suicide pact with extra steps (and sunburns). I swear some people read "easy" on a trail sign and think it means the laws of thermodynamics take a vacation too. Like yeah buddy, the trail might be flat but the sun doesn't care about your rating system, it's still cooking you at 105 degrees. Hope they learned their lesson but I'm guessing they went back to the hotel and blamed the trail for being "deceptively hard" instead of their own planning. Darwin awards come in all shapes and sizes I guess, sometimes with a 1.5 mile loop.

willowc601mo ago

You been on enough trails to see that play out, right?