‘I was gonna be in that exact same spot’: Hiker reveals Grand Canyon flood shock

GRAND CANYON, ARIZONA: Sherrie Stewart Hebert, who lives in Idaho, had spent weeks preparing to return to the Grand Canyon for the first time in 30 years. Days before her long-planned backpacking trip, flash flooding struck the area she intended to hike, killing two people and leaving one person missing.

The trip carried a deeply personal meaning. Hebert’s previous visit had ended with her watching the sunset from the South Rim alongside her close friend Jim, the last time she saw him before he was killed in a bicycle accident.

Speaking to MEAWW News, Hebert said learning that two people had died in the flooding made it “hard to believe” that she had been preparing to enter the exact same trail days later. 

“The only word I can describe it with is that it was surreal, and it’s been a rollercoaster of emotions,” she said.

The August 29 flash flood swept through the Bright Angel Canyon and Phantom Ranch area, killing two people and prompting the rescue of about 80 others. 

Although early reports said more than 20 people might be missing or unaccounted for, officials have since accounted for most of them, with one person remaining missing, according to the latest Associated Press report.

The flooding also destroyed footbridges and trails and damaged approximately 40% of the park’s critical Transcanyon Waterline.

Sherrie Hebert learned of flooding after her final training hike

Hebert had not backpacked in more than 12 years but had wanted to return to the Grand Canyon for years.

After receiving a permit for a solo September trip, she began training at the gym before progressing to outdoor hikes with increasingly heavier packs. She compared the experience to an “emotional ping pong match,” with her confidence repeatedly competing with her doubts.

For her final training hike, Hebert carried six liters of water because she had learned that two water stations on the North Kaibab Trail were expected to be unavailable. Having previously experienced dehydration during training, she decided that carrying the additional weight was preferable to running out of water.

After returning home, Hebert received an alert about the Grand Canyon flooding and began following the developments online. When she visited the Grand Canyon Hikers Facebook page, she realized the disaster was unfolding in the area where she had planned to hike.

“Holy cows, it's really happening,” she recalled.

The timing of the flooding made Hebert consider what might have happened had she already been inside the canyon. She was also grateful that the disaster had not struck at night, “Because who knows what would have happened then.”

Hebert said she did not want to put herself ahead of those directly affected by the tragedy. She has begun looking for somewhere else to go and is considering avoiding the desert because of the severity of this year’s monsoon season.

Grand Canyon trip would have marked Hebert’s return after 30 years

The planned backpacking trip held a deeper personal significance for Hebert because it would have been her first visit to the Grand Canyon in 30 years.

Her previous visit had been bittersweet. On her final evening, she sat on the edge of the South Rim and watched the sunset with Jim, one of her closest friends. It was the last time she saw him before he was killed in a bicycle accident.

“I guess that has been another draw to that magical place as that is a very cherished memory,” Hebert told us.

'Hard to believe I was gonna be in that exact same spot in a week'

Learning that two bodies had been recovered after the flooding made the tragedy especially difficult for her to process.

“The main thing is... Just that, you know, so far, maybe there's more now, but the two body recoveries that put things over the edge. I mean, not the right wording, you know what I mean? But it's like, this is horrible,” she said.

“But just overwhelming, shocked, hard to believe I was gonna be in that exact same spot in a week. It's, you know, I still don't have the right words, but anyway, so yeah, hearing about the two body recoveries has been tough,” Hebert added.

Despite her shock, Hebert praised those involved in the response. “The whole thing has been, and I just give the park service and all those who are doing the search and rescue and unfortunately recovery efforts are just outstanding.”