Veteran Grand Canyon hiker reveals sign deadly flood was ‘horrendously strong’
GRAND CANYON, ARIZONA: After four decades hiking on and off trail in the Grand Canyon, Jeff McGarvin understands how quickly its conditions can change. But the destruction of the bridges across Bright Angel Creek showed him just how powerful the August 29 flash flood had become.
“The bridges that go over Bright Angel Creek were washed away and they are well constructed and stout, so the flow had to have been horrendously strong,” McGarvin told MEAWW News.
The flooding killed two hikers, left another missing, and forced the rescue of about 80 people. McGarvin believes the burn scar left by last year’s Dragon Bravo Fire helped intensify the danger and could leave the affected drainage vulnerable to further flooding until vegetation restabilizes the soil.
40-year Grand Canyon hiking veteran on changing conditions
McGarvin, who lives in Colorado, said his four decades of experience have shown him how quickly the Grand Canyon can change: “The Canyon, and the entire Colorado Plateau, is geologically active so conditions change all the time, from month to month and season to season.”
McGarvin said flash floods have always occurred in the Grand Canyon, but he believes last year's Dragon Bravo Fire played a major role in the severity of the latest flooding, pointing to the resulting burn scar and loss of vegetation, saying the steep terrain and lack of vegetation left less to stabilize the soil.
He told MEAWW News that flooding could happen again in the Bright Angel Creek drainage, including during snowmelt or another monsoon season.
Grand Canyon bridges swept away by powerful flood
The destruction of bridges over Bright Angel Creek was what surprised McGarvin most about the latest flooding. The infrastructure washed away in the flooding surprised him most because it was built to withstand flash floods, “What surprised me the most was the infrastructure that was washed away, infrastructure that was supposed to survive flash floods, and that has survived previous flash floods.”
He also noted the debris fan from Bright Angel Creek entering the river and the size of the rapid created by the flooding.
The latest flooding has left two people dead, while authorities continue efforts to account for anyone still missing. One of the victims has been identified as John Giusti, 53, of Granbury, Texas, while his friends Brent Rosenkranz, 42, and Timothy Smith, 53, remain missing, according to their families.
The latest reports said most of those initially feared missing have been accounted for, with one person still unaccounted for as search efforts continue.
Veteran hiker cautions visitors about Grand Canyon’s extreme conditions
McGarvin cautioned against treating demanding Grand Canyon hikes merely as achievements to “check off.”
He said many visitors attempt rim-to-river-to-rim or rim-to-rim-to-rim hikes without being physically prepared for the elevation changes and distances involved: “So I guess the takeaway for hikers is the Canyon is a huge unforgiving wilderness where anything could happen at any time, so go in prepared, even if it’s a quick six-mile hike to the River.”
McGarvin said preparation should also account for the canyon’s seasonal extremes, not just the distance of a planned route. “Snow and ice in the winter and 110+ degree temps in the summer can be very dangerous for those not prepared.”
For the hiking veteran, the latest flooding is another reminder of the changing nature of the Grand Canyon and the risks hikers can face there.
