What’s the first thing you should do when you see a safety rail in a National Park? Climb over it, right? No… that’s not it. How about, STAY BEHIND THE DAMN THING. Apparently these Grand Canyon National Park guests think using their brain and common sense is too difficult.
“On a visit to Mather Point, on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, I watched a group of young people climb over the guardrail, and then jump across a chasm to a towering stone formation. One of them played the ukulele while his friends dangled their legs and even spat over the edge. The depth of the Grand Canyon at that location is 5,000′. There was a large group of people watching it, but unfortunately, there wasn’t a ranger nearby to intervene.”
On average, 12 people die in Grand Canyon National Park per year. Most of those deaths are related to dehydration, starvation, freezing, or some other environment related incident, but about two to three of those annual deaths are from falls off the wall. So while the odds of a visitor taking a tumble into the canyon are pretty low, they go up quite significantly when they ignore the guardrails.
I’m having a hard time deciding what’s more annoying, though. Jumping over the guardrail or playing a ukulele at a very popular location in a national park? You’re not John Mayer, kid. Nobody wants to hear your garbage strumming patterns while they’re trying to enjoy the beauty and nature of a park. Maybe keep it, and your entire group of friends, at home next time! What’s worse, backpack speakers or the person who thinks everyone wants to hear them play ukulele? At least with backpack speakers you’re listening to real, recorded music, not just cruddy strumming.
Related: Zion National Park Rangers Read Hilarious 1-Star Online Reviews