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Tourists have been slammed online after a video captured them sitting on a dangerous Grand Canyon ledge and allegedly practising yoga poses next to the steep drop.
In a clip posted on by the Instagram page Tourons of National Parks — “touron” being a combination of the words tourist and moron — the video zooms into a ‘Do Not Enter’ sign with cones blocking a pathway, before panning over to a cliff’s ledge where at least one person can be seen sitting.
The video, posted on 30 August, was taken during a golden hour sunset, supposedly showing that the person ignored the warning signs and clambered over the rocky edge of the North Rim Grand Canyon cliff to sit on the ledge and admire the views.
The caption to the video, credited to Grand Canyon park ranger Sarah Anderson, reads: “Crossing over a trail closed sign and on the edge North Rim Grand Canyon.
“It might be worth clarifying that it was a group of young adults, this girl was doing yoga moves right before this.
“They were all there watching sunset, but obviously breaking rules. This was reported that people were crossing the ‘do not enter sign’.”
The Instagram page added that while the person was not harming anyone by looking at views across the national park, if they fell, they “most likely need to be rescued or recovered”.
The video sparked a debate in the comments, with some stating that the group were harmless, while others were of the opinion that the act was irresponsible.
Some users were worried as it appeared the person was by themself, but Anderson clarified that it was a group of people on the rock together practising yoga poses and looking out onto the Canyon’s landscape.
“She crossed a sign that clearly said “do not enter” - I don’t care how pretty the view is, she needs to follow the rules, “ one user wrote. “There are plenty of places that don’t have that signage to take in a beautiful view.”
“How about this [as a] sign: Enter at your own risk, death and injury are possible, you are responsible for all rescue costs,” someone else posted, agreeing with other commenters who argue that it will be the search and rescue teams at risk if something goes wrong.
“I’m just tired of people thinking rules don’t apply to them,” another wrote.
However, some did not see the groups’ sunset viewing and yoga session that way, with one person commenting that “we have too many rules”.
“God forbid someone take[s] in the view,” another wrote.
The National Park Service (NPS) says that elevation at the Grand Canyon’s North Rim can reach up to 8,000 feet (2,438 m), with the dry climate in Arizona also having the potential to affect people differently than their home environment.
The park authority asks visitors to stay on designated trails and walkways and to always keep a safe distance of at least six feet from the edge.
There have been 16 recorded deaths at the popular tourist destination this year.
Most recently, the body of a missing 71-year-old boater was recovered from the Grand Canyon National Park in mid-September, while the latest fatality linked to falling happened in August, when a 20-year-old man fell 400 feet from a scenic overlook at the canyon.
According to NPS officials, there were 11 deaths in 2023 at the Grand Canyon National Park, and there are typically 10 to 15 deaths at the canyon this year.
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