Man dies trying to hike Grand Canyon from rim to rim in single day
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK (KPHO/Gray News) - A man is dead after National Park Service officials say he tried to hike the Grand Canyon from rim to rim in a single day.
Just before 2 p.m. last Saturday, dispatchers received a call about a hiker in distress on the North Kaibab Trail, about a mile south of the Cottonwood Campground.
KPHO reports that the hiker became unresponsive, and bystanders began CPR while rescue crews were en route.
National Park Service rangers arrived via helicopter and tried to resuscitate the man, but he was pronounced dead.
The hiker has been identified as 55-year-old Ranjith Varma of Manassas, Virginia.
According to the park service, Varma was attempting to hike from the South Rim to the North Rim when he suffered a medical emergency. While his cause of death has not been determined, officials said temperatures on the North Kaibab Trail could reach over 120 degrees during the hotter months of the year.
Visitors are strongly advised to avoid hiking the inner canyon during the heat from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Varma’s death remains under investigation by the park service and health officials in Coconino County.
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