While researching this story (using the excellent book Over the Edge: Death in the Grand Canyon by Michael Ghiglieri and Thomas Myers) I went down a bit of a rabbit hole on one specific detail: would drinking tadpole-infested water be bad for your health?
It’s difficult to find an answer to this one. There are some indications that drinking water with tadpoles in it might put you at higher risk for contracting tapeworm-like parasites. And there’s a lot of evidence that drinking water from a still or stagnant pond can be very bad for your health.
But, in the circumstances of this story, the harms that might come from drinking tadpole-filled water pale when compared to the dangers of dehydration. Tadpole-filled water wouldn’t be my first choice either… but it would be infinitely preferable, when hiking the Canyon, to no water at all.
Fascinating Horror
2023-11-04 16:15:24 +0000 UTCFascinating Horror
2023-11-04 16:14:30 +0000 UTCMichael Rutherford
2023-10-31 17:05:50 +0000 UTCMarie Horton
2023-10-31 11:39:26 +0000 UTC