How much did that cost the taxpayers? When someone has to use the rescue personnel do they get a ticket or a fine? The Park Service goes to great lengths to provide safe and attractive overlooks. Sure the view is more spectacular closer to the edge, but it is not so pretty on the way down.

Wow. I am just glad she is ok! Sure, she should have been more careful toward the edge, but how many taxpayer dollars that were spent and/or if a ticket was issued should be the least of anyone's concerns. Maybe R Scofield needs to think about his priorities.

I might have gone with a different title for this article. Tourists are already a little too comfortable near the edge of the Canyon.

Steven M. Bumgardner
Videographer/Producer

Maybe everyone should just stay home. They might fall in the canyon, or get in a car wreck, and then cost taxpayers money. It's just not worth it! Let's sell the land to developers, or build dams to generate power, or dig up the minerals and start getting a return on investment from these "National Parks" instead of just providing places where generations of people can connect with their natural and cultural heritage. After all, even though millions of people visit the South Rim each year, it's just not worth the cost of rescuing the one or two who were moved by the power of the place to get a little closer than they should have.

I'm kind of with Scofield on this one IF the woman strayed off the marked trails deliberately. There are always accidents--animals fall, ground gives way, etc. But I too have no sympathy if someone steps over the safety area as if the warniing signs weren't even there. That's death, or injury, by stupid. "Deaths in Yellowstone" is a great book with some hair-raising stories of incredibly stupid people who think they're in Disneyland instead of a natioal park. But the story doesn't say why the woman fell, so let's give her the benefit of the doubt until we know more. If it was accident by stupid, then hell yeah she ought to reimburse the park service. If it wasn't, then thank God she lived.

I'm not worried about what the cost to tax payers was....I'm just glad she survived the ordeal. Those rescue workers are trained and ready for just such an event and tax dollars ensure that those resources are there for you too, God forbid you should ever need them. My hat goes off to those brave souls that were there to help her and my heart goes out to the woman and her family. It must've given them quite a scare and hopefully a renewed appreciation for life.

I seemed to have touched a nerve. I am not suggesting that anyone stay home in lew of enjoying the great out doors and the grand canyon should be seen by everyone before they die. But with our money bailing out this company and that company and a whole slew of us out of work or in threat of us being out of work, lets use what little sense we have and stay within the bounds the experts dictate as a safe distance and not bring more problems on ourselves and others. I too am glad she wasn't hurt seriously or killed.

I'm pretty sure the cost of NPS search and rescue operations is picked up by the individual--just like an ambulance ride?