Commentary: Lives are upended by preventable hiking accidents
Two hikers died last week after falling from Yosemite's Taft Point, located high above Yosemite Valley. What exactly happened is still unclear, but they almost certainly stepped off the trail, past the guardrail and passed warning signs before tumbling hundreds of feet over the cliffs.
As a hiking expert, my favorite part of the job is encouraging people to trek up to places like Taft Point. But now my enthusiasm for the great outdoors is tempered by worry.
