Kind of funny to point out but these things happen, emergencies, unforseeable circumstances and unforecast weather. Folks get killed by unforecast weather very quickly. If you know anything about the Colorado Plateau it is infamous for unforecastable weather conditions. The low and high pressures funnel storms in from a thousand miles away in short order. I know a rather large group who do a lot of hiking and they all got caught up in that and weren’t prepared because they didn’t listen well to very conventional wisdom. Now they do come prepared for unforeseen circumstances.

It isn’t always a bad decision. Sometimes you make a choice based on safety that adds hours to your route. Stuff happens, that’s just the way it is. Off trail hiking can bring many stunning discoveries but it can also bring a few major surprises. Canyon country is like that. Even folks who think they are very experienced get a wake up call someday. I’m not suggesting a light will save your bacon but I find it kind of nutty to argue against a good lighting tool.

Naw, we’ve seen a few unforecasted doozies so any vague unsubstantiated justifications don’t mean anything at all.