ANOTHER LIFE SAVED: ECSO dispatch received a call on Sunday evening, June 25, reporting that a member of a group hiking Zero Gravity on the San Rafael Desert needed assistance. The man was suspended in a narrow portion of the slot canyon, wedged tightly between the canyon walls. ECSO personnel and Emery County Search and Rescue responded with their rope rescue gear. The State DPS helicopter was dispatched from Salt Lake as well as the Classic Air medical helicopter from Moab.
While rescuers were enroute, members of the hiking group rigged up a web for the man to push his feet against in an attempt to relieve some pressure on his torso. The DPS helicopter transported Emery County rescuers to the scene. The rescuers rigged a haul system with ropes to pull the man up out of the canyon and 2 rescuers were lowered into the canyon. Crew members from both helicopters provided extra manpower to help pull the man and 2 rescuers up approximately 100 feet. The man was then evaluated by medical personnel from Classic Air and transported by helicopter to the trailhead. By the time rescuers were able to pull the man up out of the slot canyon, he had been suspended for around 8 hours and was in danger of suspension trauma.
This is a good time to remind people who plan on exploring the San Rafael Desert to research the area you are visiting so you can be aware of any restrictions or technical expertise required to safely maneuver the canyons.
It is also a good time to let the public know that Emery County Search and Rescue, a volunteer organization, is holding their annual fundraiser, the San Rafael Classic Triathlon, on July 15 at Huntington State Park. Proceeds from the triathlon are used to purchase new search and rescue equipment. You can learn more about the triathlon by visiting www.sanrafaelclassic.com or visiting their Facebook page.
ratagonia
“Hmm, I did a few years ago and don’t remember it being bad”
…that’s what you always say, Scott.
There are a lot of variables there, as there always are. Certainly weight/height/fitness always play a role but there is also:
1. Clothing: wearing a wetsuit (in suitable conditions) makes you a bit thicker and perhaps stickier, but also some protection from scrapes etc.
2. Choosing a spot: with the Zero G story in mind, I perhaps went a little too far out, slipped through without trouble and took the maximum fall. Not a good idea, but I AM lucky, and got away with it. From below I was then able to coach and assist the others.
3. Who goes first?: if you send a small person first, they can coach and assist the others, perhaps preventing someone from taking the “maximum fall”.
4. Conditions change: well… the boulder is probably in the same place, but now a crawl through has opened up? Which might close up with the next flash flood, which may happen today. Or yesterday. There is also a bolt there for an anchor, or there might not be as the person who puts it in now regrets it and has promised to remove it.
5. Memory makes us better. I know I was a hot-shot canyon stud sometime in the distant past… just can’t remember when and where.
6. Not Everyone is as Skilled / Strong / Indestructible / Reckless at Scott Patterson. When Scott talks about something he did in the distant past, it is unlikely to be relevant to anyone other than Scott.
(Sorry Scott. It just bothers me that you give advice based on your flawed memory of a canyon experience back when you were younger, more indestructible, more reckless, and stronger than you are now, and suggest that it applies to the general canyoneering public, most of whom are far less skilled than you are.)
Tom
Scott Patterson
First, it wasn’t in the distant past; it was three years ago.
Second, apparently you completely misread my post. I was not giving out any advice. I was asking for advice. The rescue and Bill’s post caused me concern and I wanted to make sure that I was remembering the difficulty of the canyon correctly (because just as you say memory can be flawed and I didn’t remember it being that bad). If it was just my son and I (who I know can go low), I wouldn’t worry; but I was concerned because this time in the canyon our team consisted of me, my wife (who just had a heart surgery in January), and someone who I hadn’t done any canyons with. In addition, when I wrote that post, two other relative beginners originally wanted to come (they ended up not coming). So, I asked for help in jogging my memory (stating that Maybe I am mis-remembering the difficulty of the canyon though?) so we could avoid doing something reckless.
In the end, the above thread was enough to make me cancel the trip through Zero G this morning. We might have tried it if the weather forecast was perfect, but it called for clear skies with 0% chance of rain in the morning and a 25% to 40% chance of scattered showers in the afternoon. We actually woke up really early in the morning to make a run through, but my reasoning for canceling was that given the above, if someone happened to get stuck or break an ankle or something at that obstacle, we would be in danger of getting stuck in the canyon when the chance of rain increased in the afternoon. In the end, it was mostly sunny the whole time, but I don’t regret the decision. We ended up doing a different canyon.
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On another note, Zero G was originally planned because it is usually one of the few reasonable summer canyons in the Swell. The Swell had some massive flash floods on Friday though, so in clear weather, most canyons are very wet and should be reasonable for a while (though probably excluding the Black Boxes or Chute Muddy Creek)-if you can drive to them. Head of Sinbad was hit really hard and some of the roads have 5′ gullies across them. A recent report is that even canyons such as Little Wildhorse are pretty wet now.
Iceaxe
Scott, you will have few issues with Zero G. I’ve downclimbed the entire route, but now I’m older and wiser I do use a rope at the Bombay (final rappel). The obstacle is not difficult if you are aware of it. The reason I now use a rope is because you would pay major penalty points if you fell downclimbing the Bombay.
To avoid the pendulum effect mentioned above you can easily set a guided rappel for those following. We have also set a zip line that made the final obstacle virtually nonexistent for those following.
I’ve never been able to use the low route in the past, but now I’m down to 175# I’m looking forward to giving it a try.
Bill
I did Zero G for the first time in April with my wife and as a bigger human that final section scared the crap out of me. We didn’t realize we were at that final feature until we had already dropped down low. Getting back up was a struggle. Once in the correct space to “go wide” I belayed my wife down then I used a hand line off the chock stone. Because Im 6’2″ and a solid 260 so I had to move pretty far out in that crack in order to squeeze down. The results was a big pendulum, a nasty shoulder check, and a crack of my head on the wall. Thank god for helmets.
Super fun route but I doubt I would do it again without a bigger crew or bailing out of the canyon just above the keeper.
Scott Patterson
Hmm, I did a few years ago and don’t remember it being bad (I’m 6′ tall and 252 lbs.). I bring this up not because I am doubting your canyoneering skills, but because I am supposed to do the canyon on Sunday with three relative beginners (I was going to bring my son who is a very good canyoneer, but he can’t go anymore). Maybe I am mis-remembering the difficulty of the canyon though?
Bill
I’m sure you will be fine. Its not hard, just really awkward for us larger folks.
Canyons like ZeroG just remind me how much I prefer Grand Canyon slots.
jmack
I went through in mid-July and a bolt has been placed at this spot. It’s higher and a bit downcanyon from the chockstone so there’s less of a pendulum effect.
JasonBountiful
I’m glad they got him out of there! I’ve only done Zero G a couple of times but, from my experience, a good rule of thumb is to rap the final drop if your waistline is over 32 inches. If you skip forward in my video to 5mins you can see people taking both approaches:
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Ram
8 hours stuck?
Pretty grim….. and dangerous.
I wonder if it is the famed “get stuck if you are big” spot at the final drop into the last pool?
People have struggled there. Lots of folks. Not a hard move out, then back in, but a bit intimidating. Actually it is an ideal place to get captured, but not a technique widely known or used, by the general canyoneering public.
Nice find by I think Shane and Hank? A good distance out past the edge of the Swell slopes, the canyon cuts down into the Navajo in an unlikely spot.
If it is that final spot, feet will be hanging in the air. Pushing up or pulling up (without a copter) is surprisingly ineffective. But if you can get to feet and lever them back and forth, one can often get a stuck person to rotate and ride up out of a constriction. Don’t know. Just a bunch of guesses
Ram…the guy who can’t even double back his harness