SAR – Clarification

Loose Language (on my part) and others: Some corrections:

CARHARTS = ARHARTS, Jane, Roger and Steven Shute = Chute (my miscue)

Denver Post report (thank’s Mike)contains a mix of fact and fiction. Those that have been through Main Lep “Shimrock” know the game. It’s one (or two) short raps at the top and the rest is generally a squeeze, stem, slide, walk a little and more squeeze, stem. There are NO raps once into the belly of the canyon. “Rob Loungee had gotten stuck when he rappelled down…” Not really. According to the other three, he was a “bit heavy”, a “bit overweight and fairly out of shape.” He simply gave out mentally and physically near the end of the slot. What the news does not report is that he and his other two mates spent a cold grim nite in the corridor.

The news piece reminds me of the John Godfrey Saxe poem “The Blind Men and the Elephant.” “It was six men of Indostan, To learning much inclined, Who went to see the Elephant, though all of them were blind, That each by observation, Might satisfy his mind…(a wall, a spear, a snake, a tree, a fan, a rope)…”though each was partly right, And all were in the wrong.”

North Wash Easter Weekend: Blissful; 3 Arharts, Deb Davis, Carol P. (Climber, canyoneeer, photog, western history buff) Wyo Dave for a while – that was nice, and he and Carol had a quick connect re Toyota rigs. But then Dave left Sat nite. Deb left Sunday morning. Carol left Sunday afternoon. It was myself, Jane, Roger and Steve Arhart sitting by that flickering fire when (bam!)the car pulled up and Linda, Bryce and Mark jumped out. (Linda’s hub Rob was in the slot) The tenor (intensity) of the next 16 or so hours really changed.It’s a big guessing game when you meet, interact with, listen to and then chat re options and suggestions with complete strangers. Instinct, trust, hope, luck, insecurity?, experience, perspective and then hands on interaction follows. Turns out the three not caught in the slot were all threshold fit and very fine people. In the end, Bryce and Mark asked if I (or others) could take them out some time. I had “zero” interaction with “rescued.”

If SAR, chopper and Sheriff had not been there, I’m certain that Arhart, myself and the other two guys would have gotten him out of there. It wasn’t until I noticed Greg C. and his retrieval gear a couple of years ago that I was prompted to pay attention. Years earlier Brian C. had been a real mentor,(hooking, potholes, canyon- climbing gear) and more recently myself and others learned the “ascending game”; and 3/1 (and 5/1) haul systems usings prussics or better yet mechanical devices. I like the Petzl mini traxion, a Ushba basic and then some small petzl pulleys. Ascending is another unique process. That weekend, when I went back to retrieve ropes with “the two guys”, my ascending and retrieval tools/gear was used.

Some of us are back in the office and Arhart’s, well tomorrow they lauch off for Zion. Maybe they can “retrieve” King Rich if he has a “Humpty Dumpty” slip, fall or “wedgy” in a slot, and then the event can be slip-streamed on the net or in the papers? Chaotic myth,leaping legends,pilloried or praised; that’s another part of this canyon game, or life.

And rescues;Ram has a story, 9 Tropic SAR members have their stories, Zion SAR, each member has his/her story. And North Wash – well if you weren’t there the “NCAA sweet16” likely holds more attention. The narrative lines stream endlessly – a connection and relavance, or NOT.

My/our experience(not so important “to report” in my view); learning ascending, retrieveal modes – for me that’s become relevant and something I’ve connected to. And being (really) prepared in the circumstance you/me others need an assist; imagination and attention to what is going on – with the humans and the present situation; and otherwise connecting with nature and the diversity of canyons; and having a blissfull rollicking good time, with interesting upbeat souls; A nice after canyon feast, a blazing camp fire on a cold nite and then, stories (sometimes embellishments & myths) stream endlessly. Memory and reputation, sometimes that’s ALL we realy take from a week/weekend in the desert. No, bumps, bruises, scrapes and aches too. slewis slc

“More later”? Yes, from another point of view.

Approx 8am Monday March 24, N Wash, West End of Large Sandtrax Camp area; convergance of: Two vehicles & 9 men from “Tropic SAR”; UHP chopper -SLC pilot, flying out of Moab; Kane-Garfield, Bullfrog based County Deputy Sheriff. SAR folk plus gear, shuttled three at a time, to the crest between West and Middle/Main forks of Lep. Whop, whop the chopper was busy. And then continuous update on the deputy’s radio.

Party of four from Denver area: Husband & wife team, a male neighbor and a male friend of the neighbor – all camped at mouth of Main Lep. Three of the four were in their 40’s, the “neighbor, mid 30’s. The 5’10 210 lb. “husband” is the one that “gave out” 2/3 the way through middle lep. Sunday morning they walked from the base of the Leps, up and around to the top of Middle Lep and did “two raps in.” The one party gave out at around four-five pm. The other three then went down canyon, got in their vehicle, raced to Hanksville, finally got cell reception and then called 911. They then raced back the main Sandtrax camp area, got out of their vehicles and as the flames of our camp fire flickered, announced, “Can you please help, my husband is trapped in a canyon.”

Correction; (A) retrieved party was far south of the initial 1st and 2nd raps entering shimrock. (B) Denver group of four – three completed the canyon sunday afternoon – used the CERBERUS write up and map. I/we viewed the map Sunday nite, and I/we outlined likely gps retrieval point with SAR leader MOnday morning using the CERBERUS map. (Two men in the Denver group reported to me they had heard of but NOT seen Tom’s or Shane’s sites.)

Eve temps Sunday nite were below 30. In the complete dark – before the moon rose, two of the men in the group (who had just “done” the cyn Sunday) were shuttled back N of the leps, shown the proper parking area and “road route” and re-entered middle/main lep in the complete dark. The two stayed the whole nite with their partner – offering clothing and food. The stranded, “out of his element,” canyon traveler’s wife, stayed in our camp Sunday nite.

An exact GPS marking from Sunday afternoon, a decision to rejoin, clothe and feed the stranded chap, AND an A-1 effort by the Tropic SAR made this a “rescue” rather than a recovery. The SAR group once at N Wash were extremely quick, efficient, organized, courteous and professional. A Big time credit to the SAR community. A most laudatory effort by the SAR team, the pilot and the Deputy. And, the Deputy Sheriff announced that just four months earlier, he’d travelled through R Lep Fork with the Hite chief ranger. Upon learning that that retrieval system had rigged off the chopper he announced; “Of course, North Wash is a no-bolt area.”

Once the SAR left,(mid day Monday)I shuttled two of the Denver folk once again atop the Lep system to retrieve their vehicle (left late Sun nite) and to retrieve ropes they had left (late sunday nite). Getting a fellow up an appox 40 ft. near free hanging drop – is either impossible or quite efficient if you have retrieval/ascending tools in one’s quiver. The four Denver folk are almost completely new to canyoneering. They heard the siren sound of the CEBERUS write up and were drawn to the canyon. (Two of the four said they didn’t know about the right or left forks – amazing.)

Another kudos to R and S Arhart, who Sunday morning, up climbed Belfast corridor,upclimbed the Left/Main-Middle shute and then up climbed the Main corrider and met the three Denver chaps just as “rescued” was lifted out of the slot by the ace SAR team. And further honors to J Arhart who listened to, consoled and cared for “rescued’s” wife Sunday and Monday morning.

There is a physical side to an A-1 SAR effort; and there is a profound emotional nuance also. The 2 Denver chaps, that were worn and weary late Sunday eve, marched off again – in the complete dark – found the first two raps, and went down that gnarly tight canyon and joined their mate, spending the whole dark, cold nite with him. Big stars on their foreheads too. And of course, a solid salute the the “full” SAR group effort.

Everybody involved in such an effort has a story line and narrative. The key SAR collective unit, the wife, the guys partners and those in our small group, who tried to “assist.” I’m reminded of Joseph Campbell and “The Power of Myth”. That wise sage often offered one succinct cogent line.”Caring Matters Most.” On the face of ALL THOSE SAR folk, one could really tell, they cared big time. The event and effort was uplifting and humbling to me. (And a salute to you Zion SAR folk likewise – you are a unique lot too.)

— In Yahoo Canyons Group, “bruce silliman” wrote:

SAR was an extraction of an individual who had gotten stuck on the 2nd rappel in Shimrock (Main Lep). Tropic Fire left at 400am for the drive over to Hanksville and helicopter met them at Sandthrax CG where they landed and staged.

No anchors on top of the mesa so after all personnel and equipment were on the ground the helicopter became the anchor for about a 300′ rappel down to the individual. Physically ok. Set up a 3 to 1 raise system and he walked up the wall on his power. Took about 1 hour from when the system was setup until he was on top.

The four person party was using Tom’s map of the area and when I get the chance I’ll get a cross-reference to the exact point which was just above the confluence of the three canyons.

> More later,

bruce from bryce

— In Yahoo Canyons Group, “Bo” wrote:

We completed a rescue in Zion yesterday as well. No one from the ACA!

— In Yahoo Canyons Group, “bruce silliman” wrote:

— In Yahoo Canyons Group, “bruce silliman” wrote:

Early this morning (I got to work about 700am) the Tropic Fire

Department was called out on a SAR to the east of Bryce.