NPS - Two Zion Canyon Rescues Conducted By Rangers

[Iceaxe]

Spry and Echo.....

NPS Morning Report
Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Zion National Park (UT)
Two Canyon Rescues Conducted By Rangers

On the afternoon of Friday, June 20th, rangers learned that Kip Lewis, 18, had climbed 100 feet up the side and end of Shelf Canyon without ropes or equipment and that he

[trackrunner]

Pic from Tanya's Shelf Canyon map. Upper Pine Creek (Spry approach) next canyon over.
http://www.zionnational-park.com/images/maps/map-shelf-canyon.jpg

[tanya]

Dang.... that place would be hard to climb!

Okay... standard question.. who's beta did they TRY to follow. :haha:

[trackrunner]

Okay... standard question.. who's beta did they TRY to follow. :haha:

I wondered the same thing :lol8:

[Iceaxe]

I'm thinking it's going to be pretty funny when Bo has to rescue someone who was using the beta he wrote up....

http://bestsmileys.com/lol/4.gif

Should be a fun time explaining that to the rest of the SAR team....

:frustrated:

[Bo_Beck]

I'm thinking it's going to be pretty funny when Bo has to rescue someone who was using the beta he wrote up....

http://bestsmileys.com/lol/4.gif

Should be a fun time explaining that to the rest of the SAR team....

:frustrated:

The first two rescues I was called to assist were of the same individual that I had given beta to :ne_nau:

I looked at the map that Shaun posted that I have on our Shelf Canyon TR and I think that it ends at the back of Shelf Canyon and doesn't suggest that it is an approach to Spry? :ne_nau:

Maybe an elementary map reading course in our school system might be a more useful education than what is currently being taught :haha:

[tanya]

That's what I am for. He can just say... that's the part Tanya wrote. :mrgreen:

[Bo_Beck]

That's what I am for. He can just say... that's the part Tanya wrote. :mrgreen:

I bet you can see this map and distinguish between Upper Pine Creek and Shelf though? :2thumbs:

[trackrunner]

I looked at the map that Shaun posted that I have on our Shelf Canyon TR and I think that it ends at the back of Shelf Canyon and doesn't suggest that it is an approach to Spry? :ne_nau:

Maybe an elementary map reading course in our school system might be a more useful education than what is currently being taught :haha:

I don't want to pass judgment, plus all the facts aren't clear. But doesn't Shelf come to a cliffed out end with some shelfs. Ram said it was a 280 ft drop. I bet you some people have confused this canyon before since both are so close but stopped when they got to the end realizing it didn't match the beta.

[Bo_Beck]

I looked at the map that Shaun posted that I have on our Shelf Canyon TR and I think that it ends at the back of Shelf Canyon and doesn't suggest that it is an approach to Spry? :ne_nau:

Maybe an elementary map reading course in our school system might be a more useful education than what is currently being taught :haha:

I don't want to pass judgment. But doesn't Shelf come to a cliffed out end with some shelfs. Ram said it was a 280 ft drop. I bet you some people have confused this before but stopped when they go to the end realizing it didn't match the beta.

You got it! When you get to the end of Shelf, it obviously becomes 5th class. Oh well...maybe they were just looking for some challenge?

[tanya]

http://www.zionnational-park.com/images/albums/images/zion-pine-creek-97_jpg.jpg

This is what is at the end of Shelf for those that like a visual.

[Iceaxe]

The first two rescues I was called to assist were of the same individual that I had given beta to :ne_nau:

:lol8:

Everyone who spray's beta, by mouth or by print, eventually get's accused of causing a rescue. Just part of the game.... To bad you can not hand out commonsense when you dispense the beta.

:popcorn:

[Reedus]

Yep, we pulled that same mistake when we did Spry. Remember Eric? I was thinking "Hell No, our permit is for descending, not ascending." That is why I don't care for sport climbing, too much energy to pull my fat ass up stuff. I'm a "controlled falling" type of guy

[tanya]

Years ago --- I first went down this one too thinking it was Upper Pine Creek..... and then posted that in the Zion hiking group and Ram told me that it was a short little slot he named Shelf Canyon.

It seems to be a common mistake. I still don't get how Upper Pine Creek is where it is. I should look on a map one day to see.