Jolly Gulch Accident

Zion National Park (UT)
Woman Seriously Injured In Canyoneering Accident


On November 15th, a 26-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman completed the Jolly Gulch canyoneering route, a seldom visited route on the east side of the park. The route involves two rappels, one of 160 feet and the other of 100 feet. After completing the rappels, most canyoneers then hike a mile and a half through the canyon to a road. Instead, the pair attempted to free climb up the side of the canyon with the goal of reaching the canyon rim. The woman fell 60 feet from a small ledge to the ground and suffered shoulder and ankle fractures as well as lacerations to her spleen and liver. The man and woman worked at a local resort and made contact with the resort front desk by family radio. The National Park Service response was delayed due to confusion amongst the resort staff, who initially believed resort employees could resolve the incident without assistance. When a Kane County deputy arrived on scene, he requested an immediate response from the Zion SAR team due to the patient's deteriorating condition. Ranger/medics Ryan McDonald-O'Lear and Brandon Torres responded and stabilized the hypotensive patient. Ranger Therese Picard was the incident operations chief and led the rope raising operation, which was conducted entirely in the dark. Members of the Kane County Search and Rescue Team assisted with the operation and coordinated the medical helicopter evacuation. The woman survived and is currently in stable condition. The man was cited for failing to obtain a required canyoneering wilderness permit.
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][Submitted by Ray O

Canyoneering wilderness permit for Jolly Gulch??? Now we have to get a general canyoneering permit if we go into an unregulated canyon within Zion???:facepalm1:

Jolly is an okay canyon - but it is a refreshing break from the norm.

That is curious why he was fined for a canyon not on the list.

you always have to get a permit in zion for ANY technical canyoneering, whether it's on the list or not.

Are you kidding? Here's the quote right from the Zion webpage: "Permits are required for all through hikes of the Virgin River and tributaries, the Left Fork of North Creek (the Subway), Kolob Creek, and all canyons requiring the use of descending gear or ropes. "

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Originally Posted by shagdeuce

Canyoneering wilderness permit for Jolly Gulch??? Now we have to get a general canyoneering permit if we go into an unregulated canyon within Zion???:facepalm1:

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If you use a rope, you need a permit. Have for the last 6 years. Not a change.

"My partner fell 60' and might be dying, but don't call the Park because I might get in trouble!!!" :facepalm1:

T

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Originally Posted by CarpeyBiggs

you always have to get a permit in zion for ANY technical canyoneering, whether it's on the list or not.

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lol......whoops a daisy.

Someone told me back in 2003 that if it's not on the slot canyon list - you are good to go.

I suppose, I've been real lucky then. I'm glad I know this now (thanks for clarifying), rather than later...geez.

One of my friends was there! He was the person from the resort who came to help them while they waited for SAR. He stabilized the girl and kept her alive for like six hours. It's a pretty crazy story. Controversy or not, I say good work to JJ. :2thumbs:

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...01099234_n.jpg

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Originally Posted by ilipichicuma

One of my friends was there! He was the person from the resort who came to help them while they waited for SAR. He stabilized the girl and kept her alive for like six hours. It's a pretty crazy story. Controversy or not, I say good work to JJ. :2thumbs:

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:2thumbs:

If the couple had of done this route backward and completed the climbing portion first than the canyon would have just been the exit to their climbing route.... And you don't need permits for climbing routes. :haha:

:cool2:

Yeah I talked to JJ the next day and he told me the whole story. It was his last day working at the Resort. He received the call around 3:30 or 4 and rapped down 300 feet to get to them. Her foot was almost completely severed from her leg and he was able to bandage it and to apply enough pressure to keep the blood flow low. He also treated her for shock. He was there till midnight with her. The response was really slow, not sure how accurate the report was... JJ might say there were other reasons for the delay. He ended up ascending the 300 foot rope (which was on a slanted slope) twice and helped get her onto the stretcher thing they pull people out on. He said she showed signs of internal injury as well. Word is she was okay and her foot was able to be attached later. Then JJ got to pack and drive to the Las Vegas airport at 2:30 am and fly home to New York. When I talked to him it was 6 pm the next day and he still hadn't slept. Nice work JJ :2thumbs:

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Originally Posted by ghawk

Nice work JJ :2thumbs:

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x2

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Originally Posted by ghawk

Her foot was almost completely severed from her leg and he was able to bandage it and to apply enough pressure to keep the blood flow low.

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Yikes! :eek2:

Nice work JJ. Maybe he will login and post on Bogley. Be safe out there everyone.

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Originally Posted by accadacca

Maybe he will login and post on Bogley. Be safe out there everyone.

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He is a member, he just doesn't get on too often. He'll probably be happy to tell the story when he sees this, though.

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Originally Posted by ilipichicuma

He is a member, he just doesn't get on too often. He'll probably be happy to tell the story when he sees this, though.

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Looking forward to his telling of it!

Wow, amazing stuff. Good work, JJ!

canyon man has been revealed! his second coming this year! praises & peace be upon his name :hail2thechief:

For more on "canyonman" read here: http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52993

Great story. :popcorn:

[FONT=&quot][SIZE=4]It sounds like everyone

Attachment 49692Attachment 49693Attachment 49694

The last image is part of the multi-stage second rappel in Jolly Gulch taken from a different trip.

Incredible story. It sounds like your being able to keep your head in a terrible situation like that and make good, well-thought out decisions played a big role in things turning out okay. I've never found myself in such a situation in canyoneering but I have been in a similar spot (your comment about having latex gloves could've been a quote from me... since the last incident I was involved in I always have a pair in the kit) and I know that it's never an easy thing to make decisions that could be the difference in someone living or dying. Sounds like you did all the right things. Thank you for sharing.

:2thumbs:

Thanks JJ for doing an awesome job, and for telling the story here.

Tom :moses:

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Originally Posted by ratagonia

:2thumbs:

Thanks JJ for doing an awesome job, and for telling the story here.

Tom :moses:

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X2:2thumbs:

Incredible story. I'm glad to hear that she will be ok. :2thumbs:

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Originally Posted by Felicia

Incredible story. I'm glad to hear that she will be ok. :2thumbs:

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X2 Wow!

Amazing - thanks for sharing that, JJ. Way to go!!

WOW that is an incredible story. thank you for sharing! and wow megan! Good work everyone! :crazy:

That's a heckuva story.

Great job, and, nice of you to share.

Thanks!

Wow, those hard rocks are pretty unforgiving. I hope Megan has a speedy and complete recovery. Hopefully she will forgive Jake.

Just a bit of advice-guys, try to remember that your girl friend probably doesn't climb like Lynn Hill:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WfL3dVEgeQ

Ken

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Originally Posted by spinesnaper

Wow, those hard rocks are pretty unforgiving. I hope Megan has a speedy and complete recovery. Hopefully she will forgive Jake.

... climb like Lynn Hill:

Ken

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Even AFTER a 60 foot groundfall:

http://www.climbandmore.com/climbing...,climbers.html

Tom

Well done JJ. Thanks for telling about this nasty accident. And excellent work by SAR. I would like to hear the things they said to Megan so that if I ever come across a situation I can help out better and say the right things. Again, great job. I am glad this seems to have a good ending.

Thanks for sharing JJ, its an incredible story.

:2thumbs:

Thanks again for all the shout outs, everyone. I hope it helped give some insight into these types of situations. For me, it was a sobering experience. Both on the reality of how long a canyon rescue takes (Jolly Gulch being an extremely easy access canyon compared to most) and also how much I don’t know about first aid. I’ve been putting off getting my WFR for a long time now. Needless to say, I’m looking for a class to take asap (though they aren’t nearly as available in the northeast… )

If you’re out there enough, chances are you’ll run into a situation where you’ll need it. Especially in the heavily trafficked Zion canyons.

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Originally Posted by Scott Card

Well done JJ. Thanks for telling about this nasty accident. And excellent work by SAR. I would like to hear the things they said to Megan so that if I ever come across a situation I can help out better and say the right things. Again, great job. I am glad this seems to have a good ending.

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Considering the start, I’d say it’s definitely a good ending.

As for what the SAR Personnel said: it wasn’t necessarily what they said but rather, how. They were calm and almost cheerful while talking with each other, Jake and I, and Megan. They were fully conscious of everyone that was there in the canyon. Focus of course was on Megan but they keep open communication with Jake and I, getting us involved wherever possible.

At one point after SAR arrived, Megan again started asking if we could do something about her “wet” foot. The one SAR EMT said “well Megan, I’m all about being strait with people. Your foot feels cold because it’s barely attached. Though, there isn’t any real tissue damage so they should be able to fix it just fine” (said in that very “it’s no big deal” relaxed and cheery kind of tone) – I personally wouldn’t have said this, but I’m also not a part of the SAR team that just arrived to save the day. I think there’s a big distinction there.

Damn. What a story. Thanks for sharing JJ. And of course; best wishes for a speedy and full recovery for Megan.

Wow JJ. It seems to me that you were a big part of her still being alive. You should get some kind of a metal. Great Job!

Jake is probably single now :haha:

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Originally Posted by Jaxx

Wow JJ. It seems to me that you were a big part of her still being alive. You should get some kind of a metal. Great Job!

Jake is probably single now :haha:

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yeah! like lead, mercury, or aluminum!! :haha: You're awesome JJ. :stud: I'll see if I can make a t shirt that says "Canyonman Jr." or something :nod:

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Originally Posted by jdamin

Considering the start, I’d say it’s definitely a good ending.

As for what the SAR Personnel said: it wasn’t necessarily what they said but rather, how. They were calm and almost cheerful while talking with each other, Jake and I, and Megan. They were fully conscious of everyone that was there in the canyon. Focus of course was on Megan but they keep open communication with Jake and I, getting us involved wherever possible.

At one point after SAR arrived, Megan again started asking if we could do something about her “wet” foot. The one SAR EMT said “well Megan, I’m all about being strait with people. Your foot feels cold because it’s barely attached. Though, there isn’t any real tissue damage so they should be able to fix it just fine” (said in that very “it’s no big deal” relaxed and cheery kind of tone) – I personally wouldn’t have said this, but I’m also not a part of the SAR team that just arrived to save the day. I think there’s a big distinction there.

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Thanks, I also think there is a distinction. It is different when you know someone vs. when you are a third party. For the "professionals" who are not (as) emotionally attached it is easier hearing the facts from them I would think. If I am the victim I would want it straight and I would expect it from the professionals. The victim will also respond to them with a stiffer upper lip, so to speak, than perhaps a friend or family member telling them the facts. A lot of interpersonal dynamics at play in those situations. Again, great job in a nasty situation. The WFR class is great. Highly recommended!

JJ! Why am I just seeing this story now? You should have called just to say, "Guess what I just did." You'll have to tell the story to me in person when you come for ghawk's wedding.

Oh, and by the way, JJ is not Canyonman, but after this, I believe they must both come from the same heavenly realm.

I already said this to you the next day after this story happened, but I might as well do it here too. Way to be! I wish I could have been there to help you out!