Death in Upper Chute

Death in Upper Chute
October 2007

I have a report from SAR that there has been a canyoneering death in Upper Chute. A 60 year old male and his friend, were hiking Baptist draw and Chute. They thought they had gone past the exit point, when in fact they had not. Both men started to climb up a crack in the canyon wall to get out. Almost at the top one man fell and landed on a shelf about 75 to 100 feet below. The man fell Sunday afternoon (Oct. 8,2007). SAR recover his body Monday.

Local SAR has asked that everyone think about their actions before they act. They even have a name for it. They call it HALT-TAKE-ONE think about what you are about to do.

I do not think this has hit the local news yet, or at least I couldn't find it. But the source is 100%.

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Originally Posted by Iceaxe

Death in Upper Chute
October 2007

I have a report from SAR that there has been a canyoneering death in Upper Chute. A 60 year old male and his friend, were hiking Baptist draw and Chute. They thought they had gone past the exit point, when in fact they had not. Both men started to climb up a crack in the canyon wall to get out. Almost at the top one man fell and landed on a shelf about 75 to 100 feet below. The man fell Sunday afternoon (Oct. 8,2007). SAR recover his body Monday.

Local SAR has asked that everyone think about their actions before they act. They even have a name for it. They call it HALT-TAKE-ONE think about what you are about to do.


:ne_nau: Horrible News
I do not think this has hit the local news yet, or at least I couldn't find it. But the source is 100%.

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Tragic. Really sorry to hear that.

It is easy to make the mistake that they made because the actual exit out of Upper Chute is not well defined, and it takes a little route-finding and good map reading skills to find it. There are lots of exit routes out of Upper Chute but most require some moderate climbing skills. I've exited out of Upper Chute in three different places. Hey Kyrell -- remember that night-time egress up the "saddle-exit?"

Good times...

I'm still trying to get more details.... but I understand the group went down Baptist, dropped into Chute, went down Chute with the intention of exiting out the Fault Canyon. Baptist to the Fault Exit is a fairly long hike. From what I'm told the group figured they had missed the Fault Canyon and tried exiting out a crack.

Exiting out the Fault Canyon is really not hard at all.Locating and identifying the Fault Exit in the day light is pretty easy, provided you hike down until you intersect the Fault Exit.

That is horrible. Man just wait it out or explore a better route. There is an old and somewhat funny saying that it is better to be seen than viewed. In this case better to be seen by SAR than viewed by the family and friends. Sad deal.

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Originally Posted by Iceaxe

I'm still trying to get more details.... but I understand the group went down Baptist, dropped into Chute, went down Chute with the intention of exiting out the Fault Canyon. Baptist to the Fault Exit is a fairly long hike. From what I'm told the group figured they had missed the Fault Canyon and tried exiting out a crack.

Exiting out the Fault Canyon is really not hard at all.Locating and identifying the Fault Exit in the day light is pretty easy, provided you hike down until you intersect the Fault Exit.

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That is IF you know where you are, and what you're looking for. It can be a little tricky by day (just because it is a very long hike out, and it would be easy to assume you had passed the exit if you didn't know what you were looking for), even more difficult at night.

Yes, I remember the saddle exit in the dark. 500+ feet with 2 headlamps and ten people. We were lucky on that one. I also remember the Fault canyon exit is practically a "staircase" up and out and wasn't much farther down canyon from that sketchy up-climb. Very easy to locate in the daylight and I can't imagine it would be much harder in the dark. Very tragic though. This stands as another testament that you really need to be prepared and know what the hell you're doing when you disappear into the slots. Chute has claimed 2 now. The bozo that broke his leg a few years back (he was extremly fortunate to get out alive) and now these guys. Very sad! What's the adage? "Know before you go"? Something like that....

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Originally Posted by Kyrell

The bozo that broke his leg a few years back (he was extremly fortunate to get out alive) and now these guys.

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In the final tally Justin Harris ended up losing his leg over that deal. The injury was severe enough that it required amputation of his leg below the knee.

:cool2:

Denver hiker dies after falling 130 feet
Deseret News

CASTLE DALE

This is really sad. It was on Fox News this morning.
On our first trip down Baptist Draw and on through Chute Canyon we blew past the Fault intersection. I kept looking at my compass and it seemed we were progressing the wrong direction. When we hit an unexpected rappel about one mile further down Chute we decided to back track and make sure. Our mistake was obvious when we reviewed the beta and arrived back at the junction with Fault.

Has anyone traveled all the way down Chute Canyon? Any beta available?

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Originally Posted by heliski2

Has anyone traveled all the way down Chute Canyon? Any beta available?

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I believe the full Chute route is in Kelsey's Tech Canyoneering book.

I understand it's nice..... but a long slog out at the end. And the shuttle really sucks.

:cool2:

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Originally Posted by Iceaxe

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kyrell

The bozo that broke his leg a few years back (he was extremly fortunate to get out alive) and now these guys.

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In the final tally Justin Harris ended up losing his leg over that deal. The injury was severe enough that it required amputation of his leg below the knee.

:cool2:

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Wow, I had no idea that he lost his leg. Where did you hear that? Was that recently or closer to the accident aftermath. The only story I remember reported that he was making a full recovery. :ne_nau:

I read it on the net so it must be true..... :haha:

Baptist Draw Accident
http://climb-utah.com/SRS/baptist1.htm

Actually I talk to the Harris boyz now and again. Justin lost the leg soon after the accident from complications. I think the bottom line was to much damage done from loss of blood flow if I remember correctly.

The Baptist Draw trip was not their first brush with disaster in the Swell. If you check out the owner of the Isuzu Trooper in the Little Wild Horse Flash Flood story you will note they are the same brothers.

Flashflood in LWH
http://climb-utah.com/SRS/flashflood.htm

Last I heard Justin was just about finished writing a book on the ordeal..... not sure when/if it will ever hit the book stores.

:popcorn:

Oh that's right! I remember the story he sent to you about the Isuzu pic. :haha: It would seem the Harris brothers and the Swell have some issues.

I don't say this often, but I think the Harris boys might be better off by becoming couch potatoes. :lol8:

Emery sheriff IDs man who fell to death in San Rafael Swell
The Salt Lake Tribune
10/11/2007

The Emery County Sheriff's Search and Rescue team recovered the body of a Colorado man who fell while hiking in the Chute Canyon area of San Rafael Swell.

John Bart Calkins, 60, of Englewood, Colo., fell while he and another man were trying to climb about 500 feet out of Baptist Draw, the sheriff's office said Thursday.

Calkins fell about 30 feet to an initial impact, then another 100 feet before landing on a ledge, according to the sheriff. His companion finished climbing out, then drove about 15 miles to Interstate 70, where he reported the accident to a Utah Highway Patrol trooper.

Searchers arrived in the Baptist Draw area around 10 p.m. They stayed overnight, and on Tuesday a Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter flew two team members to the scene to recover the body.