Hiker plunges from Zion's Angels Landing

A Saint Louis man fell to his death Friday while descending the Angels Landing trail in Zion National Park.
Search and rescue crews found the body of Barry Goldstein, 53, shortly after he had fallen several hundred feet from the trail, said park spokesman David Eaker.
"The man was visiting the park and had family with him," said Eaker.
Mike Farley, an eyewitness to the accident, said Goldstein had been traveling with a large group that appeared to be a wedding party.
Farley and other adults were accompanying a church group of 14- and 15-year-old boys and were eating lunch at a nearby peak when they witnessed the accident.
"We were sitting there and couldn't believe what were were watching," said Farley. "It was a sheer dropoff. There were no second chances when he went off."
Farley and his group immediately dialed 911, describing witnessing the scene as "unbelievable."
"They had left 10 minutes before us and were crossing narrow neck. The guy (Goldstein) had been standing near the edge ... the man who was next to him before he fell later told me that he (Goldstein) was goofing off near the edge and the ground crumbled as he stepped back," said Farley. "We could see him fall.... Just like that he was gone."
Washington County sheriff's deputies and park officials are still investigating the case, Eaker said.
According to the park's Web site, five other people have died while hiking Angels Landing since July 2006. The hike is described as strenuous with steep trails that provide hikers with "spectacular views of Zion Canyon."
A sixth death not accounted for on the Web site took place in August when Bernadette Vandermeer, 29, of Las Vegas accidentally fell to her death while hiking the trail with her husband.
Park officials closed the trail for a short time following Friday's accident but reopened it to hikers later that afternoon.


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http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,660228165,00.html

Another sad tale but it seems this fellow just didn't understand the danger of fooling around.

Five plus this one since July 2006 seems high to me, is that correct?

Win

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Win

Another sad tale but it seems this fellow just didn't understand the danger of fooling around.

Five plus this one since July 2006 seems high to me, is that correct?

Win

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Seems to be wrong. Ben collected some facts....

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zion_N.../message/43375

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Win

Another sad tale but it seems this fellow just didn't understand the danger of fooling around.

Five plus this one since July 2006 seems high to me, is that correct?

Win

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Other bad facts....maybe he just wasn't fooling around?

Very sad news. That trail is certainly not for everybody. I think the mistake that many people make is in thinking that since it is in a national park then it is a cake-walk. I know there are signs and all but many people still feel too certain the the national park can and will ensure their safety.

again???? Holy crap.

Bo, you are correct.

Win

Zion spokesman warns of Angels Landing dangers
The Salt Lake Tribune

Though popular with hikers for its expansive
canyon views, the park's Angels Landing trail once again proved deadly
last week as two people died in unrelated incidents.
Washington County sheriff's deputies and National Park officials
are investigating the Friday death of 53-year-old Barry Goldstein, a
Missouri man who was hiking with family members when he fell 1,000
feet off a cliff. An unidentified 60-year-old man died Saturday
afternoon from an apparent heart attack while hiking the trail, said
park spokesman Tom Haraden.
It remains unclear why Goldstein, who was in good physical
condition, fell to his death, Haraden said. Goldstein was hiking in
the park around noon when witnesses saw him fall from the trail at a
point between Scouts Lookout and the summit of Angels Landing.
"We don't know if he tripped, or was dizzy, or what made him
fall," Haraden said. "We'll interview witnesses and ask about his
hiking experience, abilities and frame of mind."
The Angels Landing trail is about 4 feet wide in some places, but
eventually becomes a knife-edge that drops off 800 feet on one side
and 1,200 feet on the other. Hikers can grab onto a chain during the
narrowest part of the hike, one of the most popular in Zion, according
to Haraden. But a sign at the base of the trail warns, "Falls from
cliffs on this trail have resulted in death."
"We
feel we are doing pretty much all we can do," Haraden said. "We
provide trail, flood and weather information in lots of different
locations in the park. We make sure [hikers] are informed. Everybody's
safety is their own responsibility."
Park rangers say they discovered Goldstein's body approximately
1,000 feet below Angels Landing, and his remains will be autopsied.
Authorities have interviewed several witnesses, including family
members who were visiting the park with Goldstein as part of a family
reunion, said Stephanie Coots, a Washington County Sheriff's Office
spokeswoman.
Judson Dolman, a St. George resident who hikes extensively in the
park, described Angels Landing as a trail not for those afraid of heights.
"It's incredible, but can be scary where the trail gets narrow,"
he said.
Dolman added he once saw a boy on the trail freeze up while
holding onto one of a series of chains anchored to the rock. "For a
while, he wouldn't go forward or back," he said.
Hurricane resident Lori West, a regular visitor to the park, said
local shuttle drivers always warn people about the Angels Landing hike.
"In the end, people have to be responsible for themselves," she said.
The deaths marked two fatalities on Angels Landing in one week. A
third death occurred elsewhere in the park on Monday, when 48-year-old
Keith Biederman, of Garden Grove, Calif., fell 300 feet as he
rappelled in the Emerald Pools area of the park about 10:30 p.m.,
according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
Yet changes at the park, which draws about 2.6 million visitors
each year, are unlikely in the wake of the deaths, Haraden said.
Trails are marked and parkgoers are encouraged to act cautiously while
traversing the area's steep cliffs.
"You can get hurt anywhere," he said. "You can trip on a curb,
fall and get hurt badly. National parks are just the great outdoors,
but you have to be careful. When you trip on a rock in Angels Landing,
you're 800 to 1,400 feet above the ground."
ngonzalez@...
Past Angels Landing deaths
Barry Goldstein is the sixth person to die in a fall from Angels
Landing in recent years:
* Jeffery Robert Dwyer, 28, of Sandpoint, Idaho, died in a
150-foot fall in 1989.
* In 1997, a botched rappel led to the death of climber John
Christensen, 36, of Provo.
* George Sender, 63, of Illertissen, Germany, fell while hiking in
2000.
* In 2004, Kristoffer Jones, 14, of California, fell during a Boy
Scout troop outing. Officials said another Scout had bet Kristoffer to
crawl out onto a ledge and scratch his name into the side of a cliff.
* A Las Vegas woman, 29-year-old Bernadette Vandermeer, fell while
hiking with her husband.

So were there two (2) deaths over the weekend?

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Originally Posted by Kazak

So were there two (2) deaths over the weekend?

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Yes, horrible week in the park. One heart attack and one fall on Angels Landing, then the accident falling from Heaps Canyon to Upper Emerald Pool. :ne_nau: People die every day all over the place, but when it's in Zion it's like it hits home for some reason.

Yes it does, on top of that, there was a drowning in Desolation Canyon on the Green. A 29 year old woman drowned in Jack Creek rapid, the body was found with no life jacket, must have slipped out.

So the weekend for recreation wasn't too good, let's hope for better next weekend.

I was on the Angels Landing trail, hiking down with a group of 14-15 year old scouts. We had just left Angels Landing, heading back down toward Scouts landing.

We heard screams, and looked down in time to see him fall off the side of the cliff. He hit a small ledge about 60 feet below, then he was air born. We saw him free fall for 3-4 seconds before he went out of view. A couple seconds later we heard him impact down below. VERY loud.

From what we saw from the group when we were on top, they were acting like it was no big deal. No body I saw from that group had much respect for the inherent danger of the place. They were all up there as part of a wedding party to take place the next day.

When we got to the bottom, I heard the wedding photographer talking to the Park Rangers. He said the guy was a dare devil, and was next to the edge saying "look at me", when the ground gave way.

I've never seen anything like that before, we were all distraught, and we didn't even know the guy.

Bottom line is: he was acting reckless. He was off the trail, and not respecting the mountain.

i guess I need to get down there before they close the trail down.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by paraAdams

We heard screams, and looked down in time to see him fall off the side of the cliff. He hit a small ledge about 60 feet below, then he was air born. We saw him free fall for 3-4 seconds before he went out of view. A couple seconds later we heard him impact down below. VERY loud.

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You saw it??????

I wrote to Deseret News questioning their '5 deaths since July 2006' statistic; I'm sure others have as well. Here's their retraction, although it would be nice if they would post it below their original article (quoted at the top of this thread).

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view2/1,43...textfield=Zion
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A Saturday story on the death of a hiker in Zion National Park gave an incorrect time-frame for the previous accidental hiker deaths on the Angels Landing Trail. Park spokesman David Eaker said six people have died since 1987.
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One thing we should all remember is that first person accounts are from RELATIVE, not ABSOLUTE points of views. Every person sees the same event with different eyes and personalized interpretations, so there is always room for different opinions on an event. In any case, it is still a tragedy and I'm very sorry for the family and all who witnessed first-hand. Best, Joe

hey joeB, welcome, good to see ya 'round these parts!

thanks for the update and reining in the media!

Thanks Stefan, it's good to be here! I've been a uutah lurker for some time but finally had something useful to say.