Tales from Heaps...

[Iceaxe]

It seems there is some interest lately in canyoneering Heaps and so I thought I would share a few of my favorite tales from Heaps....

Story number one begins... actually this is the end of the story, but...

A couple of friends of mine are completing the final rap of Heaps. They have stashed a 300' rope at the bottom so the first guy down has to pass the knot on two 50's tied together.......... Remember that little deal about practice beforehand located in a thread a few days earlier..... Anyhoo...

The first guy down the rope gets to the knot and is having trouble passing the knot while wearing his backpack, seems he has never passed a knot before while wearing a backpack......... so he cuts his pack loose which falls 150' and makes an extremely load thud that echo's loudly throughout the canyon.

Second guy is sitting up in the bird perch, which you can't see anything worthwhile from..........hears the extremely loud thud....... and is sure his partner has just pancaked........ I was told an anxious few minutes passed until communication was re-established........

[Iceaxe]

The following is just one of the many wonderful stories to be found in the book

Canyoneering Tales
http://cafepress.com/climbutah

This story is copyrighted and is posted here with permission.

Heaps of Hazard
Michael R. Kelsey

In the afternoon of August 18, 2001, Bill Bees and I rode the shuttle bus from the Zion Canyon Visitor Center into Zion Canyon and got off at The Grotto picnic site. From there we walked to the Upper Emerald Pool carrying my 100 meter, 9mm rope. That pool marks the end of Heaps Canyon, and the bottom of the last rappel, a free-fall distance of 93 meters. We immediately scrambled up into the trees and brush and hid the rope well. Our plan was to do the entire canyon in one long day carrying only two 50 meter ropes. At the last rap, Bill was to tie both 50's together and make a single rope rap to the bottom but with a tricky over-the-knot-move along the way. Then he would tie the 100 onto the two 50's which I would pull up before making my rappel down the single 100. We would then use the two 50's as our pull rope.

With everything in place, we drove from the visitor center east out of the park and car camped along Highway 9. It's higher and a bit cooler there, but the next morning, it took us longer to get back into the park than we expected. Bill had managed to get a special pass to drive to, and park in Zion Canyon, so we went straight to The Grotto Trailhead and parked. We beat the first bus by one minute! So the pass really didn't help that much.

We left The Grotto at 6:10 a.m. and were at the high point on the trail at 8:40 a.m. We then started down the ridge into Phantom Valley and as we went along we could see a couple of tents below us on flat slickrock. A little later, and in the 1st narrows, we came to and passed a fellow named Bao and 4 friends who had camped below Rappel 2 (R2). They were carrying very heavy packs.

After putting on wetsuits, Bill and I started into the first Narrows. After a couple of deep pools, which could be big trouble if the water levels are not just right, Bill casually tossed his coiled dry rope into the next pool. I immediately shouted, "hey that damn thing's going to sink!" But Bill said, "don't worry, it's a dry rope". It sank. Dry ropes do not float in water when coiled!

So for the next few minutes we tried fishing it out with my tripod, but to no avail. As far as we were concerned, it was a bottomless pothole! About that time, Bao's group arrived. Since we had started the trip with only two 50's, we informed Bao's group that we would have to tag along with them. We didn't have much of a choice. But that was no problem, so we began with our new group of 7 not-exactly-happy campers!

Going was slower than before, and it wasn't long before one of Bao's 50's came up with a nick. It was a dynamic rope and was core shot. Dynamic ropes are not good for canyoneering. That left us with 2 good 50's, and a 100 meter rope that Bao's group was carrying. Because of the large packs of 5 of our members, things went pretty slow. In addition to Bao, there were 2 pretty tough guys, and 2 young women. Do I need to say more about the opposite species! Anyway, we decided that I would lead out with 2 or 3 ropes and set up rappels, and Bill would assist the ladies. We found the pools and potholes mostly full, so things went pretty smooth, but with 7 people in the group, we didn't set any land speed records! Darkness overtook us in the 3rd Narrows not far from the last big rappels, so we stopped for the night. Boa's group had tents, stoves and food. Bill and I had planned to do it in one long day, so by that time our food was basically gone. But they shared some hot soup and candy bars with us which we were happy to have. Our bivouac was in a sandy area so we made some depressions in the sand for our shoulders & hips, and things were quite comfortable, considering. Bill slept in his expensive Gore-Tex drysuit, and I in my 3-2 wetsuit. After it dried, it wasn't too bad. We borrowed a couple of rope bags which helped keep mosquitoes off to some degree, and gave a little warmth. We put our feet inside our daypacks, but I was on the verge of being chilled all night long. Little if any real sleep for me. Our campsite was about 400m above the last rappels.

In the morning, we all shared a light breakfast, then came the last few ice water swimming holes. The first pool was a shock to say the least! It took 1 1/2 hours for us to reach the end of the canyon and the last 3 raps.

After the first short rap, Bill went down the 49 meter next-to-last rap to the very small ledge I often refer to it as the "Bird's Perch". With luck, you might get 3 people there! Below that is 93 meters of thin air until you reach the Upper Emerald Pool.

After Bill set things up at the bird's perch, I rappelled down and was the first one down Bao's 100 meter rope. As it turned out, it was a dynamic rope, which is not good! Near the bottom, the outer sheath stretched and bunched up into knots making a bouncing yoyo-like descent that was scary as hell! I was using a variable speed ATC, which worked fine, but every few seconds I'd have to lift up on the rope to allow a knot to pass through, then I'd drop several meters. Luckily that damn thing didn't snap!

At the bottom, I tied my 100m static rope we had hidden the evening before to the other 100. The static 100 was hauled up and used for all subsequent raps. To slow everyone else down, I had to pull down on the rope "fireman style", so they wouldn't gain speed at the bottom. All rappels worked fine even though all of Bao's friends had heavy packs attached to the front of their harnesses. It took 3 1/2 to 4 hours to get 7 people down the last 3 rappels. One NPS ranger had came to the pool with a radio and informed dispatch that everyoneer was accounted for and family and friends who had called were informed. We were back at The Grotto at 2:30 p.m. on Day 2. Total hike-time was just under 21 hours.

Postscript:
Michael R. Kelsey is the author of several popular canyoneering guidebooks including: Canyon Hiking Guide to the Colorado Plateau, Hiking and Exploring Utah's San Rafael Swell, Hiking and Exploring Utah's Henry Mountains and Robbers Roost, Hiking and Exploring the Paria River, Boater's Guide to Lake Powell, River Guide to Canyonlands National Park and Vicinity, Hiking Biking and Exploring Canyonlands National Park & Vicinity, Technical Slot Canyons of the Colorado Plateau.
.

[Iceaxe]

NPS Morning Report
May 2003

ZION NATIONAL PARK -- Dave Hunt and his climbing companions were canyoneering in Heaps Canyon on Sunday April 28. They were completing their descent of Heaps Canyon when the accident occurred. Hunt was attempting the final 300-foot rappel out of the canyon when he lost control and fell.

At 7:46 p.m., the park dispatch office was notified of the injured person in the Upper Emerald Pools portion of the park. The Search and Rescue (SAR) team was immediately dispatched. The first ranger reached the injured person at 7:52 p.m. and found him suffering from head, back, and right leg injuries.

Two park medics reached the scene and stabilized his injuries. An EMS helicopter from Page, Ariz., was dispatched to assist in the evacuation. At 9:49 p.m., the SAR team began evacuation of the injured person by litter across a boulder field and then down the Emerald Pools Trail to the trailhead. There he was transferred by park ambulance to the waiting helicopter; and at approximately 1 a.m., was flown to Dixie Regional Medical Center.
.

[stefan]

NPS Morning Report
May 2003

ZION NATIONAL PARK -- Dave Hunt and his climbing companions were canyoneering in Heaps Canyon on Sunday April 28. They were completing their descent of Heaps Canyon when the accident occurred. Hunt was attempting the final 300-foot rappel out of the canyon when he lost control and fell.

is it know at what height he lost control?

[RedRoxx]

My partner and I were rapping into a mine shaft a couple a weekends ago; I was first up. He was using a smaller diameter rope than I was used to, and even tho I took an extra wrap on my pirahna, as I was negotiating getting around some timber and wire in the shaft I musta not paid real good attention and the wrap slipped off and that thing almost got away from me. I was able to get a foot on a wall and stop myself and gain control. Lesson one--- pay attention to your rap device numero uno at all times, everything else second.
And of course the 150 foot rope was short, ended up about 20 feet off the deck, fortunately after belling out it necked down and we could down climb the last stretch.
The last saga of this off topic deal-- I had left part of my ascending rig at home, fashioned some foot loops out of small diameter rope and had a miserable climb out. So it goes.

[Iceaxe]

know at what height he lost control?

This was a few years ago but as I recall he was still about 100' up when he lost control. Sad part was the guy was on a fireman belay. But the belayer was not paying attention and was busy accepting praise and congratulations from the Emerald Pool crowd. The poor victim pancakes next to his belayer. This was an accident that never should have happened.

[tanya]

The best Heaps Tale of all..... is the one with the guy....... a woman..... and .... a dog. You know the one. You have to post it.

[Iceaxe]

I don't really like rappelling (In fact I hate it). Maybe it's just this problem I have with mathematical statistics..... let's see... only one death per 1,000,000 rappels...... I now have done how many rappels? Let's see... add the 4, carry the 2, subtract the 8........ Gosh...... I know I'm getting close to using up my karma points on rappels.... I only rappel because it is required to do the good slots....

[tanya]

know at what height he lost control?

This was a few years ago but as I recall he was still about 100' up when he lost control. Sad part was the guy was on a fireman belay. But the belayer was not paying attention and was busy accepting praise and congratulations from the Emerald Pool crowd. The poor victim pancakes next to his belayer. This was an accident that never should have happened.

That's a LONG way to FAll! Other than the belayer messing up.... do you know what happened? Why did he loose control??

[Iceaxe]

The best Heaps Tale of all..... is the one with the guy....... a woman..... and .... a dog. You know the one. You have to post it.

It's already posted on uutah.

A Sh***y Trip in Heaps
http://uutah.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4446

That is a great story

[Iceaxe]

That's a LONG way to FAll! Other than the belayer messing up.... do you know what happened? Why did he loose control??

The group of 4 (or 5?) canyoneers were moderately experienced, they had done only 5-6 canyons before Heaps, including Imlay. While
getting through Imlay is an accomplishment, it does not make them experienced.

They were rappeling 285' on single strand 8mm rope. They did not take off their drysuits before the final rappel sequence.

The accident occurred when Dave Hunt lost control of his rappel about 100' off the ground. The person on the bottom was able to give him a fireman's belay at the last moment and reduced his impact considerably. Dave broke 2 vertabrae and had a concussion (thus he does not remember anything). Zion SAR carted him off to the hospital, and he has recovered well.

[Iceaxe]

At least one member of Mr. Hunt's party was given the following warnings. In addition, one member of Mr. Hunts party contacted me by telephone the day before their trip and I verbally gave him basically the same information as in the quotes below.

The following quotes are EXACT quotes given to the party before their trip:

"Heaps Canyon is a difficult, dangerous, physically demanding and technically challenging adventure."

"The route is difficult and should be considered for advanced and highly skilled canyoneers only."

"Heaps Canyon is rated 4B V using the Canyon Rating System."

"Every member of your group must be a skilled canyoneer. This canyon could be deadly for beginners, even with advanced leadership."

"Do not underestimate the difficulty of descending this canyon. Give the 285-foot rappel serious consideration. A rescue in this canyon would be dangerous and extremely difficult."

"285' Rappel: Consider this rappel carefully. If you use a small single strand rope on the 285-foot rappel you will probably have trouble controlling your descent speed. This could have deadly consequences."

It appears to me that at least some members of Mr. Hunt's party were very well informed of the dangers involved in a Heaps descent. If these warnings were passed to all members involved (and Mr. Hunt) I do not know. In addition, my phone conversation included specific mention of the dangers involved in the final rappel.

[tanya]

Englestead is about that..... why is there no great warning for this canyon? I think its a lot more than just that last big wall in Heaps that is a concern. Some of the younger Zion SAR members went in and it took them a day more than they thought it would. There is a lot before that final exit to think about too. Like your partner tossing your rope into a pothole.

[Iceaxe]

[color=white]Englestead is about that..... why is there no great warning for this canyon?

Englestead is not a free hanging rappel. That is a big differance. In Englestead you always have at least your feet agains the wall. There are even a couple places with small ledges where you can stop and rest if required.

Also... the rappel above the 285' in Heaps might be the most dangerous. If you lose control on the second to last rappel you will slide off the end of your rope and have exactly 285' of altitude to learn to fly.

[tanya]

The following is just one of the many wonderful stories to be found in the book

Canyoneering Tales
http://cafepress.com/climbutah

This story is copyrighted and is posted here with permission.

Heaps of Hazard
Michael R. Kelsey

In the afternoon of August 18, 2001, Bill Bees and I rode the shuttle bus from the Zion Canyon Visitor Center into Zion Canyon and got off at The Grotto picnic site. From there we walked to the Upper Emerald Pool carrying my 100 meter, 9mm rope. That pool marks the end of Heaps Canyon, and the bottom of the last rappel, a free-fall distance of 93 meters. We immediately scrambled up into the trees and brush and hid the rope well. Our plan was to do the entire canyon in one long day carrying only two 50 meter ropes. At the last rap, Bill was to tie both 50's together and make a single rope rap to the bottom but with a tricky over-the-knot-move along the way. Then he would tie the 100 onto the two 50's which I would pull up before making my rappel down the single 100. We would then use the two 50's as our pull rope.

With everything in place, we drove from the visitor center east out of the park and car camped along Highway 9. It's higher and a bit cooler there, but the next morning, it took us longer to get back into the park than we expected. Bill had managed to get a special pass to drive to, and park in Zion Canyon, so we went straight to The Grotto Trailhead and parked. We beat the first bus by one minute! So the pass really didn't help that much.

We left The Grotto at 6:10 a.m. and were at the high point on the trail at 8:40 a.m. We then started down the ridge into Phantom Valley and as we went along we could see a couple of tents below us on flat slickrock. A little later, and in the 1st narrows, we came to and passed a fellow named Bao and 4 friends who had camped below Rappel 2 (R2). They were carrying very heavy packs.

After putting on wetsuits, Bill and I started into the first Narrows. After a couple of deep pools, which could be big trouble if the water levels are not just right, Bill casually tossed his coiled dry rope into the next pool. I immediately shouted, "hey that damn thing's going to sink!" But Bill said, "don't worry, it's a dry rope". It sank. Dry ropes do not float in water when coiled!

So for the next few minutes we tried fishing it out with my tripod, but to no avail. As far as we were concerned, it was a bottomless pothole! About that time, Bao's group arrived. Since we had started the trip with only two 50's, we informed Bao's group that we would have to tag along with them. We didn't have much of a choice. But that was no problem, so we began with our new group of 7 not-exactly-happy campers!

Going was slower than before, and it wasn't long before one of Bao's 50's came up with a nick. It was a dynamic rope and was core shot. Dynamic ropes are not good for canyoneering. That left us with 2 good 50's, and a 100 meter rope that Bao's group was carrying. Because of the large packs of 5 of our members, things went pretty slow. In addition to Bao, there were 2 pretty tough guys, and 2 young women. Do I need to say more about the opposite species! Anyway, we decided that I would lead out with 2 or 3 ropes and set up rappels, and Bill would assist the ladies. We found the pools and potholes mostly full, so things went pretty smooth, but with 7 people in the group, we didn't set any land speed records! Darkness overtook us in the 3rd Narrows not far from the last big rappels, so we stopped for the night. Boa's group had tents, stoves and food. Bill and I had planned to do it in one long day, so by that time our food was basically gone. But they shared some hot soup and candy bars with us which we were happy to have. Our bivouac was in a sandy area so we made some depressions in the sand for our shoulders & hips, and things were quite comfortable, considering. Bill slept in his expensive Gore-Tex drysuit, and I in my 3-2 wetsuit. After it dried, it wasn't too bad. We borrowed a couple of rope bags which helped keep mosquitoes off to some degree, and gave a little warmth. We put our feet inside our daypacks, but I was on the verge of being chilled all night long. Little if any real sleep for me. Our campsite was about 400m above the last rappels.

In the morning, we all shared a light breakfast, then came the last few ice water swimming holes. The first pool was a shock to say the least! It took 1 1/2 hours for us to reach the end of the canyon and the last 3 raps.

After the first short rap, Bill went down the 49 meter next-to-last rap to the very small ledge I often refer to it as the "Bird's Perch". With luck, you might get 3 people there! Below that is 93 meters of thin air until you reach the Upper Emerald Pool.

After Bill set things up at the bird's perch, I rappelled down and was the first one down Bao's 100 meter rope. As it turned out, it was a dynamic rope, which is not good! Near the bottom, the outer sheath stretched and bunched up into knots making a bouncing yoyo-like descent that was scary as hell! I was using a variable speed ATC, which worked fine, but every few seconds I'd have to lift up on the rope to allow a knot to pass through, then I'd drop several meters. Luckily that damn thing didn't snap!

At the bottom, I tied my 100m static rope we had hidden the evening before to the other 100. The static 100 was hauled up and used for all subsequent raps. To slow everyone else down, I had to pull down on the rope "fireman style", so they wouldn't gain speed at the bottom. All rappels worked fine even though all of Bao's friends had heavy packs attached to the front of their harnesses. It took 3 1/2 to 4 hours to get 7 people down the last 3 rappels. One NPS ranger had came to the pool with a radio and informed dispatch that everyoneer was accounted for and family and friends who had called were informed. We were back at The Grotto at 2:30 p.m. on Day 2. Total hike-time was just under 21 hours.

Postscript:
Michael R. Kelsey is the author of several popular canyoneering guidebooks including: Canyon Hiking Guide to the Colorado Plateau, Hiking and Exploring Utah's San Rafael Swell, Hiking and Exploring Utah's Henry Mountains and Robbers Roost, Hiking and Exploring the Paria River, Boater's Guide to Lake Powell, River Guide to Canyonlands National Park and Vicinity, Hiking Biking and Exploring Canyonlands National Park & Vicinity, Technical Slot Canyons of the Colorado Plateau.
.

So did you ever do another trip with Bill.

Very lucky another group showed up that day!

[tanya]

[color=white]Englestead is about that..... why is there no great warning for this canyon?

Englestead is not a free hanging rappel. That is a big differance. In Englestead you always have at least your feet agains the wall. There are even a couple places with small ledges where you can stop and rest if required.

Also... the rappel above the 285' in Heaps might be the most dangerous. If you lose control on the second to last rappel you will slide off the end of your rope and have exactly 285' of altitude to learn to fly.

Very true! Freehanging is sort of scarey! --- well not scarey.... but yeah... less control. Have any photos of you on those last 2?

[tanya]

I don't really like rappelling (In fact I hate it). Maybe it's just this problem I have with mathematical statistics..... let's see... only one death per 1,000,000 rappels...... I now have done how many rappels? Let's see... add the 4, carry the 2, subtract the 8........ Gosh...... I know I'm getting close to using up my karma points on rappels.... I only rappel because it is required to do the good slots....

I really prefer the fun stuff like in Das Boot, Echo Canyon or Birch Hollow compared to big wall rappels. Those are just sort of boring. It's just sliding down a rope --- and you either live or die. .... just kidding... but it's far less scarey than the iffy ledges (scrambling while hiking) Bo takes me on!!!! Those do scare me. To me canyoneering is just like hiking, just sometimes you have to use a rope. I guess I am more of a monkey bars kind of girl --- not a ledge walker for sure.... but I don't mind any rope stuff.


Shane in Das Boot


Tanya in Birch Hollow

[Iceaxe]

So did you ever do another trip with Bill.

The story was written by Michael Kelsey.... It was Kesley and Bees, not me.

The story is part of the Heaps folklore and Kelsey was nice enough to write up the story for my book.

[stefan]

know at what height he lost control?

This was a few years ago but as I recall he was still about 100' up when he lost control. Sad part was the guy was on a fireman belay. But the belayer was not paying attention and was busy accepting praise and congratulations from the Emerald Pool crowd. The poor victim pancakes next to his belayer. This was an accident that never should have happened.

:
:
The accident occurred when Dave Hunt lost control of his rappel about 100' off the ground. The person on the bottom was able to give him a fireman's belay at the last moment and reduced his impact considerably. Dave broke 2 vertabrae and had a concussion (thus he does not remember anything). Zion SAR carted him off to the hospital, and he has recovered well.

it's a long way to fall, fortunately he was able to respond at that moment and not completely freeze up. i know i am preaching to the choir/stating the obvious but dang, you gots to ignore the crowd and focus on the task at hand ... be thinkin' about your partners, especially during technical moments like rappels and obscured downclimbs, silos, and what not.

[Cirrus2000]

you gots to ignore the crowd and focus on the task at hand ... be thinkin' about your partners,

Yup.

Yet another scary belay story...

A friend was being belayed by his (now-ex) girlfriend. He stopped to take a photo, and dropped his (soft) camera case. She ran to catch it, totally releasing the rope. He was terrified. No fall, or anything - he was in a good stance. The only thing damaged was his confidence in his belayer. Don't think they ever climbed together again.