North Wash Canyoneering Rescue

[Iceaxe]

I'm told the canyon in question is Shenanigans in North Wash. This is all I know at the moment. I'll try and dig up some more details, if anyone else knows something feel free to add it to the soup.

One hiker injured after fall
By RYAN DIONNE
The Spectrum

CEDAR CITY - At least one hiker was injured Tuesday evening in Garfield County when he fell after the rock he was rappelling from broke loose.

"Somehow the rock gave way and the guy fell and apparently broke his arm pretty badly," said Becki Bronson, Garfield County Sheriff's Office public information officer.

Though few details were released Tuesday night, Bronson said a Utah Highway Patrol helicopter was called in to help rescue the man.

While his name was unknown, Bronson said he was one of four who were hiking in the far northeastern portion of Garfield County in a remote area.
"The country is extremely rugged ... only for the most experienced," she said.

Because of the terrain, Bronson said cell phones and even two-way radios don't work very well, so one of the hikers left the group to call for help.

[Iceaxe]

A few more details off the AP wire.....

Hiker injured after Garfield County fall

Cedar City, Utah -- A hiker was injured last night when he fell while rock climbing in Garfield County. Sheriff's deputies say a rock broke loose while the man was rappelling, causing the fall. The man, who was not identified, suffered a broken arm. The man was hiking and climbing with three other people in northeastern Garfield County. One person left the group and hiked out to call for help. The Utah Highway Patrol was called in with a helicopter to help get the man to safety.

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[hank moon]

A few more details off the AP wire.....

Hiker injured after Garfield County fall

Cedar City, Utah -- A hiker was injured last night when he fell while rock climbing in Garfield County. Sheriff's deputies say a rock broke loose while the man was rappelling, causing the fall. The man, who was not identified, suffered a broken arm. The man was hiking and climbing with three other people in northeastern Garfield County. One person left the group and hiked out to call for help. The Utah Highway Patrol was called in with a helicopter to help get the man to safety.

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Oh, those natural anchors!

[jumar]

Oh, those natural anchors!

Someone had to say it.

[Iceaxe]

All that North Wash sandstone is like brown sugar.... Any anchor in that stuff scares the snot out of me. The rescue in Leprechaun a few years back was because a ledge the guy was standing on blew out. The feller told me latter is was like standing on a massive snow cornice when it blew.

It will be interesting to hear the details of what really happened....

[rockgremlin]

I wonder if it was the chokestone at the last rap in Shenanigans that busted loose?

Scary...

[jumar]

The first time we did Shillelagh, a ledge gave way at the top of the second rappel. Nasty stuff.

[Iceaxe]

Apparently this rescue is in North Wash and involves hikers and not tech canyoneers, so I doubt the canyon in question is Shenanigans. Looks like it was a family doing some hiking and a ledge or handhold blew out on the old man. As is usual with this type stuff the details change as more info starts to seep out.

If it was tech canyoneers I figued we would have a detailed report within a few days, with hikers who knows if we will ever get the full story.

Maybe it was a bad idea giving the BLM all our canyoneering route names because now everything that happens in the area will be attributed to canyoneers. I know climbers have suffered from falling hikers giving their sport a black eye for years.

Anyhoo.... hope for the best with the family. Canyoneers or hikers it still sucks to get hurt.

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[Iceaxe]

FWIW: The Salt Lake Trib is reporting a "Rock Climber" fell.... so I guess climbers get the black eye and not canyoneers. Hikers again skate free with an accident free record.

[stefan]

Apparently this rescue is in North Wash and involves hikers and not tech canyoneers, so I doubt the canyon in question is Shenanigans. Looks like it was a family doing some hiking and a ledge or handhold blew out on the old man. As is usual with this type stuff the details change as more info starts to seep out.

interesting information you're tossing 'round here shane.

care to cite sources on some of that information?

[hank moon]

interesting information you're tossing 'round here shane.

care to cite sources on some of that information?

DITTO

[hank moon]

interesting information you're tossing 'round here shane.

care to cite sources on some of that information?

My sources tell me the source is some guy named "Joe Gunner". Sounds fishy...

[bruce from bryce]

How many hikers rappel?

[Scott P]

How many hikers rappel?

Apparently, the fall was not due to rappelling. Ram is the source for this one:

More unsubstantiated bits and pieces

It appears that the accident occurred in the upper portion of
whatever canyon they were in (no substantiation on exactly where
they were) and close enough to the top that the mother and two
daughters were able to get out and spend the first night in the car
thinking that the other four (father, two sons and one daughter)
were coming out. Children stayed with father and kept him warm by
huddling around him. Only when they had not emerged by the next
morning did they drive to Hanksville.

It appears that Father was trying to reverse the canyon when he
tried to pull himself up using a large boulder. Boulder rolled off
the rim into the canyon, father fell 25 feet and his elbow was
crushed.

Two individuals have told me that the family had a guidebook with
them but I could not get any definitive information on whose it.

Ages of children were approximately 11 - 22 years old.

[bruce from bryce]

http://tinyurl.com/3dbp8w



KSL viewers are stupid, no other way to say it.

[Iceaxe]

How many hikers rappel?

I hear they didn't have a rope with them so if they attempted to rappel that would be the problem.

[Scott P]

I hear they didn't have a rope with them so if they attempted to rappel that would be the problem.

You mean you haven't heard of free solo rappelling?

[stefan]

apparently, shane hears a lot ...

[bruce from bryce]

Hey Ice, Waht's up with no information. You said it was Shennany but no other details. What about your brotherhood of men? Surely someone out there has a contact in the news media, sherrif's department, highway patrol, etc. I'm a little dissappointed.

[Scott P]

Conflicting stories. Now it was a rappel? Don't be surprised if it changes again. Anyway:

Hiker rescued Tuesday despite early reports
By RYAN DIONNE
rdionne@thespectrum.com

CEDAR CITY - Despite initial reports from the sheriff's office, an
injured hiker who fell while rappelling in Garfield County was
airlifted to the hospital Tuesday evening.

"This is our third major search and rescue effort in the matter of a
month, maybe five weeks," said Garfield County Sheriff Danny Perkins.

Mike Rueckert, 52, and six of his family members were exploring
northeastern Garfield County on Monday when he fell about 25 feet.
On Tuesday night, Garfield County Sheriff's Office public information
officer Becki Bronson thought Rueckert fell when the rock he was
rappelling from broke loose, and said he wasn't rescued as of late
Tuesday night.

But the hiker actually fell Monday and emergency crews weren't
notified until about 6 a.m. Tuesday when some of Rueckert's family
called for help, Bronson said Wednesday.

"The family had split up (into groups) of four and three. The group of
three had hiked out ... and planned to meet them at Highway 95 where
the trailhead comes out," Bronson said. But when the others didn't
meet them, they knew something was wrong.

Bronson said the group of three hiked back toward the rest of their
family and found that Rueckert had fallen.

"Apparently his hip was bleeding pretty badly," she said.

Rueckert's family got him out of the canyon where a helicopter could
airlift him to a hospital in Grand Junction, Colo.

"The family was OK and they did all right," Bronson said. "I
understand that they are moderately experienced hikers."

However, Perkins thinks that could be part of the problem.

"If you think you're an expert, you're probably going to get yourself
in trouble," the sheriff said.

The site of the most recent rescue effort is remote and rugged. And
although hiking books have named some of the areas, most don't have
official names, Bronson said.

That's one reason it was hard to find the group, she said. They kept
calling the canyon Shenanigan Canyon, which can be found on
www.google.com, but she said emergency crews didn't know it by that
name.

Perkins said hikers simply need to be prepared and be safe.

"Make sure you understand what you're getting into in our national
monument canyon areas," Perkins said. "Take extra precautions and
realize what you're getting into and prepare for the worst."