+- Death Valley (https://dv.netllama.us/dv)
+-- Forum: Death Valley (https://dv.netllama.us/dv/forumdisplay.php?fid=1)
+--- Forum: Death Valley Talk (https://dv.netllama.us/dv/forumdisplay.php?fid=3)
+--- Thread: Canyoneering Fatality in Mosaic Canyon (/showthread.php?tid=26141)
Canyoneering Fatality in Mosaic Canyon - DVexile - 2022-12-14
Earlier there had been mention of a as yet unreported death in the park. Press release came out a couple of days ago:
https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/news/fatality-2022-12.htm
DEATH VALLEY, Calif. – On December 3, 2022, a 54-year-old man was found dead after falling while canyoneering alone in Death Valley National Park.
Canyoneering is a sport that involves descending canyons by a combination of hiking, downclimbing, and rappelling. It is typically done as a group activity, due to the inherent risks.
“We recommend that anyone going into the backcountry lets someone know their plans. The park doesn’t track the 1.7 million people that visit each year,” said Abby Wines, park spokesperson and avid canyoneer. “This man was not reported overdue, and the search did not start in time to save his life. A satellite communication device also could have been a lifesaver.”
Several clues led to a search for the man. A campground host reported a campsite with a tent still in it (but no people) after the dates the site was paid for. Park rangers left a note on the site. The rangers returned the following day to pack up the abandoned property and found climbing gear and a package with a name and address in the tent.
The rangers recalled having seen a vehicle at Mosaic Canyon Trailhead late in the day when they finished carrying out a person with an injury a couple days earlier. The vehicle was still there, so they ran the plates. It was registered to the person addressed on the package in the tent.
The search and subsequent body recovery were conducted by National Park Service, Inyo County SAR, Inyo County Sheriff’s Office, Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake’s VX-31 rescue helicopter, and California Highway Patrol’s H-82 helicopter. The official cause of death will be determined by Inyo County Coroner’s Office.
Park rangers and SAR team members observed that the man’s rope was not long enough to reach the ground on a long rappel. He tied a piece of webbing to the end of the rope but appears to have made a mistake when disconnecting his rappel device to pass the knot joining the rope and webbing. Rangers estimate he fell about 30 feet.
The man died in the West Fork route in Mosaic Canyon. The first known canyoneering descent of this route was in 2012. There are over 100 known canyoneering routes in the park. This is not a route that is commonly descended.
RE: Canyoneering Fatality in Mosaic Canyon - Daymoth - 2022-12-14
This is so sad
RE: Canyoneering Fatality in Mosaic Canyon - Brice - 2022-12-14
(2022-12-14, 07:22 PM)DVexile Wrote: Park rangers and SAR team members observed that the man’s rope was not long enough to reach the ground on a long rappel. He tied a piece of webbing to the end of the rope...
Anybody with canyoneering or rock climbing experience know if this is a fairly normal thing to do, if not ideal?
RE: Canyoneering Fatality in Mosaic Canyon - DVexile - 2022-12-15
(2022-12-14, 10:51 PM)Brice Wrote:(2022-12-14, 07:22 PM)DVexile Wrote: Park rangers and SAR team members observed that the man’s rope was not long enough to reach the ground on a long rappel. He tied a piece of webbing to the end of the rope...
Anybody with canyoneering or rock climbing experience know if this is a fairly normal thing to do, if not ideal?
Rappelling past a knot is I believe something most climbers and canyoneers learn to do but also typically avoid doing if possible. Some routes simply require a rappel longer than a single rope and one should also know how to do it in emergency situations (for instance even on a shorter rappel you might have a knot if you had to isolate a damaged section of rope).
This is really just book learning for me as I have limited climbing experience. Maybe someone with direct canyoneering experience can come along with a more informed answer as to what is common practice.
RE: Canyoneering Fatality in Mosaic Canyon - DeathValleyDazed - 2022-12-17
(2022-12-14, 07:22 PM)DVexile Wrote: DEATH VALLEY, Calif. – On December 3, 2022, a 54-year-old man was found dead after falling while canyoneering alone in Death Valley National Park.
At least he died involved in one of the passions of his life. Compare his death to that of one long miserable slow death in a hospital. Death Valley is not necessarily a negative title. RIP