The Danger of Slot Canyons

jdryan3

I know a lot of folks are stoked up about the upcoming SmugMug/Dgrin Arches Shootout. Unfortunately this story points out the dangers of the desert and slot canyons.

Be prepared and be safe. In the linked article they talk about being 3 hours from a cell signal. Ironically (to show co-workers just how remote I will be) I printed out the at&t coverage map 2 days ago. Huge areas without it. So let people know where you will be and when to expect you.

Sunnyvalejohn

Thanks for sharing. That is plain scary!! I had no idea it could flood so quickly. Been in California too long!
John

anwmn1

I read about that the other day too. Those guides made a bad call on taking those people there.

These are bad guide practices too!

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The two guides, the Chapples' son and daughter, and the two other hikers in the group were able to cling to the side of the rock and crawl out because it was wide enough and the water was slow enough in that area to make that possible.

But the Chapples, who were both 60 years old, were too far down the canyon and were swept away by the floodwaters, Bronson said.

Why would a guide outfit let a group be 60 yards behind especially when they are in their 60's. With two guides one of guides should have been with the older couple the entire time. <img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/deal.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" >

Rick Green, a professional guide from Escalante who aided in the search for the Chapples, said once you enter this particular slot canyon, you're committed for about three hours before you come to a place where you can get out safely.

No guide should be taking people into a slot of this length during monsoon season. It is irresponsible and too great of a risk.

Antelope Canyon had 11 people die in 1997 when they entered Lower Antelope even after the locals told them not to because of a storm in the area. Antelope Canyon is the drainage for mountains 11 miles away.

Rain 25 miles away from Zion has caused flash flooding in the Narrows.

If you ever go into a slot- you had better know what to expect within the slot (some require bouldering and/or repelling), the weather forecast for the entire area (min 25 mile radius), and other safety issues like cell signal- escape routes- avg. visitors to the area- etc.

mountainhouse

I've found the Verizon coverage map less than reliable recently just south of Mendocino on the California coast. Be careful relying on those.

jdryan3

mountainhouse wrote:

I've found the Verizon coverage map less than reliable recently just south of Mendocino on the California coast. Be careful relying on those.

They all have holes in the areas they say they cover. My point was at&t mobile doesn't even pretend to have any type of coverage of their own or 3rd parties in large parts of those areas. Flat out no coverage.

colourbox

I once saw the author of this book speak, the tagline is "There are two easy ways to die in the desert: Thirst and drowning." A couple of his books have to do with just how much unseen water there is in the desert (underground, rain, etc).

Deserts are big flat areas with hard ground. When it rains, there's not enough to soak it up. So the rainwater spreads out and out across the flat ground, like dumping a cup of water on a coffee table, until it finds something lower to drop into, like...a canyon. ALL of the rain in X square miles ends up going down into a narrow canyon and that's why they can flood so fast. The canyon river comes up out of nothing and goes back down into nothing soon after.