Zion History... GOLD!

Found a compilation of NPS Morning Reports from Zion on the Interwebs, covering 1986-2022. It is HUGE!

a couple of samples:
Friday, June 2, 1995
95-247 - Zion (Utah) - Multiple Rescues

Over the Memorial Day weekend, rangers were involved in three separate, complex technical rescues. On May 28th, a 20-year-old male fell 80 feet while scrambling on slick rock on the east side of the park and landed in a narrow crack system about 300 feet above the ground. A park medic rappelled to his location and provided advanced life support while the rescue team set up a technical haul system. Following a difficult, eight-hour extrication, the patient was flown to a local hospital, where he was diagnosed with over 50 fractures of his mandible, crushed temporal-mandibular joints, severe fractures of his right wrist and foot, and numerous other injuries. He will likely undergo at least five surgical procedures, and has been flown back to his home state of New Mexico. While rangers were clearing from this rescue, the park was notified of two injured juveniles in the remote Left Fork slot canyon on the park's west side. They were raised about 400 feet to the drainage rim the following morning, then helicoptered to an ambulance. Injuries were confined to a fractured fibula on one victim, and bilateral ankle sprains on the other. The two were part of a group of 21 who had ignored posted closures of this drainage due to high runoff from heavy snow melt and spring rains. On May 29th, four individuals were raised 100 feet out of the Pine Creek slot canyon after becoming stuck due to a lack of appropriate climbing gear and skills. This was the third technical rescue from Pine Creek in the last two months. [Dave Buccello, Frontcountry DR, ZION, 6/1]

Monday, April 23, 2001
01-157 - Zion NP (UT) - Rescue

Four visitors entered the slot canyon on Pine Creek around 1 p.m. on April 22nd. None of them had a wet suit, and the only descending gear they had with them consisted of two lengths of webbing. After passing the second rappel, they realized that they were not equipped to continue down the canyon. One person was able to climb back up the canyon and alert a ranger. The park's SAR team responded, and team member Bo Beck rappelled about 100 feet down from the canyon rim to the stranded party. Each of the three people was then raised to the rim. There were no injuries. The leader of the group was cited for failing to obtain a canyoneering permit. Ray O'Neil was the ops chief for the rescue. [Chuck Passek, ZION, 4/23]

Monday, May 4, 2009
Zion NP
Rangers Rescue Kayakers From The Narrows

During the last weekend in April, rangers rescued a number of people following boating accidents in Zion Narrows. During the spring snowmelt runoff season, the flow of the North Fork of the Virgin River is occasionally high enough to allow for whitewater kayaking. This year, five boating parties obtained permits for one-day trips through the Narrows over the weekend. Members of four of the groups unintentionally spent nights in the Narrows, with kayakers in two of the groups losing their boats and requiring assistance to complete their trips. On the afternoon of April 24th, kayaker C.M. was washed under a log jam. Fortunately, he was not trapped by the hazard and was able to safely reach the river bank, but his boat was lost downstream. The remaining two members of his party left him their extra food and warm clothing and continued on their way. They eventually came upon another group and both groups spent the night together. On the following afternoon, C.M.'s party reported his predicament to the park, which organized a rescue team that including roads and trails foreman Don Sharlow, ranger Dan Hovenac, and local resident Logan Hebner. The team began its descent of the Narrows on Sunday morning. A Bell 47G helicopter served as a radio relay. Two of the other groups that had planned day trips for Saturday failed to clear the Narrows by day's end. The first group, consisting of two hard shell kayakers, provided C.M. with additional food, then continued downstream; members of the second group, who were in two inflatable kayaks, invited C.M. to accompany them. On Sunday morning, C.M. and his new travelling companions came upon the boats of the hard shell kayakers who had passed C.M. the afternoon before. One boat was on a gravel bar in a narrow section of canyon. The boat was tied to a rope which was anchored 80 feet up the difficult to climb cliff face. A second boat was found upside down downstream. C.M. finally exited the Narrows on Sunday afternoon, 48 hours after losing his boat. When C.M.'s party came out of the Narrows, they reported the abandoned kayaks. The Bell helicopter began searching the mesas above the kayaks. The two kayakers were discovered, cliffed-out 800 feet above the river, unable to climb up or down. The two had attempted to climb out of the canyon after one of the kayakers lost his boat. They were concerned with fluctuating river levels and flash floods. The helicopter's pilot was unable to land near them due to heavy brush, so Grand Canyon's short haul team was requested. Due to higher rotor clearance, the Grand Canyon MD 900 helicopter was able to locate a safe landing zone and the two kayakers were picked up and flown out of the backcountry. Zion Narrows was temporarily closed to boating while the causes of the multiple incidents were evaluated (they were reopened on April 30th). The NPS has advised prospective boaters that they should be comfortable with Class V whitewater prior to attempting the Narrows run. At some levels, the rapids may warrant a lower classification, but the extreme difficulty of rescue requires that boaters be highly proficient and self-sufficient. Rescue in the Narrows, if possible at all, will be significantly delayed due to the extreme inaccessibility of the canyon. Boaters are also reminded to plan for unintended overnight stays and emergencies. [Bonnie Schwartz, Chief Ranger; Ray O'Neil, Plateau District Ranger]

http://npshistory.com/morningreport/incidents/zion.htm

I don't remember this one:

Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Zion NP
Injured Man Extricated From Behunin Canyon

Late on the afternoon of May 31st, rangers received several reports from hikers on the Emerald Pools trail saying that people were yelling for help from a canyon above them. At about the same time, the International Emergency Response Center notified the park that they'd received a 'rescue alert' from a SPOT satellite personal tracker from deep in a slot canyon. This signal confirmed that the accident was in Behunin Canyon, rather than Heaps Canyon. A short-haul ready helicopter from the Grand Canyon was called; upon arrival, the pilot picked up ranger Keith Winslow and ranger/paramedic Andrew Fitzgerald and flew them to a point above the canyon where they could rappel to the victim - L.H., 37, of San Pedro, California - with medical supplies and overnight gear. The rangers had to provide food and warm clothing to a total of seven people because neither L.H.'s party nor the party providing assistance to him had brought adequate gear for an overnight or extended stay. Rangers reached L.H. just before midnight, then treated and spent the night with him. The next morning, rangers rigged a highline to get L.H. across a pool prior to the last two rappels out, then piggybacked and scooted him across other obstacles. L.H. was able to control his own descent on the last two rappels with fireman's belays from below. Once out of the canyon, he was short-hauled to the canyon floor, then taken to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George. Kevin Killian was the initial IC, Ray O'Neil was the operations chief. [Bonnie Schwartz, Chief Ranger]

Canyon Man!!!

Monday, April 25, 2011
Zion NP
Nine Hikers Rescued From Backcountry

On Sunday, April 17th, rangers received several calls regarding overdue parties who were on the Subway Route. All were located by 2 a.m. the following morning. While investigating the reports, though, ranger Ray O'Neil noted that one vehicle was still parked at the Left Fork trailhead with a day permit for April 16th. Backcountry permit checks revealed that a party of two had planned to hike the Subway Route via the Russell Gulch technical entrance and that they had not been reported overdue. Initial investigations revealed they were not due to return to work until Tuesday. The Subway Route and all technical access routes had extremely high water flows over the weekend due to the high country snow melt, and several parties travelling top down were experiencing difficulties. A hasty search was accordingly begun that afternoon. The search continued into Monday, with air support and additional SAR personnel joining in. By Tuesday, a full ICS operation had been established that included 25 NPS ground searchers, air support and two dog teams. During this time, the Subway Route remained open to visitors under the required permit system. Every exiting party was interviewed, but none reported seeing the two missing hikers. A separate report of a single overdue hiker was also received during this time. A request was put into the military for an infrared flight over the Russell Gulch and Subway area on Tuesday evening, and two helicopters were dispatched from Nellis AFB. Before they could arrive, a party exiting the Subway Route received a 911 call, with the caller reporting that a group of nine hikers remained in the canyon due to difficulties in getting through the technical section of the route. The group included all three of the missing hikers. The helicopters were redirected to the Subway Route, where they employed infrared and night vision equipment to locate the group. Two parajumpers descended to them to determine their condition and traveled with them to the trailhead. All missing persons were accounted for, and none required medical attention. They said they'd had serious trouble getting through the water and the narrowest sections of the canyon. The Subway Route has been temporarily closed for safety reasons until further notice. [Cindy J. Purcell, Chief Ranger]

And one of my favorites...

Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Zion NP
Two Canyoneers Rescued From Heaps Canyon

On Saturday, October 6th, a 41-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman began a trip through Heaps Canyon, one of the park's more difficult canyoneering routes due to its length, cold water, a 300-foot free hanging rappel, and numerous obstacles, including slick rock potholes. Because of its length and difficulty, those who wish to complete Heap's Canyon as a day trip typically get a pre-dawn start. However, when this pair received their required wilderness permit around 9 am on Saturday, they said that their intention was to complete the canyon in one day. When park staff informed them they would not be able to complete the trip before dark, they said that they were prepared to spend the night. While the two were never reported overdue, rangers did note that their vehicle was still parked at a trailhead on the morning of Monday, October 8th. The Grand Canyon NP helicopter was requested in order to conduct a search. The helicopter crew found the canyoneers in the lower reaches of Heaps Canyon late that afternoon. After three days of travelling, the two had only completed about two-thirds of the canyon and had not gotten past some of its most difficult obstacles. The crew inserted a radio to the pair, who said that they couldn't complete the canyon without assistance. The woman reportedly sprained her ankle and was also having difficulty with the cold. On the morning of October 9th, a ranger and firefighter were inserted on a bench above the two canyoneers. They cleared a helispot, which made it possible for the helicopter to land with additional rescuers. The six-member rescue team lowered a medic from the bench 125 feet down to the stranded pair and then hauled all three people back to the bench. The two canyoneers did not require medical assistance. The experience and competence of the Grand Canyon pilot, manager, and ranger/medic were instrumental in ensuring the successful completion of this complex operation. Had rangers not noticed the canyoneers' vehicle at the trailhead, it is unclear when or if the two would have been reported overdue. Wilderness hikers should always inform someone of their plans along with an expected exit time. The pair also had far less experience than most Heaps Canyon travelers. The man, the more experienced of the two, had previously rappelled through several of Zion's easy to moderate canyoneering routes and had some top rope and gym climbing experience. [Ray O'Neil, Plateau District Ranger]

Wow!! Life as a rescuer....

They're amazing and hopefully not taken for granted!

Thanks, will be reading these for a while…

"June 29, 1988
88-109 - Zion - Suicide

Location: North of the Grotto Picnic Area

Two fishermen found the body of J.R., 51, of Las Vegas, NV, on the bank of the Virgin River with a gunshot wound in his chest. A hand gun at his side and other evidence collected by the county coroner indicate that J.R. died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound."



First of all... woah.

Second, are there fish worth catching in the canyon?

They used to allow fishing. Escaped fisheys Trout from the Kolob Reservoir.

T