ESCALANTE, Utah -- The bodies of a California couple who drowned after being caught in a flash flood while hiking in a slot canyon have been recovered, the Garfield County sheriff's office said Thursday.
Gordon and Kathy Chapple of Walnut Creek, Calif., were hiking Wednesday afternoon in a Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument canyon known locally as Egypt Three or Egypt Slot Number Three, when it started to rain. Within minutes the water was rising extremely fast, pushing the group of eight farther down the canyon.
Sad news indeed...
Bill
Posted by Gary Crabbe on September 11, 2008 at 10:26 PM
Wow; that hits close to home as Walnut Creek is about 2 miles from where I live. I'm most surprised that I hadn't come across his work before. Sad, that; really nice stuff on his web site. He did B&W Carbon Transfer Photo Prints.
Yikes, that's terrible. I wonder what the circumstances were that most of the group survived. I've been there, but not in the rain, fortunately.
Posted by John Mumaw on September 12, 2008 at 7:31 AM
Sad news indeed.
The fact that the couple's children were present makes it even sadder.
There's a spot in that canyon that's barely 8 inches wide.
Posted by Mike DiRenzo on September 12, 2008 at 8:07 AM
This is real sad news. Having hiked the Antelope Canyon slots this summer I can see how someone could suddenly be trapped in a flash flood in one of these more remote slot canyons.
A really sad & heartbreaking outcome to what was to be a fine outing no doubt. It sure brings to light how careful we all must be out there. I had never thought much about the slot flooding situation until my wife and I returned from Antelope Canyon on our first trip there, and read only a week later about the tragedy with the large group caught up in that flood.
Posted by gloria bell on December 8, 2008 at 6:18 AM
Antelope canyon is a guided tour. They have rangers watching weather. Plus lower antelope has ladders now to get out in case of flood
Discussion
6 repliesESCALANTE, Utah -- The bodies of a California couple who drowned after being caught in a flash flood while hiking in a slot canyon have been recovered, the Garfield County sheriff's office said Thursday.
Gordon and Kathy Chapple of Walnut Creek, Calif., were hiking Wednesday afternoon in a Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument canyon known locally as Egypt Three or Egypt Slot Number Three, when it started to rain. Within minutes the water was rising extremely fast, pushing the group of eight farther down the canyon.
Sad news indeed...
Bill
Gordon Chapple
The fact that the couple's children were present makes it even sadder.
There's a spot in that canyon that's barely 8 inches wide.
Mike DiRenzo