Zion National Park (UT)
Trio Rescued from Heaps Canyon
On May 31st, three men set out to traverse Behunin Canyon, a venture
that requires eight rappels of up to 150 feet. They used a GPS unit as
their primary means for locating the head of the canyon. The canyon
that they found and entered, though, was Heaps Canyon. The heads of
the two canyons are separated by a quarter mile, and the differences
between the two routes would have been apparent if the men had used a
map or a detailed route description. The Heaps Canyon route is a
multi-day trip that includes swims through numerous potholes with
water temperatures in the 40s and many rappels, including one of 300
feet. The men discussed discontinuing their trip when they failed to
find anchors at the first cliff band, but they instead created an
anchor and forged ahead. Once they realized their mistake, they were
unable to return to the canyon rim. On the morning of June 1st, one of
the men decided that he'd had enough of swimming through the frigid
pools and climbed to a nearby knoll to await rescue. The other two
continued into the narrowest section of the canyon. The three men were
reported overdue on the evening of May 31st. A ranger patrol began a
hasty search of Behunin Canyon the next morning, but determined by
that afternoon that the men were not in that canyon. A helicopter
search was then begun. All three men were located and equipment,
clothes and radios were lowered to them. On the morning of June 2nd,
additional equipment was lowered to the pair in the canyon, and they
were able to complete the passage under their own power. The third man
was flown out in the helicopter. Rangers are surprised that the two
men who continued on down the canyon did not succumb to hypothermia.
Thick wetsuits or drysuits are typically used to traverse the route.
[Submitted by Ray O'Neil, Plateau District Ranger]
I have another story of my own. My GPS had worked well and we relied on it while hiking in the Bisti wilderness. However, it was the first time that the GPS ran out of battery (I normally changed them when they were low). When that happened, the memory was completely erased, including the location of the parking lot. We thought we knew where the car was, but we were actually far off. It took us awhile to find our way back, just before the sunset. If that happened in the dark, we could have been completely lost.
It's a great safety reminder, Guy.
My GPS sucks the batteries down pretty fast.
GPS + dead batteries = potentially bad day.
(looks like Momo must have the same GPS )
Glad to hear everything turned out so well for these 3.
Hmm...how do you use GPS and still miss by 1/4 mile ??
I guess I'm old school for a youngster. I'd rather have a map most of the time. I'm on my 3rd GPS and I've never really felt like any of them was more than a gadget. I can find my location on a topo and see the big picture so much better than via GPS.
I'm with Bill. How the **** do you miss anything with a GPS by 1/4 mile? Actually, if they rely on the graphics and not a specific GPS co-ordinate, I suppose I could see it. Still, talk about needing some more navigation lessons... Glad to hear they got out alright, though.
Off by a 1/4 mile - yikes. I'm wondering exactly how they were using it to find the head of the canyon. Bad waypoint input? Sounds like the wheels came off this bus before they even left the house...
Not sure of the specifics but my guess is (since they had obviously not been there before) they got the coordinates from someone else or off the Internet and may have entered them wrong (or they were wrong/inaccurate as provided).
I don't have a lot of experience w/ GPS but I certainly wouldn't rely entirely on one as a means of navigation. Rarely do I finish an entire hike without losing satellite reception at least once while on the trail. While hiking in the Appalachians I found the thing virtually worthless as it seemed to be out of reception more often than in reception due to the thick overhead foliage.
GPS can be a great aid if you're bushwacking, and once saved my friends and I when we got disoriented in the forest one winter evening on our way to a hut. But the batteries don't last very long (at least in mine) and so I usually don't think it's worth the weight. Maps are better.
I'm an avid geocacher, which is solely based on GPS usage. By participating in this activity, I have learned the strengths and weaknesses of GPS usage. GPS's are great tools, but like anything else, they're only as good as the user. Likewise other methods of navigation.
A topo map works better with a compass, and a compass by itself is pretty useless without a good map. A GPS can help you find your location on a topo map pretty easily.
These guys are very lucky, and rather foolish.
a compass by itself is pretty useless without a good map.
That's not exactly true. Many times you will know your general location relative to roads, waterways, etc. and a compass can help you get oriented and/or get to safety if anything goes wrong (e.g. I often instruct my fellow hikers "if anything goes wrong, just keep heading [e/w/n/s] and you'll hit the road at some point").
It's also a good idea to memorize prominent/recognizable triangulation points (peaks, tall buildings, etc.) in the area you're hiking so you can assess your location without needing to reference a map. This is also useful in rescue situations where you can make contact with emergency services. If you can tell them something like "I can see Mt. X at 270 degrees and Y Peak is at 150 degrees" that medevac chopper will be hovering over your head a heck of a lot faster.
Discussion
10 repliesHere's why:
Zion National Park (UT)
Trio Rescued from Heaps Canyon
On May 31st, three men set out to traverse Behunin Canyon, a venture
that requires eight rappels of up to 150 feet. They used a GPS unit as
their primary means for locating the head of the canyon. The canyon
that they found and entered, though, was Heaps Canyon. The heads of
the two canyons are separated by a quarter mile, and the differences
between the two routes would have been apparent if the men had used a
map or a detailed route description. The Heaps Canyon route is a
multi-day trip that includes swims through numerous potholes with
water temperatures in the 40s and many rappels, including one of 300
feet. The men discussed discontinuing their trip when they failed to
find anchors at the first cliff band, but they instead created an
anchor and forged ahead. Once they realized their mistake, they were
unable to return to the canyon rim. On the morning of June 1st, one of
the men decided that he'd had enough of swimming through the frigid
pools and climbed to a nearby knoll to await rescue. The other two
continued into the narrowest section of the canyon. The three men were
reported overdue on the evening of May 31st. A ranger patrol began a
hasty search of Behunin Canyon the next morning, but determined by
that afternoon that the men were not in that canyon. A helicopter
search was then begun. All three men were located and equipment,
clothes and radios were lowered to them. On the morning of June 2nd,
additional equipment was lowered to the pair in the canyon, and they
were able to complete the passage under their own power. The third man
was flown out in the helicopter. Rangers are surprised that the two
men who continued on down the canyon did not succumb to hypothermia.
Thick wetsuits or drysuits are typically used to traverse the route.
[Submitted by Ray O'Neil, Plateau District Ranger]
My GPS sucks the batteries down pretty fast.
GPS + dead batteries = potentially bad day.
(looks like Momo must have the same GPS
Glad to hear everything turned out so well for these 3.
Hmm...how do you use GPS and still miss by 1/4 mile ??
Anyways, its a good reminder Guy.
Guy
Interesting story, Guy. Thanks for the reminder!
A topo map works better with a compass, and a compass by itself is pretty useless without a good map. A GPS can help you find your location on a topo map pretty easily.
These guys are very lucky, and rather foolish.
That's not exactly true. Many times you will know your general location relative to roads, waterways, etc. and a compass can help you get oriented and/or get to safety if anything goes wrong (e.g. I often instruct my fellow hikers "if anything goes wrong, just keep heading [e/w/n/s] and you'll hit the road at some point").
It's also a good idea to memorize prominent/recognizable triangulation points (peaks, tall buildings, etc.) in the area you're hiking so you can assess your location without needing to reference a map. This is also useful in rescue situations where you can make contact with emergency services. If you can tell them something like "I can see Mt. X at 270 degrees and Y Peak is at 150 degrees" that medevac chopper will be hovering over your head a heck of a lot faster.
Guy