Casualty UT - 1 found dead, 1 injured (unnamed pending) in the Narrows, Zion NP; Nov 2022

[She Made Me Do It]

Hikers came across a man injured in the Narrows at Zion. Further on, his wife was found dead. The story is still developing.

Local MSM:

Woman dead, husband injured in Zion National Park | Gephardt Daily

Visitors found a man injured and his wife unresponsive at Zion National Park Wednesday, and Search and Rescue crews responded to the scenes.

gephardtdaily.com

MSM:

Rescue teams find 1 injured, 1 dead in the Narrows at Zion National Park

A married couple’s 16-mile trip through the Narrows at the Zion National Park ended tragically on Tuesday, Nov. 22.

www.abc4.com

 

[She Made Me Do It]

Where are we talking about....?





Zion National Park Brochure with maps, etc.

Google map link

NPS hike alerts for Narrows hikes:

The Narrows - Zion National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

www.nps.gov

 

[She Made Me Do It]

Narrows photo, from St. George News

 

[Hates Ramen]

Not much info, but a lot to take in!

So, they had a permit, and they were doing the "Top Down" hike. They had one overnight. They had left the previous day from the trailhead (Tuesday).

This is the NPS info for the Top Down Hike:

Virgin River Narrows Information - Zion National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

www.nps.gov

 

[Bucket Hat]

Hypothermia is the likely cause.

I'm shivering just thinking about how cold that water must feel this time of year. You'd never feel dry on an overnight... I wonder what they had with them.

 

[Breaking Trail]

Hypothermia is the likely cause.

I'm shivering just thinking about how cold that water must feel this time of year. You'd never feel dry on an overnight... I wonder what they had with them.

You're right, that water must be frigid. Plus, there's almost no sunlight in a slot canyon. And cold air zooms down to a stream bed at night, IME. Those poor people maybe didn't know? Or maybe they knew, but didn't have wet suits? Their gear got wet? They didn't have poles and kept slipping?
I guess we'll hear more in the next few days.

 

[One Fat Marmot]

You're right, that water must be frigid. Plus, there's almost no sunlight in a slot canyon. And cold air zooms down to a stream bed at night, IME. Those poor people maybe didn't know? Or maybe they knew, but didn't have wet suits? Their gear got wet? They didn't have poles and kept slipping?
I guess we'll hear more in the next few days.

Yup. I'm grumbling already in advance of the details. Mods might want to prepare to edit.

 

[Cabin Fever]

CNN story this morning...

One thing that really impresses me about this tragedy.... how involved other hikers were in rescue before SAR was able to get there. Clearly, someone knew CPR. At least one person ran to to shuttle bus stop to tell the driver. Others were helping out the fella.

Hiking trip turns fatal in Utah national park as woman dies and her husband is rescued with symptoms of hypothermia, officials say | CNN

A married couple's hiking trip in a Utah national park turned deadly when they started experiencing symptoms of hypothermia, leading to the wife's death, officials said.

www.cnn.com

 

[Rainforest]

Look how cold it got in Zion. From Accuweather:



It was 14 degrees that night. And it was likely way colder in that canyon.

 

[Cliffed Out]

Look how cold it got in Zion. From Accuweather:

View attachment 89

It was 14 degrees that night. And it was likely way colder in that canyon.

The nights from the previous week were all around that temp, and unusually cold. Maybe they didn’t check?

 

[Nitty Gritty]

Just looking at those temps and the photos makes me want to snuggle in a big comforter.

 

[Cabin Fever]

I'm reading AllTrails for the "top down" through the Narrows. The last posts are from October.

 

[Breaking Trail]

I'm reading AllTrails for the "top down" through the Narrows. The last posts are from October.

The posters from the hike on AllTrails all seem like they're bragging. It's like they timed their hike and wanted to prove how excellent they were at hiking... "This is certainly more than 15 miles, my Apple Watch clocked me at 23 miles which I was able to complete in 8 hours and 23 minutes."

Then there's the comparative data about how high the water came on their wives' bodies. We got one that says "up to her thighs", which is supposed to be a positive (!!!!). Another said, water came up to her shoulders, but this didn't seem to suggest she might feel like she was almost drowning, and it would be quite difficult to wade through.

They go on and on like this. They are for October of 2022.

The poor couple who got hypothermia must have got so wet. I can't imagine being that wet, and not being able to get dry, when it was frigid out.