Wonderland Canyon

On May 5th, 2019, Steph, Tony, Byron, Brandy, Joel, Alvaro Bot, and I splashed our way through Wonderland Canyon.  Well... most of us did.  Tony used his superhuman stemming ability to stay dry.

Wonderland is badly underrated - I think it is destined to become one of the main attractions in Capitol Reef National Park.  So much water.  So many rappels.  A compact and engaging canyon that reminded me, in terms of fun units per hour, of Pine Creek Canyon in Zion.

We moved at a leisurely pace and the canyon was full of laughter.  It was another great day of canyoneering with friends new and old.

The exposed scree approach.

The stoic Mr. Lemay.

C+ for technique... A+ for ankle flexibility!

It was great to finally get out with Alvaro.

Tony pushing the walls of the canyon apart.

Notes:

We met a man at the top of the approach that told us about an easy way to the top of the mesa.

The route is 3.0 miles, 1100 feet of elevation gain, and requires a car shuttle.  I am not sure about the parking situation (at a gun range?).  The route looks straightforward and is detailed below.

Strike 2 Canyon

On May 4th, 2019, Steph, Tony, Byron, Brandy Uhrig, Joel Dever, and I chimneyed our way down Strike 2 canyon.

The geometry of the canyon fooled me into thinking that it could not hold much water.  I was surprised to discover 3-4 waist deep sections, plus a pool in a pitch black section.  We did not bring wetsuits, so we all made a significant effort to stay dry.

The downclimbs were tall and challenging.  I was able to downclimb all of the drops in the middle of the canyon, which was a fulfilling step forward in my progression.

The middle section was punishing for folks that did not have good downclimbing technique.  The slot is so narrow that rappelling from meat was an uncomfortable option, so belays were provided from above.  Punishment for poor technique let to some badly bruised backs, knees, and elbows.

This was our first canyon with Brandy and Joel, who are somewhat new to canyoneering.  It was great fun seeing them do their first 200+ foot rappels.

Brandy and Joel working hard over a pool in the dark.

Steph working hard to stay dry.

Tony making everything look easy.

Sweet! We made it!

A very dry Byron wearing a very wet backpack.

Tiny people in a giant slot.

Notes:

Our car-to-car time was about 4.5 hours moving at a slow pace.

This canyon was significantly more physical that it appeared on paper.  The drops are too skinny to downclimb comfortably.  Lack of strength and technique will result in many bruises and missing patches of skin.  Strike 2 is not a good canyon for most beginners.

I think that each person that does this canyon should consider a couple of strategies:

High and Dry:
Don't bring a wetsuit.
High level of fitness and stemming skills required.
Lose a little skin on each of the downclimbs.
Fight your way over the dark pool, and possibly over several other wet sections.
Possibly fall into the dark pool and get very cold.

Low and Wet:
Bring a wetsuit even though you might not need it.
Put on your wetsuit at the first sign of water.
Lose no skin on the downclimbs.
Simply wade through the dark pool.
Possibly wonder what the big deal is.
Be prepared to make fun of friends falling into the water.

Pandora's Box Canyon

On May 3rd, 2019, Steph, Tony, Byron, and I made our way through Pandora's Box.  The canyon had diverse characteristics that were generally friendly in nature.  Most of the canyon is difficult to capture in photographs - too dark or too skinny.  There were several spots where passage at ground level was impossible, even for Steph.  Fortunately, the geometry of the slot made passage over those constrictions fun and relatively straightforward.

Not quite wide enough!  Time to go up and over.

Dragging packs through here was a pain.

Shuttling packs past this section is recommended.

Taking the dreaded low road.  Easy and fun in this canyon.

Notes:

All anchors were in good shape and the canyon was dry, which made for fast passage.
Hiking up the mesa in the dark was easy and enjoyable.  Start hiking earlier next time (4:30AM - 5AM).
Shuttling packs past the optional skinny section, then going back through, would be worth the extra time and effort.  Do not drag packs through that section.
The Meeks Mesa Exit was easy to navigate in broad daylight, but would be impossible in the dark.
Exiting over the mesa was fast, but possibly not worth the extra wear and tear on the body.  Consider trying the other exit next time.

Our timeline:

5:39 AM - Start
6:55 AM - Top of the mesa
7:50 AM - Start of the technical section
11:50 AM - Technical section complete
1:05 PM - Bottom of Meeks Mesa Exit
2:05 PM - Top of Meeks Mesa Exit
3:52 PM - Finish (10 hours 13 minutes)

The Meeks Mesa Exit

Testing the PotShot-A-Pult

Testing a highly advanced Pot Shot launcher.

Created from 3/8in OD 1/8in ID latex rubber tubing and a vintage denim pant leg. 

 Launched across level ground, attached to Bluewater Canyon Extreme rope. 

 The PotShot was about 1/6th full of dirt weighing about 3-5 pounds. 

 Our best launch on this day was exactly 49 feet. 
20-30 total launches were performed.

 In the video: 

First launch ~ 30 feet 

Second launch ~ 40 feet

Third launch ~ 45 feet

Canyoneering Deaths & Serious Accidents

The following is a compilation of fatal and potentially fatal canyoneering accidents, gathered with the hope of educating all canyoneers.

October 10, 1992 - David Bryant dies in The Subway after a tree he was rappelling from brakes loose from its roots.

Reference: Flash Floods & Falls: Deaths and Rescues in Zion National Park, By Dave Nally pg 44-45.

July 15, 1993 - David Fleischer and Kim Ellis drown while leading a youth group through Kolob Canyon during high flow conditions.
http://climb-utah.com/Zion/kolob1.htm

September 14, 1996 - Tanya Humpheries drowns in a flash flood in The Black Hole of White Canyon.
http://climb-utah.com/CM/blackhole1.htm

August 12, 1997 - Eleven die and one survives during a flash flood in Antelope Canyon.
http://climb-utah.com/Powell/flash_antelope.htm

January 21, 1999 - Sasha Simpson fatally falls 150 feet from the last rappel in Lodge Canyon while attempting to free a jammed rope.
Reference: Zion: Canyoneering by Tom Jones (2006)

August 28, 1999 - Sterling Cooper falls to his death while trying to escape Lower Black Box Canyon during high flow conditions.
http://climb-utah.com/SRS/lbb1.htm

August 11, 2002 - (Name not available) A man rappels off the end of his rope in Pine Creek Canyon falling 15 feet.
He survives with a broken femur (in two places) and four broken ribs.
Reference: Zion: Canyoneering by Tom Jones (2006)

September 5, 2002 - Michael and Cynthia S. handline down the first rappel in Russel Gulch, trapping themselves in the process.
Without prompt rescue they might have met their demise the following day when a torrential rainstorm hit the area.
Reference: Zion: Canyoneering by Tom Jones (2006)

April 17, 2003 - Ben Gowans survives a 60 foot fall while trying to climb out of Middle Leprechaun Canyon.
http://climb-utah.com/Powell/leprechaun2.htm

April 26, 2003 - Aron Ralston gets pinned by a boulder in Bluejohn Canyon. Five days later he amputates his own arm and survives.
http://climb-utah.com/Roost/bluejohn2.htm

November 22, 2003 - Justin Harris breaks his leg in Baptist Draw, resulting in amputation.
http://www.climb-utah.com/SRS/baptist1.htm

April 19, 2005 - John Anderson and Brad Underwood perish in Choprock, presumably due to hypothermia.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...hoprock-Canyon

June 4, 2007 - Keith Biedermann falls to his death on the final rappel in Heaps Canyon, presumably due to a biner-block failure.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthread.php?26059

July 16, 2007 - Marie Coray breaks her arm then can't escape a pothole in Knotted Rope Canyon.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...ted-Rope-Death

July 30, 2008 - Kaitlyn Bohlin clips into the wrong side of a biner block at the last rappel in Pine Creek Canyon, falls 100 feet, and survives.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...Feet-And-Lived

September 10, 2008 - Gordon and Kathy Chapple perish in a flash flood in Egypt 3 Canyon.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...s-in-Escalante

June 18, 2009 - Eric Schriever loses control on the 300 foot rappel in Englestead Hollow and survives.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthread.php?35747

July 24, 2010 - Joe Cain, David Frankhouser and Jason Fico are hit by a flash flood in Spry Canyon, swept over two major drops, and survive.
Reference: Flash Floods & Falls: Deaths and Rescues in Zion National Park, By Dave Nally pg 86-89.

March 6, 2011 - Louis Cicotello dies in No Man's Canyon after rappelling off the end of his rope.
http://climb-utah.com/Roost/nomans2.htm

August 13, 2011 - Mike McEntire loses control on the final rappel of Insomnia Canyon and survivies.
http://www.firefighternation.com/art...ders-all-night

February 19, 2012 - Matt F. survives a 60 foot fall while rappelling in Rubio Canyon.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...Canyon-60-fall

September 18, 2012 - Yoshio Hosobuchi dies while rappelling in The Subway.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthread.php?65708-Canyoneering-death-in-the-Subway/page4

March 13, 2013 - Zachary Taylor falls to his death at Pool Arch in Rock of Ages due to an achor failure.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...rop-Arch-(Moab)

June 3, 2013 - Tyler Osborne survives a 40-foot fall from the top of the crux in Sandthrax Canyon.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...port-Sandthrax

June 29, 2013 - Petri Moses survives a 40-60 foot fall while simul-rapping in Birch Hollow.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...rch-Hollow-SAR

August 19, 2013 - Shelby Christensen suffers a fatal accident after losing control while on rappel in Birch Hollow.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...n-Birch-Hollow

October 6, 2013 - A canyoneer in Ronda, Spain falls out of his harness after flipping upside-down in a waterfall. He falls 60 feet and does not survive.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...ut-of-harness&

November 1, 2013 - While descending Montezuma Canyon, Niki Rellon (aka Heike Noller?) clipped her rappel device into the elastic band below her belay loop, rappelled 60 feet before the elastic band broke, then fell 40 feet.  She survived with many broken bones.  Three weeks later, she required a below-the-knee amputation due to the extensive trauma.
http://canyoncollective.com/threads/injury-fall-on-ticaboo-mesa.20071/

July 7, 2014 - Luis Ortiz becomes stuck in a waterfall while on rappel, then drowns.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...e-canyoneering

July 11, 2015 - Bryan Artmann slips and falls 100 feet to his death during a descent of Heaps.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthread.php?74568-Fatality-in-Heaps

September 15, 2015 - Seven people perish during a flash flood in Keyhole Canyon.
https://www.outsideonline.com/2072666/special-report-keyhole-seven
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...h-flood-deaths

October 2, 2015 - Louis Johnson rappels off of the end of his rope to his death in Not Imlay Canyon.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...t-Imlay-Canyon

May 16, 2017 - Coralie Gillen Graham falls to her death while descending the Shortcut Route of Eardley Canyon.
https://www.ksl.com/article/44276699/dps-shares-video-of-rescue-recovery-mission-in-emery-county

September 3, 2017 - Stephen Baker loses control during the initial rappel into Englestead Hollow and does not survive.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...lestead-Hollow

March 17, 2018 - Joy Welling dies after falling 200 feet in Salamander Canyon due to an error made while rigging a contingency anchor (figure 8 block).
http://ropewiki.com/Incidents:Death_in_Salamander_Canyon

March 23, 2019 - Matthew Yaussi falls to his death after a mishap at the mid-wall station of the final 380-foot rappel of Bottomless Pit Canyon.  

The exact cause of the accident is still unknown.

https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/news/fatality-3-23-19.htm

May 26, 2019 - An unnamed woman loses control of her rope on the 5th rappel in Observation Point Canyon, then falls 100 feet into a pool of water.  She survives with multiple broken bones in the pelvic region.
https://www.reddit.com/r/canyoneering/comments/btk23j/after_the_first_rap_in_observation_canyon_zion/

January 30, 2021 - Justin Ibershoff dies after being swept over a 95-foot dryfall by an upcanyon rockslide.

http://canyoncollective.com/threads/recollection-of-the-fatality-on-january-30th-2021-in-deimos-canyon-death-valley-national-park.26412/#post-119643

June 5, 2021 - Cassy Brown, an experienced canyoneer, dies while ascending a stuck rope in Mystery Canyon.
https://www.nps.gov/zion/learn/news/body-of-canyoneer-identified-at-zion-national-park.htm
http://canyoncollective.com/threads/cassy-brown-appreciation-thread.26531/page-2#post-120366

November 30, 2021 - Andrew Arvig rappels past the Bird's Perch anchor in Heaps Canyon, is unable to ascend back up due to the difficult rock geometry below the anchor, then dies while still in his harness.

https://www.nps.gov/zion/learn/news/two-canyoneers-rescued-and-one-fatality-at-the-exit-of-heaps-canyon-in-zion-national-park.htm

http://canyoncollective.com/threads/11-28-2021-death-in-heaps-canyon-zion-discussion.26641/

December 30, 2021 - Brandon Levander falls 25 feet after his rappel anchor fails.  He suffers severe head trauma and dies while in surgery.

https://canyonaccident.org/sierra-canyon-2021-12-30/?fbclid=IwAR3q_FLVrD7sfXI4iFs8KRLg7Q7Vf1FetBALYX7MlxGJLGmpxFhhy35R1y4

Fellow canyoneers in Australia have compiled a similar collection of fatal accidents:
https://ozultimate.com/canyoning/canyoning_deaths.htm