Zion National Park visitors rescued after mocking rangers, hiking The Subway unprepared

Rockskipper

Rockskipper

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Words fail me...well, not really, but almost. I should be getting used to such stories, I guess. But shoots, even the group of women @blueeyes posted about wore proper footwear, even though they hiked it in dresses. Be careful what you wear out there, @LarryBoy. :)

http://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/ar...rs-hiking-the-subway-unprepared/#.W2JUE7bMz4M
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One of the groups that required a rescue had disregarded and mocked a ranger’s advice when they picked up their permit to visit The Subway, according to a press release from Zion National Park.

“The ranger recommended they bring a rope and multiple harnesses for at least one of the rappels, but the leader of the group, who had been there before, said that they could cross the log and find an easier way down,” reads the press release.

The ranger told them that the log had washed out last year and once again recommended the gear, but the group dismissed the information and started the 9.5-mile hike without ropes or harnesses.

When the group reached the 30-foot rappel, they attempted to make the 6- or 7-foot jump to the other side of the drop, but one person landed badly and received a knee injury.
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Another group that officials say was wearing “inappropriate footwear,” got lost several times while hiking toward The Subway. They finally reached the famous formation late Sunday night, so they spent an unexpected night in the canyon.

Monday morning, they got lost again and missed the trail that leads out of the canyon to the trailhead, according to the press release. Instead, they continued farther downstream.

“At some point, they decided to try to climb a cliff face to reach the road,” reads the press release.

Heat exhaustion started to set in, so members of the group activated their emergency locator and reported a heat-related illness. Search and rescue responders were able to locate the group, give them water and help them find their way back to the trailhead.
 
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So many people nowadays ignore warnings, go unprepared, get lost, even hike in slippas.
They nowadays are often so careless in planning their trips if they do any planning and trip preparation at all. I worked for quite a while as a lava tour guide on the Big Island of Hawai'i and have seen it all. People in slippas on hot lava, people needed to be rescued because they were unprepared, running out of water, got injured. We usually called these stupid decisions "vacation brain". You do stupid things when you are on vacation and tick differently. It's not an excuse but it shows that visitors need to learn that they have to be prepared for something while on vacation. It is the silliest thing to do the Subway top down without any proper gear. Canyons change constantly, you always have to be prepared for the worst case. Do your homework folks, get a good map, plenty of water and whatever needed to hike in the desert during these temperatures. I hope these folks learned their lesson.
 
I can say I have seen some folks out on trails I honestly thought belonged at a mall... or ones who I swear thought a 14er or a desert trail was merely a tourist attraction like you see at Disney. In some cases we all know just how dangerous that line of thinking can be. For some, they learn a brutal lesson but get back to their cars and complain about how "unfriendly" that trail was or some other line. However, some like those above end up needing rescue and all of us always hope that the outcome is a positive one in that no one perishes.
The really sad part to me is that while this thread is on hiking, I see it in alot of areas where people do not care about the rules, respect, manners, etc. I am not saying all who get lost on trails are this way... definitely some are just coming unprepared and without doing their research. However I think some just do not care about the rules, or things like LNT, etc. The bad part is, sometimes this thinking can lead to situations where rescue crews are put in danger to save them from themselves.

I did not mean to soap box and I hope that my vent does not offend... its just an opinion.
 
There's also Death in Yellowstone and Death in Glacier NP and a few other books also. I read the Yellowstone one a long time ago. An interesting read.

Of course, my favorite movie is "A Million Ways to Die in the West". :)
 
This boils down to simple arrogance. These are apparently “experienced” hikers who have the mentality that it can’t happen to them, and the park rangers are not savvy outdoors people. This happens after people have hiked and never encountered an emergency situation over a period of time. I see people out on trails carrying one bottle of water and not even so much as a small pack on hikes that take several hours-in the sun and heat. Those are people who are not too sharp, but the first scenario sounds like sheer arrogance.


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All the warnings in the world just can't fix stupid.

I met a few guys this spring who lied to the rangers and said they had rented drysuits for the Narrows (top-down). They of course were freezing in the 40 degree water with no insulation, and proceeded to trample the vegetation in an attempt to stay out of the cold water. And built a fire at their campsite. It's the only time I've ever tattled on somebody, but I was quite incensed. And when confronted, they were combative and unapologetic about their behavior.
 
I disagree that arrogance is the primary cause. By and large, when I meet someone "out there" that is obviously unprepared, ignorance seems to rule the day. That said, I have met plenty of arrogant ones also.
 
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I was hiking up to Delicate Arch one hot summer evening to get some sunset photos, and along came a woman with her little dog (highly illegal), who (the dog) was obviously stressed and very hot. She carried no water. I gave the dog all the water it wanted, and by the time the bottle came around to her, there was just enough left to get her back down the trail, in my estimation. I was meeting a friend who always carried lots of water so I knew I'd be OK. She seemed irked that I gave preference to the dog, for some reason. :)
 
LarryBoy said:
All the warnings in the world just can't fix stupid.

I met a few guys this spring who lied to the rangers and said they had rented drysuits for the Narrows (top-down). They of course were freezing in the 40 degree water with no insulation, and proceeded to trample the vegetation in an attempt to stay out of the cold water. And built a fire at their campsite. It's the only time I've ever tattled on somebody, but I was quite incensed. And when confronted, they were combative and unapologetic about their behavior.
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I actually wouldn't call that tattling, but rather doing one's civic duty. :)
 
Pretty Curious if they had maps or even knew how to read them if they had them. I am not super old, but maybe I am old school, I see way to many people out on big hikes with no maps.

Sometimes they may have a map which is their cell phone but if that runs out of battery gets wet, dropped... I print all my maps on waterproof tearproof paper just to be safe lol
 
mikejones3 said:
Pretty Curious if they had maps or even knew how to read them if they had them. I am not super old, but maybe I am old school, I see way to many people out on big hikes with no maps.

Sometimes they may have a map which is their cell phone but if that runs out of battery gets wet, dropped... I print all my maps on waterproof tearproof paper just to be safe lol
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I still carry paper maps as a backup, but in the past 15 years I've never had to use them and occasionally I wonder if they are really still necessary for me to carry, but I still do. I always have a dedicated GPS unit and cell phone with me, both waterproof with extra batteries. So far they have never died on me.
 
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