Stranded Scouts Rescued From Slot Canyon

Capitol Reef National Park (UT)
Stranded Scouts Rescued From Slot Canyon

During the early morning hours of Sunday, April 21st, rangers and Wayne County Sheriff's Department officers responded to a call of stranded canyoneers in the Pandora's Box slot canyon. The group, consisting of nine Boy Scouts and leaders from Manti, Utah, dropped into the canyon at noon on Saturday. After completing about half of the canyon route, they concluded that one member was too exhausted to continue and that another member was too large to squeeze through the narrow slot sections ahead. Five of nine members of the party were able to complete the route, but had taken the group’s ropes and other equipment to do so. At daylight on Sunday, the Wayne County Search and Rescue Team was flown to the rim using a Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter. Once there, they raised each member of the stranded group 300 feet to the canyon rim. Unhurt, the rescued individuals were flown out of the backcountry. Pandora's Box is widely considered to be one of the more difficult canyoneering routes on the Colorado Plateau. The incident was managed jointly with the country sheriff’s department.