Injured Zion Visitor Evacuated By High Line

Zion National Park (UT)
Injured Visitor Evacuated By High Line

On the evening of May 16th, a 50-year-old woman fell 20 feet in Hidden Canyon. landing on the upturned branches of a dead pine tree. Initial reports indicated that she had suffered impalement and lost a significant amount of blood. Responding ranger/medic Ryan McDonald-O’lear discovered that the woman had suffered two significant lacerations. She was unable to bear any weight on her injured limbs, but was stable. Accessing Hidden Canyon requires traversing a cliff face on a three-foot-wide trail using chains. In order to avoid the chain traverse, rangers constructed a 400-foot-long highline, but twists were soon discovered in the line. Since the woman was stable and darkness was limiting the team’s ability to safely construct the highline, the decision was made to complete the operation the following morning. Ranger/medics spent the night with her. The SAR team returned at first light and completed the highline and safely evacuated the woman. Twenty-four park employees were involved in the rescue.