Posted on 12/13/2022 3:27:38 PM PST by BenLurkin
A 54-year-old man fell to his death while canyoneering alone in Death Valley National Park, according to park services.
On Dec. 3, the man was found on the West Fork route in Mosaic Canyon. He was not reported missing, which means the search did not start in time to save his life, according to a park spokesperson.
Park rangers and SAR team members noticed that the man’s rope was not long enough to reach the ground on a long rappel. According to Death Valley, he tied a piece of webbing to the end of the rope but he appeared to have made a mistake when disconnecting his rappel device to pass the knot joining the rope and webbing.
Rangers estimate he fell about 30 feet, park services said.
Canyoneering is a sport that involves descending canyons by a combination of hiking, downclimbing, and rappelling. It is typically done as a group activity, due to the inherent risks. The West Fork route is not a commonly descended route, according to Death Valley National Park.
(Excerpt) Read more at ktla.com ...
Darwin Awards are given without regard to age, religion, gender or race. All awards are final and cannot be returned.
“Darwin Awards are given without regard to age, religion, gender or race. All awards are final and cannot be returned.”
Well, at least his family better understand why it’s called “Death Valley”.
Again? (said in Rocky's voice)
If he has a family then he’s ineligible
I, for one, REALLY miss the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show.
They don’t call it Death Valley for nothing.
It was a great show.
Had a near Darwin award happen to a single mine explorer inside Yuma Proving Ground.
He rappeled with too short of a rope down a mine. Went off the end, fell a dozen feet onto a debris pile. Did not tell anyone where he was going. He survived the fall, but had no way to reach the end of his rope (pun intended).
When he did not show up for work on Monday, people mentioned his propensity for exploring old mines. The base used up some helicopter time to do a search. They spotted his pick-up near an old mine shaft, 40 miles away, near the North end of YPG. People investigated. He was still alive and able to communicate when they investigated the old mine.
He died what he loved doing.
Some mistakes are more costly than others.
“... he appeared to have made a mistake when disconnecting his rappel device to pass the knot joining the rope and webbing.”
Poor guy. He probably was too tired to reconnect the rappel device. New rule: always go rock climbing with buddies.
As far as I know only one man has ever ascended to his death.
Are you referring to Mr. Peabody and Sherman?
“If he has a family then he’s ineligible”
Still eligible:
https://darwinawards.com/rules/rules1.html
In the summer of 2005 I’m cruising a yard sale and there THEY are! BRAND NEW STILL IN THEIR BOXES! 12” soft dolls. Very high quality, perfect renditions. One even held a pistol with a red flag coming out of the barrel that said BANG!
BORIS (with the pistol), NATASHA, AND FEARLESS LEADER (with a monocle). I snatched ‘em up!
“How much?”
“15 bucks.”
I handed the guy a $50 bill, and he gave me $35 in change. They were $5 EACH, $15 IN TOTAL!!! I ran off like a thief in the night.
I mounted BORIS and NATASHA on the handlebars of my cycle right behind the windshield (still there), and FEARLESS LEADER went to a friend of mine.
Sometimes the magic happens.
Climbing alone is rarely a good idea.
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