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A Utah man has died at Mooney Falls in Havasupai Canyon
Friday, July 2, 2010 5:00 am

According to information from the Coconino County Sheriff's Office, deputies received a report at about 11:30 Wednesday morning of a dead man at the falls. Witnesses told deputies that the man, Michael Allen, 32, of Ogden, was on a camping trip with family and friends. He was swimming in a pool at the top of Mooney Falls, went under water and did not resurface. Allen appears to have gone over the falls and fell about 200 feet. His body was washed down creek and came to rest on a bank about 100 yards downstream.
The body was transported to the Coconino County Medical Examiner's Office, and the cause of death is under investigation.

The same thing has happened at Tanque Verde Falls--people sitting in the pool at the top have been swept over by a surge or current.

I wouldn't be surprised if the tribe puts up a sign at that whirlpool, since they probably get tired of hauling bodies out of there.

Here are a few relevant quotes from Off the Wall: Death in Yosemite, by Michael P. Ghiglieri andCharles R. "Butch" Farabee, Jr.

"This perceived lack of safeguards in Yosemite exists because making the world perfectly safe (as human-constructed "parks" are intended to be but actually are not) cannot be done. This is because human foolishness is unlimited, while wild areas themselves off an infinite number of opportunities for someone to carelessly hurt him or herself."

"The take-home lesson here, one obvious from the first dozen chapters of this book, is that people who die traumatically in Yosemite die mainly - almost universally - due to their own poor judgment. It is impossible for the rest of us to protect them fully from these personal failings. It is up to the personal and individual responsibility of each of us to avoid killing ourselves."

I could probably dig up a similar quote from Over the Edge: Death in the Grand Canyon, but I gave my copy to a friend.

I love that book, Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon. I wrote to the author, Michael Ghiglieri, one time about another one of his books, First Through Grand Canyon. He promptly wrote back on a big postcard. The picture on the postcard was the cover of Death in Grand Canyon which was just coming out at the time.

My favorite story in the book is the one about Bob Spangler. I recently saw a documentary about him as well. I used to use Sharon Spangler's guidebook to the south rim to plan hikes when I first started hiking in the canyon in the early/mid 90's.

My other favorite story, which is told in both books, and was the reason for my letter to Ghiglieri, was about the mystery of the fate of the 3 men who left Powell's party in 1869, and were killed on the rim, either by Paiutes or settlers. (Most people nowadays who have looked into it are leaning toward blaming the settlers for the murders.)

Body found below Moran Point at Grand Canyon
DAILY SUN STAFF | Posted: Tuesday, July 13, 2010 5:00 am

An unidentified man was found dead at about noon on Monday below Moran Point at the Grand Canyon.

The Park Service's dispatch center had received a Sunday night report, at 9:15 p.m., of a man seen exiting a car, climbing over a retaining wall and lying down at the canyon's edge.

Park rangers found the car on Sunday night, but not the man, and postponed further searches until daylight Monday.

A helicopter called in on Monday to do reconnaissance of the area spotted a body 250 feet below the rim.

Park rangers were flown in on Monday to prepare to transport the body by a long, fixed line and a helicopter to the South Rim, from where it will head to the Coconino County Medical Examiner's office.

The man's identity was not released.

hikeaz wrote:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvgaf7GlIQs

Holy cow! That guy is nuts!

hikeaz wrote:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvgaf7GlIQs

I have a BASE rig for sale or rent if anyone is afraid of getting too close to the edge at Havasu or GC. Brand new, 1 jump, never opened, slight stain.

base871 wrote:I have a BASE rig for sale or rent if anyone is afraid of getting too close to the edge at Havasu or GC. Brand new, 1 jump, never opened, slight stain.

Eee...I think I'll pass on that one...

So he stripped down bare and jumped in there after dark and got swept over, do I have this right?

jeffmacewen wrote:So he stripped down bare and jumped in there after dark and got swept over, do I have this right?

This thread wandered off course a little. Based on the original report, it was late morning. The after dark one was a leaper at Moran Point.

PageRob wrote:

base871 wrote:I have a BASE rig for sale or rent if anyone is afraid of getting too close to the edge at Havasu or GC. Brand new, 1 jump, never opened, slight stain.

Eee...I think I'll pass on that one...

Me too, I don't like the idea of the stain.

big_load wrote:

jeffmacewen wrote:So he stripped down bare and jumped in there after dark and got swept over, do I have this right?

This thread wandered off course a little. Based on the original report, it was late morning. The after dark one was a leaper at Moran Point.

Thanks! I was lost...

Hi All,

It's very unfortunate to hear about the gentleman that lost his life there.

My friends and I are making the trip on next Thurs, Sept 16th.
I've read a lot about the "green room" under Beaver Falls. Does anyone know if this still exists post flooding of 2008?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

I haven't heard anything one way or the other about the Green Room, but I would expect it still exists. The silt fills the creek, but gradually washes away. I will ask around for you, though. I know someone I can email right now to ask him.