HikeArizona.COM

apparently the rappel anchor at the waterfall failed

http://www.paysonroundup.com/news/2014/ ... ors-fails/

https://www.youtube.com/embed/zJHEnrHsrKo

@nonot
Do you just Rappel over and do a Free Rappel then, basically in line with how everyone jumps it? If you go that way it seems like you really aren't Rappelling the Waterfall, but more DCR of it. And I can see where there would be problems from Rappelling off the Anchor at the head of the Waterfall...I felt like I had to really watch my footing and not get a foot/shoe wedged in the crack that basically ran underneath the Falls all of the way down...I imagine that Crack has made for some problem Rope Pulls too....

Yes, rappel from where the people jump, much cleaner rope pull.

I'm just very glad the guy is going to live, that my cynical beliefs about news media can continue, and that everyone on HAZ can spell "rappel" and "rappelling." Lots of great comments, too.

Couldn't agree more with nonot, that using the rappel anchor from the hucking spot is way cleaner than running the gauntlet of the waterfall rap. I've been through The Jug twice, and both times members of our group lost shoes in the waterfall crack. Come the Fourth of July there must be a Dr. Seussian tree of shoes in that silly thing. My second time through I used the rappel above the pool and it was much, much easier than the waterfall.

Just ***please don't try to use the huck spot if there's no hand line in place to get down to it***. On our first trip a young guy tried that and slipped off, busting himself up pretty badly on his fall into the drowning pool. We fished him out and got him help (eventually), but it was one hell of an ordeal. The rescue might not be quite as bad as the news made it sound with several successive 20' rappels, but there's usually a lot of swimming involved, and there *are* several places where a loaded litter would be a real PITA to manage.

I may head out there this weekend, and I'll report back on the anchors if I do.

@Zort
Beware, several of us are coming down from Tucson to do it on Sunday.

I'm subscribed to some wildland firefighting channels, and yesterday one of them posted this: https://www.youtube.com/embed/V7Ey-mgGXHU .

It discusses how air rescue folks make the decision to rappel, fast rope, short haul, etc. someone out of a situation. The video mostly features folks from Arizona, the Grand Canyon Helitack and Border Patrol ...

Just back from a recon yesterday. Plenty of people coming out (I started in at noon, so I was behind the rush). The water was nice and cool! I took gear for the rappel and was glad I did. The anchors are bombproof, and I honestly can't see how somebody could have had an accident relating to a failure. Kinda odd that the glue-in? (looks like a Petzl) and all the hangers are hammered over. New webbing at the waterfall anchors, and a new stainless steel ring at the huck. If you're not going to rap, be advised that the hand line doesn't reach far, and traction is sketchy. Don't drop and bounce off the ledge!

http://hikearizona.com/trip=103003