Rappelling Disaster

In the early years of my childhood, my family would go on camping trips at least twice a year. Each trip was spent hiking every trail possible, riding our bikes, and sitting by a toasty campfire. It was nothing too extreme, but we were passionate about hiking and exploring new terrain.

For some of my family, hiking just wasn’t enough. When I was about 15, I took a trip to Canyonlands National Park with my father, two uncles, and three brothers. We had to four-wheel into an area of the park that was 50 or more miles away from any sort of civilization. So if anything devastating happened, such as someone bleeding excessively, he or she would be doomed.

The ride into Canyonlands was amazing! With two jeeps and one truck, we four-wheeled our way into a red rock wonderland. After we reached our campground, we set up camp. The next day or so, we hiked and explored the magical world called Canyonlands.

My uncles had brought rappelling gear with them and wanted to test it out. We all jumped at the idea of walking down a cliff on a rope. After finding a nice piece of rock that was about 40-50 feet tall, we all began taking turns rappelling off of it.

Rappelling requires specific gear in order to be safe going down. Some of the right gear includes: rope (long enough for descent), harness, helmet, carabiners, webbing, and rappel device. The harness wraps around the waist and then two straps go around the thighs. Attached to the harness - located around the stomach area - is a rappel device that hooks into the rope. It is extremely important to know how to use the equipment and the risks involved with descending the rope. I found this out the hard way.

I had gone down the rope several times, but as I was taking my fourth try, my harness snapped off my leg halfway down. Immediately I began to fall – quickly. I grabbed the top of the rope to try and stop myself, but it burned my hand, and so I let go. Within seconds, I landed on the dusty desert floor. Fortunately the only injuries I incurred were a scraped arm and jarred back.

When doing any outdoor activity it is important to know the risks involved. Safety is the key factor in preventing falls such as mine. After this incident, it spurred my family to learn more about rappelling and the right safety precautions to take before descending. We have never had another incidence like the one I had. Too bad I had to be the guinea pig!