The Kolob Tragedy by Noel DeNevers
The Kolob Tragedy by Noel DeNevers
In July 1993, five teenage boys and three men on an LDS youth group attempted a canyoneering trip in Kolob Creek of Zion National Park. The upstream Kolob Reservoir was releasing a ton per second of water through the canyon. Though this flow surprised them at the canyon's entrance, the leader believed that the park's rangers had assured them that their trip was safe, so they continued. Two of the adult leaders quickly drowned; the remaining man and five boys were trapped in the canyon for five days until the Park Service rescued them.
This book tells the story of the group's tragic adventure and explores its damage suit against the National Park Service and the Washington County Water Conservancy District (owner of the reservoir). The reader is invited to consider who was to blame for this tragedy: was it an "Act of God"; or negligence on the part of the Park Service and the Water District; or poor judgment on the part of the trip's leaders? The case settled out of court for $2.24 million, raising another question: was the amount of money that changed hands appropriate?
128 pages including maps and photos.
ISBN 978-0-9789614-4-2
Published by CanyoneeringUSA Press June 18, 2016
Shipping is free on this item, if you order it by itself.
"Just wanted to tell you before you went up to talk about the book that it was really, really good. I literally could not put it down. It's the first book I've read overnight since I was obsessed with Harry Potter. So thanks for the copy, and please pass on my most sincere compliments to Noel." ~ Megan Turton
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My canyoneering guidebook covers canyons in Zion and the adjacent lands. There are 9 on-trail hikes, 8 off-trail (non-technical) canyons, and 32 technical canyon adventures detailed, a few of which have not been widely publicized previously. Plus an extensive introduction to assist first-time visitors to Zion, discussions of local canyoneering ethics and some other things that might help keep noobs alive. A couple pages of accident reports in the back suggest some things you might not WANT to do.