A man who became stuck while rappeling in Zion National Park died after spending hours dangling from a rope in a canyon, park officials said.
Andrew Arvig, 31, of Chesapeake, Virginia, was in a party of three canyoneers who had set out Saturday on a route through Heaps Canyon. “They had difficulty negotiating the last few rappels in the canyon, which delayed their exit,” said the report Monday from the park.
On the last rappel, Arvig went first, descending toward Upper Emerald Pools. He overshot a ledge — the “Bird Perch,” about 280 feet above the pools — where he was supposed to stop and re-anchor the rope for the last part of the descent. He could not get back to the ledge, 20 feet above him, and he did not have enough rope to descend.
His two companions employed a backup method using their “pull cord” to get down to the ledge, but they were unable to reach Arvig and they did not have the equipment to descend — so they, too, were stuck.
Because of poor phone reception, it took them several hours to contact emergency authorities. Rangers began rescue operations early Sunday, involving more than 30 people and two helicopters.
When the party was found, the two on the ledge were rescued safely and Arvig was lowered the 260 feet to the ground. He was later pronounced dead.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Department and the National Park Service are investigating the cause of the death.
Heaps Canyon is an arduous route, and many canyoneers break it into two days. The last three rappels, in particular, are described as long and difficult, requiring solid skills and full attention.
On the last one, the overhung lip where the rope is anchored means the rappeler is about 50 feet away from the wall while descending.
Arvig’s social media accounts indicate he was an officer in the Army National Guard and had previously lived in the Zion area, graduating from high school in Hurricane, Utah, and from Dixie State University in St. George.
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