A Utah father is in critical condition after plunging about 80 feet while rappelling with his one-year-old on the same rope above a steep desert gorge.
The pair fell around 4 p.m. on Saturday in the Cedar Pocket area above the Virgin River Gorge, and crews needed about three hours to finish the remote extrication, the Daily Mail reported.
The toddler was not injured. The father was found with serious injuries and remained in critical condition under medical care. The mother hurt her hand while pulling the rope attached to them during the accident.
Responders were called to a remote stretch near the Ghost Valley Trailhead along the county road. Washington County Search and Rescue answered the call, joined by the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Beaver Dam-Littlefield Fire Department.
The family group included five young children, two women, the mother, and the father. Officials did not release their names.
A helicopter was brought in for an aerial look at the scene. Beaver Dam rescue crew members decided the terrain was not safe for a landing.
Fire Department Captain Larry Lydon said rescue official Sarah Miller was sent into the canyon to stabilize the father before crews could move him. A rope team then raised the father in a rescue basket. Medics helped the child out.
The child was taken to Intermountain Health St. George Regional Hospital. Officials described the work as a challenging rescue operation.
In a Facebook statement, the Beaver Dam-Littlefield Fire Department said:
"Upon reaching the patients, responders determined there was one critical adult patient and one pediatric patient who was not injured,"
The department also stated:
"Crews and assisting agencies worked for approximately three hours to complete the extrication from the remote location."
The Virgin River Gorge runs along Interstate 15 between St. George, Utah, and Mesquite, Nevada. The canyon is about 15 miles wide and draws rock climbers and canyon explorers.
A Bureau of Land Management description of the river, quoted in the coverage, underscores how unforgiving the ground is:
"Though the Virgin River is relatively small, it is incredibly steep, dropping an average of 70 feet per mile - ten times steeper than the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon,"
An 80-foot drop on a shared rope with a one-year-old leaves almost no room for a mistake. The fire department’s own warning after the rescue put the risk in plain terms:
"Please use extreme caution when recreating in remote areas, and always consider the risks associated with rappelling and other outdoor activities,"
No cause for the fall, equipment trouble, rope failure, or human error, has been publicly detailed. No arrests or charges were reported. The Daily Mail sought comment from the fire department, Washington County Search and Rescue, and the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office.
What is already on the record is enough. A father and a toddler shared one rope above a steep gorge. They fell. First responders spent three hours on dangerous ground to bring them out. The child survived unhurt. The father did not walk away.
Parents owe children judgment before thrills. A one-year-old has no place on a rappel line over an 80-foot drop, and the crews who answered the call should never have had to prove that the hard way.
