The Kolob Tragedy - The Lost Tale of a Canyoneering Calamity

The Kolob Tragedy The Lost Tale of a Canyoneering Calamity 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?

About the Author

Before he retired as a professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Utah (2002), Noel de Nevers worked as an expert witness on explosions and fires. One of his clients in an explosion case put him, for a time, on the expert witness list for the Kolob Creek Canyoneering Tragedy lawsuit because Noel was the only expert he knew who had actually been there. This involvement piqued Noel's interest in the events in the canyon, in the press and then in court, leading him to write this book. Noel has made it to the top of Mt. Whitney, Mt. Rainier, The Grand Teton, Kala Patar and Kilimanjaro, and is the official discoverer of Private Arch in Arches National Park. His students introduced him to the joys of technical canyoneering, taking him through the Right Fork of North Creek, Pine Creek, Kolob Canyon and Imlay Canyon, all in Zion National Park. He lives in Salt Lake City with his wonderful wife of 60 years, and enjoys free geriatric ski passes (80+) at Alta.

- Published by Canyoneering USA
- Author: Noel de Nevers
- Language: English
- Color: Yes
- Pages: 128
- Weight: 201g
- Dimension: 5.5″ wide by 8.5″ tall
- ISBN: 9780978961442