April 23, 2007
Entry Submitted by: Merlin
- Introduction
Well, I'm not quite sure just how to tell this story. The trip was the
most phenomenal and exciting undertaking that any of us had attempted
(at least for hiking/canyoneering). We put a great deal of time,
planning and preparation into this activity to ensure it would be done
as fail-safe as possible but, sometimes things happen that you're just
not quite ready for. Seldomly, it's the unthinkable.
When we got out of the gulch I told the others to keep the story on the
low-down - to avoid the details of my little accident. I wasn't
necessarily trying to keep it a secret. I just wanted to avoid the
attention and worry from everyone. My seven co-hikers were traumatized
enough and I hoped it wouldn't have to go any further (not to mention
my reputation and pride were on the line). Well as you can imagine, in
an LDS community, the secret didn't last long. I don't blame anyone
though; it was a pretty crazy trip. I was getting calls from people
that knew bits and pieces, other's knew a lot, and some think it's a
lie (or exaggerated story). Now I'm putting the words down to
get an accurate record of the story and clear up any confusion. I used
my climbing rope do measure the height of the waterfalls as described.
It has markings in the rope to help in this regard. (Used GPS for other
distances and elevation readings). If you don't believe part of it you
might as well not believe any of it and consider me a liar. I will
make a request to my seven co-hikers to Reply to this Blog Entry and
add any thoughts or additional perspective to the story.
The story and preparation started over a year ago. We made a few visits
to the upper portion of the Sacred Falls stream and to the first big
drop in the fall of 2006. I wrote down a brief explanation of these
trips in the Blogs below. On these other trips we went down to scout
out and learn what we could about the gulch and waterfalls then ascend
back up and hike home (we weren't prepared to descend the 500+ foot
waterfall). This time we planned on descending all the way down and
hike out on the sacred falls trail. It took a lot of rope, gear, and
expertise on canyoneering. By March of 2007 I had finally gathered the
necessary rope, and pull line that we would need to make it safely down
the big drop. The last task was to gather a qualified hiking/rappelling
team. I invited Dave Paddock and Jenne Anderson again. They came with
me on the previous trip and they knew the trail and waterfalls. Dave
was probably the physically strongest in the group and he was given the
difficult task of pulling up the 500 feet of water-soaked rope multiple
times. I brought Jared Halterman of course. He had more rappelling
experience than I and had been with me on the last crazy outing in the
Ma'akua where we almost lost Jason (he can handle any traumatic thing
thrown at him now). Yo Phetsomphou finally put down his school work and
came out as well. He's about the most ripped little Asian you'll ever
see and tough enough to get out of any hairy situation (we lowered him
down the big drop first - so props to him) (p.s. Yo got U.S citizenship this week). The trip still seemed a
little daunting for me with the limited knowledge that my friends and I
had with climbing and rappelling - particularly with such a large
magnitude of drops. Nate and Adam Wadsworth were the answer and
solution to my worries. I knew that they were climbers, but I was
barely acquainted with them. After a brief conversation with Adam at a
party I was anxious to have him and his brother on the team. Their
knowledge with anchoring, knots, safety, techniques, etc, was
invaluable and far beyond my own and I felt mentally and physically
relieved with their support. They brought one of their buddies, Jeff,
as well - eight of us all together.
With the group ready to go we were prepared to embark on our
expedition. The Paragraph below is part of an e-mail that I sent out as
we prepared for the trip. It should give a brief idea of our
undertaking.
- Planning
Here's the trip plans:
Saturday, April 7th is the day. The weather will be an important
factor as to whether or not it will happen. I'll check the reports
through the week, but Friday's weather will probably be the determining
factor for Saturday's weather and whether or not we do the hike on the
7th. LOL - weather/whether - I crack myself up.
Lets shoot to leave Laie around 4:30AM. We're going to do this without
camping overnight. It's not light until 6:00 so a small head lamp will
be good as we start the trail. Our route starts out in Hauula (on the
Hauula Ridge Trail) and breaks off on a ridge that heads up toward the
summit (see turquoise and blue trail on attached trail map). The trail
isn't in great condition, but it is cleared pretty well and easy enough
to travel on.
Biner Block Concept
Webbing (blue) is left at the
top with the ring attached.
Carabiner is tied into the rope
behind the ring to prevent
the rope from sliding through.
The other line (pull line) is
pulled to get the rope down. |
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After about 3 hours we'll reach the "Castle Trail
Intersect" point at 2500 feet elevation. From there we will leave the
blue trail and take an old trail - "castle trail" down to the stream
(2000 feet elevation - about 30-45 minutes more of hiking). Once we get
down to the stream we'll probably take a breakfast break then head down
the river bed to the first waterfall. The first falls has a rope on the
side that isn't too steep and we can climb down easily enough. Once we
get to the second waterfall we'll be mostly through with the hiking and
we'll harness up and pack our hiking gear in a couple dry bags. We can
jump down the next few waterfalls (nice deep pools) and rappel down
the last 100 foot one before reaching the big drops (dropping or
lowering the dry bags on a line).
Once we get to the first big drop, we'll setup webbing and metal ring
as an anchor then the 300 foot rope and 300 foot pull line on a biner
block through the metal ring. I'll also setup the 120 foot rope. Both
waterfalls have a lip (see second photo) that make it impossible to see
what the rappeller is doing after they go over. I'll rappel a short
distance on on the 120 foot line so I can observe and photograph the
rest of the group rappelling. I'll be the last one down. I'll probably
extend the webbing so the biner block hangs off the lip and start my
rappel from there - it will help ensure rope retrieval. (I have my
procedure down to do that safely).
EQUIPMENT:
600 foot 6mm pull cord (Two 300 foot lengths) (12 lbs).
310 foot 9.5mm static rope. (15 lbs), 200 foot 10.5mm dynamic rope.( 10 lbs)
120 foot 9.5mm static rope. (6 lbs), 130 foot 1/2" Nylon dock rope
Two 50 foot length of webbing, dry bags, rope bags, harnesses, ATC's, biners, ascenders, daisy chain,
2 radios, 2 knives, 1 GPS (with radio capability), 1 waterproof camera (need 1 more), headlamps (flashlight), cellphone
Food, water, purifier, first aid kit, small survival kit, toilet paper, backpack, gloves
- Descending
We got up early as planned and were on the trail by 5:15AM. The weather
was clear and we made good timing hiking the trail. By 8:30 we reached
the stream bed near the top of the range. After a break for munchies we
started heading down stream. We climbed down the first waterfall and
continued hiking until we reached the second. There we got out our
harnesses and descending hardware and got suited up to start
rappelling. We started jumping and rappelling down the rest of the way.
The only downer with our group was that nobody had any body fat to keep
from shivering after each plunge in the pools. Not a big deal though -
for the most part everyone was too excited to worry about the water
temp and there was plenty of hooting and hollering going around.
Jeff & Yo |
We exchanged a few high-fives when we got to the top of the big drops
where the canyon opened up. We could see Hauula and the ocean through
the opening. We got out the webbing, 300 foot rope, 300 foot pull line,
and set up the anchor around a large boulder. Jared went down first
with his camera and the rest of us followed one by one. This was
probably the most favored of the waterfalls because it was large (300
feet) yet still easy to rappel. There were numerous helicopters
including a police chopper that flew in close to watch and photograph
us. No sign or word from them after that though. When we all got down
we pulled the line, biner block, and rope down. We were now between the
two big drops and we started setting up for the next waterfall - the
largest on the island. This was now new territory for me and we took
precaution as we set up and prepared to lower each person down. We had
to tie two ropes together to make 500 feet (this meant there was a knot
in the line. Instead of individually rappelling as we had hitherto
done, we lowered each person down the big drop. We tied Yo onto the 300
foot rope and started belaying him down. When the bellaire got to the knot he tied off the rope and started the procedures to pass behind the knot. I (Merlin) was hanging down the cliff a little ways and watching Yo to make sure he was ok. After about 15-20 minutes of watching Yo not move I ascended back up to see what was going on. Turns out I had the ascenders they needed to make the process work smoothly. After another 10 minutes or so we got Yo moving again. We continued lowering him now with the second rope. We became a bit alarmed when we
got to the end of the rope and Yo still hadn't reached bottom. We
wern't sure how far he had left to go so we started preparing to tie in
another rope. Before we finished tying on the third rope, Yo released
himself and jumped the last portion (only about 10 feet) into the pool
below. This saved the headache of trying to pass a second knot and the
rest of us followed that method.
This meant that the waterfall was
about 510 feet in height - quite a bit bigger than we expected.
Adam and I were the last ones to go and since it took two people to safely
bellay we changed the setup to rappel down on our own as we did on the
previous waterfalls.
This was more risky because we had to pass the
knot while hanging part way down the big drop. We practiced the
technique previously and felt comfortable doing it safely. We setup the
biner block and 600 feet of pull line so we could retrieve the rope and
then Adam headed down. It took him a while to get down and I learned
why after I clipped in and started my descent. Five hundred feet of
water soaked rope is heavy. It took all my arm strength to lift the
rope and feed it through my ATC belay device. Obviously it (ATC)
wasn't the best choice for this type of rappel and I was glad that we
lowered the six others down. I did enjoy
the rappel though. I took a few rest stops along the way and regretted
not having my camera on me (I gave it to Yo to photograph the rest of
us from the bottom). Yo did get excellent photos from his position at
the base of the waterfall. When I got to the knot I was at the end of
the 300 foot rope and knew I had a little over 200 feet left to go. I attached
an ascender to the rope and to my harness to hold my weight then I
detached my ATC belay device and moved it below the knot. I began reworking the
ropes so the knot would pass through the anchor at the top
during our retrieval process.
- Mer's Drop
Suddenly I was flung through the air and falling at full speed. Somehow
the anchor at the top of the falls gave out and released the pull line
and rope that I was attached to. There was nothing holding me up and in
addition there was 200 feet of heavy, dynamic(has stretch),
water-soaked rope below me that contracted and yanked me down. Since
the rope was attached to my harness I was pulled down sideways and I
took a small bounce off the wall which put me out in the air a bit. I
fell about 90-100 feet before hitting the wall again. This time I had
quite a bit more momentum and, though the wall was still mostly
vertical, I could feel the whole side of my body smash against the wet
stone and ricochet out into the air again. My adrenaline had already
kicked in and I felt no pain from the impact. This bounce caused me to
spin head over heals in a cart-wheel motion. It also flung me off the
wall far enough to clear it the rest of the way down. I fell the
remaining 100 feet and landed in the pool about two feet from the
waterfall wall. Miraculously, and completely randomly I hit the water in a near diving position. The left side of
my body took part of the impact as I was still somewhat angled and cartwheeling.
The whole experience went pretty quick and I didn't have much time to
think or react to what was happening. I did get a good dose of fear
after I bounced off the wall and spun upside down. I couldn't see where
I was going or what I would hit next. I figured I was about to crack my
head. The next thing I knew I was in the water and feeling fully alert
and mobile. "That wasn't so bad" I thought as I came to the surface. I
took a couple strokes to swim over to the others before Adam and Nate
(who had already jumped in) grabbed me and pulled me over to the
shallow end. Everyone was pretty freaked out as you can imagine and I
figured I should say something to let them know I was mentally there.
The words "that sucked" were the only thing that came to mind and
mouth. Someone disconnected the rope from my harness and I sat down on
a rock while the others checked me out. The guys put their hands on my head and Adam blessed me. It was about then that I
realized I couldn't feel my face and the left side of my body was numb.
I was a bit worried that I hit my face on a rock and was going to look
like Frankenstein. I quickly asked about it and Yo said it was ok.
After that I didn't worry about having any serious injuries. I had some
big scrapes on my left palm, left elbow and forearm, left knee and foot
- like getting in a bicycle wreck on the street. Yo kept sticking a
gauze pad in my eye which started getting annoying. I nagged at him and
he showed me the blood on it - I stopped nagging. Apparently the impact
of hitting the water burst a small cut in my left eye lid. By this time
my adrenaline had worn off and I started shivering. Dave and Jenny put
the tarp-shelter around me and bear hugged me until I was warm. If
there was cell reception in the gulch the others would have called 911. When I realized
that all our rope had come down I spoke up and told them that I would
be fine if we just kept going. It was 6:30pm and not much day light
left. I really didn't want to stay the night like we did in the
Ma'akua.
There was another small drop - probably 50 feet that emptied
into a small pool that drained off a big drop - about 140 feet. The guys picked up the
rope and got setup for the next waterfalls.
 The 300 foot rope barely
spanned the length of the next two drops. Adam went down first and I
followed. I realized that it was the same waterfall that I hiked up to
just above sacred falls. I felt relieved to know I was on familiar
ground with only sacred falls and the trail home left to go.
Adam and I left the group and took off down stream. Adam was anxious to
get me to the emergency room. I was anxious to run get the truck, pick
up the group, and get done. We reached the top of sacred falls and
realized we didn't have a rope to descend it. I'm pretty sure I've
never jumped from anything this high, but I suspect Adam was thinking
the same thing as I - if I could survive a 200 foot fall then we could
jump this 86 foot drop. Adam slid over the lip of the waterfall and
leaped off. I climbed down about 10 feet and jumped from a little
lower. Piece of cake. We were done with the waterfalls and stream -
just a 45 minute trail hike to Kam highway. Adam stayed to wait for the
others while I started hurrying down the trail. It was almost dark and
I was anxious to get out from under the canopy before it got pitch
black. I was about 3/4 of the way out before I got stuck in the brush
in the pitch dark. I sat for about 20 minutes, feeling frustrated,
until Yo and Jared showed up with a flashlight. We finished hiking out
and Yo called a friend to pick us up and give us a ride to the truck.
Yo drove when we got in the truck (I think I was more fearful during
the truck ride than trying to get out of the gulch.) After stopping at
7-eleven we picked the others up at the trail head and went home. It
was during the truck ride that I realized how much my body ached - it
even hurt to sit down. After I got showered and cleaned up Suzanne and
Yo came over to bandage my cuts and scrapes. I guess I could have done
it myself, but I felt I deserved some attention and pampering. It
wasn't long before I realized that my internal bruising would be of
more concern than my skin cuts. I didn't feel anything too serious for
internal pain, but it's tough to sleep when half of your body is
bruised and aching.
- Conclusion Even with a few rough nights of sleep
I felt grateful for the minor injuries that I had considering the
potential pain/injury/paralysis/death that could have resulted. After
further discussion with my hiking companions we came to no conclusion
as to how the anchor released the rope. Adam had gone down before me and
the anchor held. Then I rappelled down 300 feet. Why did it break then?
At the time I was under the impression that I made a mistake while
trying to pass the knot where the two ropes were tied together. I ruled
that out when I realized the whole 500 feet of rope came down with me.
The next most likely scenario was that the webbing, which was stretched
over some rocks, began to rub and fray then eventually snap. If this
were the case we would have gotten a chunk of webbing with a frayed end
connected at the biner block. No sign of it though. The webbing loop
was tied with a figure eight then a water knot (which only tightens with
weight) then a safety knot behind the first two. Adam and I both
checked the knots and setup before going down. The only other thing we
could do is hike back up and descend to the top of the 500 footer and
check what remains of the webbing and anchor. I probably won't be doing
that any time soon. Nate made a profound statement in that the real
question and mystery is how did I survive the fall without injury. Not
a day goes by that I fail to thank the Lord for snatching me from the
jaws of death. My gratitude also extends to the members of my party, particularly Nate and Adam, who acted quickly and logically through the traumatizing moments of my fall and aftermath.
photos
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