Date of Event: 6/8/2025
Canyon Involved: Illusions
Region: Coconino County, Arizona
Country: USA
Submitted by: Jamie Weleber
Source: Firsthand account
Injury: Fracture
Cause: Fall or slip
Description of Event: At approximately 1630 the subject slipped off a ledge and fell approximately 12’ into a shallow pool of water within Illusions Canyon. Illusions Canyon has 13 established rappels, and the room containing the ledge was located between rappels 9 and 10. Party Members 2 and 3 were rigging rappel 10 while party member 4 waited for the subject in the room before rappel 10. Subject informed Party Member 4 they injured their foot, believing it to be broken, with visible deformity through their shoe and crepitus upon attempts to bear weight. Party member 4 assisted subject to rappel 10 where the entire team talked through the task at hand; to assist subject to a spot where heli-rescue may be possible, and to establish contact with SAR personnel through use of a Garmin InReach. The team worked well together, assisting the subject through pools, downclimbs and rappels 10 & 11, reaching an opening within the canyon between rappels 11 and 12 at approximately 1720. The team changed out of their canyon gear to dry off, warm up, and provide aid. The subject was given 1000mg of acetaminophen, and 600mg of ibuprofen from party member 3 for pain & swelling control while an elastic bandage was applied over the subject’s neoprene sock to provide stabilization through compression by party member 2. Party member 4 was able to successfully contact Garmin’s SOS service, along with a SAR Coordinator for Coconino County Sheriff’s SAR, and a member of Coconino County Sheriff’s SAR who is the partner of Party Member 4. Despite initial success using the Garmin InReach device for communication, a protracted period of roughly 1 hour occurred with no inbound or outbound messages being delivered. The team was unaware what resources may have been mobilized, and their potential ETA to the reported team location, so a decision was made to complete the remaining 2 rappels before sunset in case an overnight in the canyon would be required. The team was rigging rappel 13 when a helicopter was heard approaching their location. The subject had a SAR issued radio with them in the canyon which Party Member 2 used to communicate the team’s current location and ETA to the next potential site for a short haul or hoist extraction. AZ DPS’s Ranger 1 was able to successfully hoist the subject from the base of rappel 13, the final rappel in the canyon, at 1930. The 3 remaining party members divided the subject’s gear among them and successfully hiked out of the drainage using the “sneak exit”; arriving back at their vehicle at approximately 2130.
Analysis: The injury may have been preventable if the party stayed closer together and practiced good spotting for fellow members. In this particular case, positioning a party member near the shallow section, ready to either slow a fall or potentially deflect them into deeper water.