Climber self rescues in 2,000-foot Colorado canyon climb

[Wayne Harrison]

We've probably all thought about the importance of self rescue.... Here's the story of a rock climber who did with his leg broken in two places:

Climber Self Rescues After Breaking Leg In Black Canyon
Colorado Springs Man Recounts Harrowing Ordeal

POSTED: 10:45 am MDT May 22, 2006

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Deep in the recesses of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, in a chasm near Montrose, nobody can hear you scream.

"Visitors are expected to find their own way," warns the National Park Service guide to the backcountry, "and be prepared for self-rescue."

When 21-year-old Craig Smith lost his grip on a 2,000-foot cliff in the canyon Thursday, breaking his leg in two places while suspended 900 feet up, he knew nobody was coming.

"It's hard to describe just how alone you are. You're on your own. You're just down in this deep hole, and nobody's going to hear you," said Smith, a University of Northern Colorado music student from Colorado Springs.

So he and his cousin "self-rescued," a 17-hour ordeal that involved rappelling down one cliff and crawling out of the canyon with no water. They survived -- and learned that you never know what you're capable of until you have no choice but to try.

"Several times I wanted to give up, but there was no option. I just had to get out," he said.

Smith and his cousin, Ken Sherbenou, 26, of Denver, started their climb Wednesday. Both are experienced climbers -- Smith's mother proudly displays pictures of him scaling Garden of the Gods rocks at age 5. They were training to climb El Capitan, a formidable rock in Yosemite National Park, this summer.

The trip turned harrowing around noon on the second day, when Smith stopped climbing long enough to lose his strength and his grip, falling 20 feet. He would have fallen a lot farther if his equipment hadn't held.

His right leg instantly swelled and turned purple; he knew it was broken. Rather than try to keep going up, they decided to rappel down and hike up the less severe route they took into the canyon.

Getting down took eight hours, and Smith nearly blacked out several times when his leg slammed into rock. Once at the bottom, they had a steep, three-mile climb back to their car on the canyon rim.

It was an ascent through hell, crawling on his hands and knees, wearing a rain suit despite hot temperatures to avoid poison ivy. After an all-night climb, they reached the top, just as the sun was coming up.

It was, Smith said, the most beautiful sunrise he's ever seen.

"I was laying there and thinking how glad I was to be alive and thinking how glad I was to make it out of there," he said.

It will be two months before he walks again and longer before he attempts another climb.

Recovering at his parents' home Saturday, he said he learned a lot from the experience, beyond the fact "I'm mortal."

"It taught me the true meaning of perseverance. No matter how difficult a task is, if it needs to be done, you have to do it," Smith said.

"I'm amazed by his attitude and his spirit in getting through this ordeal," said Sherbenou. "He didn't even complain."

The pair plan to train again next summer for El Capitan.

Smith will bring a new lesson with him, one he learned last week while escaping the Black Canyon: "Don't fall."

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/92 ... etail.html

[wendy]

I think I would have rather risked getting poison ivy than wearing a raincoat in the heat with no water, but that's just me. Glad ity made it out ok. That had to be tough.

[Wayne Harrison]

To give you an idea of what the canyon looks like. It's very steep and extremely narrow:

[hewhocaves]

you need a 'you are here' arrow for that pic. a very small 'you are here' arrow.