Lost Canyoners, Blue Mountains

[Overlandman]

From ABC News - New South Wales
Police are trying to rescue three canyoners lost in the New south Wales Blue Mountains.
A police helicopter started searching for the group at first light after they failed to return from a trip to Mount Tomah last night.
The canyoners were spotted at about 11:30am but could not be winched out because of high winds.
Police have entered the area by foot.
They say no-one is injured.

[wildwalks]

Busy time for the chopper

I guy ill with stomach pain winched from Overcliff track.
http://penrith-press.whereilive.com.au/news/story/blue-mountains-bushwalkers-winched-to-safety-after-taking-ill/

[DarrenM]

Claustral Canyon.

https://www.facebook.com/BlueMountainsLAC

[Strider]

Not one of FatCanyoners naked jaunts I hope...

[FatCanyoner]

Not one of FatCanyoners naked jaunts I hope...

Not one of my trips thankfully!

I was canyoning, but did that fully clothed! Although a couple nights back a group of us did a multi-pitch abseiling trip nude at night under the almost full moon! (Full moons in the full moon was the nickname). Lots of fun, although a little rope burn on my hip!

Back to the Claustral rescue, the following was posted on the OzCanyons email list this morning from someone who met the party in the canyon:

Hello all,

I happened to be doing Claustral yesterday. (For the first time - it was amazing!) As we were leaving our cars, a police car pulled up and let us know there was a missing party, so we were on the lookout.

We came across the party of 3 a little way down from the turnoff to Thunder Canyon (in between a climb-down or hand-over-hand and a hand-over-hand on a fixed tape, if that gives you a better idea of the location). They were waiting with a paramedic who'd been dropped in by the helicopter. One of the party had an injured hand, but they were otherwise fine - just a bit cold and tired. We stopped with them a while and were able to provide some food, and a loan of thermals. We offered to take the two uninjured people with us, and I think the paramedic was tempted, but he was waiting on orders from the helicopter, so we moved on.

From what I understand, the party had planned to do Claustral but had mistakenly entered Ranon Canyon. This meant that their 40m rope was not long enough for the final drop. They tied it off at the top and went down on a single line, and then cut off as much as they could at the bottom (we had earlier noticed their rope and thought it was just stuck)

As they had been delayed by their navigational difficulties earlier, and with difficulties at another drop with their rope getting stuck, they decided to spend the night in the canyon. They were sharing one space blanket between three of them!

We met a couple of police search and rescue guys coming over the Camels Hump - they were going in to take the party out, due to the poor weather conditions preventing an aerial rescue.

So, what I took from their experience was:
Make sure you're doing the right canyon!
Take enough food, space blankets, and dry thermals that everyone will be warm enough if you're forced to stay overnight.
Take a spare rope
So, I don't think their experience was particularly pleasant.

On a side note, we had a great time! We found the new entry very easy to follow. After the delay waiting with the benighted party we ended up taking the track back through private property, as we didn't want to get benighted in the canyon ourselves (we had a chat to the owners, updated them on the status of the missing canyoners, and informed them that there was an alternative route being developed that would take people elsewhere - they're extremely nice but I can understand their position, and that of their neighbours, and we were apologetic). However before the delay we had been prepared to take the track back down to Claustral Brook and come out the same way we went in, and that's what I'll do next time.

On another side note, in between the second and third abseils in the Black Hole of Calcutta there was a doubled rope hanging down from the trees above, reaching to a couple of metres above the water. We weren't sure if it had anything to do with the missing party, so we left it there, but it wasn't theirs. A bit puzzling really - perhaps a different party dropped in there, and couldn't quite reach it to retrieve it? I suppose if you can grab it, it's all yours.

Cheers,

Chris Moore

[Overlandman]

From ABC News, not realy lost but trapped
Regards Overlandman

Police say a canyoner rescued from the Blue Mountains west of Sydney this morning appears to have been trapped by flooding.

The 26-year-old from Queanbeyan was found suffering from mild dehydration and hypothermia at Bowen's Creek near Mount Wilson after he set off his distress beacon last night.

Rescuers walked him out of the area this morning.

Inspector Peter Scheinflug says it seems the man was caught by surprise by the wild weather, despite the warnings.

"People can underestimate the speed in which creeks, rivers and canyons within the mountains can flood," he said.

"There's a possibility that's occurred to our friend that we've found this morning and that the waters may have risen far more rapidly than has been anticipated.

"Unfortunately that seems to be a bit of a common theme sometimes. People don't realise how extreme conditions in the mountains can be."