Wipeout in Cataract Canyon

Wipeout in Cataract Canyon

Story by Robert Hahn Pfister

These next days coming will be particularly difficult. Just arrived home last night from the second river trip of the year. Must still be in shock as staring at the wall for many minutes at a time goes unnoticed.

It was a fairly standard run through Cataract Canyon on Saturday, May 16. Until we got to Big Drop II. For whatever reason, after hitting the center tongue, Carl ended up on the left side of the river moving too close to Satan's Gut. Typically the run is more to the right where one can eddy out below Big Drop II and set up for Big Drop III. Something happened, and I don't blame his sun glasses.

Nearing the pour off over the rocks we pushed right above III and came to the rapid side on. Passing the ideal run we entered the seemingly possible hole. Upon entering the hole it did what so many holes do - it anticipated our approach. The wave that started out at 5-7 feet quickly built to over twenty feet of boiling, aerated water. With our sideways profile and slow approach we had the left side of the boat lifted. For a brief moment I thought to myself, "We've been in worse situations". Then as the boiling water held us in position the upriver side of the rapid caught up to us. I noticed, looking over my left shoulder, the left tube was wangling high overhead.

After the boat flipped it was apparent that those of us not holding on were struggling for our lives. Seven of us had gone over: Carl, Tania, Kris, Hope, Andy, Tim, and myself. When I first popped up from the darkness beneath the boat Tania was with me. We held each other, and then the current pulled us under. Letting go, we were seperated again as the eddy line grabbed her and sent her way down to the end of the eddy line, several hundred feet downriver. Kris' daughter Hope was screaming with her shrill twelve year old voice.

I continued to struggle with the water pulling me down as the boat went over the top of me twice more. One of those times I saw Carl reaching out to me, his face bleeding, the boat spinning, upside down. After the sixth time of going under I saw Andy and Tim clinging to the side of the boat. Carl was standing atop his rig yelling and gesticulating wildly. I stopped fighting the current as I was near total exhaustion, and concentrated on holding my breath. At the top of the eddy the boat was so very close to re-entering the rapid.

Suddenly I felt this push. A rush of water carried me to the downriver side of the boat. I grabbed onto a flap of rubber, then grabbed Tim as he floated past. Andy joined Carl on the frame of the boat, followed by me. Together we pulled Tim from the sucking currents.

We were now seconds away from going back into the rapid. Carl had retrieved his 150' bow line and had already tied an end off. Andy jumped from the boat with the rope, and swam to shore. After securing one end of the boat Carl continued to rig his rope for flipping the 3000 lbs. of boat back over.

From seven swimmers down to three - Kris, Hope and Tania were still in the river. Kris had been thrown furthest into the main current. She was heading swiftly towards the rest of the rapids below Satans Gut, around the corner. The only reason she was seen was because she was in close proximity to the red fuel can that was up river of her. Thad, the operator of the second boat in our party, had his eye drawn to the can, and went ripping downriver to rescue her. Looking downstream, none of us could see what was happening below the next rapid. Kris had floated down river, and by the time Thad got to her she was in extreme danger, approaching the second big set of rapids below Big Drop III. Thad motored below her and set up for the grab. On the second pass she was heaved into his boat. Thad dropped off Nicole with Kris to lighten his boat.

Hope and Tania had been saved by the eddy. As each approached the end of the eddy line they were delivered to shore where they climbed onto the rocks. Tania had swallowed and inhaled water. She was evacuating the water as Thad motored upriver searching for survivors.

Thad motored back upstream to us, dropped off Pete, then went down to retrieve Tania and Hope. After assessing the situation he went down to retrieve Kris and Nicole.

Carl's boat was still inverted, tied to the shore. The gear beneath started to get beat out of the frame as it slammed against the rocky shore. The first debris I remember seeing was my deodorant. Which meant that my personal ammo can had been ruptured. Wallet, keys, glasses, and all the other groovey stuff I had jammed in that 50 cal. ammo can was lost. Then Tim's personal stuff started floating away as well. It wasn't until we attempted to flip the boat back over that the other gear started to fall out of the frame.

I have been given another shot at life. I nearly died that Saturday morning about 11 am. Hopefully I will be a better man because of what I lived through. May you too be blessed,

Robert Hahn Pfister

Robert Hahn Pfister has rafted the rivers of the Canyonlands for years. He is probably the only person to have played an amplified electric guitar in the Grand Canyon's Redwall Cavern.

This document was last updated on Saturday, June 20, 1998