Story by Patrick Kelly, Steamboat Today
Monday, June 22, 2015
The body of a 34-year-old Richard "Ricky" Francis Zinter was recovered in the Green River Monday, two days after he disappeared in a rafting accident in Dinosaur National Monument, according to officials.
On Saturday, a group of 16 people rafted Triplet Falls on the Green River. After navigating the rapids, four members of the private rafting party, including Zinter, decided to hike upstream to run a section known as the “Birth Canal.”
The group made it through the rapids on a 9-foot paddle raft but hit a rock shortly downstream, flipping the raft and tossing the four occupants into the river.
Three of the four rafters were able to swim to shore. Zinter was spotted in the water below the rapid before he disappeared.
According to a news release from the National Park Service, members of his rafting party said he appeared to be stuck.
“The rafting party observed that his personal flotation device and one shoe popped to the surface where he was last seen,” stated the press release.
The group searched for Zinter for approximately two hours before continuing downstream to seek additional assistance, stopping for the night at Rippling Brook campsite.
At 11:15 a.m. Sunday, the rafters notified rangers at Echo Park Ranger Station of the incident. Dinosaur National Monument staff contacted Moffat County’s Sheriffs Office and Colorado Parks and Wildlife to form a response team.
The multi-agency response team launched their water-based search and recovery efforts from Gates of Lodore at approximately 5 p.m. Sunday. On Monday, they arrived at Triplet Falls.
Around noon Monday, Zinter's body was located and transported to Echo Park by raft.
According to the National Park Service, Triplet Falls, which has a Class III difficulty rating, is located in a remote portion of Dinosaur National Monument about 12 river miles from the monument’s northern boundary. The area is surrounded by steep canyon walls rising 1,200 feet and higher above the river.
There is no cell service in that portion of the monument, the National Park Service news release stated, and river flow was approximately 1,670 cubic feet per second at the time of the incident.
Reach Patrick Kelly at 970-875-1795 or pkelly@CraigDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @MP_Kelly.
Courtesy of National Park Service
DINOSAUR NATIONAL MONUMENT, Colo. –The body of a missing rafter was recovered near Triplet Falls on the Green River in Dinosaur National Monument Monday afternoon.
The 34-year-old Denver man was a part of a 16-member private river trip that ran Triplet Falls Saturday. After going through the rapid, four group members, including the victim, hiked back upstream to run a section of the rapid known as the Birth Canal.
The group made it through the Birth Canal but hit a rock shortly below that caused the raft to flip, dumping all occupants into the river, according to a press release from the National Park Service.
Three of the rafters were able to swim to shore. The release states members of group reported the victim appeared to be stuck.
The group search for the missing rafter for about two hours. The group then continued downstream on their rafts to get help, the release states.
At about 11:15 a.m. on Sunday, the rafting party arrived at Echo Park Ranger Station to report the incident, the release states.
Moffat County Sheriff’s Office and Colorado Parks and Wildlife assembled a response team to search for the missing rafter. The Denver man’s body was found Monday at about 12:30 p.m.
“The staff at Dinosaur National Monument expresses their condolences to the family and friends of the victim,” the release states.
The release states: “Triplet Falls, which has a Class III difficulty rating, is located in a remote location of Dinosaur National Monument about 12 river miles from the northern boundary.”
Dinosaur National Monument is located along the Utah-Colorado border, and the portion located in Utah is about 17 miles from Vernal via US-40.
On Saturday, a group of 16 people rafted Triplet Falls on the Green River. After navigating the rapids, four members of the private rafting party decided to hike upstream to run a section known as the “Birth Canal.” The group made it through the rapids on a 9-foot paddle raft but hit a rock shortly downstream, flipping the raft and tossing the four occupants into the river. Three of the four rafters were able to swim to shore. The fourth person was spotted in the water below the rapid before he disappeared. His name has not been released.
According to a news release from the National Park Service, members of his rafting party said he appeared to be stuck. “The rafting party observed that his personal flotation device and one shoe popped to the surface where he was last seen,” stated the press release. The group searched for the missing man for approximately two hours before continuing downstream to seek additional assistance, stopping for the night at Rippling Brook campsite.
http://www.steamboattoday.com/news/2015/jun/22/denver-man-dies-rafting-accident/
