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LEHI -- A Lehi man fell more than 100 feet while rappelling at Zion National Park and walked away with barely any injuries.
Eric Schriever is experienced at rappelling, and admits he made some mistakes, but still can't believe he's alive to talk about it -- not to mention the fact that his friend videotaped the entire fall.
Some say being in Zion National Park is like being closer to a higher power, and Schriever isn't going to argue. "I know there's a God, because there is no other way that I should've come out of there. I was protected," he said.
He and his buddy were getting ready for a 300-foot rappel in the park this past Tuesday. Schriever went first while his buddy videotaped him. Right away, though, both knew something was wrong.
"I lose control and stop midway because there was a knot in the rope. So that saved me from falling even further," Schriever explained while watching the video.
But once he untied the knot, he couldn't stop. Schriever fell more than 100 feet, banging hard against the rock wall before dropping to the rocks below.
"I remember the first hit on my head, and it wasn't until I watched the video that I realized I hit at least two more times on the way down," he said.
In that split second, all Schriever could think of was his wife, two daughters and his unborn son, who is due in just two weeks. "I was like, ‘I'm going to lose them, or they're going to lose me,'" he said.
However, all he suffered were burned fingers from grabbing the rope to try and slow his fall. "I hit the bottom and I realized I was OK; completely humbled, because I realized that I had just experienced a miracle, because there's no way I should be here today," he said.
But here he is, back in Lehi, still not completely sure why. "It just was not my time to be called home," he said.
Schriever admits he didn't use the right gear and rope and he didn't wrap his safety line enough times around his rope. He's hoping this video will show others who love to rappel that no matter how experienced you are, you should always be 100 percent careful -- you usually don't get two chances.
E-mail: acabrero@ksl.com
