Colorado man falls to his death in national park

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A parks service spokesman says a Colorado man fell to 300 feet to his death while climbing in Utah's Zion National Park.

Zion spokesman Tom Haraden says James Martin Welton, of Durango, was climbing the "Touchstone" Friday when he fell.

The fall was reported just after 7 p.m. by other climbers who stopped a Zion shuttle bus. A team of 11 rescue workers recovered Welton's body.

Haraden says the fall is under investigation. Authorities want to determine if an equipment failure or a judgment error contributed to the fall.

Touchstone is one of Zion's most popular climbing routes. Haraden says it stretches 1,000 feet from riverbed to rim and typically takes two days.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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