Hiker's GoPro Footage Captures Harrowing Moments As Deadly Flash Floods Swept Through Zion National

[clintgillespie]

Watching this footage is super confusing. Why is he running down hill during a potential flash flood? Why is he telling people to run down hill? Those hikers huddling against the wall seemed like they knew more than the dumb, panicky guy.

[turtleriverrafting]

CBS LA should be embarrassed by this story. First the two incidents (if you could call the Angels Landing footage an incident) have nothing to do with each other. Using the tragedy in Keyhole as part of this story is incredibly disrespectful to the seven that died. This guy is clueless. Racing down a slippery paved path to get to low ground during a possible flash flood is idiotic at best. There was nothing harrowing going on. The upper part of the Angels Landing trail won't flash and all you have to do is find a spot out of the flow and stay put. Take this DOWN!

[FleischerFamilyFun]

This guy running down the path doesn't have a clue. Neither does the news team. The Utah locals would watch this and laugh. He is in more danger running down a wet hill.

[oBseSsIoNPC]

I thought the whole footage was weird, looking through the comments makes a lot of sense now. Thanks to the people that actually know what they are talking about. Gotta hate shitty news reporting.

[caymusfreemark]

Good Lord! The site of this video is the path to Angel's Landing and THOSE people on the path were NOT in danger of being swept away. The site where the hikers were caught by the flash flood was up in the narrows of the canyon in the Virgin River several miles away. THESE folks in THIS video were NOT in the Virgin River but rather on a CONCRETE path far above the river with PLENTY of places to avoid a flash flood. The hikers who were killed had no place to avoid the flood in the narrows where the water flow went from fifty cubic feet per second to several thousand cubic feet per second.

Completely misleading.

[stmlax]

I feel like the dude who filmed this doesn't know how floods work.

[bryancsimmons]

These incidents were in completely different sections of the park. Misleading news cast.

[GaryLArnell]

As other commenters have pointed out, the newscaster commentary is misleading. These hikers were not at risk for the same kind of exposure as the 7 hikers who died in Keyhole Canyon though the newscaster makes it sound like they were in the same place. Keyhole is an enclosed, narrow slot canyon with several places that offer no escape from a torrent of rushing water and debris from above and behind. To the contrary, the hikers in this video were on a trail on a hillside, the last leg of the hike down from Refrigerator Canyon, below Angel's Landing, by the looks of it - with a paved, well-maintained walk-way they could run down. They are not in a "gorge". There is definite danger from falling\sliding water, rocks and debris from the hill above, and they were right to get down as speedily as possible, but it really doesn't compare to what the 7 hikers who lost their lives faced. And it's "zi-un", not "zi-ON".

[ThemeParkHD]

Such a sad tragedy. Just to clarify, this video shows the storm that hit Zion; not the canyon where the hikers sadly passed away. This video looks like they were on the Angel's landing trail, not in Keyhole; where the 7 were swept away.

[paulwiggins]

This guy oughta' be in movies. He is pretending to be in danger. Being separated from his Prius.

[drinny]

I actually think staying put and holding onto a tree away from the waterfalls would have been a better idea than running down a hill in the rain.

[rdroos]

Ridiculous comparison between this hiker and those who died in the slot canyon. We hike up this trail in the rain just so that we can see the amazing waterfalls. No danger of flash flooding in that area. The panicked hiker who took the GoPro probably didn't know that and not faulting him, but whoever put this story together could have done a little more homework to know that the keyhole slot canyon was much a much different situation than what this hiker was facing. Apples and oranges.

[platinumtaterbug]

My gosh this is so stupid. This guy and the canyoneering group are completely unrelated. Anyone in a slot canyon could be in trouble on a day like this. This guy was in no danger as it will not flash flood there, but even if it did, you can see in the video there’s plenty of high ground. He could have just stepped off the trail. Perfect example of news media sensationalizing nothing.

[pissoffu]

The dude was safe where he was at. Running down the mountain was more dangerous.

[stewartj]

Hurry everybody the mountainside is gonna flood!! Let’s get to lower ground in the creek bottom...Surprising this guy actually got other people to believe they were in danger and follow him

[robertsalinas]

Please stop using the picture of the 7 hikers in the link for this video. This video is not taken in the same area and the picture gives the impression it is the groups go pro footage.

[jaytok]

when the youtube comment section is smarter than mainstream news outlet

[wjim]

This is stupid. That area would never flood.

[stmlax]

Why would you run *down* a mountain to escape floodwaters?

[redstallion]

That "INSTINCT" you had is called pannic lol. In front of the whole world, on YouTube, forever. Im 32 myself, and if this generations "instinct" is to run downhill to avoid a flood... were all doomed.