You’ve made it to the top of Castleton Tower. Now all you have to do is … get down. 

A pair of climbers meet unexpected challenges in a race against sunset on one of Moab’s most famous desert towers. Grand County Search and Rescue’s Technical Rope Rescue Team prepares for a helicopter dropoff 300 feet high in near total darkness. We hear firsthand why Castleton Tower is such an iconic climb … and such a Search and Rescue hotspot.

Show Notes: 

Moab climbing resources can be found at Mountain Project and in the book High on Moab. And remember the 10 essentials for your adventure in the Moab area at discovermoab.com/podcast. 

Grand County Search and Rescue Grand County Search and Rescue is one of the busiest SAR teams in Utah. Find out more here. 

Back From Beyond is reported and produced by Molly Marcello. Original music by Jon Gottschalk. This series is made possible by the Moab Office of Tourism in partnership with KZMU, Moab Community Radio. 

Chapters:

(00:00:00 ) Intro

(00:03:56 ) Castleton Tower

(00:09:26 ) The Climb

(00:40:30 ) Search and Rescue

(01:05:50 ) After Action 

(01:12:20 ) Thank Yous

Questions? Comments? We’d love to hear your thoughts! Drop us a line at backfrombeyond.moab@gmail.com.