Red Rocks Camera Retrieval Challenge

On Friday March 28 2008 a member of my party dropped a camera on the rappel descent of Geronimo in Juniper Canyon.

The camera is probably damaged beyond repair but the memory card should still be good. I'm sure the owner of the camera would love to have the memory card back, as it contains pictures from their first trip to Red Rock Canyon, and their first multi-pitch climbs.

The camera fell from the third of the four single-rope rappel stations (counting from the pitch 2 ledge), rattled down the crack and came to rest at the same height as the final rappel station. It is plainly visible and appears to be intact, but it is about 20 feet back in the crack behind the last belay station. (You can also see a water bottle wedged in the same crack system, closer in and lower down than the camera.)

Issues:
The camera is in clear sight from the last rappel ledge on the standard descent line, about 20 feet back, in a crack that is maybe 4 inches wide.
I am told that the camera does not have a wrist strap or anything like that which could be easily hooked.
The camera is sitting on the floor of the crack, but the floor disappears as you get closer to the rappel ledge. I don't know if it connects up to the crack at the base of the rappel chimney or goes deeper into the mountain.
It appears that about 15-20 feet up, the crack widens enough that a climber could get in, and there are wide sections inside, but I don't think a person could get within 10 feet of the camera.

Is anybody up for an interesting challenge?

I dropped my second rope in this exact location a few years back. It was interesting getting it back. I had to head first shimmy down the crack above it, which is not as roomy as it looks. I took a 16 foot stick clip modified with a hook and could still barely reach it. It took a while but I was able to finally hook the rope and bring it up. The only problem after that was to shimmy back up upside down.
Good luck with your quest.

sounds like you need some duct tape (sticky side out) secured to the end of a long stick.

sack up and get it yourself

...and what is stopping you from getting it yourself? If I climb up there tomorrow, I'm going to keep it for myself but not without posting all the pictures to the world.

Steve and the folks he was with are now back home in Minnesota. If someone picks up my airfare, I'll "sack up" and go get it as I have not gotten to Vegas yet this year. I doubt this offer will be accepted, or that anyone else will be returning immediately to retrieve the camera themselves.

Dropping cameras seems to be the in thing to do on Minnesotan climbing trips.

Hey everybody I've got an even better challenge, I need a brand new 70 meter rope
first person to buy me one wins the challenge on you mark... Get set....go!!!!!

Thanks Neil. I guess I left out the most obvious (to me) part of the issue. I can not retrive the camera myself because I am no longer in Nevada, nor at this time is anybody that I know.

John Hegyes, actually that would be fine because then we would have the pictures.