Thus it become popular, but not famous, that is until the “Ralston incident”. Even so, I guess my reuest when unheeded because I was surprised when it actually showed up at the top of the best adventures ever in a book that published a few years later (which was the same book that Aaron Ralston was using on his now infamous trip).
I also told a famous guidebook author of the canyon, but asked that it not be published. After some earier exploration, we made our first trip (the ancient cultures probably found a way through a long time ago and were probably the first visitors-pictographs in well known Horseshoe Canyon below Bluejohn date back 3000-8000 years ago) of the entire canyon (head to mouth) when I led a trip in the mid 1990’s. In 2003, he was forced to amputate his own arm in order to escape and survive.
The canyon became world famous after Aron Ralston had his epic descent of the canyon. He disappeared and no trace of him was ever found. In the late 1800’s, alone he launched a boat on the Colorado River from Hite and attempted to float through Glen Canyon to Lees Ferry. John Griffith had one brown eye and one blue eye that earned him his nickname Blue John. The canyon is named for a semi-notorious old west outlaw that used to hide from the law in this and nearby canyons. Bluejohn Canyon in located in Southeast Utah in a region known as Robbers Roost.
