This is the second essay of a two-part series about escaping a flash flood while hiking through Buckskin Gulch … Start with the first essay to read the whole story.
PARIA CANYON-VERMILLION CLIFFS WILDERNESS, Utah …
In part 1, Hank Leukart and party were forced to tent up high when caught by a flash flood in the longest slot canyon in the world.
What to do next … ??
… Finally, uncertainly and silence makes the decision for us, as the sun rises and begins to bake us. We reluctantly climb out of the canyon and begin making our way across the trail-less Utah backcountry, in 91-degree heat. We don’t know exactly where we’re going, which, for me, I admit, is my favorite kind of adventure. I use the topographical maps in my GPS device to find our way around The Dive, a stretch of severe, orange and red sandstone cliffs, blocking our route to the closest trailhead. Everyone in the group complains about the sizzling weather, but as I trudge along, I’m find myself enjoying the adventure and extraordinary views of the Utah desert.
“Hank, you’re our Moses,” Suzanne remarks as she watches me lead the caravan across the scorching sand.
I also pray that I’m not like Moses, because, after all, in Exodus, Moses dies before reaching Israel. I hope to stay alive all the way to the White House Trailhead. …
Trip Report – Picos de Europa Circuit – by site editor Rick McCharles
An unforgettable (91.5km) route covering the … most extaordinary limestone landscapes – river gorges, alpine lakes, depressions, dense beech woods, narrow canals, cliff hanging trails and peaks with breathtaking views
MAGIC …
Urriellu – photo by Edu-im
The rain in Spain
falls mainly
… in the NORTH.
Green Spain, it’s called, home to a wealth of flora and fauna. Including, perhaps, 90 bears.
The weather in Picos de Europa is very atypical for Spain. Happily, September is normally the best month.
Cangas de Onís is the busiest and most easily accessed of the gateway towns. … and can supply all last-minute needs.
Roman Bridge – Cangas de Onís
Frequent buses deliver you from Cangas to Covadonga, an impressive tourist attraction.
… In 722 AD, Iberian Christians won the battle over the Moors in Covadonga. This was the first significant Christian victory over the occupying Moors; as such, it is often considered to be the start of the Reconquista, the 770-year effort to expel the Moors from Iberia. …
Dom PelayoCovadonga Cathedral
During the summer you can bus all the way from Cangas to the trailhead at Ercina Lake. Unfortunately I arrived the day after those buses stopped running for the season. I hitched the last 12km or so from Covadonga. The Spanish couple who picked me up were also hiking a variation of the circuit staying in refugios, alpine huts providing beds and meals.
Lago Ercina in good weather – Browserd
Here’s how the lakeside looked to me.
I’d arrived into the frequent, infamous Picos mist. A thick fog bank that often clouds the valleys and lower elvations of this micro climate.
After wandering around blind for 3hrs … I finally set up my tent right at the trailhead. A rotten start to the adventure.
Later I learned the couple that had driven me to the trailhead walked directly to the refugio using GPS.
Note to self: Get me a GPS.
In Asia we called illegal The North Face knock-off clothing … The North Farce.
They should go after the Asian companies producing those goods, not a teen in the mid-West.
A Missouri teenager frustrated with his classmates’ sheep-like following of a popular clothing line came up with his own parody apparel and now faces a lawsuit for trademark infringement.
Jimmy Winkelmann, 18, said he’s not intimidated by threats of a lawsuit from The North Face Apparel Company over his 2-year-old company The South Butt, LLC.
Jimmy Winkelmann said he has no intention of complying with the cease and desist request sent last month by lawyers for The North Face Apparel Corp., saying his 2-year-old business — The South Butt LLC — poses no threat to it.
Yup. Worst case scenario. It rained while they were hiking the world’s longest slot canyon:
… I hear the sound of a single thunder clap.
“Did you hear that?!” Rich asks me, nervously.
“Yes,” I say, uncomfortably. “But it sounded like it was very far away. I haven’t felt any raindrops.”
“I think we should turn back now,” says a worried Suzanne. Next to the water-susceptible Flat Stanley, she is the most risk-adverse hiker in our group.
“I am not turning back now,” Wendy says firmly. But our major concern is that there are only two safe places for us to camp: at the confluence of the Paria River and Buckskin Gulch (11.5 miles away) and atop the apparently impossible-to-find Middle Route escape trail (6 miles away). If we choose to continue, we must reach one of these two exits, because camping on the floor of the canyon is a recipe for certain death in the case of a flash flood. …
My name is Andrea. I was born and raised in Leicestershire in the U.K. In 1994 I drove 15,000 miles around the United States and on returning home, couldn´t seem to settle back into the old routine. So, I uprooted myself from there to come and work ´for the summer´ on the island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. Well, that was twelve years ago now. Since being here, I have realised that there is definately more on offer on this volcanic island than just beaches and nightlife and so, armed with my passion for walking, I have decided to share these thoughts and ideas with you along with alternative outdoor pursuit options. ..
So, what´s this blog about?
It is a blog aimed to show people a different way of exploring the island by getting away from the typical tourist bus tours where you find that you only have a limited time to discover the places that you are shown. Initially, I will cover walking tours showing parts of this impressive island that can´t be viewed from a car or bus window. I then aim to show the numerous alternative outdoor pursuits available here ranging from kayaking, diving, mountain biking, surfing and horse riding, to name a few. …
The days of foreigners being “covered” for health costs in nations with socialized medicine are ending. In Switzerland you would pay the full cost of helicopter rescue if you are not a citizen.
Even in the developing world, hospital costs could crush you:
… Aussie tourist took an unlucky fall off a steep mountain track in India and ended up paralyzed in a hospital in New Delhi. And yes, you guessed it, this guy was traveling without any insurance, even though he was 64 years old and should have known better.
The result of this stumble is that his family back in Oz have maxed out their credit cards to pay the hospital bills and so far can’t afford to get him on a plane and home. …
You must buy travel insurance if hiking out-of-country. Most policies allow trekking, but do not cover climbing nor mountaineering. Double check your coverage.
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On a related issue, posted in Gadling – Should a medical exam be required before a major trek?
Physicians and politicians in Australia are calling for mandatory physicals for any trekkers preparing to hike the Kokoda Track according to Aussie newspaper The Age. The Kokoda is a difficult and remote trail in Papua New Guinea, which has claimed the lives of three hikers this year alone. …
My gut feeling is that regulation is going too far. The normal “release” form should be enough.
Adults must be responsible to make their own decisions in so far as adventure sport is concerned.
If a company voluntarily requires a medical, no problem. But a government should not impose this requirement.
For example, A Sierra Club Upper Dolpo Trek in Nepal requires a full medical and approval by the trip leader, but not because the government requires it.
… I’m personally shopping for travel insurance right now. Leave a comment if you have a recommendation.
My name is Andrea. I was born and raised in Leicestershire in the U.K. In 1994 I drove 15,000 miles around the United States and on returning home, couldn´t seem to settle back into the old routine. So, I uprooted myself from there to come and work ´for the summer´ on the island of 
