Sunday, April 22, 2012

BLACK BOX HIKE OR LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE

Yesterday, after the 5K, I went with my family to the San Rafael. It was a GORGEOUS day! First actual HOT day of spring. We really enjoyed the weather and the clear blue cloudless sky.
Princess P, S and D sitting on the fence at lunch time.
Hiking out to the the Black Box rappell.
Princess P comparing her hand to the dinosaur print.
A portrait of S in D's glasses.
Little C and Princess P climb up to check out a hole in the rock.
Black Box canyon with the San Rafael river at the bottom. Beautiful and scary at the same time.
This the point where the trip went BAD! S started rappelling down and the end of the rope was caught up in the rock. She was too far down to reach the end and so she was stuck. The guys pulled her back up about 15 ft. and as she released the end from where it was caught, she slid all the way down to the end of the rope- only problem was that she was still 25-30 feet off the ground!! Even if the guys hadn't pulled her up, there still wouldn't have been enough rope! D went and found someone with another rope they let him take and Cory went off after her. She was screaming and crying by then. I couldn't see her by that point, she was behind the rock, but I could tell by her voice she was NOT okay. Cory got down there and saved her, but just barely.
S, caught dangling from the rope, unable to get the end free.

When they got down the first thing they did was say a prayer. I could see them kneeling down, thanking our Heavenly Father for sparing the life of our daughter. So many things happened that are testaments of His blessings to us that day! Big C and S still had to hike out of the canyon. I guess they both sobbed the whole way out, just shaking from the intensity of the experience. 
Here are the consequences of the rescue- Big C's back and right shoulder have horrible rope burns and so do he and S's hands.
This was not our most relaxing trip to the Swell, but the one we learned the most from...

2 comments:

Marilyn R Miller said...

What a great day to be in the San Raphael Swell!!!! I miss it so much! I have spent days there.... One on the rim doing drawings for a commissioned painting..... saw no one else. One, a friend and I met a sheep herder and his herd. First we heard the wonderfully quiet sound of approaching hooves on that red soil, then we saw them, then they surrounded us with thrir keeper approaching on horseback. He and his horse stood near us for about two minutes. No one spoke. He nodded, turned his horse and left as quietly as he and the herd had come. Magic communication...
20 years ago I left Utah to return to Idaho to care for aging parents. The most difficult thing was knowing I would not be within three hours of the magic colors, feelings, and joys of that area. I have loved being back here. Idaho is beautiful also, but how I miss your area.....Thank you for sharing your great Saturday!

Marilyn R Miller said...

I just read the whole account.... I am so glad all were safely gathered in....