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Lost twice in one weekend!!

 
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RedRoxx44
Queen of the Walkabout




Joined: 15 Jan 2004
Posts: 1167

PostPosted: 9/25/2005, 9:15 pm    Post subject: Lost twice in one weekend!! Reply to topic Reply with quote

The weekend--

Boy, lots went on so this will be short ( for me)----

Up to the mogollon rim out of Payson for the ARA and some caving. I drove up the crazy beeline at night. Traffic was moving smartly and I had an hair curling experience, when some nitwit lost their quad off the trailer. Pitch dark highway and suddenly here is a wrecked quad wheels facing sideways across the traffic lanes. The vehicle beside me and I had seconds to "split the difference" and get around the thing. We had scraping room on both sides.
I car camped in the pines, to a nice clear night. The next morning rolled into "caver central", met new folks, pulled up a chair with those I knew for a cup of coffee.
We got into Cave #3 early, and it was pretty interesting. Get into the opening laying on your back, your helmet barely making it in. Then the cave was like a giant tube, pretty low, and mazey. It was lots of crawling, some down and dirty in mud and trying to stay out of a little water. We ran into a couple of sumps, which made us do some lateral passages off the main route. Our leader wasn't too sure in these areas so all of us got to route find abit. Our group was 8 people.
Formations were small but pretty, and one area the passage had cleaned out and a ancient floor was about mid head level on me with a decorated passage above the passage. We got to the "big room", nicely decorated along one line of the ceiling.
Before that we had crawled on our bellies forever in mud at an angle trying to stay out of the subterranean stream.

After that the afternoon, different things went on. A resurgance was discovered and was to be dug out to see if it revealed a cavern. Another group was onto Ridge walking, along some limestone runs, to see if any unknown caves or sinkholes were present. Here I famously didn't put my thinking cap on, distracted by group dynamics I suppose. Our group of six paired up, and all had at least one radio and two groups had GPS. My partner and I had no GPS, he had a radio, and I had a map but left my compass in Tuscon. So sure enough we got separated, I wandered in the forest, finally got serious , and by map and sun position got to the road. However I did not know my position from the cars. I did know where the main camp was, and as it was getting dark, decided to hoof it for that. I hoped I would catch someone driving the road, I was sure the others were worried, or get a ride back up to my car from someone in the main camp. I was spotted on the road, the others were getting ready to get other folks and flashlights for the search. I told them, never call a SAR for me, I'll get somewhere eventually.

The next morning, after a meeting by a big fire and plenty of libations, we got up and decided to rig a climbing rope 40 feet up over a stout tree limb, and wake up by practicing ascending and descending. I got a chance to try out my system for ascending, which I found out after going up the rope about 20 feet twice, I need to tweak a lot. Others, the pros, ran up and down the rope, changing over while on rope from ascending to rappelling and free rapping down.
Next we decided to see a smaller cave as I had to get to Phoenix by 6:00 pm.

Ha-- five of us, and our leader was in a big hurry, he said oh, its an easy straight shot, you can't get lost. The other two guys with me have about 70 years of caving between them but had never been in this cave. Yep, after we got to the very back and looked at some interesting formations, coming out we got lost. We were within 25 feet of the entrance. We blundered around in some lateral passages, then sat down and thought it out. Retraced our steps, I went up an unlikely looking side passage and there was daylight around the corner.

I made to Phoenix, had a nice dinner with Sun_Hiker and JW ( thanks guys) and made it home were I can get lost in Tucson with no trouble, thank you.
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Arizonaheat
Got Supes Juice?




Joined: 04 Jan 2003
Posts: 1741
Location: Mesa, AZ

PostPosted: 9/26/2005, 5:18 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Sounds like a weekend full of adventure. Glad you aren't wandering around in the deep dark abyss trying to find your way out.
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RedRoxx44
Queen of the Walkabout




Joined: 15 Jan 2004
Posts: 1167

PostPosted: 9/26/2005, 5:41 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Even worse, lost my camera!!! But now is found with a couple of emails. Hopefully will have it ransomed and some pics up in a week or so.
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Shawn
I'll sell you map to Lost Dutchman mine!




Joined: 03 Jan 2003
Posts: 2592
Location: Ahwatukee, AZ

PostPosted: 9/26/2005, 7:08 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Arizonaheat wrote:
Sounds like a weekend full of adventure. Glad you aren't wandering around in the deep dark abyss trying to find your way out.


. . . . or the news item of the day.
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Nighthiker





Joined: 05 Jan 2003
Posts: 1714

PostPosted: 9/27/2005, 10:06 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Spent time near Horton Creek on Sunday and Monday quite warm and lots of boy scouts milling about. Large rasberrys and wild strawberrys were plentiful. Sounds like you folks had a great time. My limited cave trips we went in a cave and exited from a sinkhole and I would rather have gone back thru the cave. RedRoxx, are you using Prusiks to ascend or mechanical ascenders ?
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RedRoxx44
Queen of the Walkabout




Joined: 15 Jan 2004
Posts: 1167

PostPosted: 9/28/2005, 4:13 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Nighthiker---I have decided on the Frog system of ascending, a Jumar type top ascender and a chest ascender ( I am using a croll). I will eventually post pictures of the weekend when I get the camera. I have several shots of others "on rope", mostly using the frog system. This system is European based and is a simple system to swtich over to other ropes.
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gpsjoe





Joined: 01 Feb 2004
Posts: 535
Location: Mesa AZ

PostPosted: 9/28/2005, 9:37 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Another great adventure! You are amazing. Someday you might do the GPS thing since it is a very powerful navigation tool when you can recieve sattelite signals. It can direct you back to your car in the middle of the night provided you can get around any natural barriers (terrain features, etc.) and do it precisely.

Some of the local outfitters offer GPS training. If you can navigate menus on a PC you will easily be able to learn how to use a GPS.
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pfredricks





Joined: 10 Apr 2003
Posts: 347
Location: Peoria, AZ

PostPosted: 9/28/2005, 4:14 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

But if people use those GPS things we wont have any getting lost stories.

Glad to have you back RedROxx
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Davis2001R6





Joined: 12 Dec 2003
Posts: 5591
Location: Italy

PostPosted: 9/28/2005, 6:54 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

GPS in a cave? Now good luck on that one!
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RedRoxx44
Queen of the Walkabout




Joined: 15 Jan 2004
Posts: 1167

PostPosted: 9/28/2005, 7:40 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Pics are up; I think I look dashing with a small mud goatee. Nothing like running around camp no telling how long before someone says, "hey, you got mud on your face".
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terricita10





Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 46

PostPosted: 9/28/2005, 8:55 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Redroxx the pics are great. Can't believe how facinating it is inside the earth. The mud goatee is just a perfect look for you Laughing Laughing

Terri
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desertgirl





Joined: 19 Jan 2003
Posts: 3350
Location: Chandler, AZ

PostPosted: 9/28/2005, 11:14 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Thanks for sharing the pictures ... Very Happy Including the mud goatee....
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Hikngrl
Canyoneering is my 'Happy Place'




Joined: 27 May 2003
Posts: 5578
Location: Peoria, AZ

PostPosted: 9/29/2005, 5:41 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Oh my gosh! Great pictures! I wanna do this so bad it hurts! I also wanna know where you got your overalls! I need a new pair cause my old ones have officially died and I can't find any!
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desertgirl





Joined: 19 Jan 2003
Posts: 3350
Location: Chandler, AZ

PostPosted: 9/29/2005, 11:00 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Hikngrl wrote:
cause my old ones have officially died and I can't find any!


What's that supposed to mean .... Wink
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Nighthiker





Joined: 05 Jan 2003
Posts: 1714

PostPosted: 9/30/2005, 7:56 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Wow, great time. Hats off to you folks for using the gear in limited light conditions.
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