Grand Adventure
This time last week I was laying on the desert floor of the Grand Canyon waiting for a helicopter that was never coming. I had crashed physically while leading a scout group on a 65 mile trek through the back country. I was completely out of gas, and couldn’t continue. We were about three miles into a steep and strenuous eight mile exit route, and we had left the only water source for the day hours before. The sun was baking, and we had already delayed about two hours on our expected nine hour exit route.
CJ Crean, Dominic Fattorini, and Liam Kennedy on the Escalante Route above the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon.
Up until this point we were having the adventure of a lifetime. The Grand Canyon is massive (almost 2000 square miles) and beautiful. The back country sections where we were backpacking offer great physical challenges and scenery that it impossible to describe or capture in photographs. Every day we saw things that took tens of thousands of years to create. On two days we saw Native American structures and relics that were over 1100 years old. The scouts and leaders explored areas that have extremely limited traffic (less than 20 humans per day over 30-50 square miles of desert, and only for a few months per year when the weather is tolerable and there is enough water to support the visitors).
Given my condition, the water supply, the fitness of the group, and the need to get out before dark, we decided to break into two groups. My son Ethan and I stayed put, and the rest of the group continued on towards the rim. They ended up climbing the rim wall in the dusk about 12 hours after leaving camp in the morning. Many were low or out of water by then.
As tough as this sounds, we were comfortable and safe. We had a satellite phone and a GPS. The Grand Canyon EMS team knew exactly where we were and what shape we were in. We had a leader on the rim who we were in contact with, who was in contact with EMS, and who was keeping people back at home in the loop. It was over a hundred degrees, but we had plenty of water (Ethan and I had about 14 liters between the two of us). We had plenty of food (we always bring a bit extra on long trips just in case something happens). We are very experienced backpackers and campers. Not ideal circumstances, but certainly something we were comfortable dealing with, and something we were prepared for. After a few calls back and
Troop 109 resting under a natural “dugout” in the Grand Canyon.
forth with EMS, we realized the helicopter couldn’t fly safely due to the crazy wind.
Scouts learn all about first aid, they know how to build shelters, they know how to survive in various environments, and we play “worst case scenario” before every high adventure trip. We don’t expect these types of situations, and we certainly try to avoid them, but we are as prepared as we can be to handle the unexpected challenges of backcountry treks.
In this case the scouts and leaders did great. I blew the safety whistle (which we all carry), and within seconds the group responded. The came back and carried my pack forward. We had a pack-off break, we rested, drank-up, and had snacks. We took our time. But, within an hour I knew it wasn’t going to work. I just couldn’t go. I had heat exhaustion caused by heat, exertion, and lack of salt (I had been drinking fine, but the volume of electrolytes I was taking was not keeping up with what I was sweating out). After telling the other leaders I didn’t think I could make it, and to call for the rescue, the scouts took action. They build a temporary shelter from the sun. They made sure I was comfortable, drinking, cooling down, snacking, and resting – all of the things that should be done when addressing heat exhaustion.
Once we decided to break into two groups so that I could rest and recover, and they could exit safely, they setup a permanent tent and took down the temporary shelter. They made sure Ethan and I had what we needed, and then they headed off towards the exit. Ethan and I were on our own for a while. We had the satellite phone and GPS, and periodically checked in with the EMS team and our other leader on the rim. We were fine, but struggling to recover. The best plan was to sit tight, try to stay cool, rest, drink, eat, and try to recover energy. That’s what we did. We stayed in place for about 6 hours until the sun started going behind the mountains. That wasn’t enough for me to fully recover, but it was enough to move, so we packed up and moved about a mile-and-a-half uphill towards the rim. We setup camp for the night, had
Troop 109 treking through a section of desert on the Tonto level of the Grand Canyon (12-1500 feet above the Colorado River).
dinner, and checked-in with EMS and our team on the top. We learned that they had all made it out safely, and that a couple could come back down-trail in the morning to help. We rode out the night – with a crazy wind storm – and set off towards the rim a little after 7AM. I still wasn’t full of pep, so we took it slow and took some long breaks. Ethan was great. He ended up looping me a few times as he carried one pack up the hills and came back to get the other. By about eleven, I was worn out and ready to try the helicopter again. But, no luck – still not flying. After a good long break, and after some salty food, we moved forward again. After a short while, we connected with CJ Crean and Pete Fattorini who had come back down into the canyon to help us out. They had fresh cold water and snacks, and capacity to help carry my pack and gear. CJ was great. He carried my pack for the next several hours as we slowly made our way to the top.
This is a great example of scouting skills and teamwork. These scouts and leaders all did great. Not only did we have another adventure of a lifetime, but they handled an emergency situation extremely well. This doesn’t happen by accident. I certainly want to highlight the actions of Ethan, CJ, Pete, and Brian(our leader on the rim), and I’m very thankful for all they did, but I also want to make it obvious that planning, and preparation, and scouting skills, and scouting values are really important and can make a huge difference in life. We had the right team and the capability to split into two teams if needed. We had an extra day in our schedule just in case. We had extra water and food. We had all kinds of first aid gear. We had safety lines and the ability to make harnesses. We had a sat phone and GPS and paper maps. We had talked about “what if” scenarios and had exit plans for each section of our trip well before we entered the canyon. We left detailed plans with several people who could help us if needed. We had scouts and leaders who did what was needed – even if it was outside their comfort zone. We have scouts and leaders who accept personal responsibility and who willfully provide service to others. They truly are “Prepared for Life” to quote a tagline from BSA’s new marketing materials.
Overall, it was fantastic trip, and wonderful experience. I could do without the last day, and looking back I would probably not recommend this exact trek for others due to some of the other dangers we faced earlier in the week. However, the scouts did fantastic and had the experience of a lifetime. They completed a long wilderness backcountry trek through one of the harshest environments in the United States. That’s an awesome accomplishment and I’m proud of every single one of them.
Big kudos to Ethan and CJ.
Regards,
Dave Flaherty
Westfield City Councilor [email protected]
P.S. Yes, you’ll see me on the backpacking trails again.
P.P.S. It’s budget time in Westfield. Not much has changed: there’s little money; there are lots of competing worthy demands; there’s massive unfunded snowballing obligations related to employee benefits; State funding is flat; and, taxpayers have had enough. We’ll see the Mayor’s proposed budget in the coming weeks. The City Council Finance Committee will hold public meetings shortly with many of the largest departments. Please attend these meetings if possible. You’ll learn a lot about the budget, and the City Council needs to hear what your priorities are before we vote on budget cuts and taxes. Feel free to email me any questions or concerns.
