Strange Birds

I grew up doing some quail hunting in Indiana. In high school and college I tried pheasant hunting in Iowa and turkey hunting in Indiana. My dad, "Outdoor Mike", was really good along with "Big Kenny" and "Wild Bill". I on the other hand seemed to always struggle. I missed way more birds than I bagged. Those seasoned hunters will still recall hunts with amusement in which my gun made a lot of noise with the only results being noise. Over the past four years on the Navajo Nation I went after Merriam's Turkeys in the Chuska Mountains with my hunting partner, Tom. Each year we would hear turkeys, see turkeys, and dream of turkeys, but the only turkeys we brought home were ourselves. This year things changed. We were successful in bagging two turkeys, but as fate would have it for us, these were very unusual turkeys. One was a bearded hen, which only about 10% of hens grow beards. The other, which I actually called in, was a beardless gobbler. This is even more rare but possible as the beard may be lost in a fight with another gobbler. Still, they are beautiful birds that will be very tasty. Several local Navajo people are already expressing desire for the feathers, which they will use in powwows and other ceremonies or art endeavors. We are more than happy to oblige. It's been a long time coming.

THE "BEARDED HEN"





THE "BEARDLESS GOBBLER"

In the Footsteps of a Survivor

Staying in southern Utah...Yeah, Rich is right, it is a parched land. If you venture into the Utah wilderness, you'd better be carrying enough water or know where to find some. At the same time you better have a darn good weather forecast because if water does come, it comes fast and hard in the form of violent flash floods. This is especially true in slot canyons, which are prevalent across this easily eroded land. Several years ago Tracy and I hiked the world's longest called Buckskin Gulch. Two weeks ago Brian and I hiked one you may have heard of called Blue John Canyon. It was supposedly first through-hiked in the mid 1990's, and then only a handful went through it each year. It was not until April of 2003 that this slot became famous nationally. That was when hardcore adventurer, Aaron Ralston tried to hike through it solo. Just before the darkest and narrowest part he climbed over a chokestone only to have it fall onto his right arm. The 800 pound rock pinned his arm against the canyon wall. He spent the next five days stuck trying different strategies to free himself and stay alive. Finally, after enduring very cold nights and very lonely days, not too mention drinking his own urine, he chose the only remaining option for freedom. He used his dull knife to cut through his own dead flesh and then break his bones to be free. That was only the beginning as he then had to navigate through a very tough narrow section of the canyon, rappel 70 feet to the bottom of the open canyon, and hike about six miles out. His adventure is recounted in his book titled Between a Rock and a Hard Place, which is excellently written. Blue John Canyon is a pretty tough canyon to hike. I wouldn't want to do it by myself. I had Brian, and on top of that several other people knew what we were doing. Ralston chose to do it solo and not leave an itinerary with anyone. Those are mistakes that all of us should keep from repeating. Is he a hero? Probably not, but you have to admire his survival story. I mean, I had enough trouble rappelling with two arms, and I was fully hydrated and nourished. How many other people could have survived the ordeal? Does just any human automatically go into "survival mode"?

Anyway, Brian and I had a fun, successful hike through Blue John and out through Horseshoe Canyon. In Horseshoe are the largest pictographs in the world known as the Great Gallery. It is pretty impressive. The whole adventure was challenging, beautiful, and rewarding. Enjoy the pics. Click on them to enlarge.

THE BIG DROP

THE GREAT GALLERY