ajroadtrips
07-10-2007, 07:40 PM
Jim and I decided to do a quick lap through Zero G to round out our Eardley day. A nice, casual way to end the day. I'd been through many times, but this would be Jim's first trip.
The canyon is nice, and I am surprised to find the big swimming pool several feet lower than my last trip through, yet still well over my head. That is one deep pool!
Continuing down, we come to the corner with the keeper. Jim is in the lead and makes a startled, but manly yelp as he drops into the pothole. To my surprise, we found yet another stranded bird there. I think it was the same type that Alex and Marc had found a month or so ago, a Red Tailed hawk?
Jim, being the repeated animal hero, has much experience rescuing animals in distress. My particular favorite tale of his heroism is carrying a baby deer that was stranded in the lower Black Box out. But I digress.
The bird looks a little ragged, but still ok. Jim tosses my shirt over the little guy. We stuff him in my pack, and head down canyon. I setup handlines on all the drops so Jim can handline down keeping the little guy as safe as possible with the pack on. I am not sure how he managed the swim without drowning the bird, but he did.
We got the bird back to the car. Not knowing where to take him/her, we decided that leaving him with some water and food was likely enough.... nature would decide from there. I am not sure what hawks eat, but I was not keen on trying to hunt down a rabbit or lizard, so settled on sharing my dinner, Lloyds BBQ beef. The dinner of champion canyoneers everywhere.
We checked on the bird one more time before we left. He had gotten off the ground where we had put him, and on top of a cedar tree. His/her flying was still clumsily, but at least he had much more of a chance then when we had come upon him an hour earlier in the keeper.
I know when the last rescue occurred, someone mentioned renaming Zero-G to Red Tail canyon. Seems even more appropriate now.
The canyon is nice, and I am surprised to find the big swimming pool several feet lower than my last trip through, yet still well over my head. That is one deep pool!
Continuing down, we come to the corner with the keeper. Jim is in the lead and makes a startled, but manly yelp as he drops into the pothole. To my surprise, we found yet another stranded bird there. I think it was the same type that Alex and Marc had found a month or so ago, a Red Tailed hawk?
Jim, being the repeated animal hero, has much experience rescuing animals in distress. My particular favorite tale of his heroism is carrying a baby deer that was stranded in the lower Black Box out. But I digress.
The bird looks a little ragged, but still ok. Jim tosses my shirt over the little guy. We stuff him in my pack, and head down canyon. I setup handlines on all the drops so Jim can handline down keeping the little guy as safe as possible with the pack on. I am not sure how he managed the swim without drowning the bird, but he did.
We got the bird back to the car. Not knowing where to take him/her, we decided that leaving him with some water and food was likely enough.... nature would decide from there. I am not sure what hawks eat, but I was not keen on trying to hunt down a rabbit or lizard, so settled on sharing my dinner, Lloyds BBQ beef. The dinner of champion canyoneers everywhere.
We checked on the bird one more time before we left. He had gotten off the ground where we had put him, and on top of a cedar tree. His/her flying was still clumsily, but at least he had much more of a chance then when we had come upon him an hour earlier in the keeper.
I know when the last rescue occurred, someone mentioned renaming Zero-G to Red Tail canyon. Seems even more appropriate now.