Wildest outdoors experience?

Some comments in the corrupt a wish thread about flash flooding jarred some old memories.....
Back in my young wild days, in the Marine Corps, I was stationed in Yuma, AZ. Our primary entertainment was 4x4 trips into the desert to explore, shoot, camp, and hike. One trip we took was to drive the El Camino Del Diablo (highway of the devil) trail along the border 'tween mexico and arizona. It was very rugged, lightly traveled, and an overnight trip.
Once, we came to a nice mesa overlooking some dry washes about time to setup camp (dusk) and setup. We were rewarded with a spectacular light show, as a thunderstorm rumbled about 20 miles north of us. Next morning we started out, and when it was time to cross one of the washes we found 3 disabled vehicles stuck in a wash. Apparantely some brain surgeons on the same trail decided to camp in the wash. They'd had an interesting night as a 6" deep flash flood roared down the wash. Anyone who's seen a flash flood knows that even a small one is all powerful and destructive. One vehicle was totaled. Another suffered pretty good body damage and another was full of muck and mud, ruining the carpet. We were able to extricate all three, and then had an entertaining time crossing the now muddy washes.
Whats some of the wildest things you've come across while playing outdoors?
PS I've got a few more gems I'll wait to share....

This happened to me the summer I was 15. I didn't live in Utah yet, but my family came out every year for vacation. A friend (her family owns the Frazier Park area in Provo canyon and have for years) and I decided it would be fun to launch a canoe on the Provo River (it was early June and the water was extremely swift and cold). About two seconds after we launched from the bank, we capsized. She was able to grab a huge branch from a tree that was hanging over the river and got back to the bank. I wasn't so lucky and kept heading down the river. I finally hit a rock, but the current was so swift it was pulling me under and I couldn't get a grip to pull myself up out of the water. It is a true statement that your life flashes before your eyes, but since I was only 15, not much was there to review yet. :haha:

What saved my life was that her father and my father drove up at that time. Between them and a couple of other men, my Dad "walked" a line to me and pulled me to safety. I was absolutely blue by the time I got out of that water. Needless to say, I haven't been canoeing on Provo River since. :nod:

I can see it as if it happened only yesterday...... May 25, 2005, Zion National Park in a canyon known as Gothcha. Our tenuous excuse for a camp is situated on a slender ledge in the bottom of a deep chasm. Our spirits are high; we had come so far and canyoneered to new depths. Surely the last 2000 meters of canyon could be no worse than the distance we had already traveled. Conditions were good, and I was calm, looking forward a bit starry-eyed at ticking anther canyon from my list.

But nothing comes easy in this canyon. We were totally alone and had no communication with the outside world. My partner was well seasoned. You could hardly ask for a more experienced man. Justin Eatchel, or Rockgremlin as he is affectionately known, seemed to carry with him an aura of boundless competence, confidence, and good humor; you could not help but feel it anytime he was around.

As the sky turned black with night I couldn't help but feel that something was out of place. I felt as if we were being watched and let my feeling be known to Rockgremlin who simply laughed off my foolishness. I tried to ignore the insanity of my feelings as I climbed into my sleeping bag.

Unbeknownst to us, only a few meters away, a mutinous group of alien's from anther solar system was watching. A flash of light

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Iceaxe

But my heart did go out to poor old Rockgremlin who was repeatedly gang probed for the balance of our visit.

---

Well Ice, I hope that you at least offered up some lube to the aliens as they were having at poor ole Rock. I mean, a dry f**k alien gang probe doesn't sound like fun. :haha:

Here is the newspaper report of the incident.....

Local Man Found Shackled to Tree-911 Response
Salt Lake City, Utah

Local man Justin Eatchel was rescued by 911 workers late Saturday afternoon, after children playing in a forested area that morning discovered the man shackled to a tree with a blanket over his head. He was reportedly sobbing.

"I thought they were kidding!" admitted Anne Johnston, mother of two of the four children who discovered the man. "I feel bad about it-but I thought they were just joshing me and I didn't call the police right away. I hope that man doesn't blame me."

In fact, Ms. Johnston waited about twelve hours before calling 911. Rescue crews and Sheriff's deputies arrived just before dark and cut the ropes and shackles that held Mr. Eatchel to the tree.

"He was kind of blubbering," said Deputy Arsdale. "He didn't want to talk much except to say that it had been one hell of a long night. He kept repeating was something about aliens, and an anal probe, and being spanked. We couldn't really make too much of it, to be honest."

Eatchel was transported to a local hospital where he was treated for minor lacerations of the buttocks and "some rectal difficulties", and released. Meanwhile, local police stations and news agencies across the county were swamped with calls reporting UFOs in the area.

Eatchel's friends fielded requests for interviews, though Eatchel refused to comment personally on the incident to reporters. A relative confided, however, that Eatchel had been the subject of an informal search since the previous evening. "We didn't know where the heck he'd gone to," said the woman, who asked not to be identified. "He went out for a walk last night and never came back. Imagine, all night, tied to that tree, with those things doing whatever they did to him. That just makes a person shudder. He [Eatchel] seems fine now though. Just this anal thing. It's had an effect on Justin, you know? I just hope he can work through this."

Eatchel was glimpsed briefly by reporters as he left the hospital, walking like he had a dry stick up his butt, and looking a bit downtrodden. The Sheriff's office promises to investigate further.
.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Iceaxe

Here is the newspaper report of the incident.....

Local Man Found Shackled to Tree-911 Response
Salt Lake City, Utah

Local man Justin Eatchel was rescued by 911 workers late Saturday afternoon, after children playing in a forested area that morning discovered the man shackled to a tree with a blanket over his head. He was reportedly sobbing.

"I thought they were kidding!" admitted Anne Johnston, mother of two of the four children who discovered the man. "I feel bad about it-but I thought they were just joshing me and I didn't call the police right away. I hope that man doesn't blame me."

In fact, Ms. Johnston waited about twelve hours before calling 911. Rescue crews and Sheriff's deputies arrived just before dark and cut the ropes and shackles that held Mr. Eatchel to the tree.

"He was kind of blubbering," said Deputy Arsdale. "He didn't want to talk much except to say that it had been one hell of a long night. He kept repeating was something about aliens, and an anal probe, and being spanked. We couldn't really make too much of it, to be honest."

Eatchel was transported to a local hospital where he was treated for minor lacerations of the buttocks and "some rectal difficulties", and released. Meanwhile, local police stations and news agencies across the county were swamped with calls reporting UFOs in the area.

Eatchel's friends fielded requests for interviews, though Eatchel refused to comment personally on the incident to reporters. A relative confided, however, that Eatchel had been the subject of an informal search since the previous evening. "We didn't know where the heck he'd gone to," said the woman, who asked not to be identified. "He went out for a walk last night and never came back. Imagine, all night, tied to that tree, with those things doing whatever they did to him. That just makes a person shudder. He [Eatchel] seems fine now though. Just this anal thing. It's had an effect on Justin, you know? I just hope he can work through this."

Eatchel was glimpsed briefly by reporters as he left the hospital, walking like he had a dry stick up his butt, and looking a bit downtrodden. The Sheriff's office promises to investigate further.
.

---

That is some funny shit Ice! :roflol:

And then this one time at band camp.... :haha: