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10-07-2011, 07:42 PM #1
I Shouldn't Be Alive - Chasm Of Death
I was watching Animal Planet tonight when "I Shouldn't Be Alive" came on. Tonights new episode was titled "Chasm Of Death" and details Ben Gowen's epic in Middle Fork of Leprechaun.
For those not familiar with the story its written up here:
Leprechaun Canyon Rescue
Its a good story and the show is a must see for canyoneers as it contains some awesome slot canyon video footage. The show will repeat several times during the month of October.
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10-07-2011 07:42 PM # ADS
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10-07-2011, 08:05 PM #2
DVR set to record the 2 am showing.
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10-07-2011, 08:15 PM #3
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10-07-2011, 08:26 PM #4
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10-07-2011, 08:57 PM #5
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10-07-2011, 09:05 PM #6
Great episode, lots of good canyon shots. Huge difference between the TV version and the description from Ben on Shane's site though. And I've definitely never noticed the misspelled sign on Hwy 95 that says "Leperchaun Canyon Next Exit". Must be new?
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10-07-2011, 09:28 PM #7
Dang... I missed that.... I just lucked into the episode and missed the first few minutes.
The Britsh comapny that produces the show sent me an email about a year ago asking for Ben's contact information, which I sent them. But I never heard any more about it so I was a little surprised to see the show on tonight.
FYI: If I have my Life Flight information correct part of the Life Flight crew that rescued Ben was killed about a year later when their chopper went down west of the SLC airport. And the rescue chopper was not a Blackhawk like in the show.
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10-08-2011, 08:05 AM #8
Yeah, my kids came running up to alert me to come see it. The road sign "Leperchaun Canyon, next right" was amusing. They got so much of it wrong. In the show, they rapped into the canyon, were having fun for quite a while in the deep slot, then came to an intersection where they had to make a choice as to which way to go. They chose the wrong direction and went into Middle Lep, presumably instead of much easier East Lep? Of course, once you choose either of these routes and complete the first rap, there are no more intersections or choices to make. They were in the wrong slot from the very start...not a wrong turn in canyon. Any wrong turn would send you up canyon, from any of the forks. I would be mad if I were these guys. The show portrayed them as sniveling sissies. Maybe they were, but the show sure drove that point home. Embarrassing!
"I approach nature with a certain surly ill-will, daring Her to make trouble"
-Edward Abbey
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10-08-2011, 08:20 AM #9
Just re-read the real story. The show also claimed they spent two nights in canyon, rescued on day three. Too bad they embellished. The story is good enough without exaggerating.
"I approach nature with a certain surly ill-will, daring Her to make trouble"
-Edward Abbey
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10-08-2011, 08:43 AM #10
I agree... sometimes it's nice when something you know a little about makes the news or TV and you can see how much they exaggerate. It lets you know to only believe about half of what you read or watch.
I still think the video shot in the slot canyons was excellent, better than the Ralston Movie which had a much larger budget.
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10-08-2011, 10:14 AM #11
Agreed... They could have dine a much better job in 127 hours. They made it look like most canyoneering is simple day hikes. Although some are simple hikes once you get to them. They failed to portray just how much route finding is involved along with some of the technical difficulties getting down a slot canyon even if it isn't a "technical canyon". Water, stemming, lack of light, ect...
They did a much better job on this one hour low budget show with the exception to the exaggeration. I feel the Ralston movie portrayed the events more accurately.
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10-10-2011, 05:25 PM #12
Thanks for the heads up on this.
Yeah -- that road sign was damn funny.
Also -- did you guys notice the printed beta from Tom's website?
- Jamal
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10-10-2011, 06:15 PM #13
How about that amazing GPS receiver that could get a signal lock down in the slot? I gotta get one of those.
Overall, the show was very entertaining...
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10-10-2011, 08:00 PM #14
why is a show about a slot canyon, in the desert, that has nothing to do with animals, on Animal Planet?
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10-10-2011, 10:31 PM #15
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10-10-2011, 11:21 PM #16
people are animals?
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10-11-2011, 08:57 AM #17
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10-11-2011, 09:08 AM #18
Yeah... that kinda hurt my feelings.
The show originally discovered the story after reading my website. They called me and I spent a couple hours talking about the incident, North Wash and canyoneering with them. I put them in touch with Ben Gowans.... and than they use a map off Tom's website.... That's just not right....
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10-11-2011, 01:22 PM #19
Some pics from the show:
So that's where the turn-off for the LEPER Canyon is:
I've never done it from the top, so I had no idea there was running water up there!
When the magic GPS doesn't work, always refer to the printed map for reference. You know, compare the topo lines to the sandstone wall 2 feet away from your face and obstructing any other view:
- Jamal
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10-14-2011, 05:47 PM #20
This show is on again tonight.
9pm for those in Utah with DirectTV
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