[alpentalic]

Hi all 1st time posting here so I'll just jump in. C5 incomplete last July, making significant gains. Big into mountaineering and the outdoors, trying to get back. I made it down to Vegas and drove to Zions Canyon. I have a modest write up and video at the end. Hope it both inspires and attracts like minded people on the site, I have big ideas for the future! I posted it in 'sports' because of the activity involved, mods feel free to re-file...

(sorry if this is too long for a usual post, someone tell me if it is...)

__________Z__________I__________O__________N___________

Upon hearing we were heading to Zion NP, my friend Ryan recruited his buddy Mario to meet us out in the canyon. The plan was to get me up Angels Landing, a 2.5 mile/2000' elev gain trail described as "Not for those afraid of heights."

We rolled into the park a couple days early with my family and explored some of the flat trails in the canyon. I felt pretty good that I was able to push for miles at a time. The warm sun, incredible scenery and the energy of being at a new spot with the people I love the most gave me new drive. My aunt and uncle Peg and Stergie drove 6+ long hours and arrived later that day.

The next day, we tackled some steeper terrain. A short trail wound it's way upward to the headwall of a canyon, waterfalls streaming off the top into emerald pools below. Turning around, we found that heading downhill was a challenge. The path was wide enough, but to slip off the edge would be a deadly fall to the river below. My legs kept sliding off and I would nearly fall out of the chair. We worked it out, but it was nowheres near as steep as Angels Landing would be.

Now my Dad (the guy with full brimmed hat in the video) is not especially keen on heights or danger! I frankly didn't have any qualms about giving it a shot, but I began to wonder if he might be right about the risk involved. It's not an adventure if safety is ensured, but we resolved to check out the trail the next day. I called up Ryan and expressed the possibility that our plan might be too dangerous, the difficulties we'd encountered, and that we were going to check it and be sure for ourselves. Surely he'd understand, I had not yet seen what I'd be missing, and there were other trails in the park we could tackle.

Thank God for his response, "Dude, don't go check out that trail and psych yourself out of it!" Ryan and I share nearing 10 years of intense adventure. Our bag includes blowing up a winter tent in a white gas explosion, 10 miles deep in the alpine in freezing rain. We tackled our first volcano, climbed the underside of bridges. We'd recently hiked 80+ hard alpine miles in 3 days, so I know what he's made of and trust his skills completely. That was all I needed to hear and looked forward to the next day.

And so they arrived around noon. Mario's brother Jean Francois was visiting from Montreal. He had never even been to Vegas or the surrounding area. An accomplished climber, he by rights should have been getting as much vertical time on the rock as possible. Instead he was excited to be in on our mini epic, without him how would we have pulled it off?

The beginning of the trail was a bit rough, I privately worried my chair would fall apart. Dad, bless his crumbling nerves, probed every descending hiker for a reason not to continue. Who could blame him, we all wondered how we would pull this off. On the other hand, I've never embarked on a mountain adventure and not felt the apprehension of uncertainty. Without it, it's called a Sunday hike! I was invigorated with the months-long, forgotten feeling of the unknown. About a mile into it, we reached the point of no return. The stretch of trail got drastically steeper, over the edge 100's of feet vertical drop. Onward! We somehow made an efficient team, Ryan pushing the chair like a madman, Mario and Jean pulling from the front and me giving it all I had pushing the tires.

If that stretch was steep, you should see "Walters Wiggles"! A series of 20 plus switchbacks impossibly built into the canyon side. You should have seen the looks on peoples faces, heard the inspired shouts of encouragement and inspiration! In record time, we approached the top. I laugh in retrospect, it was such fanfare getting me up that mom and dad more or less found themselves at the top, I was proud of both of them. Peg and Sterg are seasoned hikers and provided great support. Erin and Kinnavey did an awesome job photographing the entire event, thank you both. Soon I had found my summit, a precarious perch feet away from a 1200'+ drop to the floor.

Do I have to explain the emotions I felt, being back in my element when 7 months ago I had a tube in my neck? Ryan, Mario, Jean, you guys are my heroes, I will never forget the trip or your efforts.

I put together a little video of it. It might take a bit to load on slow connections and be sure you have sound on. Enjoy!

angels landing video

[azx43]

WHOOOOO- HOOOOO! GO ALPENTALIC! Much congratulaztions on mazking what are quite possibly the first wheelchAir tracks up Angels Landing!!
I adore Zion Canyon myself, to me it's one of most beautiful places on the planet. In fact, I just returned from there today at the end of my spring break.
Zion is wonderful; it's so accessible, both physically aznd azttitudinally. I always look forward to my visits there; I go at least once a year. I'm not so good with heights myself, and so have physched myself right out of trying Angels Landing! But I congratulate and admire you for doing it, aZll the way to the top!! I bet the looks and comments of the "temporazrily able-bodied" hikers were really something to see. :-) :-)
I push the limits at Zion as well and love doing the lower trails like the Temple of Sinawava, the Riverwalk, and the Emerald Pools trail. Congratulations, again, for not letting any perceived disAbility hold you back!

P.S. Are those Natural-Fit handrims you have on your chair? I have them on my chair and love 'em, they make controlling the chair so much easier.

[alpentalic]

azx43, on Mar 26 2007, 05:00 AM, said:

P.S. Are those Natural-Fit handrims you have on your chair? I have them on my chair and love 'em, they make controlling the chair so much easier.

Yes, I'm not sure what I would do w/o Natural Fit handrims, they make life much easier.

[pawperso]

Dude, thats awesome, well done!!!

I know just how you feel about wanting/needing to be back in the mountains.

[alpentalic]

pawperso, on Apr 3 2007, 09:47 PM, said:

Dude, thats awesome, well done!!!

I know just how you feel about wanting/needing to be back in the mountains.

Hey, just checked out your site.....awesome, well done yourself! I've been looking into snow-kiting, there are people getting to Himalayan basecamps and beyond, how about a ride down the Eiger?
Ski Gliding the Eiger

This post has been edited by alpentalic: 06 April 2007 - 07:06 PM