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Excerpt
Canyon Legends
Three unsolved mysteries from the great gorge By John Annerino James White: Accidental Tourist
The Backstory: In September 1867, prospector-turned-drifter James White washed up in the town of Callville, Nevada, on a raft of three lashed cottonwood logs. He claimed he took to the river to escape a Native American ambush, floating from Glen Canyon to the site of today's Lake Mead in 14 days, and becoming the first to run the length of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. White told of subsisting on beans (the only food he was carrying), lizards, his leather knife scabbard, and, at one point, the "hine pards of a dog," he wrote in a letter to his brother. The Evidence: When White landed in Callville, he looked haggard enough to be convincing (no boots, no pants). But his account of Grand Canyon geography was too error-ridden for many to buy his tale. Still, many modern-day canyon scholars believe White made the journey, and in 1988 Manfred Kraus successfully swam the Colorado in 14 days without developing hypothermia, proving the possibility of such a feat. The Verdict: Quite possibly, the title of "first down the Colorado" rightly belongs to White, the scrappy prospector.
Glen and Bessie Hyde:
Lost Honeymooners The Backstory: When Bessie Haley married Glen Hyde in 1928, she wanted her honeymoon to be one for the record books. On October 20, in a hand-built scow equipped with a mattress and a stove, the couple set out to make Bessie the first woman to float the Grand Canyon. The newlyweds resupplied near river mile 95 on November 18. They were never seen again.
The Evidence: It wasn't their clunky craft that did the couple in. Searchers found it intact at river mile 237. Bessie's increasingly obvious disenchantment with the trip led many to suspect that she had murdered her husband and hiked to freedom. But no remains of Glen—or Bessie—were ever found. The Verdict: A camp log at Diamond Creek indicates that the Hydes made it to river mile 225. Most likely, they drowned in the rapids at mile 232 the following day. For Adventure's full Big-Ditch coverage—including a fact-packed mega-map—pick up the March issue. Excerpts
From the print edition, March 2004
The Grand Canyon Tool Kit: Essential strategies for doing the canyon right Hiking the Grand Canyon: Three ways to hoof the hole Rafting the Grand Canyon: The best way to run the Colorado Canyon Legends: Three unsolved mysteries High Holy Days: Cleansing your karma on Tibet's Mount Kailas The Adventures of Tim Cahill: Why a little bird is picking on a whale Special Report: Wreck diving's deep frontier, on the S.S. Aleutian Subscribe to Adventure today and save 62 percent off the cover price! |
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