Tuesday, August 19, 1975
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Eleven
MAN AGAINST THE WILDERNESS
Backpacking in the Rockies
By BRIAN DEMING But we kept our illusions. I was prepared at any thin air and constant incline forced us to stop almost
Soniew4.re between the cradle and the grave there
is a perioA in everyone's life when one asks for more
than just a civilized existence. One trys to get away
from the world that's familiar and safe. One seeks
an escape from this world and an adventure into a
scene unknown.
It was this restlessness one year ago that persuaded
myself and four fellow frontiersmen, erstwhile college
roommates, to follow Horace Greeley's oft repeated
command and "Go West". In the spirit of Lewis and
Clark, Zebulon Pike, and Fess Parker, we prepared
to backpack in the Rocky Mountains.
We drove out to Rocky Mountain National Park in
Colorado and began a hike into the wildnerness that
lasted five days and covered nearly 30 rugged miles.
DANGERS OF the unknown, traveling where no man
had ever set foot, having to cut a trial through the
forest and mountains. These no doubt, were some of
the things that our predecessors were confronted with.
But, fortunately or unfortunately, our adventure was
not so exciting or hazardous. We had to report an
itinerary of our trip to the park office outlining the
campsites we expected to be as each night.
We might have gone cross-country but chose to fol-
low the marked and well-worn trails. There were a
good many people along the way so in reality we were
not very much alone or immersed in the wilderness.
horse manure along the trail, even in the most out
of the way places, persistently reminded us that we
indeed were not the first to pass this way.
moment to wrestle a grizzly bear or to stomp a rattle every hundred yards for a rest.
snake to death. The bears and snakes, however, avoid-
ed me the whole trip - fortunately for them!
OUR BIGGEST confrontation with wild beasts came
when we were attacked by a fat chipmunk while
sitting on the shore of a mountain pond eating lunch.
This rodent made his livelihood by working his way
into knapsacks and tents for food.
Our biggest confrontation with wild
beasts came when we were attacked
by a fat chipmunk while sitting on the
shore of a mountain pond eating lunch.
We also came across some deer at one campsite
where we found that all our preconceived images of
deer as timid, graceful creatures were false. We saw
them during the daylight and heard them moving
about the camp at night. There was enough stomping
and tripping noises to keep us awake and at times we
suspected one would walk right through our tent.
Our longest stretch of hiking was nine miles one day,
a thousand miles of which was uphill to the top of
venerable Mount Flattop. The summit of this "peak"
should have been the climax of our adventure. It
seemed an endless struggle to reach the top and the
OUR MORALE was not helped much by seeing one
fellow in shorts (it was quite cold at that elevation),
carrying two backpacks (his own and his limping
companion's), walking briskly past us, never breaking
stride or resting.
When we finally reached the top of the mountain
expecting to be alone at a cold, windy peak, we found
a substantial crowd who had made a short day-hike
from the other side. Imagine Hillary being greeted by
a troop of boy scouts at the top of Mount Everest. But
we consoled ourselves with the view and some lunch
and then continued our hike.
NEITHER PICTURE post cards, nor travelogues, nor
descriptive columns on the sports page do justice to the
works of nature we witnessed. After living in the
Midwest all my life it was easy to be impressed if
not overwhelmed by the mountains, mountains every-
wheie, to be awed by the sight of two granite peaks
like spires of a cathedral touching the sky and pro-
tecting the isolation of a lonely mountain lake.
To-see this was enough of a reason to trudge up the
mountains.
So we conquered the Rockies and proved our worth
as frontiersmen and settled back into the security of
college life. But, of course, while our memories of the
trip fade, the legend of our venture still lives in the
Rocky Mountain lore.
Darden sidelined
CLEVELAND P) - Cleveland Browns and former Wol-
verine defensive back Thom Darden will undergo surgery
today for torn ligaments in his left knee, the team an-
nounced yesterday.
Darden was injured Saturday when tackled on a punt
return during the Brown's 14-6 victory over Philadelphia in
a National Football League exhibition.
Major League Leaders
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Player Club G AB R H Pet.
Carew Min 113 424 75 155 .366
Lynn Bsn 112 405 76 134 .331
Munson NY 118 444 63 142 .320
Hargrove Tex 110 388 67 121 .312
Singtleton IBat 117 435 72 13e .311
Powerll Cle 96 nsa 46 97 .308
P/shington Oak 113 449 6t 138 .307
MleRae KC 112 428 52 131 .306
Braun Min 107 362 52 110 .304
dice Bsn 112 443 75 133 .300
Hoame Runs
Mayberry, Kansas City 29; R.
Jackson, Oakland, 28; G. Scott, Mil-
waukee, 27; Bands, New York, 22;
11ores,,ths, Tesas, 21.
Runs Hatted In
Lynn, Boston, 86; Bayberry, Kan-
sas City, 84; L. May, Baltimore, 83;
ice, Boston, 82; G. Scott, Milwau-
kee, 81.
Pitching (11 Decisions)
Maret, Bastan, 9-2, .818; Palmer,
ilaltimoare, 19-7, .731; M. Tarrecz,
Baltinmare, 14-6, .700; Wise, Bostan,
16-7, .696; Eckersley, Cleveland, 9-4,
.692; B. Lee, Boston, 15-7, .682; Bly-
leven, Minnesota, 12-6, .667; Bos-
Ran, Oakland, 8-4, .667.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Player Club i t R H Pet.
Madlock Chi 106 424 60 153 .361
T.Simmons StL 117 422 60 143 .339
watson Htn 108 401 55 132 .329
Sanguillen Pgh 104 382 43 125 .327
Joshua SF 100 309 60 126 .324
Itase Cia 121 504 02 163 .323
Morgan Cin 111 387 83 124 .320
D.Parker Pgh 110 412 58 132 320
aowa Phi 95 411 53 129 .314
Brock StL 98 377 61 118 .313
Garvey LA 123 508 66 159 .313
Home Runs
Luzinski, Philadelphia, 31; Sch-
midt, Philadelphia 26; Kingman,
Ne Yark, 24; Heath, Cincinnati,
23; G. Foster, Cirinnati, 21.
Rant Battrd In
Luzinski, Philadelphia, 98; Bench,
Cincinnati, 95; Staub, New York,
82; T. Perez, Cincinnati, 80; wat-
son, Houston, 78.
Pitching 611ODeisions)
Hrabosky,St . Louis, 30-3, .769;
Gullett, Cincinnati, 9-3, .750; tGil-
lingham, Cncinnati, 14-a, .737;
Dlenny, St. Lonis, 8-3, .727; Norman,
Cincinnati, 8-3, .727; Seaver, New
York, 17-7, .708; R. Jones, San
fliego, 16-7, .696; Kirby, Cincinnati,
8-4, .668.
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