They weave through the southwest desert like a snake stalking its prey. These prehistoric geologic wonders known as slot canyons have been craved by centuries of rain and erosion. As narrow as three feet wide and a thousand feet deep, few people have ever had the courage to descend into this mysterious world.
大峽谷裂縫在西南部沙漠上蜿蜒迂回,猶如蛇朝它的獵物悄悄地潛行著一般。這種史前的地質奇觀經過數世紀的雨襲和侵蝕而成。寬度只有窄窄的三英尺,深達千尺,只有很少人有勇氣深入到這個神秘的世界里去一探究竟。
Canyoneer 1:
Conyoneering is a combination of climbing, caving, backcountry hiking, and rappelling. The combination is unique, though because the consequences are very high for a Conyoneer.
攀峽者1:攀峽結合了攀爬、鑿洞、荒野遠足以及攀繩下滑。這種結合是極度特別的,因為對于攀峽者來說,后果是很嚴重的。
Even under the best conditions, Conyoneering is extremely dangerous. One of the biggest risk in Conyoneering comes from mother nature unleashing her unpredictable and unforgiving fury. In 1997, a suddent flash flood turned a peaceful canyon into a raging torrent of deadly whitewater. Eleven people were swept to their deaths.
哪怕在最好的準備條件下,攀峽依然十分危險。其中最大的一險是大自然母親會宣泄她的無常喜怒。在1997年,一場突發的洪水將原本平靜的峽谷化為白浪滔滔的狂流。十一人被卷入洪流中喪生。
Conyoneer 2:
The dangerous of canyoneering would rock fall, faulty anchor system, flashflooding, as well as cold water, cold air, change of hypothermia, and little or no chance on rescue.
攀峽者2:攀峽的危險有墜石、索具出現問題、泛洪、以及冰凍的水和空氣、攀峽者體溫過低、獲救的機會幾乎為零。
Concentration stretched to the limit, they edge their way into crevices as much as one thousand feet deep. Once they reach their destination and lower their ropes, there’s no turning back. The towering vertical walls make an emergency exit impossible. If someone gets hurt they are likely to die. Even a minor injury can be life-threatening.
精力的集中達到極限,攀峽者緊貼著峽縫爬下一千尺的深處。到目的地后放下繩索,就再也不能回頭了。巖壁高聳陡峭,根本無路可逃。如果受傷,就有可能喪命。即使輕傷也會對生命構成威脅。
On their journey into this unforgiving world, they have to cross pools of near freezing water and dying from hypothermia is a very real threat. How do they keep the water out and the warmth in? by wearing specially designed immersion suits, or dry suits, that insulate their body against the frigid water. So how do they escape these desolate canyons? With careful planning. Before beginning the journey, they determined the exact location where they would exit the canyon. They dropped ropes from above so they could climb out 2 days later. If they havn’t placed the ropes more than 16 miles to reach the end of canyon,using asc
enders that clamp onto the rope, they slowly pull themselves up.
他們在這個無情世界的探索過程中,要涉過水溫接近冰點的水潭,體溫太低致死成為巨大的威脅。如何防水并保持體溫呢?他們穿上特制的保溫罩衫與冰凍的水隔絕開。那么他們又怎樣逃出這荒涼的峽谷呢?憑精心的安排策劃。在開始冒險前,他們就定下離開峽谷的確切位置,放下繩索,兩日后從那里爬出來。如果沒有預放足夠長的繩索,他們就只能慢慢地把自己拉上去。
Canyoneer 3:
There’s balance between use and preservation. Do you use canyons or do we preserve them all? Are we okay just knowing they exist or do we go into them and enjoy them? In this spirit of other explorers, the answer seems obvious. These adventures will be climbing walls for years to come.
攀峽者3:在使用與保存之間要講求平衡。是使用峽谷呢還是全封閉保存?僅僅知道它們的存在就行了呢還是進去一飽眼福?在其余探險者的臉上,答案似乎很明顯。探險家們在未來幾年中將會繼續他們的冒險。