Doing research in the Narrows

After I had written a completed manuscript of The Narrows Escape, I decided that I needed to go back and do some research. After all, it would be embarrassing to print the book and have readers write to tell me that my details of the canyon were inaccurate. Therefore, on 7/9/04, my brother Greg, brother-in-law Mike, cousin Troy, and I hiked the Narrows again. We had planned on doing the whole hike. Unfortunately, we had promised our wives that we wouldn't hike it if there was a flash flood warning in effect. The rating was moderate - the same as it had been on the day we had encountered the original flood. So even though there wasn't a single cloud in the sky, we modified our plans. We hiked up from the bottom, and at the first sign of clouds, we hiked back out. I wasn't able to do as much research as I'd hoped, but at least I refreshed my mind of several details that I'd forgotten. As soon as I got back, I did another revision of my book. I also took several pictures. Here are the pictures I took of that trip:

Greg & Mike jumping off a boulder into a deep pool in the Narrows.

 Greg swimming across a pool, trying to keep his phone dry.

 A view of the cliff wall near the end of the Narrows.

 A view of the river along the Riverside Walk.

 A scenic view of the cliff walls inside the Narrows.

Mike, Troy, and I under an overhang inside the Narrows.

The Los Angeles Dodgers

     In honor of the Dodgers advancing to the NLCS, I decided to share some DTB related baseball trivia. Which character in the Narrows Escape is a Dodger fan? Although the word "Dodgers" appears only once in the final version of the Narrows Escape, if is part of the character profile for one of the DTB Cousins. If you guessed Brady, you are correct. Also, one of my blog entries ("Odd Man Out," dated 11/11/12) includes a deleted scene in which Devin and Brady debate which southern California baseball team is better - the Angels or the Dodgers.
     The truth is, I am a big fan of both teams. Both of my parents were huge Dodger fans - particularly after they moved to L.A. As a young boy, my family occasionally received free Dodger tickets from a family friend. The seats were awesome, about 8 rows up from the field near first base. When my parents purchased the tickets themselves, the seats were located in the nosebleed section; but the games were just as fun. I grew up following the iconic infield of Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Bill Russell, and Ron Cey. I remember watching the classic October rivalries between the Dodgers and the New York Yankees in the World Series; particularly 1981, when Fernandomania peaked and the "Good Reggie" (Reggie Smith) finally defeated the "Bad Reggie" (Reggie Jackson) with the help of Dusty Baker, Rick Monday, Mike Scioscia, Bob Welch, Jerry Reuss, and Burt Hooton. Garvey was my favorite, and my interest waned a bit after he left for the Padres.
     In 1986, my family got caught up in Wally World - a new mania surrounding the Angels' star rookie Wally Joyner. The Angels were closer, and the seats were cheaper ($3.00 for the outfield bleachers), so we attended about a dozen games that year as the California Angels won the AL West. My baseball card collection swelled during the late 80's as I earnestly followed both teams. The Dodgers quickly regained my attention during their Cinderella season of 1988 - with Orel Hershiser and Kirk Gibson leading them to another World Series title. Gibson's home run, and the Angels' 2002 World Series title, are two of my all-time favorite sports memories.
     Sometimes people ask me how I can be a fan of both the Angels and the Dodgers. Easy. The Dodgers are my National League team, the Angels are my American League team. Every season I root for both of them to meet in the World Series. Even with the onset of inter-league play in the late 90's, I've continued to root for both teams. Naturally, I've passed on that interest to the characters in my book. However, I decided to make it a kind of rivalry, with Brady following the Dodgers, and Devin following the Angels, with Trey not really paying attention to either team. It was never a major theme, and was thus cut prior to the final draft, but it remains an integral part of the character bios for each of the three DTB cousins.

The Climax

     When I first wrote The Narrows Escape, the climax was the flash flood - because that was where it happened in real life. Unfortunately, in a work of fiction, that doesn't work. Although there was plenty of action in the second half of the book, there needed to be a climax near the end. This picture from my uncle's slide show helped inspire the climactic ending:

     The picture was staged by three of my cousins (Troy, Barry, and Trevor) while at the grotto following the flood, and is one of my favorite pictures from the hike.
     Another picture that I drew on for that scene was the picture of the goose egg my dad received:

     It was miraculously the only injury we suffered during the ordeal, and I transferred the injury to Brady as he made his mad dash to the finish line over the slippery moss-covered boulders in an attempt to escape the wave.
     The next picture is one I took this last summer, visiting the Narrows with my daughter, brother-in-law, and nephew. I staged the triumphant leap to the tree at the end of the trail, the one that Uncle Randy clung to in his effort to escape the tidal wave. Here it is:

  Until next time.

Virgin Narrows

Now I know that all of you have been waiting to see pictures of the Narrows themselves. Here are some of the pictures Uncle Merlin took 21 years ago following the flash flood that inspired my novel:

 

 

The "Narrows" typically refers to the 3.6 mile section of the canyon between the end of the Riverside Walk Trail and Big Springs. In this section, the Virgin River runs wall to wall (often only 20-30 feet apart), with vertical sandstone cliffs (up to 2,000 feet tall) on either side. Although the First Narrows are more narrow in sections, the height to width ratio of the "Narrows" makes them absolutely spectacular. The hike was ranked #5 in National Geographic's rankings of America's 100 Best Adventures.

 

 Unfortunately some of the most spectacular photos from that trip turned out too dark. However, I have been back, and will show more pictures of the Narrows in future posts. Until next time.

Big Springs

Just before the entrance to the Narrows is Big Springs. It is more than halfway through the hike, and the best place to refill empty water canteens. Here is a picture of the springs:

 

In the book, The Narrows Escape, the Allreds fill up their bottles before hitting the Narrows. In the scene, Devin steps in a patch of stinging nettle while climbing on the rocks around the springs. That was inspired by a patch of stinging nettle we encountered while climbing around the springs:

 

Big Springs is also the spot where a momentous decision is made - Devin and Arthur head back upstream to search for Shane, while the rest continue on down the Narrows. In any case, Big Springs is one of the many beautiful spots along the Virgin Narrows.

 

More pictures to come.

The Grotto

One of the most unique spots on the Virgin Narrows hike is the cave known as the Grotto. It also plays a major role in the book The Narrows Escape. The Grotto is campsite #8 for backpackers wishing to spend the night in the canyon rather than trying to complete the entire 16-mile hike in a single day. It is one of 12 campsites in the canyon, all located between the First Narrows and the main Narrows. Naturally, a backcountry camping permit is required to stay at the Grotto, or any of the other campsites in the Narrows. Here is a picture of our group at the Grotto:

Unfortunately, because of the flood, we were unable to reach this spot before nightfall. Instead, we slept at this campsite:

I honestly don't know which campsite this is, or if it is even a real campsite. I just know that it was nice to find somewhere reasonably dry to sleep.
In the story, The Narrows Escape, the Allreds end up sleeping at four different locations. Shane ends up sleeping at the Grotto, Arthur sleeps with the rangers and Bob somewhere between the waterfall and the Grotto (in the vicinity of campsites 2-4), Marvin and Trey stay at the bench they climbed to escape the flash flood (before the First Narrows), and the rest of the group camps shortly after the First Narrows (in the vicinity of campsite 1). How did I keep track of everyone and where they were at? I used a map with the major landmarks I downloaded from the internet with approximate distances and times:
 http://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/upload/Narrows%20campsite%20map.pdf

This map was indispensable in mapping out the various scenes and chapters in the book. In any case, I have three of the four groups converge at the area of the Grotto before two of the groups continue on together. What happens to the third group? I guess you'll have to read the book...but I'll give you a clue. It has something to do with the Grotto.

More pictures next time.

The First Narrows

The Virgin Narrows hike in Zion National Park actually has two sections known as the "Narrows." The first section is above the waterfall, and the second section is near the end of the hike. Here is the picture of the slot canyon known as the First Narrows:

This slot canyon is a lot more remote than the main Narrows, which are located at the end of the Riverside Walk Trail. In order to reach the First Narrows, you need to obtain a permit from one of the Visitors Centers within the park. As a result, relatively few hikers of the Narrows ever get to see this canyon - which is actually more narrow than the main Narrows. Here is a picture of the most narrow spot:

Although we couldn't find any spot where we could touch both walls at the same time, we could easily reach the far side with the use of a walking stick. If you look at the walls, you can see the level of the water as it passed through. Here is another shot:

As you can tell, if we had been inside this canyon at the time the flood reached us, we probably would have died. There is absolutely nowhere to go.

More pictures next time!