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I got this off the local Jeep Board. It drives home the fact that safety is rule #1 on the trail. Several of us have been on this trail before too. I'm sure we'll go over trail rules before the Colors Run in Ouray!
Be safe!
In the Chicago Trib
Teenager Dies in Moab Utah.
In the blackness of a canyon he reached only after hours of climbing barefoot over jagged, slippery rocks, Jeff Firak should have been able to see the lights of Moab, Utah.
The 13-year-old from Woodstock had lost touch with the rest of the riders in his group last Tuesday, during a bike trip along the 14-mile Porcupine Rim Trail, a former uranium mining area in southeast Utah. It was his first time on one of the rides that his father, Thomas, organizes each year for a college cycling club.
Having abandoned his bike four miles behind him in the increasingly rough terrain, the city lights may have been a beacon to the boy, authorities speculated. Jeff had taken off his shirt, socks and shoes, all in apparent attempts to stay cool and move more easily in the 108-degree daytime temperature.
His wire-rimmed glasses were lost, his water was gone and he had eaten the small bag of peanuts he carried.
In the darkness, Jeff made his way 150 feet down into Negro Bill Canyon, jumping six feet at times to get to the next ledge. Searchers later found his knee imprints in a small stream on the canyon floor. He managed to get up the other side. At the top, he sat under a 12-foot juniper tree and leaned against its trunk.
It was there that some of the nearly 40 rescue workers found his body Saturday morning.
Chief Deputy Doug Squire of the Grand County sheriff's office, who pieced together Jeff's last day, said the boy died of exposure, probably less than a day after he was separated from the group.
Squire said Jeff had only a single water bottle with him. Officials recommend people take several gallons.
"People try to bring out the bare minimum," said Ron Georg, a mechanic at Poison Spider Bikes in Moab and a guide for bike groups traveling area trails. "You won't find a local out here who will do that. If you're prepared and doing things correctly, you won't have a problem."
At the family home in Woodstock, Jeff's brother, Steve, said his family often took bike trips together but this was the first time Jeff went to the Utah site.
Steve, 17, who did not go on the trip this year, got lost last year on a different trail in the area, but then spotted his father.
"You never expect something like this," he said. "It's no one's fault."
Jeff's parents were returning from Utah on Monday.
Steve Firak said those on the ride told him that when Jeff was about 5 miles into the trail about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, he sped up to catch a rider.
"He was fearless. He could take anything," his brother said.
To make it through the canyon took determination, Squire said. "I'm pretty impressed with what he was able to accomplish."
But no one understands why he did not try to double back to the trail.
"We are talking about a 13-year-old and who knows how people react when they get scared," Squire said.
The trail, where thousands of bikers ride each year, is surrounded by steep cliffs and slick rock. In some spots, the trail is so narrow only one bike at a time can fit.
The riding trail is just south of the Colorado River near the Manti-LaSal mountain range. The intersection where Jeff apparently turned the wrong way is clearly marked, Georg said, but, if the sign is missed, the trail appears to continue straight when it actually turns right.
In the 20 years Squire has worked in the sheriff's office, this is the third death. Two teenagers died after getting lost together about five years ago.
After those deaths, the trail was marked more clearly. Three-foot tall brown fiberglass markers with arrows line the trail now. But, Georg said, bikers who veer off the trail can become disoriented quickly.
Searches for lost bike riders dropped dramatically after the improvements, from about 50 a year to only five or six in each of the past two years, Squire said.
Jeff was on the trip with his father, his brother, John, 19, and four other people. His father had organized the trip for the cycling club at Oakton Community College in Des Plaines, where he is a microbiology professor. The college-authorized trip, the third in two years for the club, started July 27 and was supposed to end Aug. 10, a college spokeswoman said.
Jeff's father and the others realized he was missing about 9 p.m. when they met at the end of the trail.
Police started searching for him an hour later, and found his bike two miles from the trail at 3 a.m. Wednesday. About a tenth of a mile away, they found the peanut bag and Jeff's T-shirt.
At dawn Wednesday, an airplane searched the area. Soon after, three helicopters and seven dogs joined the search. At least 13 local and national police and fire organizations looked for Jeff.
But by that time, Squire believes Jeff had reached the tree and was hidden from view under it. "There's just no way we wouldn't have seen him if he were up running around," Squire said.
Searchers on Wednesday found his Lycra riding shirt, shoes and socks. The next day, they found his glasses and knee prints near the water at the bottom of the canyon. They found his body 6 miles from his bike at 10:56 a.m. Saturday.
His brother believes Jeff dropped his bike because he could travel faster on foot. He probably took off his special bicycle shoes because they have a metal bar across the bottom and are uncomfortable to walk in.
Jeff, who would have turned 14 next month, was an athlete. He played baseball in Woodstock and football for Olson Middle School. He was also a standout on the wrestling team.
"He was such a strong kid," his brother said. "He had so much energy and was a great guy to talk to."
Jeff also had a creative side, playing trombone and forming a jazz group called the Brass Brothers with his best friend, Andy Martin. An honor roll student, Jeff went out of his way to say hello to teachers in the hall or erase a chalkboard at the end of the day, school officials said.
"He could take charge if the teacher was out of the room and asked him to look after things. He was always ready to volunteer, to do his part," said Don Deller, Olson principal.
Andy placed a yellow carnation in Jeff's bedroom Monday morning to signify friendship. Andy said he and his friends plan to wear Hawaiian shirts at Jeff's memorial service, planned for the weekend, in honor of Jeff's favorite garb.
"He was hilarious," Andy said. "He just did things no one else would dare to do and he would make us laugh
[Edited by Ray Lobato on 08-10-2000 at 06:05 PM]
Be safe!
In the Chicago Trib
Teenager Dies in Moab Utah.
In the blackness of a canyon he reached only after hours of climbing barefoot over jagged, slippery rocks, Jeff Firak should have been able to see the lights of Moab, Utah.
The 13-year-old from Woodstock had lost touch with the rest of the riders in his group last Tuesday, during a bike trip along the 14-mile Porcupine Rim Trail, a former uranium mining area in southeast Utah. It was his first time on one of the rides that his father, Thomas, organizes each year for a college cycling club.
Having abandoned his bike four miles behind him in the increasingly rough terrain, the city lights may have been a beacon to the boy, authorities speculated. Jeff had taken off his shirt, socks and shoes, all in apparent attempts to stay cool and move more easily in the 108-degree daytime temperature.
His wire-rimmed glasses were lost, his water was gone and he had eaten the small bag of peanuts he carried.
In the darkness, Jeff made his way 150 feet down into Negro Bill Canyon, jumping six feet at times to get to the next ledge. Searchers later found his knee imprints in a small stream on the canyon floor. He managed to get up the other side. At the top, he sat under a 12-foot juniper tree and leaned against its trunk.
It was there that some of the nearly 40 rescue workers found his body Saturday morning.
Chief Deputy Doug Squire of the Grand County sheriff's office, who pieced together Jeff's last day, said the boy died of exposure, probably less than a day after he was separated from the group.
Squire said Jeff had only a single water bottle with him. Officials recommend people take several gallons.
"People try to bring out the bare minimum," said Ron Georg, a mechanic at Poison Spider Bikes in Moab and a guide for bike groups traveling area trails. "You won't find a local out here who will do that. If you're prepared and doing things correctly, you won't have a problem."
At the family home in Woodstock, Jeff's brother, Steve, said his family often took bike trips together but this was the first time Jeff went to the Utah site.
Steve, 17, who did not go on the trip this year, got lost last year on a different trail in the area, but then spotted his father.
"You never expect something like this," he said. "It's no one's fault."
Jeff's parents were returning from Utah on Monday.
Steve Firak said those on the ride told him that when Jeff was about 5 miles into the trail about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, he sped up to catch a rider.
"He was fearless. He could take anything," his brother said.
To make it through the canyon took determination, Squire said. "I'm pretty impressed with what he was able to accomplish."
But no one understands why he did not try to double back to the trail.
"We are talking about a 13-year-old and who knows how people react when they get scared," Squire said.
The trail, where thousands of bikers ride each year, is surrounded by steep cliffs and slick rock. In some spots, the trail is so narrow only one bike at a time can fit.
The riding trail is just south of the Colorado River near the Manti-LaSal mountain range. The intersection where Jeff apparently turned the wrong way is clearly marked, Georg said, but, if the sign is missed, the trail appears to continue straight when it actually turns right.
In the 20 years Squire has worked in the sheriff's office, this is the third death. Two teenagers died after getting lost together about five years ago.
After those deaths, the trail was marked more clearly. Three-foot tall brown fiberglass markers with arrows line the trail now. But, Georg said, bikers who veer off the trail can become disoriented quickly.
Searches for lost bike riders dropped dramatically after the improvements, from about 50 a year to only five or six in each of the past two years, Squire said.
Jeff was on the trip with his father, his brother, John, 19, and four other people. His father had organized the trip for the cycling club at Oakton Community College in Des Plaines, where he is a microbiology professor. The college-authorized trip, the third in two years for the club, started July 27 and was supposed to end Aug. 10, a college spokeswoman said.
Jeff's father and the others realized he was missing about 9 p.m. when they met at the end of the trail.
Police started searching for him an hour later, and found his bike two miles from the trail at 3 a.m. Wednesday. About a tenth of a mile away, they found the peanut bag and Jeff's T-shirt.
At dawn Wednesday, an airplane searched the area. Soon after, three helicopters and seven dogs joined the search. At least 13 local and national police and fire organizations looked for Jeff.
But by that time, Squire believes Jeff had reached the tree and was hidden from view under it. "There's just no way we wouldn't have seen him if he were up running around," Squire said.
Searchers on Wednesday found his Lycra riding shirt, shoes and socks. The next day, they found his glasses and knee prints near the water at the bottom of the canyon. They found his body 6 miles from his bike at 10:56 a.m. Saturday.
His brother believes Jeff dropped his bike because he could travel faster on foot. He probably took off his special bicycle shoes because they have a metal bar across the bottom and are uncomfortable to walk in.
Jeff, who would have turned 14 next month, was an athlete. He played baseball in Woodstock and football for Olson Middle School. He was also a standout on the wrestling team.
"He was such a strong kid," his brother said. "He had so much energy and was a great guy to talk to."
Jeff also had a creative side, playing trombone and forming a jazz group called the Brass Brothers with his best friend, Andy Martin. An honor roll student, Jeff went out of his way to say hello to teachers in the hall or erase a chalkboard at the end of the day, school officials said.
"He could take charge if the teacher was out of the room and asked him to look after things. He was always ready to volunteer, to do his part," said Don Deller, Olson principal.
Andy placed a yellow carnation in Jeff's bedroom Monday morning to signify friendship. Andy said he and his friends plan to wear Hawaiian shirts at Jeff's memorial service, planned for the weekend, in honor of Jeff's favorite garb.
"He was hilarious," Andy said. "He just did things no one else would dare to do and he would make us laugh
[Edited by Ray Lobato on 08-10-2000 at 06:05 PM]
), like doing everybodies dishes for the entire trip or washing everybodies car, lacking the availibility of "restroomduty".
