TheArizona Republic Apr. 19,
2007
AJ hiker survives 6 days injured
in Superstitions
Michael Ferraresi and
Steve Yozwiak
04:29 PM
Lon McAdam of Apache Junction had
hiked in the Superstition Wilderness, often alone, for
32 years without a hitch.
But on the third day of
a nine-day trek this month, along a creek bed at the
bottom of aptly named Rough Canyon - just after he had
scrambled past the worst of the boulders - McAdam
slipped.
"It was not like a big tumble. It was
just a simple little trip," he said.
McAdam's left kneecap cracked
against a protruding rock, leaving McAdam unable to
walk, helpless and alone in the middle of nowhere, and
with no one expecting him back home for six more
days.
The 56-year-old building manager for Apache
Junction's Gold Canyon Elementary
School
had a satellite phone, but it wouldn't work. During his
fall, his water pouch burst, soaking the phone and
leaving it dead.
"In 15 minutes, I broke my knee,
drenched my phone and pretty much realized I was
screwed," McAdam said.
He had talked to his wife,
Toni, earlier that day, letting her know everything was
going well.
"My biggest concern was there are
bears out there," said McAdam, recovering this week at a
Scottsdale
hospital.
He had plenty of food in the
wilderness, but no way of hoisting it up to store it in
a tree, out of reach of wildlife.
The remote area
near the Superstition Mountain's Reavis Ranch, about
30 miles east of Mesa, was littered with
bear scat. McAdam said he knew the bears were close, so
he spent much of his time gripping a can of bear
repellent and yelling into the woods to frighten any
animals away.
At the same time, McAdam knew he
needed to get to a spot where a rescue helicopter could
spot him in the narrow gorge.
"I was scrambling
on my butt for three days," he said.
Only 100
feet away, he eventually made to a clearing where he set
up a large blue tarp with an X on it. Then he
waited.
"I knew I'd have to be
patient."
Somehow, McAdam remained calm. He knew
someone would eventually come looking for him. As
always, he had left a detailed itinerary with
Toni.
With his kneecap split in two, McAdam
gathered himself, eased through the extreme pain and
eventually reached for his camera.
McAdam, a
photographer published in Arizona Highways
magazine, passed the time doing something he knew
well.
He took photos, including some of
himself.
McAdam also had plenty of time to think.
He thought of Aron Ralston, the Aspen
, Colo.
, man who in 2004 cut off his
lower right arm to save his life after an 800-pound
boulder pinned him for five days in southern Utah
's Blue
John
Canyon
.
Relatives fear worst
Late on April 15, eight days
after McAdam went exploring, Toni was feeling desperate.
Her husband had not returned on time.
At daybreak
on April 16, Toni called the Pinal County Sheriff's
Office. She also called the satellite phone company to
get a location of Lon's last phone call.
"I
thought he was dead," Toni said, tears welling up again
at the thought of something terrible happing to
Lon.
Lon's 78-year-old mother, Georgianna McAdam,
flew in from
Anaheim,
Calif.
"I'm going to
cry. This was so scary," she said, recalling the
uncertainty while Lon was missing.
Helicopter rescue
After six days injured and alone,
McAdam saw an Arizona Department of Public Safety
helicopter hovering over Rough
Canyon.
He
signaled it, reflecting the sun with a small, hand-held
mirror. Rescue personnel saw it. McAdam was lifted out
with the help of the Pinal sheriff's Superstition Search
and Rescue squad, and within hours Lon was reunited with
his family.
Recovering from surgery this week in
a hospital bed at Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn, McAdam
received a surprise visit from Brenda Farris, principal
of Gold Canyon Elementary
School.
Farris carried a giant get-well card, signed by many of
the school's students.
"We told them he broke his
knee; kept it in as simple terms as possible," Farris
said.
Will hike again
Reflecting
on his ordeal, McAdam said he enjoyed the view of the
Superstitions from the rescue chopper. With the
unspoiled wilderness below, he realized the trip -
despite the "little trip" that nearly killed him - was
worth it.
"This was just for the pure adventure
and experience," McAdam said. "I knew I was going to get
out."
And he plans to go back. But next time, he
said, he's bringing a personal locator
beacon.
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