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.
大峡谷裂缝在西南部沙漠上蜿蜒迂回,犹如蛇朝它的猎物悄悄地潜行着一般。这种史前的地质奇观经过数世纪的雨袭和侵蚀而成。宽度只有窄窄的三英尺,深达千尺,只有很少人有勇气深入到这个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.
攀峡者1:攀峡结合了攀爬、凿洞、荒野远足以及攀绳下滑。这种结合是极度特别的,因为对于攀峡者来说,后果是很严重的。
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.
哪怕在最好的准备条件下,攀峡依然十分危险。其中最大的一险是大自然母亲会宣泄她的无常喜怒。在1997年,一场突发的洪水将原本平静的峡谷化为白浪滔滔的狂流。十一人被卷入洪流中丧生。
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.
攀峡者2:攀峡的危险有坠石、索具出现问题、泛洪、以及冰冻的水和空气、攀峡者体温过低、获救的机会几乎为零。
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.
精力的集中达到极限,攀峡者紧贴着峡缝爬下一千尺的深处。到目的地后放下绳索,就再也不能回头了。岩壁高耸陡峭,根本无路可逃。如果受伤,就有可能丧命。即使轻伤也会对生命构成威胁。
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.
他们在这个无情世界的探索过程中,要涉过水温接近冰点的水潭,体温太低致死成为巨大的威胁。如何防水并保持体温呢?他们穿上特制的保温罩衫与冰冻的水隔绝开。那么他们又怎样逃出这荒凉的峡谷呢?凭精心的安排策划。在开始冒险前,他们就定下离开峡谷的确切位置,放下绳索,两日后从那里爬出来。如果没有预放足够长的绳索,他们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.
攀峡者3:在使用与保存之间要讲求平衡。是使用峡谷呢还是全封闭保存?仅仅知道它们的存在就行了呢还是进去一饱眼福?在其余探险者的脸上,答案似乎很明显。探险家们在未来几年中将会继续他们的冒险。