In a previous post, I published the seventh part to a story a wrote a while back. Here is the next installment.
The SAR helicopter landed at the entrance to Neon Canyon. Desi, Dyss, and Haas stepped out of the chopper. They began to walk into the canyon, but the pilot stepped out of the helicopter and waved to the group.
“Something just came over the radio from a park ranger,” the pilot said. The group walked back to the pilot.
“What is it?” Haas asked.
“One of the rangers at the Escalante Field Office tracked down the missing hikers’ families.” the pilot said. “The hikers from New York.”
“And?” Haas said.
“They’re not from Manhattan,” the pilot said.
“What do you mean they’re not from Manhattan?” Haas said, confused.
“I mean, the missing hikers are not from Manhattan,” the pilot said. “The ranger tracked down Sarah Callahan’s parents and spoke to them on the phone. The group of missing hikers is from upstate New York. They’re enrolled in school at the University of Rochester.”
Dyss turned to Haas.
“Why did Sarah say Manhattan in her transmission?” Haas asked.
“And what about the water tester you found in Coyote Gulch?” Desi asked. “Why did he write Manhattan in the sand?”
Dyss looked at both of them, confused. He turned and began to hike towards Neon Canyon. Haas and Desi followed him.
Neon Canyon is one of the more famous canyons in the Escalante area. When the sun hits the canyon walls, brilliantly bright colors appear, thus earning the name Neon Canyon. The walls rise up two hundred feet vertically on either side. Most hikers go to a scenic spot called the Golden Cathedral before turning back around.
Dyss’ group hiked a short distance into the canyon before they saw another dead man on the canyon floor. His head wass face down in the sand.
“This must be the third employee of the water plant,” Dyss said. “There is only one left, and he is almost certainly in Davis Gulch right now.”
“Before we go,” Haas said, “let’s see if we can find another writing in the sand.”
The group began to search the area surrounding the body. It did not take long for Dyss to find the writing.
“Over here,” Dyss said.
The group walked over to Dyss. Desi looked down at the words, but they did not need translating this time. Written entirely in caps were the words:
‘NEMO IS ALIVE’
“Nemo is alive,” Haas said, surprised. He looked up at the group. “We have to get to Davis Gulch right now.”
“But how did this man die?” Dyss said. “Don’t you want to investigate this murder a little further?”
“Of course I want to,” Haas said, “but I’m the only police officer Escalante has right now. And we have strong reason to believe that another man is about to lose his life in Davis Gulch. He is the last water tester left. We have to get there before whoever is doing this does. We need to find some answers.”
Haas retreated back towards the helicopter, followed quickly by Dyss and Desi.
——————————
Inside the SAR helicopter on the way back to Davis Gulch, Haas, Dyss, and Desi were seated in the back. Haas turned to Desi.
“What does the inscription mean?” Haas asked. “The inscription that Everett Ruess left on the wall: ‘Nemo, 1934?’ What did the search parties think when they found that inscription?”
“After studying the word's origins,” Desi said, “the search party discovered that Nemo meant 'no one' in Latin. Captain Johnson and his search party stared at the inscription for some time, but no one quite exactly knew what Everett was trying to communicate with such a message?”
“Some believed,” Desi continued, “that the cave-like alcove reminded Everett of a story from The Iliad. In that story, Odysseus was trapped in a cave, heard hostage by a giant Cyclops. Odysseus used the name Nemo as an alias to fool the Cyclops and facilitate his escape.”
“Others felt,” Desi said, “that Everett was identifying himself with Captain Nemo from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, the same sort of lone explorer who wished to cast off the chains of man-made society and its accompanying wars.”
“Still others felt,” Desi said, “that Everett intended to disappear, to lose his identity, to become a Nemo, a ‘no one’.”
“A final group felt,” Desi said, “that Everett was leaving behind a legend or a map. They believed Everett was planning on traveling to No Man's Mesa, near Navajo Mountain.”
“So, they searched that area?” Dyss asked.
“They searched everywhere,” Desi said. “But, to get to No Man’s Mesa, or anywhere outside of the Escalante desert, Everett would have had to cross the Colorado River.”
“I guess I don’t know my geography well enough,” Haas said. “Why would Everett have to cross the Colorado River?”
Desi nodded, then explained. “The Escalante desert is kind of like a peninsula, with the Colorado River and No Man’s Mesa blocking escape on the south and east sides, and the town of Escalante being the only retreat to the north or west. And the Davis Gulch canyon ends at the Colorado River.”
“But why is it so difficult to cross the Colorado River without detection?” Haas said.
“Well, first off,” Dyss said, “crossing the Colorado River anywhere is a monumental task. The speed and temperature of the water alone makes it next to impossible.”
Desi nodded. “And the Navajos had sentries who regimentally patrolled the shores of the river. And so, the Navajo chiefs insisted that if Everett had tried to cross the river, they would have known about it.”
“Isn’t it possible that the Navajo chiefs lied about Everett crossing the river?” Dyss asked.
“No, definitely not,” Desi said. “In fact, there was a saying among the white settlers at the time that a Navajo was incapable of lying or keeping a secret. And the Navajos were never known to be hostile or malicious with the peaceful Mormon settlers.”
Desi paused. “No, the Navajos were not lying, and Johnson and his men knew it. So, the search party started from square one. They again searched the whole of Davis Gulch, looking for any sign of Everett's exit from the canyon, but to no avail.”
Desi paused for a moment, then continued. “It had taken Johnson and his men only three days to find Everett’s donkeys. Yet, after months of searching, no tracks could ever be found of Everett leaving the canyon. Why was it so easy to find Everett's tracks leading into Davis Gulch and yet so hard to find any traces of him leaving?
Desi paused to allow the group to ponder the question.
“In one of his last letters he ever wrote,” Desi continued, “Everett said this: ‘When I go, I leave no trace.’ It's almost as if Everett Ruess had been self-prophetic about his disappearance.”
Another pause, then Desi continued: “The search party continued their fruitless search. They scoured the bases of all the cliffs for miles around, searching for Everett’s fallen body. Eventually, all but one search party gave up the hunt. The volunteers returned to Escalante, the cliff wall behind them still enigmatically reading, ‘Nemo, 1934’.”
“What happened next?” Haas asked.
“Unverified sightings of Everett began to surface in the Navajo nation,” Desi said. “And so, Captain Johnson and his men widened their search to the surrounding areas. Despite the claims of the Navajo chiefs, Captain Johnson insisted that Everett must've crossed the Colorado River. It was the only possible scenario left.”
“But, if Everett had crossed the river,” Dyss said, “why were there no tracks leading to the river itself?”
“Still,” Desi said, “if Everett had managed to do the impossible and cross the river without leaving a trail and without being detected by the ever-vigilant Navajo patrol guards, the land on the opposite side of the river would have afforded him immense cover with which to disappear.”
“Captain Johnson,” Desi said, “seemed certain that Everett had managed to cross the river and was living on the reservation, exploring the vast desert. So, Johnson continued his search, focusing on that most unlikely theory. Reported sightings of Everett repeated sprouted up, but each claim was quickly proven false.”
“Captain Johnson continued his hunt throughout the Escalante and Navajo regions. After nine months of searching, the group ran into a medicine man by the name of Natani. Natani told the searchers that he had seen the white boy somewhere near where the Colorado River meets Davis Gulch.”
Desi looked into Dyss’ eyes. “Johnson asked Natani if Ruess was dead. Natani replied that the boy had gone away. And he did not intend to come back.”
“What did Natani mean by that?” Haas asked excitedly.
“Johnson had the same question,” Desi said, “but the medicine man would say no more. Johnson asked if going away meant that Ruess was dead, or if he deliberately disappeared. But Natani was silent. Again the search party was forced back to facing the enigmatic scratches on the wall. ‘Nemo, 1934’.”
“So,” Desi continued, “by the advice of a vague and arcane medicine man, the search party set out once again for the last known location of Everett Ruess, Davis Gulch.”
“Shortly thereafter,” Desi said, “the group picked up a half-Ute, half-Navajo guide named Dougeye. Dougeye was reputed to be the greatest tracker in all of the Americas. If anyone would be able to track down Everett's trail, it would be Dougeye.
“Along the way to Davis Gulch, Dougeye carefully searched every possible campsite along the Colorado River upstream and down. There was absolutely no sign of any human passing within the last five years. This added all the more mystery to the puzzle, and led to only one conclusion; the same conclusion that every party in search of Everett has ever reached. Everett Ruess had never left Davis Gulch. His tracks went halfway down into the canyon and stopped.”
“So,” Desi continued, “Johnson’s party again searched the Davis Gulch canyon even more thoroughly than previous parties, if such a thing was possible. Still, nothing. Dougeye, the best tracker in the country, spent two whole days meticulously inspecting the canyon like a baffled hound. After his exhaustive search, Dougeye had only one thing to say. ‘White boy went in, not come out.’ Johnson asked Dougeye if that meant that Everett had died in the canyon. Dougeye said no, that there was no grave, no sign of digging, no sign of anything.”
Desi took a deep breath. “The search party left Davis Gulch for the final time; again, empty-handed. And still, their backs faced the increasingly mysterious, enigmatic, and now legendary carving, ‘Nemo, 1934’.”
Both Dyss and Haas let out a deep breath at the finishing of the tale.
*** (Footnote/Citation: Wallace Stegner has the most complete record of the legend of Everett Ruess. I have borrowed liberally from his account of these events, even using some of his exact wording.)
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Chapter 8
The SAR helicopter landed at the entrance to Neon Canyon. Desi, Dyss, and Haas stepped out of the chopper. They began to walk into the canyon, but the pilot stepped out of the helicopter and waved to the group.
“Something just came over the radio from a park ranger,” the pilot said. The group walked back to the pilot.
“What is it?” Haas asked.
“One of the rangers at the Escalante Field Office tracked down the missing hikers’ families.” the pilot said. “The hikers from New York.”
“And?” Haas said.
“They’re not from Manhattan,” the pilot said.
“What do you mean they’re not from Manhattan?” Haas said, confused.
“I mean, the missing hikers are not from Manhattan,” the pilot said. “The ranger tracked down Sarah Callahan’s parents and spoke to them on the phone. The group of missing hikers is from upstate New York. They’re enrolled in school at the University of Rochester.”
Dyss turned to Haas.
“Why did Sarah say Manhattan in her transmission?” Haas asked.
“And what about the water tester you found in Coyote Gulch?” Desi asked. “Why did he write Manhattan in the sand?”
Dyss looked at both of them, confused. He turned and began to hike towards Neon Canyon. Haas and Desi followed him.
Neon Canyon is one of the more famous canyons in the Escalante area. When the sun hits the canyon walls, brilliantly bright colors appear, thus earning the name Neon Canyon. The walls rise up two hundred feet vertically on either side. Most hikers go to a scenic spot called the Golden Cathedral before turning back around.
Dyss’ group hiked a short distance into the canyon before they saw another dead man on the canyon floor. His head wass face down in the sand.
“This must be the third employee of the water plant,” Dyss said. “There is only one left, and he is almost certainly in Davis Gulch right now.”
“Before we go,” Haas said, “let’s see if we can find another writing in the sand.”
The group began to search the area surrounding the body. It did not take long for Dyss to find the writing.
“Over here,” Dyss said.
The group walked over to Dyss. Desi looked down at the words, but they did not need translating this time. Written entirely in caps were the words:
‘NEMO IS ALIVE’
“Nemo is alive,” Haas said, surprised. He looked up at the group. “We have to get to Davis Gulch right now.”
“But how did this man die?” Dyss said. “Don’t you want to investigate this murder a little further?”
“Of course I want to,” Haas said, “but I’m the only police officer Escalante has right now. And we have strong reason to believe that another man is about to lose his life in Davis Gulch. He is the last water tester left. We have to get there before whoever is doing this does. We need to find some answers.”
Haas retreated back towards the helicopter, followed quickly by Dyss and Desi.
——————————
Inside the SAR helicopter on the way back to Davis Gulch, Haas, Dyss, and Desi were seated in the back. Haas turned to Desi.
“What does the inscription mean?” Haas asked. “The inscription that Everett Ruess left on the wall: ‘Nemo, 1934?’ What did the search parties think when they found that inscription?”
“After studying the word's origins,” Desi said, “the search party discovered that Nemo meant 'no one' in Latin. Captain Johnson and his search party stared at the inscription for some time, but no one quite exactly knew what Everett was trying to communicate with such a message?”
“Some believed,” Desi continued, “that the cave-like alcove reminded Everett of a story from The Iliad. In that story, Odysseus was trapped in a cave, heard hostage by a giant Cyclops. Odysseus used the name Nemo as an alias to fool the Cyclops and facilitate his escape.”
“Others felt,” Desi said, “that Everett was identifying himself with Captain Nemo from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, the same sort of lone explorer who wished to cast off the chains of man-made society and its accompanying wars.”
“Still others felt,” Desi said, “that Everett intended to disappear, to lose his identity, to become a Nemo, a ‘no one’.”
“A final group felt,” Desi said, “that Everett was leaving behind a legend or a map. They believed Everett was planning on traveling to No Man's Mesa, near Navajo Mountain.”
“So, they searched that area?” Dyss asked.
“They searched everywhere,” Desi said. “But, to get to No Man’s Mesa, or anywhere outside of the Escalante desert, Everett would have had to cross the Colorado River.”
“I guess I don’t know my geography well enough,” Haas said. “Why would Everett have to cross the Colorado River?”
Desi nodded, then explained. “The Escalante desert is kind of like a peninsula, with the Colorado River and No Man’s Mesa blocking escape on the south and east sides, and the town of Escalante being the only retreat to the north or west. And the Davis Gulch canyon ends at the Colorado River.”
“But why is it so difficult to cross the Colorado River without detection?” Haas said.
“Well, first off,” Dyss said, “crossing the Colorado River anywhere is a monumental task. The speed and temperature of the water alone makes it next to impossible.”
Desi nodded. “And the Navajos had sentries who regimentally patrolled the shores of the river. And so, the Navajo chiefs insisted that if Everett had tried to cross the river, they would have known about it.”
“Isn’t it possible that the Navajo chiefs lied about Everett crossing the river?” Dyss asked.
“No, definitely not,” Desi said. “In fact, there was a saying among the white settlers at the time that a Navajo was incapable of lying or keeping a secret. And the Navajos were never known to be hostile or malicious with the peaceful Mormon settlers.”
Desi paused. “No, the Navajos were not lying, and Johnson and his men knew it. So, the search party started from square one. They again searched the whole of Davis Gulch, looking for any sign of Everett's exit from the canyon, but to no avail.”
Desi paused for a moment, then continued. “It had taken Johnson and his men only three days to find Everett’s donkeys. Yet, after months of searching, no tracks could ever be found of Everett leaving the canyon. Why was it so easy to find Everett's tracks leading into Davis Gulch and yet so hard to find any traces of him leaving?
Desi paused to allow the group to ponder the question.
“In one of his last letters he ever wrote,” Desi continued, “Everett said this: ‘When I go, I leave no trace.’ It's almost as if Everett Ruess had been self-prophetic about his disappearance.”
Another pause, then Desi continued: “The search party continued their fruitless search. They scoured the bases of all the cliffs for miles around, searching for Everett’s fallen body. Eventually, all but one search party gave up the hunt. The volunteers returned to Escalante, the cliff wall behind them still enigmatically reading, ‘Nemo, 1934’.”
“What happened next?” Haas asked.
“Unverified sightings of Everett began to surface in the Navajo nation,” Desi said. “And so, Captain Johnson and his men widened their search to the surrounding areas. Despite the claims of the Navajo chiefs, Captain Johnson insisted that Everett must've crossed the Colorado River. It was the only possible scenario left.”
“But, if Everett had crossed the river,” Dyss said, “why were there no tracks leading to the river itself?”
“Still,” Desi said, “if Everett had managed to do the impossible and cross the river without leaving a trail and without being detected by the ever-vigilant Navajo patrol guards, the land on the opposite side of the river would have afforded him immense cover with which to disappear.”
“Captain Johnson,” Desi said, “seemed certain that Everett had managed to cross the river and was living on the reservation, exploring the vast desert. So, Johnson continued his search, focusing on that most unlikely theory. Reported sightings of Everett repeated sprouted up, but each claim was quickly proven false.”
“Captain Johnson continued his hunt throughout the Escalante and Navajo regions. After nine months of searching, the group ran into a medicine man by the name of Natani. Natani told the searchers that he had seen the white boy somewhere near where the Colorado River meets Davis Gulch.”
Desi looked into Dyss’ eyes. “Johnson asked Natani if Ruess was dead. Natani replied that the boy had gone away. And he did not intend to come back.”
“What did Natani mean by that?” Haas asked excitedly.
“Johnson had the same question,” Desi said, “but the medicine man would say no more. Johnson asked if going away meant that Ruess was dead, or if he deliberately disappeared. But Natani was silent. Again the search party was forced back to facing the enigmatic scratches on the wall. ‘Nemo, 1934’.”
“So,” Desi continued, “by the advice of a vague and arcane medicine man, the search party set out once again for the last known location of Everett Ruess, Davis Gulch.”
“Shortly thereafter,” Desi said, “the group picked up a half-Ute, half-Navajo guide named Dougeye. Dougeye was reputed to be the greatest tracker in all of the Americas. If anyone would be able to track down Everett's trail, it would be Dougeye.
“Along the way to Davis Gulch, Dougeye carefully searched every possible campsite along the Colorado River upstream and down. There was absolutely no sign of any human passing within the last five years. This added all the more mystery to the puzzle, and led to only one conclusion; the same conclusion that every party in search of Everett has ever reached. Everett Ruess had never left Davis Gulch. His tracks went halfway down into the canyon and stopped.”
“So,” Desi continued, “Johnson’s party again searched the Davis Gulch canyon even more thoroughly than previous parties, if such a thing was possible. Still, nothing. Dougeye, the best tracker in the country, spent two whole days meticulously inspecting the canyon like a baffled hound. After his exhaustive search, Dougeye had only one thing to say. ‘White boy went in, not come out.’ Johnson asked Dougeye if that meant that Everett had died in the canyon. Dougeye said no, that there was no grave, no sign of digging, no sign of anything.”
Desi took a deep breath. “The search party left Davis Gulch for the final time; again, empty-handed. And still, their backs faced the increasingly mysterious, enigmatic, and now legendary carving, ‘Nemo, 1934’.”
Both Dyss and Haas let out a deep breath at the finishing of the tale.
*** (Footnote/Citation: Wallace Stegner has the most complete record of the legend of Everett Ruess. I have borrowed liberally from his account of these events, even using some of his exact wording.)
Continue reading the next chapter >>>
<<< Go back to the previous chapter
A reason why Neon Canyon gets it's name!
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