Show K : 1 1 J J ' ' 1 ' - ' i i s' 4 f r ' v ''iw- t ' y - 1 ' ' 1 !v ? Section Friday July 192002 : Pagel The Herald Journal L ! Photo courtesy of Brian Frankie Brian Frankie poults exercise 4 4 a handcart during his trek across the Salt Rats four-da- y endurance in It may have been the first time anyone has crossed the Rats on foot ' : self-portr- ait ' “Everyodier trip I’ve thought of people say ‘Can I go V Tins one nobody wanted to go” he ioof of your earring mouth except that it was there Theidea came to him in die drill of winter when a little sunshine sounded OK andhe mentioned it to Hy friends he knew would holdhim bmehow Brian Franlde Apparently po one wanted to Knolls miles 115 to his word if he got cold feet in across June find for strike icouldn’t companions any " “Once I got confident enough Utah’s Not that he’s not claiming a his latest excursion Vtiley an area that I knew it was possible then I first crossing “I don’t know that too forsaken for jackrabhita a I’m th6 first one to do it I’m started looking into if more” says region that showaoQ maps as! V'y'vacrossdtoSFlaahaulingI60' die Boise native “It pretty much skeptical that I would be But the be no reason to had mentioned it to friends all of a' streams orelevation lines the developed from the fact that I like up pioneers to look at maps and I’m also K sudden everyone had yardworkio place wbere sun ricocheting fnrin there they were all heading east sand can sunburn the to west” he says and few visitors intrigued b master’s dieses pos-'door ailing relatives to visit - ' : have reason to ' sibihties” in particular common ' v' gptqe now ' Tve always been irito the out-- landscapes “How many people drive fiiqm doors and backpacking getting r SaltLaketoWendoverand essen- away from peo(rie”Fnide 24 Flats Salt die “and dris drive througfi dally mmtly developed says aid aren’t aware of them? from knowing Id be too busy : with wdtk to get away for any--' They’re overlooked by most peH " : V i dling longer” pie even thoui we’re exposed to 1' iAncntrnirQDetirwho 'aeidesA As for die Flats “I didn’t know and sells liitweight backpacking name tmdredw anydring about them” Frankie Ultralight gear Adventure EquqimmitFn ii says and he didn’t overstudy so ' as not to ruin idl the surprises a recent graduate of Utah State T - ' 'University in landscape architec-“Adventure mystery and soli-- tude ani what I value in an out- - r ture who u pondering graduate doors experience”he says What V ' Past escapades include hiking he discovered was supreme soli-tude a few minor mysteries and the Pacific Qest Thail and pleiriy V of baclqaclting in Idaho’s saw- mighty little adventure The journey began June 27 at 2 tooths snd southern UtahHis Conin the afternoon He o’clock was drin hikethe to original ' tinental Divide lYail but time walked south from Park Valfey ' A restraints fprcpd him to refocus for 27 miles before setting up XronAeidalwCentmmiallkail V canqi " “and then it gtri dumbed down toThenextday he logged 28 ' miles piercing the heart of the A (£- -' tills" v v v Si and cresting the railroad wasa It straightforward yvjK ' feliveior the better tracks that cross the basin On - - j S Those busy mends are not alone it’s likely that no one else has v donewhat Frankie did which to was to trudge friunPark-Yalle- - y mini-Dea- th salt-crust- ed iS1 : t ' - : v v 1 1 r v y- -'- A ?v- V-- s:' By Lance Frazier outdoors editor i Photo courtesyof Brian Frankie Brian Frankie stares brio the camera for a “truth picture" on the Salt Fiats He says he fakes on each trip during his worst moments to "see if I looked as bad as I felt" a Utah Test and Training f " South I -- nociE 'county-- a - i- 6flS i - DTWtehecMtimiedona irfawewhiledossingthe' worst criUttii’s WestDesert Tb ' the obvious quetiion Wlqr7— " ' ' y t' r’ :! t t ‘ south westeriytrend 32 miles to Island area and on hia theSilver ' —--- j— - Iked26nriles 'v - i 'V V i- before emerging onto near Knolls He set aside six days for the trip but finished in four after realizing that “when it’g 100 to 110 degrees you’re not really sit ting around and reliuung so you might as well do something else with your time and get the hell out of the inferno” Knowing die area was flat Frankie had chosenhis route with a ruler intending to beeline it Insteddhe ran into swampy sec- dons that clogged the wheels of the cart odhadte weave to find solid ground The heat cremated r y all thoughts of side trips such as a hike up the diminutive New- foundiand Mountains and the last thing he wanted to think about was his destination which for the eiriire journey was easily visible in die form of the Silver Island l-- 80 ‘ Mountains “It was real hard to get adjusted “A kit of times when you’re hik-- " ing you’ve got definite goals and you can gauge distance traveled by tiipe traveled and landmarks but thae was nothing out there ' From this poiitt (camp site No 1) I could see Floating Island and ' Silver Island but they were two days away I’d see trains oq the horizon kjnd of fuzzy and be like ‘That’s three hours ayvay’ Three hpurs later it didn’t look any close- r- it didn’t look any ' iXy-hieadi “I tried towalk with my ' down because it was so discour--J ' ' aging o Jook snd just walk for I- : i V ' — - i — - - - J - " - - - - - - - - - - - -— - -- - — - i' l fi I ' ‘"'I ' i 11 1 ' v' 1 - v k : a-- at ' " SaVqIpp'y:v'' v -- ' I - - : |