R
Animal In All Of Us
Tragedy bonds forum members
By Doug Tulloch …
It started with a simple post on the SnoWest Forums on New Year’s Day:
Topic: Animal ride this coming week end... Jan 7-9
Date: January 01, 2005 9:20 PM
Posted By: Animal (Senior Member)
Me and my bride went down to cabin snow was great, evty thing is ready for you all, whooooooooooooow hooooooooooooooo,
Bring a sleeping bag and pillow, sled and fuel, pocket cash if you want to play poker with animals cards,
We love ya all please come.. Oranges welcome.
From there, post after post followed for the next five days as David Wayne Johnson, a.k.a. “Animal” planned out an exciting snowmobile ride for 20,000 of his closest forum friends at his cabin east of Mt. Pleasant, UT. And although only 20 could actually be there in person, many on the SnoWest Forums expressed remorse that for whatever reason, they couldn’t be part of the festivities.
As the following weekend approached, final arrangements were being made. And the weekend was looking great. A storm front from the southwest was whipping through the area leaving white fluffy powder stacking up in the Manti/La Sal National Forest. Over a foot of new snow fell on Friday. Post number 36 read:
Topic: Animal ride this coming week end... Jan 7-9
Date: January 06, 2005 1:58 PM
Posted By: Animal (Senior Member)
See ya all soon, 3 hrs to depart, please program my cell (801-XXX-XXXX).
Spent all week being a cook, cooked 2 batches of sloppy joes different recipes, 1 big batch of chili (mother’s recipe) we will eat that tonight with fritos and cheese, nothing like starting out the ride right. Then cooked 80 lbs of famous (animal’s) dave’s ribs, almost got my arse kicked by my dogs, made 40 lbs of potato salad, if you don’t gain 20 lbs on this ride then I failed,, oh also cooked something real special for the Coyotee?
About 24 hours later while guiding his Forum friends, Animal dropped into an untracked bowl at Choke Cherry Ridge. The mountain gave way and the deep snow swallowed him up.
Animal’s part of this story ended. But for those close to him, and those who only knew of him by his Forum alias, the story just began.
Almost immediately, the SnoWest Forums started broadcasting the news. First there was a post about someone being killed in an avalanche. Then questions started popping up asking if any of the forum members were involved. And then there came the news:
Topic: R.I.P. Animal
Date: January 09, 2005 1:25 AM
Posted By: AirForceSledder
For those of you who have not heard yet, he died in an avy in Utah January 08. Just wanna send condolences out to his family. Animal was a big part of this forum.
Condolences, concerns, questions all started streaming in. An outpouring of love and affection came from his extended family, directed to the wife and three girls he had left behind.
And after the initial shock and disbelief began to wear off, thus followed the comments and suggestions how such a tragedy could be avoided.
Winter has since turned to summer in most parts of the snowbelt. (Utah’s great snow allowed for a bonus time for snowmobilers … something we’ve been awaiting for quite some time.) Now is a good time to reflect on our sledding season and to assess lessons learned. What went right? What went wrong?
This has been both the best and worst season ever for many—we had the snow we’ve been waiting for … but we paid a price that seemed too costly.
By sharing this particular story of one so close to many, we hope that we can share some knowledge that could prevent such tragedies from reoccurring.
Greatest Snow On Earth
This past winter the mountains of Utah were blessed with an unbelievable amount of early season snow. The snow came early, and continued to stack up deeper and deeper. Storms raced over the state at record pace, being pushed by strong winds.
We had record snowfall by mid-December. Then it came to a halt. This pause, although we often view it as a time to get out and take advantage of the fluff, is what we need to pay more attention to. It’s during this dry spell that the snow settles. Then the sun does its part to cook and crust it up. And as it continues to dry, hoar layers start to form while it waits for the next big dump.
In the meantime, the 2nd annual “Animal Ride” scheduled for Jan. 7-9, was in the makings. Winter enthusiasts watched the skies and wondered if it would be a powder weekend. Beginning New Year’s Eve, the snow came down with a vengeance. There was between four and eight fresh feet of snow piling up in the mountains and people coming in from all directions were en route to Animal’s cabin for an “all-are-invited” weekend.
On Jan. 8, those present noted the high winds, suggesting maybe playing cards that day instead of riding. But hey, what snowmobilers would pass up a day of fresh snow. Besides, the past few winters had cheated both snowmobilers and skiers of a chance for some outstanding powder riding.
Within an hour’s time, the deep new snow, changing temperatures, high winds, and crusted old snow spelled disaster for two winter enthusiasts on the Wasatch Plateau east of Mt. Pleasant.
Just 5 minutes to 1 p.m., the Sanpete County Sheriff’s Department received its first call notifying that a snowboarder had been buried in an avalanche in Ephraim Canyon. Evan as Search & Rescue were racing to the scene, at 1:54 p.m. the second call came in. This was nodification of a snowmobiler buried.
The balance of the day was hectic on that mountain with all best efforts in vain to save those buried. Although both bodies were recovered within a short period of time, neither could be resuscitated.
Expression Of Love
With the case of Animal, as soon as the news spread, there was an instant out-pouring of love and sympathy. Almost immediately, efforts were underway for a fundraiser. Again, the SnoWest Forum served as a catalyst to raise money to assist with funeral costs. Forum friends like “F-Bomb” and “2fun4u” turned the planned McCall (ID) Forum ride into a fundraiser for the family.
It teaches us that from tragedy, we can receive the blessings of munificence. The Idaho crew went all out, giving selflessly to the family of a fallen comrade who many had never personally met. The love and emotional at the event was genuine. It allowed many the opportunity to grieve and say good bye, while allowing others a brief insight into the lives of good people.
Topic: Animal ride this coming week end... Jan 7-9
Date: March 02, 2005 9:16 AM
Posted By: CoyoteGirl
Dave is on my mind today. Not unusual, just more so than the average day..
It seems that Animal was on the minds of many … and often.
Although other posts were circulated on the Forums, it seems that there was always a return of the original—the one Animal started.
The thread finally reached an end in April … but the thoughts and memories will linger on for years to come.
Lessons Learned
Although Animal was an outstanding snowmobiler and could recognize the dangers that Mother Nature offers, his death demonstrates that none of us are immune to tragic events. But there are things we can do to be smarter as we recreate.
First, complacency can kill: We must constantly be on our guard as weather conditions change. Even a slight variance in temperatures can have significant affects to the various layers of snow. Just because the snow was safe an hour ago, don’t be complacent to believe it is safe now.
Second, trust your gut feelings. If you sense something is wrong, then something is probably wrong. There are times when you just need to leave the powder for another day.
Third, we could all be a little more like Animal. A little more caring, a little more sharing, a little better friend, parent and spouse.
Finally, behold the power of the web. Many great friendships have been formed on the Snowest Forums. Many have become practically inseparable with Forum friends. Our concern and compassion for each other goes well beyond just snowmobiling.
Although we all have a common bond with the sport, it’s our passion for this lifestyle that ties us together. Truly, there’s a little Animal in all of us.
Tragedy bonds forum members
By Doug Tulloch …
It started with a simple post on the SnoWest Forums on New Year’s Day:
Topic: Animal ride this coming week end... Jan 7-9
Date: January 01, 2005 9:20 PM
Posted By: Animal (Senior Member)
Me and my bride went down to cabin snow was great, evty thing is ready for you all, whooooooooooooow hooooooooooooooo,
Bring a sleeping bag and pillow, sled and fuel, pocket cash if you want to play poker with animals cards,
We love ya all please come.. Oranges welcome.
From there, post after post followed for the next five days as David Wayne Johnson, a.k.a. “Animal” planned out an exciting snowmobile ride for 20,000 of his closest forum friends at his cabin east of Mt. Pleasant, UT. And although only 20 could actually be there in person, many on the SnoWest Forums expressed remorse that for whatever reason, they couldn’t be part of the festivities.
As the following weekend approached, final arrangements were being made. And the weekend was looking great. A storm front from the southwest was whipping through the area leaving white fluffy powder stacking up in the Manti/La Sal National Forest. Over a foot of new snow fell on Friday. Post number 36 read:
Topic: Animal ride this coming week end... Jan 7-9
Date: January 06, 2005 1:58 PM
Posted By: Animal (Senior Member)
See ya all soon, 3 hrs to depart, please program my cell (801-XXX-XXXX).
Spent all week being a cook, cooked 2 batches of sloppy joes different recipes, 1 big batch of chili (mother’s recipe) we will eat that tonight with fritos and cheese, nothing like starting out the ride right. Then cooked 80 lbs of famous (animal’s) dave’s ribs, almost got my arse kicked by my dogs, made 40 lbs of potato salad, if you don’t gain 20 lbs on this ride then I failed,, oh also cooked something real special for the Coyotee?
About 24 hours later while guiding his Forum friends, Animal dropped into an untracked bowl at Choke Cherry Ridge. The mountain gave way and the deep snow swallowed him up.
Animal’s part of this story ended. But for those close to him, and those who only knew of him by his Forum alias, the story just began.
Almost immediately, the SnoWest Forums started broadcasting the news. First there was a post about someone being killed in an avalanche. Then questions started popping up asking if any of the forum members were involved. And then there came the news:
Topic: R.I.P. Animal
Date: January 09, 2005 1:25 AM
Posted By: AirForceSledder
For those of you who have not heard yet, he died in an avy in Utah January 08. Just wanna send condolences out to his family. Animal was a big part of this forum.
Condolences, concerns, questions all started streaming in. An outpouring of love and affection came from his extended family, directed to the wife and three girls he had left behind.
And after the initial shock and disbelief began to wear off, thus followed the comments and suggestions how such a tragedy could be avoided.
Winter has since turned to summer in most parts of the snowbelt. (Utah’s great snow allowed for a bonus time for snowmobilers … something we’ve been awaiting for quite some time.) Now is a good time to reflect on our sledding season and to assess lessons learned. What went right? What went wrong?
This has been both the best and worst season ever for many—we had the snow we’ve been waiting for … but we paid a price that seemed too costly.
By sharing this particular story of one so close to many, we hope that we can share some knowledge that could prevent such tragedies from reoccurring.
Greatest Snow On Earth
This past winter the mountains of Utah were blessed with an unbelievable amount of early season snow. The snow came early, and continued to stack up deeper and deeper. Storms raced over the state at record pace, being pushed by strong winds.
We had record snowfall by mid-December. Then it came to a halt. This pause, although we often view it as a time to get out and take advantage of the fluff, is what we need to pay more attention to. It’s during this dry spell that the snow settles. Then the sun does its part to cook and crust it up. And as it continues to dry, hoar layers start to form while it waits for the next big dump.
In the meantime, the 2nd annual “Animal Ride” scheduled for Jan. 7-9, was in the makings. Winter enthusiasts watched the skies and wondered if it would be a powder weekend. Beginning New Year’s Eve, the snow came down with a vengeance. There was between four and eight fresh feet of snow piling up in the mountains and people coming in from all directions were en route to Animal’s cabin for an “all-are-invited” weekend.
On Jan. 8, those present noted the high winds, suggesting maybe playing cards that day instead of riding. But hey, what snowmobilers would pass up a day of fresh snow. Besides, the past few winters had cheated both snowmobilers and skiers of a chance for some outstanding powder riding.
Within an hour’s time, the deep new snow, changing temperatures, high winds, and crusted old snow spelled disaster for two winter enthusiasts on the Wasatch Plateau east of Mt. Pleasant.
Just 5 minutes to 1 p.m., the Sanpete County Sheriff’s Department received its first call notifying that a snowboarder had been buried in an avalanche in Ephraim Canyon. Evan as Search & Rescue were racing to the scene, at 1:54 p.m. the second call came in. This was nodification of a snowmobiler buried.
The balance of the day was hectic on that mountain with all best efforts in vain to save those buried. Although both bodies were recovered within a short period of time, neither could be resuscitated.
Expression Of Love
With the case of Animal, as soon as the news spread, there was an instant out-pouring of love and sympathy. Almost immediately, efforts were underway for a fundraiser. Again, the SnoWest Forum served as a catalyst to raise money to assist with funeral costs. Forum friends like “F-Bomb” and “2fun4u” turned the planned McCall (ID) Forum ride into a fundraiser for the family.
It teaches us that from tragedy, we can receive the blessings of munificence. The Idaho crew went all out, giving selflessly to the family of a fallen comrade who many had never personally met. The love and emotional at the event was genuine. It allowed many the opportunity to grieve and say good bye, while allowing others a brief insight into the lives of good people.
Topic: Animal ride this coming week end... Jan 7-9
Date: March 02, 2005 9:16 AM
Posted By: CoyoteGirl
Dave is on my mind today. Not unusual, just more so than the average day..
It seems that Animal was on the minds of many … and often.
Although other posts were circulated on the Forums, it seems that there was always a return of the original—the one Animal started.
The thread finally reached an end in April … but the thoughts and memories will linger on for years to come.
Lessons Learned
Although Animal was an outstanding snowmobiler and could recognize the dangers that Mother Nature offers, his death demonstrates that none of us are immune to tragic events. But there are things we can do to be smarter as we recreate.
First, complacency can kill: We must constantly be on our guard as weather conditions change. Even a slight variance in temperatures can have significant affects to the various layers of snow. Just because the snow was safe an hour ago, don’t be complacent to believe it is safe now.
Second, trust your gut feelings. If you sense something is wrong, then something is probably wrong. There are times when you just need to leave the powder for another day.
Third, we could all be a little more like Animal. A little more caring, a little more sharing, a little better friend, parent and spouse.
Finally, behold the power of the web. Many great friendships have been formed on the Snowest Forums. Many have become practically inseparable with Forum friends. Our concern and compassion for each other goes well beyond just snowmobiling.
Although we all have a common bond with the sport, it’s our passion for this lifestyle that ties us together. Truly, there’s a little Animal in all of us.
