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TRIPS AND TRAILS

HISTORIC BABYLON-LITTLE PURGATORY

                       

The Historic Babylon-Little Purgatory Loop Trail is accessed from the Historic Babylon trailhead off the southern portion of the Babylon Road, as seen on the map below. Travel to this point should be made in a high clearance vehicle or 4WD once you've passed the turnoff to Sand Cove. Total distance from the trailhead to the return point is about 5.6 miles. Hiking the loop in a counter-clockwise direction affords an easier rate of climb during the first half of the hike.

The 4WD road leading back to the Babylon trailhead with the parking area in the foreground on the left.

The stepover at the trailhead with "The Gap" in the background.

Heading into the "Gap" from the trailhead. Just a short area that looks like it could be the start of a canyon, but quickly opens up into open space.

A private residence about halfway through the Historic Babylon Trail.

This part of the trail eventually leads to the intersection of the Babylon and Little Purgatory trails to complete the loop back to the trailhead.

and here we are back at "the Gap and heading home...

I found a good spot to spend the night, but not a very comfortable one. I spent the entire night just trying to stay warm enough to get a few hours sleep, but seemed like I spent more time awake and shivering than I did sleeping.

When the sun finally started to show itself the next morning, I did nothing but thank God for the light and the fact that I had made it thru another cold night of shivering and trying to stay warm. I decided that day that I was not going to go anywhere. I was going to sit there and wait for any sign of people or maybe the sound of a chopper. Besides, I was too beat up and exhausted from bushwhacking and not getting any sleep. Finally around 10am that morning, I hear the faint sound of a chopper. Getting louder by the second, I knew they were out there for a reason and was hoping that reason was me.. Growing louder and getting closer, I see him coming over the ridge behind me and almost lost it with joy. I jumped up, grabbed my red bandana and started waving it hoping that they would spot me down below. They flew right over me and kept on going. Hopes were shattered just for a few seconds until I see them make a U turn and fly back to my location. When they got to me, they stopped and hovered above for a couple minutes, and then flew away. Not knowing what was going to happen next or what their plans were, I tried to relax and stay calm until the 2nd stage of the rescue took place. It was about 4 hours later that I heard someone yelling in the distance. They had finally arrived at my location. I yelled back again and again. They had come to my rescue :) 

I find out later the story behind the rescue effort and the chopper coming and going. As they were hovering above me , they were getting a GPS track on my location. They then flew back to the trailhead and put together a hiking team to hike up to my location. I can't thank WCSAR for their expertise and their concern about the condition I was in when they found me.      

So that's my story and I'm sticking to it. It was an experience that I will never forget and one that I hope I never have to go thru again

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