Adventure Buddies

You all know how much we LOVE the Narrows in Zion National Park. When we were the furthest point in that we could hike, we decided to have a snack and take a break before turning around to head back. We knew we had to get back for the last shuttle pick up.

Eric and Brady decided to try to climb a huge waterfall and the other three kids were digging around near the base in the sand. I was just enjoying nature and the birds singing when all of the sudden Cam said he found a bone. I didn’t really pay much attention until he held it up. Immediately, I got goosebumps because this DID NOT look like the normal deer bone or animal bone you find out in the woods in Ohio. I grew up in a hunting family and I’ve seen my fair share of animal bones. This was something different than that.

The piece looked as if it was broken off from a longer bone and was buried about 6 inches from the surface in sand. I couldn’t wait for Eric to get back so I could show him what Cam found. The bone was pretty clean and looked exactly what I believe a human bone looks like on the inside and out. I’m not in the medical field, but it was just enough to make me freaked out.

The kids continued to look around for other bones and about a foot from the bone Cam found was a 18K gold plated necklace. Ellie came screaming to show me what was right next to the bone they found. I thought I was a bit freaked out when we found the bone, but after finding the necklace, that was a whole different level for me. It’s crazy how your mind begins to wonder when something like this happens. Could this be someone that was missing in Zion or possibly an animal that jumped a huge cliff and didn’t make it?

In this particular area, it floods often when it rains. I had all these assumptions in my head of what I thought happened.

We felt best to hold on to the bone and necklace and deliver it to a park ranger that night.

When we finished that day, we barely made it back to turn in our rental gear. Everything was closed. I told Cam to stick it in a ziplock bag, place it in his hiking bag, and we’d give it to a local park ranger in the park the next day. Only realizing that the next day, we’d be heading to our next national park. We placed the bone and necklace in the bottom bays of our bus and heading off to our next stop.

With all the excitement of getting to another favorite destination, and two out of four kids under the weather, I totally forgot about the bone. Two weeks later on our way to Teton National Park I realized the bone was still with us. I thought it was probably wise to get this out of our hands and to a park ranger. With us heading to Canada also, I didn’t want officials to question why we had a bone in our motor coach.

I called the visitor center in Teton National Park and asked to immediately speak to a park ranger. I told them the situation. Within minutes, someone was on their way to our location to gather information and get the bone. I had to give all of the details and location. I’ve never been in a situation like this before. It was a bit strange, but I told the deputy the entire story and handed over the bone and necklace. The deputy informed me that they would reach out to gather more information if they needed anything else. He did inform me that I could call to get an update on the case. We are very curious to find out what the updates are and if this will turn out to be a case of an unsolved mystery. My prayer is that if they do find that it’s a human bone, then it will lead a family to some answers.

We called a couple nurses and asked their opinions and sent pictures as well to them. Both professionals in the field believe that it looks just like an elbow bone. With the internet and all that has to offer, we were able to find what looks exactly like an elbow bone replica of a human online. What do you think? We will keep you all updated as we find out more information.