Hikers honor friends killed in flash flood last year in Zion National Park

With their backpacks strapped on, the first group of hikers set off from Topanga State Park early Sunday and headed two miles up the muddy fire road.

The surrounding hills were a vibrant green – a gift from the weekend’s rains -- and mustard plants popped bright yellow along the footpath. At the head of the group, a hiking troubadour, Armond Hovanesian, sang “California Dreamin’” and “Here Comes the Sun” as he strummed a guitar.

When they reached their destination at Eagle Rock, the Valencia Hiking Crew converged with five other organized groups of hikers. More than 150 people were there to honor seven fellow hikers who died in September when they were caught in a flash flood in narrow Keyhole Canyon in Zion National Park.

“We used to come here with Don on hikes on Sundays,” said George Mahshigian, one of the organizers who helped raised $2,500 to have a wooden bench dedicated in honor of Don Teichner, 55; Gary Favela, 51; Muku Reynolds, 59; Steve Arthur, 58; Linda Arthur, 57; Robin Brum, 53; and Mark MacKenzie, 56.

“It’s something lasting to remember our friends,” said organizer Larry Simmer.

The seven experienced hikers were in Zion last fall to go exploring in Keyhole Canyon. Less than an hour after the group got a canyon permit, the National Weather Service reported a 50% chance of rain. About 20 minutes after authorities believe the hikers drove into the park and lost cellphone service, a flash flood warning was issued for the area.

All seven were swept away in the storm on what turned out to be one of the deadliest days of weather in Utah’s history. The bodies of all the victims were later recovered miles apart.

“He just did what he did. He loved to hike and he shared it with others -- and then this happened,” said Teichner’s daughter Melanie Vinokur. “That’s what happens when you do what you love to do.”

Teichner was the leader of the Valencia Hiking Crew.

Renee Brum was in Topanga Canyon to remember her sister, Robin. On the trip last fall, she “was really having a blast that day from the texts back and forth,” Brum said.

The bench dedication is “just a great thing that they’re doing for this group of seven [who] just would have loved it,” Brum said.

As the informal ceremony got underway, Brum’s husband and father flew over the service in a Cessna 182.

Hovanesian sang a Beatles mashup of “In My Life” and “Free as a Bird.” Vinokur read a dedication and then christened the bench by smashing a small bag of trail mix on it as the crowd erupted into cheers and applause.

State laws do not allow park benches to memorialize individuals, said Stephen Bylin, park superintendent for Topanga State Park. Instead, the benches and their inscriptions are intended to be inspirational. On a ledge looking out to Eagle Rock, the new bench reads:

“Don’t walk in front of me/ Don’t walk behind me/ Walk beside me and just be my friend/ Keyhole 7.”

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