That's no jack rabbit ... it's an artist in chains

updated 12:00 p.m. ET Jan. 5, 2006

BAKER, Calif. - An artist who chained his legs together so that he could accurately render a picture of his legs wrapped in chains hopped 12 hours through the desert after realizing he lost the key and couldn’t unlock the restraints, authorities said.

Trevor Corneliusien, 26, wrapped and locked a chain around his bare ankles Tuesday while camping in an abandoned mine shaft about 5 miles north of Baker, San Bernardino County sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Ford said.

Corneliusien often sketches inside mines in the Southwest.

When he finished his chain drawing, he realized he had lost the key to his shackles and would have to seek help in Baker, the deputy said Wednesday.

“It took him over 12 hours because he had to hop through boulders and sand,” Ford said. “He did put on his shoes before hopping.”

Corneliusien finally made it to a gas station on the edge of Baker. He called the sheriff’s department, which sent paramedics and deputies with bolt cutters.

Corneliusien’s legs were bruised, but he was otherwise in good health, Ford said. The artist did not have a listed phone number and could not be reached for comment.

And the drawing?

“He brought it down with him,” Ford said. “It was a pretty good depiction of how a chain would look wrapped around your legs.”

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