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View Full Version : Trip Report Misery Canyon



Reedus
05-21-2006, 12:20 PM
What was intended to be a long three day canyoneering adventure turned into a fly by the seat of your pants down and back. Our initial plan was to do Icebox and one other Zion canyon, but at the last minute, plans changed due to family activities and employment conflicts. So Friday night, Eric, Pete, and I took off for Zion in hopes of doing Misery Canyon. Pete and I have never done any Zion canyons, so this was our first and we were pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable the canyon was. We got headed up Checkerboard Canyon at around 8 in the morning. As we rounded the ridge we saw a coyote in hasty retreat. As the heat of the day set in, we were glad to get into the canyon and some respite from the heat, but at the same time we were dreading the misery of the climb out. After a stroll down canyon it slotted up and we were "all up in it". Most of the potholes were stagnant and were filled with tadpoles and frogs. I have never seen so many frogs before in one place. Eric brought along his rope silo of which I was really intrigued by. He gave me a chance after one rap to load the bag. I removed my ATC-XP to use my biner and left it on the rock in one of the following pictures I posted. After 20 minutes of downclimbing and wading I realized that I had left it. Damn!!! We got to the end of the canyon and marveled at the warm spring right next to the cold one. (Pictures also) There was also a nice little water slide before we hit the confluence with the Parunweap. We headed down canyon to the exit and enjoyed the high walls and crystal clear water. After a few jumps from a rock into deep pools and a lunch of spaghetti O's thanks to Eric, we headed out into the full heat of the sun. The climb out was hot, but bearable with constant water from the hydration bladder. I fully expected a much more grueling exit that it actually was. After reaching the car we made a not so quick stop to the Zion VC and then Oscars for some expensive grub. Eric was kind enough to drive the entire way home and let me and Pete sleep. All in all, Misery Canyon was awesome and up there on my top ten list. The scenery is awesome.

rockgremlin
05-21-2006, 01:15 PM
Wow! Thanks for the great TR!! This is one of the best TRs I've seen in a while. Great Pics. That dual hot/cold spring is intriguing!

Eric fascinates me -- he has been doing slot canyons ever since I left him over a week ago after doing Pandora's and Shillelagh. I'm a bit jealous. When does he fit work into his busy slot canyon schedule? :haha:

shaggy125
05-21-2006, 03:09 PM
Wow! Thanks for the great TR!! This is one of the best TRs I've seen in a while. Great Pics. That dual hot/cold spring is intriguing!

Eric fascinates me -- he has been doing slot canyons ever since I left him over a week ago after doing Pandora's and Shillelagh. I'm a bit jealous. When does he fit work into his busy slot canyon schedule? :haha:

Well I haven't done as many as you think, I ended up not doing the quick shot down to Escalante after Pandora's and came home and worked instead. I guess I'm just stupid enough to do one day trips like this even when I should be doing other things. The funny thing is I get frustrated because I don't think I am outside enough! I am constantly busy with school and work, if I don't get at least one trip (even for just a day) a month I'd probably be on Prozac or something. :crazy:

Awesome TR Reed, I love digital cameras because I actually get to see pictures when other people take them (everyone always says they will get double prints and give you some, but you never see them). The video camera is still getting fixed :frustrated: so no video. I agree with Reed, Misery was awesome, as good as, if not better than any of the easier canyons I've done in Zion. And no permit required! :rockit:

Eric.

Sombeech
05-21-2006, 06:14 PM
Thanks for the pics.

Mtnbiker
05-22-2006, 07:17 AM
THose are awesome pictures, looks like a ton of fun!

The only problem with looking at this stuff at work is now I am pretty much unmotivated to do any of it :ne_nau: I want to go outside and play :lol8:

rock_ski_cowboy
05-22-2006, 08:32 AM
Great TR! :five: I wish I could've made it. Oh well, at least my family is happy...

Next time for sure.

You may have some luck getting your ATC back if you make a "Lost Gear" post both here and over on the canyons group.

accadacca
05-22-2006, 08:46 AM
We Salute You!! :rockon:

shaggy125
05-22-2006, 07:38 PM
For those that enjoy reading TR's, I wrote one up and put it on my blog. I also stole Reeds pics and added them, taking all photo credits to myself :toofunny: (just kidding).

http://utoutdoors.blogspot.com/2006/05/misery-canyon.html

marc olivares
05-22-2006, 08:46 PM
hey Eric....off topic
what size is that petzl bag you use?
in the market for another bag and that seems to be about the size i'm looking for.

shaggy125
05-24-2006, 06:54 PM
hey Eric....off topic
what size is that petzl bag you use?
in the market for another bag and that seems to be about the size i'm looking for.

It's 45 liters I believe, maybe 40. About the same as Tom's Kolob pack. I bought it because I had my 20% discount and dividend from REI. If I was paying full price I probably would buy Tom's Kolob pack. I've demo'd one and it seems just as resistant to wear (my Petzl pack is wearing out faster then I expected). The pack doesn't have a waist belt but is shaped in a way that it does a good job distributing weight, BUT if you are like me and like to keep your pack on in swimming pools then doing the back stroke or dog paddle, forget about it. Without a waist belt the pack floats up and keeps you from being able to move your arms. You have to drop it in the pool and then just hold on to it while you swim. Probably won't be a big deal once I get used to it but it's still annoying to me now. The Kolob pack is more comfortable to wear too.

Eric.

marc olivares
05-24-2006, 07:55 PM
thanks eric,
i've got one of Toms older mystery packs, but looking for something a bit bigger. i'll take a looksee at the kolob too.

great trip report guys, keep them coming, helps me get through long nights at work... :2thumbs:

snatch
05-29-2006, 06:22 PM
ahhh good 'ol misery canyon. i'm glad you didn't mind the exit hike as much as i did. parunaweap is amazing though. show me your ---!

Iceaxe
05-30-2006, 12:41 PM
Nice pics, Misery is one of my favorites in Zion.

:popcorn: