AJ
05-02-2007, 10:17 AM
Those just interested in the pictures, scroll to the bottom. Or click this link: (Link good for 90 days)
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=brainwaves_ap&aid=576460762400153329&pid=&wtok=BvNVrUssNAl9jgQ2vSRq5A--&ts=1178085013&.src=ph
Wednesday 9/27/06:
I drove out to Zion for a CanyonFest. A CanyonFest is essentially an informal gathering of canyoneers from all over, organized over the internet by Tom Jones. Zion is around a 10 hour drive for me, so I didn't get out there until around 4am, as I had to leave after work. I tried to be as quiet as I could when I got there; didn't bother setting up a tent, just threw my sleeping bag on a pad in front of the Jeep. Figured the early riser canyoneers would start getting up around 5 or 6am. I was planning on joining a few canyoneers that I hadn't met before, to do a Full Right Fork of North Creek trip, sometimes called a Right Fork of Great West canyon. This trip is normally done as a three day backpack. Some people do it in two. We were going to try to knock it out in a day. Would be an interesting trip on the amount of sleep I've gotten; as usual, I was sleep deprived even before the trip. I tried to get a little sleep, but slept lightly so I wouldn't miss the trip.
Thursday 9/28/06:
I woke up when the first canyoneers started to stir, around 5:30am. I asked if they knew the folks I was supposed to meet. One person knew that some of them weren't able to make the fest, and didn't know the others. I kept on asking as people got up, and finally found out that only one person that was supposed to make the trip actually was able to show up, Ted. He didn't know for sure when or if I was getting there, so he didn't plan on going today, and it was already too late to do it in a day. Bummer. I talked to a few people, and jumped on a different trip out to Mystery Canyon. Not a super technical or difficult canyon; but still very pretty, difficult to get the permit for, and one I hadn't done before. Always a good time.
It was going to be Tom Jones (one of the early canyoneers, started his own canyoneering gear company, etc), Dave Pitney (of "Das Boot" fame - he was leading the trip where the canyon "Das Boot" got it's name, when one of thier party lost a boot in the canyon; a very wet canyon, in the winter), and me. Here's more info on Mystery Canyon (from Tom's website): http://canyoneeringusa.com/utah/zion/mystery.htm
We packed our gear, and hopped on one of the shuttle busses into the park. We started out hiking at Weeping Rock around 9:15am; up Echo canyon towards Observation point. The hike is a long one, much of it in the full sun, which was definitely warm. Tom and Dave seem to be taking quite the leisurely pace; and we get to the mouth of the canyon around 11:30am.
The drop into Mystery is down a loose gully, with some small but fun downclimbing spots. Mystery Canyon itself has a variety of downclimbs, small to big rappels, some water, and some sketchy old bolts for anchors; including one piece that is embedded into the rock using rebar. Interesting. There are some beautiful sculpted narrows, and tall walls. Definitely makes you feel tiny and insignificant; awe-inspiring.
The canyon was fairly dry; when we got to it around 1:45pm the rock jam area was just wet sand. Sometimes it's a lake that needs to be waded or swam. From there, the canyon is open for a little with some vegetation, then it drops and constricts again. This next section has a big drop into a spring fed pool. Beautiful, but chilly, water. Some sketchy bolts and anchors here too. There are a few fun wet downclimbs, and the grand finale is the rappel down into the narrows. There are usually a bunch of tourists down in the narrows that are watching and taking pictures as you do the final rappel.
The narrows is beautiful; if you haven't seen them, I'd highly recommend going. You can reserve a permit in advance from the backcountry page: https://zionpermits.nps.gov/backcountry.cfm?TripTypeID=3. You essentially walk through a riverbed, surrounded by towering walls. Incredible. Mystery is only a short walk down the narrows to the Temple of Sinawava; we get there around 4pm. Plenty of time to hit the bus back to camp, unpack, and relax with the great company of the other canyoneers. Everyone comes together in the evenings and chats about the day's adventures, and makes plans for the following day.
I talk to Ted that evening regarding the Right Fork trip. The permit he has is good for two days - just in case we weren't able to make it in a day. Thus, it's still good for tomorrow. I asked if he wanted to do it tomorrow, leaving early so we could get it done in a day. He agreed. We ask the other canyoneers and one more joins us; Walt Haas. We plan to get up early, 3am, and start hiking in the dark so we can reach Wildcat canyon at first light, and have the better part of the day for the long journey. Again, it's normally a three day journey. We pack our gear tonight so we can make a quick departure in the morning. More info on Right Fork is available from Tom's website: http://canyoneeringusa.com/utah/zion/right.htm
Friday 9/29/06:
We wake up at 3am, have a quick breakfast, and started the long drive around. Left one car at the Subway exit, and continued up to the West Rim trailhead. We then hike the trail to, and descend into Wildcat Canyon around 6am. The descent starts in the dark, and Wildcat turned out to be quite the bushwhack. Tough going, slow travel, and brutal. I wanted to drop into Little Blue Canyon, but Ted and Walt didn't want to rappel in the dark. I don't know for sure, but I suspect it would be a better entrance than the tough bushwhack in through Wildcat. We reach a spot where wildcat starts to open up around 7am. The fall colors are amazing; vibrant. Wildcat slots up for a bit, and we have some fun playing in the slot. We then route find our way over to the drop into Left Fork. I find a way down without a rappel, but we would then have to travel some in Left Fork, which has a lot of water; possibly swims. Since we packed light so we could go fast, none of us had wetsuits so we instead climbed back up and found the upclimb on the other side. We set a retrievable rappel, dropped into, and climbed out of the Left Fork. Left Fork has some beautiful sculpted walls.
The section of Wildcat between the Left and Right forks has quite a variety. Some canyon travel, some heavy bushwhacking, some open fields, even some walking through sandy washes. Navigation is still quite important here. We ended up cliffing out once; but the advantage is that we climbed up a ridge and was able to see the lay of the land. From there, we had to backtrack a little to cross a canyon, gain a ridge, and then followed that all the way to the drop in point for Right Fork. The drop in had some steep sections of rock, then dirt and vegetation; but we were able to find a way in without a rappel.
The right fork was a beautiful canyon. It had some open areas, and also constricted at times with good slots, fun downclimbs, and even a short rappel from a breakdown section. We reached the Black Pool at 12:30pm. It was a long, very cold swim. The next section of the canyon had some sketchy anchors like Mystery did. One of the rappels was into a murky pool. We instead climbed around, and set up a rappel that would drop us past the pool. There were some really fun downclimbs in this section as well. we reached the Grand Alcove around 1:45pm.
The Grand Alcove is where layers of sandstone meet, and there is a big drop with water seeping from between the layers. It has formed a big alcove, which is quite the sight. There is a two stage rappel here to get to the floor. We found a good spot to stop for lunch as well as great water to filter for the rest of the day's adventure.
The canyon below the Grand Alcove is different than above, with beautiful clear running water, rappels in the watercourse of that clear running water, waterfalls, and a slippery algae covering some of the river surfaces. We come across some of the frogs that blend into the rock, and which can climb on vertical surfaces. Near the confluence with the West fork, we come across a section that has been burned in the wildfires this year. The lack of vegetation and charred trees gives it an eerie feel. We find the exit route up, and arrive back at the car at 6:45pm. Not bad.
We drive and get our other vehicle, and head back to camp. When we get back, the other canyoneers are surprised to see us. They were taking bets when we would return, with most people thinking we wouldn't get back until the next day. We beat thier best estimate by over an hour; quite proud of that. We joined everyone for the evening gathering; sharing food, drinks and the adventures of the day.
As a side note, later on, another canyoneer, Dave, had found a camera in Right Fork. He asked if it was mine, and sent some photos of people from it. Nope, didn't recognize them, so I said I didn't know whose camera it was. He sent a reply saying, "This is you, isn't it? It looks like your shirt." Sure enough, it was my loud yellow shirt that I usually wear canyoneering. Come to find out that Walt had dropped his camera along the way. He didn't want to slow us all down, so he never even mentioned it. I told him that we would have gone back a bit and helped him find it; but it worked out in the end. He got his camera back; working and with all his pics on it. A big thanks to Dave, and a big laugh that it was due to my god awful canyoneering clothes.
We talked about tomorrows trips as well. I was again going to join up with Tom Jones for a trip down the South Fork of Oak Creek.
Saturday 9/30/06:
A group of four of us woke up to do the South Fork of Oak Creek, also known as the Eye of the Needle. More information can be found here: http://www.climb-utah.com/Zion/oc-sf1.htm
It was Carol Petrelli, Jeff Bell, Tom Jones and I. We again drive out to the West Rim trailhead area. We parked around 8:45am, talk to a concerned land owner, and drop into the canyon around 9:30am. It's a small bushwhack to get in, but once we are in; it quickly slots up and drops fast, with moving water to boot! The water is very cold, and the rappels are slick with an algea coating on many parts. It's hard to hear with the sound of the water echoing in the chambers, so we pull out the whistles just in case. We soon reach the reason it's called the Eye of the Needle. It's a long rappel down a watercourse, that winds through a small window. You rappel right through the small window, needing to duck and/or slide down. Very cool stuff. There are some cool pocketed walls just past the Eye rappel.
The next section has more of the same, tight raps in the watercourse, some fun downclimbs, and lots of water. It then tapers off some and widens up a little. Here, there are a lot of fun downclimbs and a few short rappels. There is less swimming, but we are still hiking, downclimbing and rappeling in the watercourse. Like most of Zion canyons, there are some wonderful big walls.
We came across a wild turkey and coaxed it downcanyon a ways. It still had a long way to go when we passed it; but at least it was headed in the right direction and was now in a dry spot of the canyon. I wonder which route it took to get in there to begin with. We then came across the confluence with Kolob Canyon around noon; which was slotted up with a lot of water. Two logs were jammed higher in an X like form; almost like a sign not to venture in there.
From there, we were technically in the Kolob Creek canyon. We stopped for a quick lunch shortly after the confluence. Then there was again some fun downclimbs, a rappel, and no shortage of water. There was some sections that widened a little, and gave way to vegetation and trees. There was wonderful fall colors along the way that definitely added to the experience; as well as more giant walls in the canyon. We came across a rebar anchor on the ground; must have been on a wall at one time, broke off, washed down, and ended up here.
We got to the MIA exit around 1:15pm, changed out of our wetsuits, and started the long climb out. I didn't find the MIA to be as bad as some people make it out to be. Sure, it's a long climb out, but not that bad. Around an hour to get to the rim. From there, we walk the winding and criss-crossing roads back to the car; around 3:45pm.
We drive back to camp, unpack, and start preparing dinner. Tonight is a potluck where everyone makes and shares snacks, meals and drinks. A great evening. Some people cooked amazing dishes, lasagna and other dutch oven treats! My stir fry dish was gone by the end of the night, so I guess it was good.
I was planning on doing a short canyon tomorrow, like Keyhole, since I had the long drive home. Ted came up and asked if I wanted to do Kolob. Kolob is a long, wet, and technical canyon; many groups take 10-16 hours to complete it. It's also been on my hit list for a while. It would be just Ted and I, so hopefully we could cut a few hours off the round trip time. I agree, and we plan to get a moderately early start so we can still visit with everyone tonight.
Sunday 10/01/06:
We wake up at 6am, have a quick breakfast and are on our way. We drive to the West Rim Trailhead for the third day in a row; it sure is a long drive from the Park. We hike down to Kolob canyon, put on our wetsuits on the rim, and then rappel in around 9am. More info for Kolob can be found here: http://canyoneeringusa.com/utah/zion/kolob.htm
Much like Oak Creek, Kolob wastes no time. It constricts quickly, and has lots of drops, some quite big. The water is flowing, and cold. One of the first rappels is an awkward rappel, squeezing between two logs. Ted has trouble squeezing through, so I opt to just clean the rappel, and carefully walk down one of the logs to the water below.
The canyon begins to follow a pattern. Set up the rappel, rappel into a cold pool, swim through the cold pool to the edge, pull rope, repeat. The rappels are varying sizes, with a few beautiful long rappels through the gentle waterfalls. The walls are formed with wonderful long, wavy erosion patterns. Some of the rappels are choked with debris; logs slick with algae requiring careful foot placements.
Just before a big drop, there is a bridge that is under the water. The water under the small bridge looks to be around 6 or 7 feet deep. Down at the bottom are two rapides that must have fallen off someone's harness. Neither Ted nor I want to dive under to get them. We continue down to the last big rappel. Down at the bottom, there is a column/chamber off to the right (LUC) where the watercourse used to travel. Shortly afterwards, the canyon opens up some; with some vegetation, trees and tall walls.
We come across a waterfall coming down one of the big walls, and just downstream are some cool erosion patterns on the walls. The canyon is still wider, with boulders, plants, trees, and more. We know it will constrict up again though, as I saw the confluence during yesterday's trip down Oak Creek. After a bit of hiking, scrambling, downclimbing, etc; we get to where the canyon constricts up again. There are some fun downclimbs, and again has some swims and moving water. There is also a section with some wonderful erosion lines. Specifically the 20061001D2-65 picture. Before long, we reach the confluence of Kolob and Oak canyons; around 1:15pm.
From here, it is the same trip out as we did yesterday. A rappel into a swim, some fun downclimbs, wonderful fall colors, giant canyon walls, and more. We started up MIA around 2:45pm, and made it back to the Jeep at 5pm. I clean up a little, pack up the truck, and get Ted back to his car. Then comes the long drive home. I ended up getting home at 7am. Got one hour of sleep, and then started working.
Tiring, but SO worth it. It was an awesome weekend. A big thanks to Tom for organizing it, to the other canyoneers for making it an awesome time, and for my wonderful canyon partners during the advetures. The next time I head to Zion, I'll plan more time there though. It's a long drive for just a weekend; even if it was a long weekend...
Hope you enjoy the pics!
A.J.
Pictures:
(Link good for 90 days)
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=brainwaves_ap&aid=576460762400153329&pid=&wtok=BvNVrUssNAl9jgQ2vSRq5A--&ts=1178085013&.src=ph
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=brainwaves_ap&aid=576460762400153329&pid=&wtok=BvNVrUssNAl9jgQ2vSRq5A--&ts=1178085013&.src=ph
Wednesday 9/27/06:
I drove out to Zion for a CanyonFest. A CanyonFest is essentially an informal gathering of canyoneers from all over, organized over the internet by Tom Jones. Zion is around a 10 hour drive for me, so I didn't get out there until around 4am, as I had to leave after work. I tried to be as quiet as I could when I got there; didn't bother setting up a tent, just threw my sleeping bag on a pad in front of the Jeep. Figured the early riser canyoneers would start getting up around 5 or 6am. I was planning on joining a few canyoneers that I hadn't met before, to do a Full Right Fork of North Creek trip, sometimes called a Right Fork of Great West canyon. This trip is normally done as a three day backpack. Some people do it in two. We were going to try to knock it out in a day. Would be an interesting trip on the amount of sleep I've gotten; as usual, I was sleep deprived even before the trip. I tried to get a little sleep, but slept lightly so I wouldn't miss the trip.
Thursday 9/28/06:
I woke up when the first canyoneers started to stir, around 5:30am. I asked if they knew the folks I was supposed to meet. One person knew that some of them weren't able to make the fest, and didn't know the others. I kept on asking as people got up, and finally found out that only one person that was supposed to make the trip actually was able to show up, Ted. He didn't know for sure when or if I was getting there, so he didn't plan on going today, and it was already too late to do it in a day. Bummer. I talked to a few people, and jumped on a different trip out to Mystery Canyon. Not a super technical or difficult canyon; but still very pretty, difficult to get the permit for, and one I hadn't done before. Always a good time.
It was going to be Tom Jones (one of the early canyoneers, started his own canyoneering gear company, etc), Dave Pitney (of "Das Boot" fame - he was leading the trip where the canyon "Das Boot" got it's name, when one of thier party lost a boot in the canyon; a very wet canyon, in the winter), and me. Here's more info on Mystery Canyon (from Tom's website): http://canyoneeringusa.com/utah/zion/mystery.htm
We packed our gear, and hopped on one of the shuttle busses into the park. We started out hiking at Weeping Rock around 9:15am; up Echo canyon towards Observation point. The hike is a long one, much of it in the full sun, which was definitely warm. Tom and Dave seem to be taking quite the leisurely pace; and we get to the mouth of the canyon around 11:30am.
The drop into Mystery is down a loose gully, with some small but fun downclimbing spots. Mystery Canyon itself has a variety of downclimbs, small to big rappels, some water, and some sketchy old bolts for anchors; including one piece that is embedded into the rock using rebar. Interesting. There are some beautiful sculpted narrows, and tall walls. Definitely makes you feel tiny and insignificant; awe-inspiring.
The canyon was fairly dry; when we got to it around 1:45pm the rock jam area was just wet sand. Sometimes it's a lake that needs to be waded or swam. From there, the canyon is open for a little with some vegetation, then it drops and constricts again. This next section has a big drop into a spring fed pool. Beautiful, but chilly, water. Some sketchy bolts and anchors here too. There are a few fun wet downclimbs, and the grand finale is the rappel down into the narrows. There are usually a bunch of tourists down in the narrows that are watching and taking pictures as you do the final rappel.
The narrows is beautiful; if you haven't seen them, I'd highly recommend going. You can reserve a permit in advance from the backcountry page: https://zionpermits.nps.gov/backcountry.cfm?TripTypeID=3. You essentially walk through a riverbed, surrounded by towering walls. Incredible. Mystery is only a short walk down the narrows to the Temple of Sinawava; we get there around 4pm. Plenty of time to hit the bus back to camp, unpack, and relax with the great company of the other canyoneers. Everyone comes together in the evenings and chats about the day's adventures, and makes plans for the following day.
I talk to Ted that evening regarding the Right Fork trip. The permit he has is good for two days - just in case we weren't able to make it in a day. Thus, it's still good for tomorrow. I asked if he wanted to do it tomorrow, leaving early so we could get it done in a day. He agreed. We ask the other canyoneers and one more joins us; Walt Haas. We plan to get up early, 3am, and start hiking in the dark so we can reach Wildcat canyon at first light, and have the better part of the day for the long journey. Again, it's normally a three day journey. We pack our gear tonight so we can make a quick departure in the morning. More info on Right Fork is available from Tom's website: http://canyoneeringusa.com/utah/zion/right.htm
Friday 9/29/06:
We wake up at 3am, have a quick breakfast, and started the long drive around. Left one car at the Subway exit, and continued up to the West Rim trailhead. We then hike the trail to, and descend into Wildcat Canyon around 6am. The descent starts in the dark, and Wildcat turned out to be quite the bushwhack. Tough going, slow travel, and brutal. I wanted to drop into Little Blue Canyon, but Ted and Walt didn't want to rappel in the dark. I don't know for sure, but I suspect it would be a better entrance than the tough bushwhack in through Wildcat. We reach a spot where wildcat starts to open up around 7am. The fall colors are amazing; vibrant. Wildcat slots up for a bit, and we have some fun playing in the slot. We then route find our way over to the drop into Left Fork. I find a way down without a rappel, but we would then have to travel some in Left Fork, which has a lot of water; possibly swims. Since we packed light so we could go fast, none of us had wetsuits so we instead climbed back up and found the upclimb on the other side. We set a retrievable rappel, dropped into, and climbed out of the Left Fork. Left Fork has some beautiful sculpted walls.
The section of Wildcat between the Left and Right forks has quite a variety. Some canyon travel, some heavy bushwhacking, some open fields, even some walking through sandy washes. Navigation is still quite important here. We ended up cliffing out once; but the advantage is that we climbed up a ridge and was able to see the lay of the land. From there, we had to backtrack a little to cross a canyon, gain a ridge, and then followed that all the way to the drop in point for Right Fork. The drop in had some steep sections of rock, then dirt and vegetation; but we were able to find a way in without a rappel.
The right fork was a beautiful canyon. It had some open areas, and also constricted at times with good slots, fun downclimbs, and even a short rappel from a breakdown section. We reached the Black Pool at 12:30pm. It was a long, very cold swim. The next section of the canyon had some sketchy anchors like Mystery did. One of the rappels was into a murky pool. We instead climbed around, and set up a rappel that would drop us past the pool. There were some really fun downclimbs in this section as well. we reached the Grand Alcove around 1:45pm.
The Grand Alcove is where layers of sandstone meet, and there is a big drop with water seeping from between the layers. It has formed a big alcove, which is quite the sight. There is a two stage rappel here to get to the floor. We found a good spot to stop for lunch as well as great water to filter for the rest of the day's adventure.
The canyon below the Grand Alcove is different than above, with beautiful clear running water, rappels in the watercourse of that clear running water, waterfalls, and a slippery algae covering some of the river surfaces. We come across some of the frogs that blend into the rock, and which can climb on vertical surfaces. Near the confluence with the West fork, we come across a section that has been burned in the wildfires this year. The lack of vegetation and charred trees gives it an eerie feel. We find the exit route up, and arrive back at the car at 6:45pm. Not bad.
We drive and get our other vehicle, and head back to camp. When we get back, the other canyoneers are surprised to see us. They were taking bets when we would return, with most people thinking we wouldn't get back until the next day. We beat thier best estimate by over an hour; quite proud of that. We joined everyone for the evening gathering; sharing food, drinks and the adventures of the day.
As a side note, later on, another canyoneer, Dave, had found a camera in Right Fork. He asked if it was mine, and sent some photos of people from it. Nope, didn't recognize them, so I said I didn't know whose camera it was. He sent a reply saying, "This is you, isn't it? It looks like your shirt." Sure enough, it was my loud yellow shirt that I usually wear canyoneering. Come to find out that Walt had dropped his camera along the way. He didn't want to slow us all down, so he never even mentioned it. I told him that we would have gone back a bit and helped him find it; but it worked out in the end. He got his camera back; working and with all his pics on it. A big thanks to Dave, and a big laugh that it was due to my god awful canyoneering clothes.
We talked about tomorrows trips as well. I was again going to join up with Tom Jones for a trip down the South Fork of Oak Creek.
Saturday 9/30/06:
A group of four of us woke up to do the South Fork of Oak Creek, also known as the Eye of the Needle. More information can be found here: http://www.climb-utah.com/Zion/oc-sf1.htm
It was Carol Petrelli, Jeff Bell, Tom Jones and I. We again drive out to the West Rim trailhead area. We parked around 8:45am, talk to a concerned land owner, and drop into the canyon around 9:30am. It's a small bushwhack to get in, but once we are in; it quickly slots up and drops fast, with moving water to boot! The water is very cold, and the rappels are slick with an algea coating on many parts. It's hard to hear with the sound of the water echoing in the chambers, so we pull out the whistles just in case. We soon reach the reason it's called the Eye of the Needle. It's a long rappel down a watercourse, that winds through a small window. You rappel right through the small window, needing to duck and/or slide down. Very cool stuff. There are some cool pocketed walls just past the Eye rappel.
The next section has more of the same, tight raps in the watercourse, some fun downclimbs, and lots of water. It then tapers off some and widens up a little. Here, there are a lot of fun downclimbs and a few short rappels. There is less swimming, but we are still hiking, downclimbing and rappeling in the watercourse. Like most of Zion canyons, there are some wonderful big walls.
We came across a wild turkey and coaxed it downcanyon a ways. It still had a long way to go when we passed it; but at least it was headed in the right direction and was now in a dry spot of the canyon. I wonder which route it took to get in there to begin with. We then came across the confluence with Kolob Canyon around noon; which was slotted up with a lot of water. Two logs were jammed higher in an X like form; almost like a sign not to venture in there.
From there, we were technically in the Kolob Creek canyon. We stopped for a quick lunch shortly after the confluence. Then there was again some fun downclimbs, a rappel, and no shortage of water. There was some sections that widened a little, and gave way to vegetation and trees. There was wonderful fall colors along the way that definitely added to the experience; as well as more giant walls in the canyon. We came across a rebar anchor on the ground; must have been on a wall at one time, broke off, washed down, and ended up here.
We got to the MIA exit around 1:15pm, changed out of our wetsuits, and started the long climb out. I didn't find the MIA to be as bad as some people make it out to be. Sure, it's a long climb out, but not that bad. Around an hour to get to the rim. From there, we walk the winding and criss-crossing roads back to the car; around 3:45pm.
We drive back to camp, unpack, and start preparing dinner. Tonight is a potluck where everyone makes and shares snacks, meals and drinks. A great evening. Some people cooked amazing dishes, lasagna and other dutch oven treats! My stir fry dish was gone by the end of the night, so I guess it was good.
I was planning on doing a short canyon tomorrow, like Keyhole, since I had the long drive home. Ted came up and asked if I wanted to do Kolob. Kolob is a long, wet, and technical canyon; many groups take 10-16 hours to complete it. It's also been on my hit list for a while. It would be just Ted and I, so hopefully we could cut a few hours off the round trip time. I agree, and we plan to get a moderately early start so we can still visit with everyone tonight.
Sunday 10/01/06:
We wake up at 6am, have a quick breakfast and are on our way. We drive to the West Rim Trailhead for the third day in a row; it sure is a long drive from the Park. We hike down to Kolob canyon, put on our wetsuits on the rim, and then rappel in around 9am. More info for Kolob can be found here: http://canyoneeringusa.com/utah/zion/kolob.htm
Much like Oak Creek, Kolob wastes no time. It constricts quickly, and has lots of drops, some quite big. The water is flowing, and cold. One of the first rappels is an awkward rappel, squeezing between two logs. Ted has trouble squeezing through, so I opt to just clean the rappel, and carefully walk down one of the logs to the water below.
The canyon begins to follow a pattern. Set up the rappel, rappel into a cold pool, swim through the cold pool to the edge, pull rope, repeat. The rappels are varying sizes, with a few beautiful long rappels through the gentle waterfalls. The walls are formed with wonderful long, wavy erosion patterns. Some of the rappels are choked with debris; logs slick with algae requiring careful foot placements.
Just before a big drop, there is a bridge that is under the water. The water under the small bridge looks to be around 6 or 7 feet deep. Down at the bottom are two rapides that must have fallen off someone's harness. Neither Ted nor I want to dive under to get them. We continue down to the last big rappel. Down at the bottom, there is a column/chamber off to the right (LUC) where the watercourse used to travel. Shortly afterwards, the canyon opens up some; with some vegetation, trees and tall walls.
We come across a waterfall coming down one of the big walls, and just downstream are some cool erosion patterns on the walls. The canyon is still wider, with boulders, plants, trees, and more. We know it will constrict up again though, as I saw the confluence during yesterday's trip down Oak Creek. After a bit of hiking, scrambling, downclimbing, etc; we get to where the canyon constricts up again. There are some fun downclimbs, and again has some swims and moving water. There is also a section with some wonderful erosion lines. Specifically the 20061001D2-65 picture. Before long, we reach the confluence of Kolob and Oak canyons; around 1:15pm.
From here, it is the same trip out as we did yesterday. A rappel into a swim, some fun downclimbs, wonderful fall colors, giant canyon walls, and more. We started up MIA around 2:45pm, and made it back to the Jeep at 5pm. I clean up a little, pack up the truck, and get Ted back to his car. Then comes the long drive home. I ended up getting home at 7am. Got one hour of sleep, and then started working.
Tiring, but SO worth it. It was an awesome weekend. A big thanks to Tom for organizing it, to the other canyoneers for making it an awesome time, and for my wonderful canyon partners during the advetures. The next time I head to Zion, I'll plan more time there though. It's a long drive for just a weekend; even if it was a long weekend...
Hope you enjoy the pics!
A.J.
Pictures:
(Link good for 90 days)
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/album?c=brainwaves_ap&aid=576460762400153329&pid=&wtok=BvNVrUssNAl9jgQ2vSRq5A--&ts=1178085013&.src=ph