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moab mark
07-12-2008, 05:19 PM
Thought I would post a trip report from Zion. My wife and I along with another couple headed down on Sunday and came back on Thursday. We stayed at the Desert Pearl Inn which as a side note if you want to score points with your wife the rooms over looking the virgin river are nice. Back to the trip.
Monday we did keyhole and pinecreek. Wore wet suits through keyhole had a great time but there was a small snake swimming in the water and the girls were leading and they did not like that part, hopped out of keyhole and then moved on to pinecreek. Decided not to wear wetsuits because we had been told it was dry. We'll little did we know on Sunday Spry had flashed and they had received alot of rain. When we got under the bridge there was standing water I suggested to the others we had better go get the girls their wetsuits but they felt they were tough. Lucky the water was not that cold. We had a great time the cathedral rappel and the last one can not be beat. Never been in there when the water was so deep.
Tuesday we went to Mystery. It was fun, my wife thought rappeling into the narrows in front of a crowd was cool.
Wednesday we were planning on doing Subway and Das boots but they wanted to due some of the more technical canyons. So we decided to due angel, telephone and Behunin. Lucky Tad decided to throw in his pump or we would of died from not having enough water. It was our first time to angels landing and were amazed at how spectacular it was. Then we continued on to telephone canyon. We were pretty disappointed with telephone, other then the west rim spring where we got water. That's one my wife say's "been there not going back". The first rappel is nice but the rest was just ok. The rock is really slick for some reason, and the girls did not like it at all.
By now it is about 2 p.m. and we decide to head back up and go down Behunin. The sun had dropped behind the west wall of Behunin and the temp was perfect. This is a spectacular canyon, the girls love big rappels and this canyon has alot. Of all the canyons we did we felt Behunin was the best.
As you will see in the pics, my wife will not allow us to do anything in a canyon I have not been in without first referencing the emperor's book. So needless to say all the way down Behunin she would stop us and say "let me see what Tom say's we are suppose to do here".
In regards to Tom's book, why does he not suggest Behunin in the summer? Is it because if you do the hike in early Behunin will be in the direct sun during the middle of the day and be to hot?
Thursday we got up and came home. This was our wives first canyoneering trip to Zion and they were just dumbfounded at how amazing it is. The four of us spend alot of time in moab and my wife summed it up about right. "This is moab on steroids".
All in all it was a great trip. Our only complaint is eating out in Springdale sure is pricey. Where is the moab diner when you need it. Hopefully the link will work to the pics. THe pics are a little out of order but to lazy to go and rearrange.
Mark
http://picasaweb.google.com/markimsmith/ZionJuly200802

oldno7
07-13-2008, 08:13 AM
Excellant TR and pics. :2thumbs:

I'm with you guys on Behunin, great canyon.

looks like you contemplated the 6th rap into the pool but i thought one picture showed your rope below the pool. Bypass rap on the right?

moab mark
07-13-2008, 09:10 AM
After Kim read the book we did not have to swim in that nasty looking pool. :2thumbs: At the bottom of that rappel the canyon runs back to the north, I assume someone knows where this starts and if that canyon is descended or not. It looked cool.
In several of the canyons we did someone has replaced a bunch of webbing with new brown webbing. They have #'s written on them 07' 10' or something like this, does anyone know what the numbers are about? We thought they were referencing the date they were placed? Or the length of webbing? Who ever placed them they are stout looking. Well done.
We also wanted to do echo but the back country desk talked us out of it. Is the snow gone yet? Has anyone been? That's the last one I need to do and I have pretty much done all the tourist canyons.
Mark

jiveassmother
07-13-2008, 09:26 AM
a few of the Zion BC rangers use tan webbing with numbers on it. the '07 is the year it was cut off the spool, the 10' is the length of the piece of webbing. They have been through telephone and behunin pretty recently. I have heard that the snow in echo is melting out fast and a party has made it through recently without any special techniques. There is still snow in the canyon so I would imagine the water is very cold.

AJ
07-13-2008, 12:51 PM
a few of the Zion BC rangers use tan webbing with numbers on it. the '07 is the year it was cut off the spool, the 10' is the length of the piece of webbing. They have been through telephone and behunin pretty recently. I have heard that the snow in echo is melting out fast and a party has made it through recently without any special techniques. There is still snow in the canyon so I would imagine the water is very cold.

I use tan webbing as well, and use the same system. I'll mark the last two numbers of the year I bought it, and then put the length under that... Gives folks (and myself) an idea of the age...

For the record though, if it looked pretty new, then it wasn't mine. I haven't done Behunin since last year. (Maybe two ago...)

rivera1181
07-14-2008, 02:06 PM
Great pics. We just did Pine Creek on July 5th...wow! What a difference, I know I read that canyon changes dramatically with water and those pictures definitely show it, especially in the cathedral room. We went and it was almost completely dry and a mouse kept chasing us around down there! The little guy started climbing up the rope too. lol

I agree with the girls...the snakes scare me too and we ran into one on the hike out. I am dreading the day I have to climb over one! :eek2:

moab mark
07-14-2008, 03:06 PM
We saw a couple of snakes in telephone also. I do not like snakes.

If you have done orderville subway keyhole pinecreek mystery spry telephone behunin and want to do echo next what suggestion for the next ones after that to do in zion?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
mark