Mystery Canyon

[Odie_Canyon]

My brother, Jeremiah, was in town from the Portland area last week and my sister Jana and her husband Michael came down from SLC to spend the weekend so we thought we ought to hit a Zion Canyon. We settled on Spry Canyon because it doesn't require thermal protection and has great hiking, rappelling and scenery and is not on the East side and closed due to fires. I arrived at the Back Country desk at 9am Friday morning. I told the ranger I was in for five permits for Spry Canyon, "unless you happen to have Mystery Permits available." "By a strange coincidence we do." So I picked up the 6 permits for Mystery instead and we invited Zac from Virgin to "guide" us.

It was a beautiful day and Zac pushed us hard because he had to work at Oscars at 4 and we had to save Grandma from the 7 young children we left in her care for the day.

Kind of a crapy photo, but one of the few I have of Zac (at the bottom) He set up all the rappels and Michael and I cleaned up each rappel and threw the ropes to Zac to set up the next.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Y4sgH-PmRp8/SnboZagqhXI/AAAAAAAAADU/b5O-8Ov0RPo/s800/P8010266.JPG

We did find some snacks at the bottom of the 2nd or 3rd bolted drop...
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Y4sgH-PmRp8/SnboYg8zn5I/AAAAAAAAADQ/6S67CKEAJhg/s800/P8010265.JPG

The lake bed is still dry
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Y4sgH-PmRp8/SnbokuTydlI/AAAAAAAAAEY/0tlTqNjQLhE/s800/P8010282.JPG

And the wildlife was abundant
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Y4sgH-PmRp8/SnbooKtm4eI/AAAAAAAAAEo/n6ctnuhMmfQ/s800/P8010286.JPG

Here is everyone but Zac at the top of Mystery Spring...
My wife in front of Jeremiah, Jana and Michael
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Y4sgH-PmRp8/SnbosSF7QGI/AAAAAAAAAFA/7ANmZdRW7CE/s800/P8010291.JPG

Jana Rapping into the Narrows...Not a real big crowd, but the crowd did disperse while we had lunch on the rim.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Y4sgH-PmRp8/SnbpirzNCQI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/8-jWnKxnh_s/s800/P8010309.JPG

The noob from Portland...
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Y4sgH-PmRp8/SnbplxU6i5I/AAAAAAAAAGg/oJa17byMDf8/s800/P8010313.JPG

The wife...
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Y4sgH-PmRp8/Snbpnxh8ijI/AAAAAAAAAGw/p9TUYajus9c/s800/P8010317.JPG

and myself...
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Y4sgH-PmRp8/SnbpsLYc8WI/AAAAAAAAAHE/PVDxmDmkyO0/s800/P8010322.JPG

I usually do wear my helmet, but in making sure that I had gear for my brother had wife and that we had sufficient rope and gear for everybody I forget something, this time it was the helmet.

[Bo_Beck]

Hey! We went and hiked Subway yesterday and went to Oscars for refreshment afterwards! Zac waited on our table. We (Marc, Sonya, Dave and myself) had done Mystery on Saturday as well and come to find out your group was immediatly in front of us! You were bagging your ropes in the Narrows as we finally caught a glimpse of you! Fun day! We did the loop hike from Weeping Rock. It started getting a bit warm on the hike up but was nice in Mystery though!

[Odie_Canyon]

We (Marc, Sonya, Dave and myself) had done Mystery on Saturday as well and come to find out your group was immediatly in front of us! You were bagging your ropes in the Narrows as we finally caught a glimpse of you!

If I had known it was you, I would have waited and said HI. We did hear your group behind us in the upper slot but pushed hard to stay ahead...

[tanya]

Fun photos and nice trail report :2thumbs: