xxnitsuaxx
02-17-2010, 10:33 PM
For Presidents' Day we headed down to do some climbing in St. George and decided to hit Zion on the way. We stopped in Cedar to meet Rich and ask him to show us some tricks on our Totems. (does anyone else feel a little awkward referring to their "Totem"? It always sounds a little phallic to me.) He recommended Yankee Doodle and I had read about it before so we decided to try it. There was a little more water than we anticipated, but it was a good opportunity to practice a little stemming. Unfortunately my 5.9 frame and pack conspired to toss me in the water, which was a good opportunity to test the acoustics in the canyon with some yelling and possibly a profanity or two. It was a fun little canyon and I'm anxious to try it when it warms up. I'm new to the canyoneering scene but I've read all about the bolt wars so I'm curious - is the drop here bolted for a reason, or should I not even ask?
Saturday we decided to hit Spry. There were 6 of us and 4 of us had done it before. We were expecting a little snow but were surprised by how much there was. The streambed on the first part of the approach had about a foot of water in it but the slickrock on the climb was (luckily) dry. Once we hit the top of the slickrock the snow reappeared with a vengeance. Our group had two law students, two kids applying to PhD programs, one kid applying to dental school, and zero cognitive functioning. I don't know what compelled such a group of ostensibly bright people to think that as we dropped in elevation, entered a narrow canyon, and disappeared from sunlight, the snow would somehow disappear. But onward we trudged, consoling ourselves with the prospect that the top of the first rappel would be magically dry, the rest of the canyon would be dry, and there would be a hot chocolate stand at the bottom of the first rap that also sold Texas chili. As any outside observer with two functioning neurons to rub together could have predicted, the first rappel was almost unrecognizable. It looked like there had been an avalanche and snowshoes would have been more helpful than a rope. We were all well-outfitted (emergency bivvys, extra clothes, compressed down coats, a team of Sherpas, etc.) but a hasty conference and a glance at the position of the sun convinced us that retreat was a necessary, if unpleasant reality. So we moseyed back to the car, stopping to rappel the slickrock so we could pretend that we had done something. Our friend's grandmother was called, our sob story was conveyed, and nighttime found us comfortably ensconced in a house in St. George, tents in the car, jalapeno bratwursts in our stomachs, and the Olympics on TV. The moral of my story is that, if you need a lawyer, dentist, or PhD, I know of 5 people NOT to recommend.
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs175.snc3/20254_724897367879_17803073_39757725_4099382_n.jpg
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs175.snc3/20254_724897462689_17803073_39757744_5230059_n.jpg
http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs217.snc3/22454_724899094419_17803073_39757765_3371776_n.jpg
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs297.ash1/22454_724899154299_17803073_39757777_5015271_n.jpg
We couldn't even tell if this was the first rap.
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs237.snc3/22454_724899159289_17803073_39757778_7992728_n.jpg
Responsible decisions keep us alive. But make us sad.
Saturday we decided to hit Spry. There were 6 of us and 4 of us had done it before. We were expecting a little snow but were surprised by how much there was. The streambed on the first part of the approach had about a foot of water in it but the slickrock on the climb was (luckily) dry. Once we hit the top of the slickrock the snow reappeared with a vengeance. Our group had two law students, two kids applying to PhD programs, one kid applying to dental school, and zero cognitive functioning. I don't know what compelled such a group of ostensibly bright people to think that as we dropped in elevation, entered a narrow canyon, and disappeared from sunlight, the snow would somehow disappear. But onward we trudged, consoling ourselves with the prospect that the top of the first rappel would be magically dry, the rest of the canyon would be dry, and there would be a hot chocolate stand at the bottom of the first rap that also sold Texas chili. As any outside observer with two functioning neurons to rub together could have predicted, the first rappel was almost unrecognizable. It looked like there had been an avalanche and snowshoes would have been more helpful than a rope. We were all well-outfitted (emergency bivvys, extra clothes, compressed down coats, a team of Sherpas, etc.) but a hasty conference and a glance at the position of the sun convinced us that retreat was a necessary, if unpleasant reality. So we moseyed back to the car, stopping to rappel the slickrock so we could pretend that we had done something. Our friend's grandmother was called, our sob story was conveyed, and nighttime found us comfortably ensconced in a house in St. George, tents in the car, jalapeno bratwursts in our stomachs, and the Olympics on TV. The moral of my story is that, if you need a lawyer, dentist, or PhD, I know of 5 people NOT to recommend.
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs175.snc3/20254_724897367879_17803073_39757725_4099382_n.jpg
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs175.snc3/20254_724897462689_17803073_39757744_5230059_n.jpg
http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs217.snc3/22454_724899094419_17803073_39757765_3371776_n.jpg
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs297.ash1/22454_724899154299_17803073_39757777_5015271_n.jpg
We couldn't even tell if this was the first rap.
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs237.snc3/22454_724899159289_17803073_39757778_7992728_n.jpg
Responsible decisions keep us alive. But make us sad.