Bclark29
06-25-2013, 11:17 AM
On June 22, 2013, we had our annual Sausage Fest in Zion, so we did Kolob Canyon.
This was my second time doing this canyon, and holy crap the conditions were totally different. Last April (2012) we hit Kolob and she was chuck full. It was awesome. This time though, she was pretty dry.
We started our trip off early and left Springdale around 6 a.m. Drove up the Kolob Terrace road until we got to where you can see the water being released into Kolob. I can't remember what it was at, 2-4 CFS. So, we thought, sweet, water will be shooting out on all of our rappels.
We then drove to the MIA gates and parked, did a final gear check and then headed north to Kolob, we passed Boundary Canyon, and before we knew it, we were at the head of Kolob...and there was a drizzle of water coming down into it. WTF!? She was not flowing at all. We knew we were in for a few swims still so we all wetsuited up and geared up. The first rap is off a big tree with a freshly place anchor around it. There were four in our group and we brought 2 60 meter ropes to leap frog each other to get through the canyon quicker. Once we were all down we saw 2 dead deer. A descent 3 point buck and a doe. I remember these 2 from our trip last year. We continued on hoping for some water and finally after about half way through we hit some swimmers. We also came across a dead skunk. Damn, it stunk. All of the anchors in Kolob were in great condition but the webbing should probably be replaced in the next few months. I honestly don't remember step by step of all the rappels and obsticles in Kolob, I guess I was having to much damn fun. Most of you on here have done it already, so if you want to try it when it's dry, now is the time.
I love the final rap in Kolob, it's the big 170' or whatever it is. It's slippery as can be with all the moss, but like I said before, there wasn't but a drizzle coming down that huge waterfall. At the end of that rap you end up in a big knee deep pool. It's a great spot to lay down and take some pictures of the rest of the group rappelling down.
After that rappel, the canyon is pretty much over, but you do get to walk down some pretty sweet canyon sections as you work your way down to the MIA exit point. I think this is prettier that the "Narrows", plus you don't have all the tourist. There was a little bit of water here. As we walked past Oak creek canyon (whatever its called) and Boundary, the water slowly began to rise. We did pass a dead doe, it was maybe a month old. Hold your breath she might make you throw up.
You're probably sick of wearing your wetsuit by now walking down the canyon stream, but keep it on. There are a few small rappels still or bypass the rappels and jump in like we did. All of the pools at the bottom of the small rappels were plenty deep enough to jump into. I'm 180 lbs and 6'-1" and I didn't touch the bottom. If you are getting low on water and were planning on pumping water out of the creek at the MIA exit, do it well before that. About 200 yards or so from the MIA exit point, there is no water in the creek, it must go underground.
We ate lunch and took off our wetsuits and gear at the MIA exit point. If you've never done the MIA, you're in for a real treat, not. The MIA sucks. I've done it before so I knew that I'd go through about 1 liter water going up it. And I knew that I can get to the dirt road just behind the 3 dead trees in a little less than 90 minutes. The trail was pretty easy to follow, cairns were all over and there were still some orange markers in trees. Just remember to stay to the left all the way up and the pain in the ass hike.
My brother-in-law and I reached the road in under 90 minutes and the other 2 in our group came up about 20 minutes later. Most people head north on this road and start their final 2 mile ascend to the MIA gates/truck. But, head south, there is an awesome spring coming out of a sprinkler pipe about 300' from where you exited the MIA. This water is damn good and cold. Refill your water here, take a break, and pat yourself on the back for just completing the hardest canyon exit. Well, you still have 2 miles of dirt road walking to get back to your truck. The 2 miles back to the MIA gates/truck sucks. It's not the hardest hiking but it just seems like it's never going to end. There are a few sections on this road that have a pretty good incline, but you'll get through it. I forgot how long it took us to get back to the truck from the spring...2 hours, maybe?
It would be nice if the "church" would open their gate for us canyoneers. It would save us 2-3 hours of hiking on a lame dirt road. But we all know that will never happen.
There you have it folks, Kolob Canyon. Again, if you want to hit it dry, now is the time. If you were too scared of doing rappels there while the water is shooting on top of your head, head up there now and get your permit.
Oh, it took us about 9 1/2 hours to complete this canyon with 4 guys.
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This was my second time doing this canyon, and holy crap the conditions were totally different. Last April (2012) we hit Kolob and she was chuck full. It was awesome. This time though, she was pretty dry.
We started our trip off early and left Springdale around 6 a.m. Drove up the Kolob Terrace road until we got to where you can see the water being released into Kolob. I can't remember what it was at, 2-4 CFS. So, we thought, sweet, water will be shooting out on all of our rappels.
We then drove to the MIA gates and parked, did a final gear check and then headed north to Kolob, we passed Boundary Canyon, and before we knew it, we were at the head of Kolob...and there was a drizzle of water coming down into it. WTF!? She was not flowing at all. We knew we were in for a few swims still so we all wetsuited up and geared up. The first rap is off a big tree with a freshly place anchor around it. There were four in our group and we brought 2 60 meter ropes to leap frog each other to get through the canyon quicker. Once we were all down we saw 2 dead deer. A descent 3 point buck and a doe. I remember these 2 from our trip last year. We continued on hoping for some water and finally after about half way through we hit some swimmers. We also came across a dead skunk. Damn, it stunk. All of the anchors in Kolob were in great condition but the webbing should probably be replaced in the next few months. I honestly don't remember step by step of all the rappels and obsticles in Kolob, I guess I was having to much damn fun. Most of you on here have done it already, so if you want to try it when it's dry, now is the time.
I love the final rap in Kolob, it's the big 170' or whatever it is. It's slippery as can be with all the moss, but like I said before, there wasn't but a drizzle coming down that huge waterfall. At the end of that rap you end up in a big knee deep pool. It's a great spot to lay down and take some pictures of the rest of the group rappelling down.
After that rappel, the canyon is pretty much over, but you do get to walk down some pretty sweet canyon sections as you work your way down to the MIA exit point. I think this is prettier that the "Narrows", plus you don't have all the tourist. There was a little bit of water here. As we walked past Oak creek canyon (whatever its called) and Boundary, the water slowly began to rise. We did pass a dead doe, it was maybe a month old. Hold your breath she might make you throw up.
You're probably sick of wearing your wetsuit by now walking down the canyon stream, but keep it on. There are a few small rappels still or bypass the rappels and jump in like we did. All of the pools at the bottom of the small rappels were plenty deep enough to jump into. I'm 180 lbs and 6'-1" and I didn't touch the bottom. If you are getting low on water and were planning on pumping water out of the creek at the MIA exit, do it well before that. About 200 yards or so from the MIA exit point, there is no water in the creek, it must go underground.
We ate lunch and took off our wetsuits and gear at the MIA exit point. If you've never done the MIA, you're in for a real treat, not. The MIA sucks. I've done it before so I knew that I'd go through about 1 liter water going up it. And I knew that I can get to the dirt road just behind the 3 dead trees in a little less than 90 minutes. The trail was pretty easy to follow, cairns were all over and there were still some orange markers in trees. Just remember to stay to the left all the way up and the pain in the ass hike.
My brother-in-law and I reached the road in under 90 minutes and the other 2 in our group came up about 20 minutes later. Most people head north on this road and start their final 2 mile ascend to the MIA gates/truck. But, head south, there is an awesome spring coming out of a sprinkler pipe about 300' from where you exited the MIA. This water is damn good and cold. Refill your water here, take a break, and pat yourself on the back for just completing the hardest canyon exit. Well, you still have 2 miles of dirt road walking to get back to your truck. The 2 miles back to the MIA gates/truck sucks. It's not the hardest hiking but it just seems like it's never going to end. There are a few sections on this road that have a pretty good incline, but you'll get through it. I forgot how long it took us to get back to the truck from the spring...2 hours, maybe?
It would be nice if the "church" would open their gate for us canyoneers. It would save us 2-3 hours of hiking on a lame dirt road. But we all know that will never happen.
There you have it folks, Kolob Canyon. Again, if you want to hit it dry, now is the time. If you were too scared of doing rappels there while the water is shooting on top of your head, head up there now and get your permit.
Oh, it took us about 9 1/2 hours to complete this canyon with 4 guys.
67392
67394
67395
67396
67397
67398
67399
67400
67401
67402
67403
67404
67405
67406
67407
67408
67409
67411
67393