Zion: The Subway and Mystery Canyon Oct 1-2, 2014

[megabeth]

I wrote up trip reports for the Subway and Mystery Canyon during my trip to Zion National Park. I enjoyed both trips a LOT! I would love to experience more canyoneering trips.

These were my first two canyons, but my partner and I both have climbing experience. Our pace was slow. We were extremely careful and our inexperience slowed us down, but better safe than sorry.

http://bethtrips.blogspot.com/2014/10/left-fork-north-creek-aka-subway.html

http://bethtrips.blogspot.com/2014/10/mystery-canyon-zion-np.html

[ratagonia]

Megabeth - great screen name!!

T

[jman]

Hi Beth,

Both were a fun read. Having done the Subway almost 20x so far in the past 7 years, reading a TR from it never gets old too me. It was my first canyoneering introduction 11 years ago and that's why I don't get sick of it.

And the Mystery Canyon was a good one too. A lot of lessons learned, eh?

Just curious, the group in the Subway that were yelling - what were they saying?

[megabeth]

The one thing I can't figure out about Mystery is the set of anchors that aren't easily accessible without doing some stemming to get to them. How do you get there? We weren't sure we could stem without dropping too low to reach them. (so we spent too much extra time climbing up to a tree to use as a natural anchor instead)

The group of 12 would not stay together. They had split into at least 4 or 5 subgroups and had lost one person by the time they reached the water. So they were yelling each other's names over and over again.




Hi Beth,

Both were a fun read. Having done the Subway almost 20x so far in the past 7 years, reading a TR from it never gets old too me. It was my first canyoneering introduction 11 years ago and that's why I don't get sick of it.

And the Mystery Canyon was a good one too. A lot of lessons learned, eh?

Just curious, the group in the Subway that were yelling - what were they saying?

[ratagonia]

The one thing I can't figure out about Mystery is the set of anchors that aren't easily accessible without doing some stemming to get to them. How do you get there? We weren't sure we could stem without dropping too low to reach them. (so we spent too much extra time climbing up to a tree to use as a natural anchor instead)



That would be the "first rappel", meaning the first rappel in the Rock Narrows.

The original anchor was back where they could be reached easily, and for the last couple of years there has been an anchor there too. Were those bolts gone? They were old and not so convincing.

The canyon was rebolted by (unknown???) about 5 years ago. At this anchor they decided the anchor needed to be further out to avoid sticking the rope in the crack, so they put them further out where they are hard/dangerous to reach. Of course, the joke is that with the old anchor placement, the rope did not get stuck.

May I point out that bolts should be put in by people who understand the canyon? No? OK, I won't point that out.

Tom :moses:

[megabeth]

I did not see the original bolts. I figured they were moved further out in order to make the rope pull easier. Thanks for the info - now I feel like less of an idiot for finding the new bolt placement confusing and odd.




That would be the "first rappel", meaning the first rappel in the Rock Narrows.

The original anchor was back where they could be reached easily, and for the last couple of years there has been an anchor there too. Were those bolts gone? They were old and not so convincing.

The canyon was rebolted by (unknown???) about 5 years ago. At this anchor they decided the anchor needed to be further out to avoid sticking the rope in the crack, so they put them further out where they are hard/dangerous to reach. Of course, the joke is that with the old anchor placement, the rope did not get stuck.

May I point out that bolts should be put in by people who understand the canyon? No? OK, I won't point that out.

Tom :moses:

[ratagonia]

I did not see the original bolts. I figured they were moved further out in order to make the rope pull easier. Thanks for the info - now I feel like less of an idiot for finding the new bolt placement confusing and odd.

The original bolts were only 2 feet away from the new ones. It would be a shame if the old bolts have been removed - I might have to go in and put in a new bolt for safety while reaching the new ones... (sigh). anyone got a recent picture?

Tom

[hank moon]

The original bolts were only 2 feet away from the new ones. It would be a shame if the old bolts have been removed - I might have to go in and put in a new bolt for safety while reaching the new ones... (sigh). anyone got a recent picture?

Tom

Original bolts clearly visible in OP's blog pic:

76546

[jman]

Original bolts clearly visible in OP's blog pic:

76542

Hmm....those look like the same from 2 or 3 years when I last did it.

From what I recall it's a little stretch to them, but I don't remember stemming out to them though...

[skunkteeth]

Back in May, the hangers at the first rappel were still there. I remember maybe after the first narrows sections when the canyon opens there were bolts up high in a stemming section. I though to myself "What the hell are those for?" They were way out of reach. Are those the bolts you are talking about Beth? If I remember correctly we just stemmed down.

[hank moon]

I remember maybe after the first narrows sections when the canyon opens there were bolts up high in a stemming section. I though to myself "What the hell are those for?" They were way out of reach. Are those the bolts you are talking about Beth? If I remember correctly we just stemmed down.

That slot used to be full of debris creating a rappel at the chockstone. It washed out sometime between Sept 2012 and May 2013.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-P4v6pAR_hwM/UbYTdC7lfrI/AAAAAAAAMpI/avNr7G7w9S4/s1000/mystery-chockstone.jpg

[jman]

Ahh ok. That makes sense now. Thanks for the info and visual.

[ratagonia]

Hmm....those look like the same from 2 or 3 years when I last did it.

From what I recall it's a little stretch to them, but I don't remember stemming out to them though...

This is a case where rigging webbing on the old bolts would make it easier for people to use them. Especially since Mystery is popular with inexperienced canyoneers. Might go change things before the snows shut things down.


Tom

[skunkteeth]

That slot used to be full of debris creating a rappel at the chockstone. It washed out sometime between Sept 2012 and May 2013.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-P4v6pAR_hwM/UbYTdC7lfrI/AAAAAAAAMpI/avNr7G7w9S4/s1000/mystery-chockstone.jpg

Yup that's it. Cool info, thanks for sharing.

[megabeth]

yes that is it! The photo posted by hank moon is the difficult anchor location I'm referring to. So my partner instead climbed up the slope and hung a rope from the tree above it. I tied the rope to my harness with a figure 8 with my partner belaying from the anchors and traversed to the chockstone then he belayed me down to the bottom. Then he rapped and pulled the rope. Probably much more effort than we should have put forth, but we didn't think we could get to the anchors by stemming - due to a lack of confidence from being new at this.


Yup that's it. Cool info, thanks for sharing.

[levity]

Nice reports and beautiful photos, Beth! :2thumbs:

I especially like and agree with your final comments after Mystery:

"I have discovered that I greatly enjoy meticulous planning of adventure style vacations. I do not want to hire a guide; I want the DIY variety with an intimate set of person(s). I love doing the research, reading other trip reports, combing through photos, buying the gear, and dreaming of the day - until the day finally comes. But many times the most memorable qualities of a day show up as an unplanned bonus. For Mystery Canyon, we weren't expecting to experience our virgin drop into the Narrows all to ourselves; we weren't expecting to walk out in the middle of the deserted park road on a brightly moonlit and starry night, after 12 hours of carrying our packs on foot. I found an extra burst of energy from the primal instinct to survive. It is that kind of digging deep that brings you to a state of mind that you don't experience often. I loved this epic adventure. I'll never forget it!"

[ratagonia]

yes that is it! The photo posted by hank moon is the difficult anchor location I'm referring to. So my partner instead climbed up the slope and hung a rope from the tree above it. I tied the rope to my harness with a figure 8 with my partner belaying from the anchors and traversed to the chockstone then he belayed me down to the bottom. Then he rapped and pulled the rope. Probably much more effort than we should have put forth, but we didn't think we could get to the anchors by stemming - due to a lack of confidence from being new at this.

Yeah, that's an easy downclimb.

Tom

[hank moon]

Nice reports and beautiful photos, Beth! :2thumbs:

I especially like and agree with your final comments after Mystery:

"I have discovered that I greatly enjoy meticulous planning of adventure style vacations. I do not want to hire a guide; I want the DIY variety with an intimate set of person(s). I love doing the research, reading other trip reports, combing through photos, buying the gear, and dreaming of the day - until the day finally comes. But many times the most memorable qualities of a day show up as an unplanned bonus. For Mystery Canyon, we weren't expecting to experience our virgin drop into the Narrows all to ourselves; we weren't expecting to walk out in the middle of the deserted park road on a brightly moonlit and starry night, after 12 hours of carrying our packs on foot. I found an extra burst of energy from the primal instinct to survive. It is that kind of digging deep that brings you to a state of mind that you don't experience often. I loved this epic adventure. I'll never forget it!"


X2 :2thumbs:

[ratagonia]

yes that is it! The photo posted by hank moon is the difficult anchor location I'm referring to. So my partner instead climbed up the slope and hung a rope from the tree above it. I tied the rope to my harness with a figure 8 with my partner belaying from the anchors and traversed to the chockstone then he belayed me down to the bottom. Then he rapped and pulled the rope. Probably much more effort than we should have put forth, but we didn't think we could get to the anchors by stemming - due to a lack of confidence from being new at this.

You are not obliged to rappel from every anchor you see.

Tom

[megabeth]

Thanks for the feedback on that. I am glad I asked about that rappel on this forum because I learned something for next time. :)


You are not obliged to rappel from every anchor you see.

Tom

[megabeth]

Thanks! glad you read it.

[hank moon]

I am glad I asked about that rappel on this forum because I learned something for next time. :)

I am glad you asked, too. Having arrived at that same puzzling spot last year and finding a similar anchor (slung tree above) I wondered what had happened there. Your experience offers a plausible explanation. Question: were there slings on those bolts (as in my picture) when you were there, or just bare bolts? Last time I was through there (June of this year) the bolts were bare.

Also, prior discussion: http://canyoncollective.com/threads/custodianeering.18500/

[megabeth]

Pretty certain they were bare bolts.

[megabeth]

BTW, I recall those original bolts as in the photo you posted were still there on Oct. 2.