Just two days before the monster 18 hour rainstorm filled up the potholes, Bob (Slotmachine) his wife Stephanie, Tony (AbsoluteGravity) Anthony (UtahCanyoneer) and I went thru the full length of Imaly in one long day.
12 hours from my truck at Lava Point to the Narrows. The upper part of Imaly takes a considerable amount of time. I lost count of how many times I said "The Crossroads are just around that corner!". You see that big wall long before you get there.
Bob has a trip report with more pictures at his blog. Like he said, we were moving quick in the upper part so he didn't take any shots up there, but I got a few of the big raps to get into the canyon. The entry and about an hour or so before the Crossroads are the best part.
We could have done the whole thing without wetsuits, which is amazing to consider. It was also pretty neat to see all the hook holes those horrible G-picks had made...har, har!
Here's the pictures I took from the trip. Stephanie had it easy and hard at the same time because the boys carried all the ropes...but since she is so small and light, she had the job of hooking out of the pits and laying herself out as a meat anchor for the guys. She just cruised through like it was no big deal...Bob hit the wife lottery, big time.
Tony and Anthony were also very impressive with the stemming skills. They were ahead of the rest of us at one point without a rope and went down a chute that I figured was impossible to stem without dropping the last 3 feet or so into the pool, which I considered a bit reckless. Bob insisted that they stemmed all the way down. When we caught up with them, they declared that's exactly what they did. I lost a $10 bet to Bob with that one...he could have nicked me for a hundie but declared "I like making friends, not losing them". He said that to me as he scooped up the ten dollar bill. Bastard!
BTW, Anthony has a GoPro video of said event that I have yet to see. So...maybe I can get that ten bucks back after all? :naughty: I'll take the boys word for it, but I'd love to see that video!
Speaking of Anthony...what an animal! He's built like a linebacker but moves like a pro gymnast. He was a last minute addition to the crew but such an asset because he's just 100% fun. Hey Anthony, sorry the pic I took of you came out so blurry, but I had to include it here because that tank top you were wearing was just so badass.
The helmet I'm wearing is a Black Diamond. I suggest you buy one...it's featherweight and very comfortable. Colorado sticker not included.
We hit Oscar's for a massive food inhale afterwards. Thanks guys, great trip.