Another miserable trip in Fat Man's

Our group of 5 did the Fat Man's Misery hike last Saturday. We camped on the Park's east side on Friday night and hit the canyon early Saturday. It's a long hike to the 'goodies" but they were a lot of fun. With the weather quite warm, the swims and wading were very welcome. After a casual lunch break, we hiked upstream to the waterfall then returned to our packs to hike downstream to the exit. We dropped our packs again and hiked downstream to Labyrinth falls. The water was clear and refreshing. Then the 'misery" comes as the long hard hike out is unavoidable. I filled a couple water bottles with river water and occasionally poured some over my head and bandana which did a lot for keeping this fat man cool. It was a long hard day and next time I'll do the exit upstream and out French canyon. I didn't take a lot of shots of the canyoneering but maybe you'll appreciate the scenery in Parunuweap Canyon.

Apologies if these are all stretched out - they are on my Mac. I don't know what to do about it.

FYI the pics look great on my android phone using tap a talk. Not strechet out at all.

Nice TR! Pics look fine on a PC. :2thumbs:

I don't blame ya for posting the "other" canyon. That was one of the best surprises of the hike IMO. Pretty amazing place and so refreshingly cool in the hot sun.

It's weird how big those other falls look in your shot without people in it. :)

Why "miserbale" then. It shouldn't have been any different than expected to do it in the middle of the summer. Cool pics, we took some of labyrinth last week but yours are much better

Just cuz you expect it doesn't make it any less miserable. Still it was definitely worth it for the first trip although if I were to do it again I would like to try the French canyon exit as it sound a lot better.

It looks like some of the "misery" is having to leave that parcel of paradise in the middle of the desert. Beautiful photos. Thanks. :2thumbs:

Nice shots!

Very nice pictures and they make the water look refreshing which I'm sure it was..:2thumbs:

Miserable? Man, I wish I was there right now!

Those are the best Pweap photos EVER! WOW!!!!!! :slobber:

Nice shots on my PC. Stretchy shots on my mac. :eek2:

Wow Those are great shots. I was down there last weekend also. We hike the Narrows top to bottom that day. To bad we didn't know and meet up.

Put me down for: WOW, those are great pictures!!!!

Tom

A miserable day in the canyons is better than any day at the office. Think of it that way.

PS: The Pictures look awesome! Love the long shutter exposure on the river water :)

French Caveman JR

Love the pics! Planing on doing this canyon next month!

Couple of questions for anybody to answer:
1) How long does the exit hike take at a moderate (easy-going) pace?

2) Is the route fit for beginners with little to no rappelling experience?

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Originally Posted by tley430

Love the pics! Planing on doing this canyon next month!

Couple of questions for anybody to answer:
1) How long does the exit hike take at a moderate (easy-going) pace?

2) Is the route fit for beginners with little to no rappelling experience?

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1. I've not done that hike out. We exited through the Barracks/Parunuweap. But I've heard from reliable sources it take 3-4 hours in hot blazing sun, with heavy sand, and of course uphill the entire way. It sucks.

2. Yes, there is only one rap that has a low awkward start. I'll post a shot of one of our noobs getting stuck in it. but it's not overly difficult. Hopefully someone comes along and sets up a "proper" bolt station here. The thing I would worry about is exhaustion and ability to hike the entire distance. So while you might not get in "technical" trouble, you might get in trouble with noobs falling down tired and heatstroke on you.

Gorgeous canyon though and worth it!

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Originally Posted by tley430

Love the pics! Planing on doing this canyon next month!

Couple of questions for anybody to answer:
1) How long does the exit hike take at a moderate (easy-going) pace?

2) Is the route fit for beginners with little to no rappelling experience?

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1. As Jake said about 3-4 hours. Whether it's miserable or not all depends on the weather. It really isn't a bad hike, just hot in the middle of the day. If you aren't in a hurry hang out in the river for a while and don't even start hiking out until around 5pm. The two best ways are to stash some water on the hike in or just take a purifier and fill up your water for the hike out. No reason to pack it in. Most people use 2-3 liters for the hike out.

2. We've taken a few people through fat mans' as their first canyon. I wouldn't worry too much about it. The awkward crack is sometimes full of sand and you just jump in. This year it is not, rap it left handed so you can used your right hand to push off with and your gear won't get wedged on top of the lip.

Have a good time on your trip through

Great! Thanks for the advice!

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Originally Posted by Deathcricket

I've not done that hike out. We exited through the Barracks/Parunuweap. But I've heard from reliable sources it take 3-4 hours in hot blazing sun, with heavy sand, and of course uphill the entire way. It sucks.

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It probably does suck in full summer sun, so that is to be avoided. The best way to do it in the hot months is to wait until about 3 hrs before dark before starting out. You might be hiking the last bit out in the dark, but it beats heatstroke. Just be sure to spot the exit canyon before it gets really dark. Bring a headlamp, arrange for good moonlight...it also helps if you look backwards a few times on the hike in to fix the exit landmarks in your mind. Get soaking wet in the river before starting the hike out. Ahhhh...makes it close to fun.

p.s. i love the hike out of P'weap - one of the most beautiful in the area. Only...the sand hill in the exit canyon really does suck on the way out. Ugh.

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Originally Posted by Deathcricket

2. Yes, there is only one rap that has a low awkward start. I'll post a shot of one of our noobs getting stuck in it. but it's not overly difficult. Hopefully someone comes along and sets up a "proper" bolt station here.

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That spot was (until recently) a trivial downclimb into a sand-filled pothole. It had been that way for many years (at least a decade) and the sand could return with the next flood. For the moment, with much of the sand removed, it is a little trickier, but still readily downclimbed. Sequencing is useful here to provide a comfortable rappel for those who want a rope. Please consider that before placing bolts.

Beautiful photos - thanks for posting!

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Originally Posted by hank moon

That spot was (until recently) a trivial downclimb into a sand-filled pothole. It had been that way for many years (at least a decade) and the sand could return with the next flood. For the moment, with much of the sand removed, it is a little trickier, but still readily downclimbed. Sequencing is useful here to provide a comfortable rappel for those who want a rope. Please consider that before placing bolts.

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You probably are confusing this with another section of the canyon. This is a 25ish foot rappel and the last 10 feet or so are free-hanging because the wall is convex. Or is that concave? Hmmm.. No one in their right mind would suggest downclimbing this though, unless you were spiderman. Here is a vid from the bottom. :2thumbs:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2kMO...ature=youtu.be

I think if you have to choose between rope grooves and an ackward start, or a couple bolts and an easy start, the choice is pretty obvious. Maybe though if the sling was extended one could have the best of both worlds? I'm not going to go out of my way to change the setup whoever put in there did, but won't mind if it's improved on my next run through.

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Originally Posted by Deathcricket

You probably are confusing this with another section of the canyon.

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hahaha! I got the wrong spot for sure. Thanks for the clarifying video. :2thumbs: