Behunin Cleanup 10-9-2015 and new anchor for 2nd to last rappel

Hadn’t done Behunin for a few years. Kinda needed to, to check on the anchors and maybe fix the 2nd to last, which was a mess; and maybe add a high-water anchor for the last rap, out of the watercourse, since people seem to keep getting stuck up there. I hadn’t done a canyon with my fellow Imlay employee and friend Shirlz, and we had fine weather, not so many orders to fill, and… why not! So off we went.

In canyon, we ran into The Dude, who was soloing Behunin. He seemed OK, so he joined us, or, we joined him… First rap, I took the webbing off the Kelsey bolts, and got one of the bolts out, but the other would not come. We re-rigged the anchor on the left and rapped on down. Carefully measured at 100 feet. Next rap, removed lots of slings; replaced with one black sling. Next rap – same. Fourth rap had chains on em, seemed to be working there.

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Shirlz setting up Rap 1

Further down, same story. Replace tat with new black 1″ tubular. Repeat. Had lunch. Avoided water.

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The two-stage rappel

At the second to last rappel – time to get to work. This rap has had two anchors. “Under the Rock” involves climbing down either side of a large boulder and hooking into the crazy stack of webbing under an arch under the boulder. The downclimb is not hard, but it does have 100 feet of exposure below it, so the easy downclimb tends to collect webbing for a handline. On this day, there was one, nice piece of webbing on the pinch, which I removed. Plus a big pile of webbing on the downclimb. The other rap is up top – a small tree and a bolt, which always have webbing that is too short, and which results in many stuck ropes. The webbing could be longer, but then the start is kinda awkward and scary, so people don’t.

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Drilling bolts for a new anchor, 2nd to last rappel

We found a good place atop the boulder, which would offer a clean pull and an easy start. Drilled two bolts, set up an anchor. While the Dude and Shirlz were setting that up, I rapped down and started on the lower one. I walked the ledge around to its end, where I could just find a line of rappel that would be totally outside the watercourse. I stepped over as far as I could, and picked a place for a bolt. And drilled, which took about 10 minutes. Not a good sign – holes usually take 20-30 minutes to drill. I put in a 1/2″ bolt and tightened it up, and clipped myself in. I looked around for some better rock. Up down, over there, right here. Drilled another hole. Put another bolt in it, even worse than the first. Looked around further out, higher up… no go. Not working.

http://canyoncollective.com/image.ph...dth=0&height=0
Final Rap

Oh well. These were good enough, right? Uh, well. I might rap off them NOW, but I would not rap off them a year from now. I pulled the bolts out best I could, tucked in my tail and headed back around the corner. The other two were just coming down from above. We rerigged the last anchor, rigged the ropes, went on down! Hiked out. Hopped on the bus. Back to town.

MORE Pics available at the Latest Rave

Thanks for the cleanup and new anchor, Tom. And sharing it here for us Bogley folks too. :)

Im itching to hit up Behunin again this. Lovez me some wall/air-time! Looking forward to using the new rap.

(And hopefully get some decent videos and pictures of Tele-hunin while we are at it).


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"First rap, I took the webbing off the Kelsey bolts, and got one of the bolts out, but the other would not come. We re-rigged the anchor on the left and rapped on down."
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Emperor - as you like to refer to yourself, or whatever. And without trying to be "difficult".

What was the problem with Rap #1, that has been used for much of the past decade? Bolt(s) loose, rope groves, ledge crumbling, or....?
That rap was about 75-80 ft. a slight overhang at one point and then feet on the wall the rest.
And the new #1 as you call it. Is that that old single bolt that was just "out and left" of the slickrock perch where most "rig up"?
Or is it a fairly new bolt, that someone put in and that you re-rigged?
And is the approach line to the new #1 rap safe, if, when the rock is dry...or even when it's wet? How much exposure?
You obviously don't care for redundant webbing, so did you leave everything simply single band at every rap? Even at # 3?, 150 ft. rap.
And the second to last rap, just down canyon from "under the large chockstone rap". Had that previous bolt come loose or vanished?
Bolts; smashing, removing, placing anew, or leaving in place? Is there rhythm and harmony in all of these acts? It all makes sense?
And the beauty of the corridors and canyons of Zion (Behunin), an after thought I suppose. Engineers at work have busy tasks.
Regardless, unwary travelers that see bolts & webbing gone at rap one; hopefully it's intuitive (and safe) where they turn to for passage.
Decades ago,(#1) scrambling way out and across and then down the loose bands of rock to a tree - a bit spooky - then a long rap down.


Too many memories of passages in Behunin, each zone (& rap) in the canyon, firmly in the memory bank; watching those ahead mess up on rap 3 screams/shouting/help; watching/experiencing stuck ropes on the next to last rap, before we/others knew/learned of the under the chockstone ride. Folk tossing ropes and rope bags over the huge rock at the final bottom spot. It's raining in Behunin, are we/others going to die? Most passages expansive, joyous, serene; occasionally drama and once a slide/slip on wet mossy rock - life in the balance. Inexperienced folk can get easily "tripped up/in trouble" in that canyon, in 2-3 spots. Please, whatever Emperor or others do - in terms of new/old hardware in the canyon - give broad notice if necessary and if new rap entry options are marginal and not safe, exposure; keep alternatives in place. At least, that's my view.

Good lord reflection I stopped reading after the second sentence. What was the point of all that?