Heading to the US for two weeks - looking to meet people!
Hello!
I'm a Brit who's heading over to the USA for two weeks, 17th to 31st August.
I got the slot canyon bug a few years ago and always look forward to getting out to the Colorado Plateau. I'd started planning a trip for this year but my friend who would normally join can't make it now... and so I'm keen to meet some people who fancy joining for any of the days, or I'd be equally keen to join any existing plans people might have made, etc.
First, a little bit about me:
In 2013 my friend and I made various plans for the National Parks, including taking the riverboat shuttle to The Maze in Canyonlands. The NP shutdown took place and we had to frantically make alternative plans, and this led to us heading to Escalante and doing Round Valley Draw, Zebra, Tunnel, Spooky and Peekaboo slots. Quite fortuitous, as it turned out, as we loved them.
We returned a few years later in 2017 eager to expand our skills and tackle more technical canyons, so we did a 1 day course at Lambs Knoll. Unfortunately, my friend then had to head off last minute for some work and I was on my own - but I'd already secured a permit for Subway and wasn't going to miss out. So I ended up soloing Diana's Throne and Subway as my first technical canyons before we then met up again and did Keyhole together. We'd also had a crack at Fry Canyon but even though the forecast seemed fine, I didn't like the look of the clouds above us right when it was time to rappel, and so we turned round on that one.
I took some time to read up online and practice various things we hadn't covered in the course (e.g. tying ropes together with a fisherman's, which we ultimately needed for Benson Creek as we've typically rappelled double strand) and in 2018 we did another trip and rattled through Benson Creek, Birch Hollow, Egypt 3, Goblin Valley and Tenaya Canyon (Yosemite). Want a trip report and lots of photos? Go here.
My Initial Plans
I'd contemplated doing something along these lines:
19th August - I was just going to warm up in something easy like Ghost Rider
20th August - a Zion Canyon, perhaps Misery
21st August - another Zion Canyon, perhaps Pine Creek
22nd August - a North Wash Canyon(s), was looking at Leprechaun, Blarney, Arscenic as options
23rd August - more time in North Wash, same options
24th August - hike down from the Grand Canyon South Rim to Bright Angel campground (already got the campground permits)
25th August - do Garden Creek Canyon, camping again
26th August - hike out the Grand Canyon (or another night camping, permit covers an additional day)
Anyone fancy tagging along for a day or two?
Or alternatively, does anyone have any plans to do other canyons during these dates and wouldn't mind me tagging along? I figure its all a great opportunity to learn new things (and there's plenty that I don't know!), meet new people, etc. Just want to squeeze as much in as I can, really.
(Also cross-posted to the meet-ups section of CC, apologies if anyone reads this twice.)
Peter