Behunin Canyon - Zion

[price1869]

Trip Report

Location: Behunin Canyon – Zion National Park

Date: September 11, 2005

Group: Sam, Masiel, Newby, Price

Equipment: 150’ rope, 200’ rope, harnesses, descenders, carabineers, slings, tech. gear.

Time: Started hiking at 9:00 a.m. Reached shuttle stop at about 4:30 p.m.

Notes:



This was the first canyon that Sam ever did, but that was last year, and this is this year. I was pretty impressed overall with the rappels and the fact that those guys did it unguided last year. Bineer blocks and some rappelling know-how definitely come in handy in this canyon.

The canyon slots up in a couple of places, but if you’re doing this canyon for slots and swimming, you’re in the wrong place. It’s mostly just there for the huge rappels and big cliffs.


This is the nice cliff that I dropped my camera off. 75 feet right too the bottom. Still works, but doesn’t look as pretty as it did.



The hike up wasn’t bad. We didn’t run like we did for Imlay. This canyon has a great echo wall as you drop in right after you leave the main trail. Nothing was really super eventful or technical, but it wasn’t boring either. The first set of 3 rappels was easy enough.







There was a dead animal in the toilet bowl. Sometimes I just find dead things floating in water to be very amusing.





The wind was blowing very hard on the cliff face at the last rappel. It’s a 165’ free hanging rappel, so that was a little unnerving even for a kickass canyoneer like myself. Actually I did get some butterflies when I clipped in and leaned back to take a picture of the anchors. I don’t know why. It just made me a little nervous.


Newby descends the last rappel.


Sam on the last rappel



If you see this guy (the younger one behind me and newby), watch out. He’s retarded (can I say that word?). At the bus stop by the lodge he asked us where the busses went. Then, while on the bus he told some poor old tourists that he worked there after he heard them jabbering about wild turkeys. One of the ladies asked him if the deer were mule deer. He said, “No, they’re just female.” Once again, she asked, “Yes, but are they mule deer?” “Nope, female.” What a genius!

Great canyon, another notch in the belt.

[accadacca]

I sent you a PM Price and for some reason you have not checked it? Do you have a popup blocker installed?

[Iceaxe]

Behunin Sucks!!!

[Sombeech]

I love the pics. Nice work.

[rockgremlin]

Don't listen to Shane. I think Behunin looks cool! Notice I said "looks" cool. Sure it doesn't have any swimming, or narrow slots, but those big walls are really neat!

That one pic with the dude holding two ropes out on either side of his body really had me fooled there for a second. I was like "That dude is CRAZY! Going down that cliff wall with no harness, and not even clipped in!"

Good Job!!

Was it tough to get permits for Behunin?

[rock_ski_cowboy]

Behunin was my 3rd tech canyon. Talk about being lucky, we did it with 1 200' rope and 1 200' pull cord and almost stuck our ropes several times and then twisted it all up in the dark on the final rappel (we got a really late start due to screw-ups on Mystery the day before). It was a miracle we untwisted it the right direction. Good lessons, but the hard way.


I love some of the idiots you see on the tour bus, but that guy sounds like he takes the cake! I think you can say retard here, but don't even go there over on the yahoo groups. Rockgremelin had a good experience with that... didn't you? If i remember right, someone told you that if they ever met you in a canyon they would murder you. Some joke about the special olympics

[tanya]

There you go again Shane, spreading your love of Behunin.

I hear there are beer trees and nakid' women dancing in there now. :



http://www.zionnational-park.com

[rockgremlin]

"I hear there are beer trees and nakid' women dancing in there now."

Ya, that should be incentive to do Behunin, if not the cool big wall raps.


So is it pronounced "BE - HUN - IN" or "BE - HEW - NIN" ??

I've heard it said both ways, but never sure of the correct one.

[tanya]

[I hear there are beer trees and nakid' women dancing in there now."]

It's something that only Shane would appreciate.

[Ya, that should be incentive to do Behunin, if not the cool big wall raps.]

I'm with you. I enjoyed Behunin. The raps were fun and the wash was nice. Check out Ice Box in Zion for Behunin on steroids.


[So is it pronounced "BE - HUN - IN" or "BE - HEW - NIN" ??

I've heard it said both ways, but never sure of the correct one.]

Those that hang in Zion often say: Be hew nin. It was a man's name.

http://www.zionnational-park.com

[taatmk]

My son at USU has a roommate from St George who says a local St George family on his home street pronounces their name Be hun in and not Be hew nin. I always have pronounced it the latter, but now have changed it.

[ratagonia]

My son at USU has a roommate from St George who says a local St George family on his home street pronounces their name Be hun in and not Be hew nin. I always have pronounced it the latter, but now have changed it.

Nice TR, nice pics, thanks.

The canyon is named for Isaac Behunin, one of the original settlers of Zion Canyon (1864?) along with William Heaps. Isaac is usually given credit for naming Zion.

While the family name, which has a German origin, can be pronounced Be - hun - in; the CANYON is pronounced as it is spelled in english, Be - hew - nin.

Tom