TR - Unexpected n00bfest in Pine Creek and Keyhole

[xxnitsuaxx]

I'm of sound mind and body - but horrible with estimating time and excessively optimistic. Thus it was that last Thursday I rallied 11 of my friends together for a 10 PM departure from my house in Provo. It was going to be perfect. We would leave at 10, be to a cabin in New Harmony by 1:15, then I would be at the Zion backcountry window by 2:00, book, headlamp, oversized sweatshirt, and potential female cuddle-buddy along for the ride. We would get a permit for the Subway on Saturday, enjoy the canyon, make it back in time for homemade Thai food, and then I would have a conference call with the BP engineers and advise them how to plug the hole. It was all planned so perfectly.

Reality check - it's 10 Thursday night. I'm just getting back from a "quick" headlamp multipitch up Rock Canyon. I have 4 people just leaving Salt Lake, one girl stuck on an interminable date, and a car that didn't get picked up from the shop. Long story short, we left at 12:30 and caught up to a car in front of us that had let its battery die because my friends were climbing the overpass and wanted to play their stereo while they did it. Three stopped cars later we got a jump and kept moving. Hello 4:00 AM arrival at New Harmony.

As I explained, my optimism springs eternal so I packed up and sped to Zion, arriving at 5 and finding myself 4th in line. When the desk opened I found myself faced with a dilemma - 12 people, no harnesses or ropes (I had 60 feet of webbing for handlines and wetsuits for the most cold-natured of our girls), open permits for 6 people for the Subway, and a throbbing headache from an ill-advised decision to go cold-turkey on energy drinks.

Luckily I'm persuasive and was able to round up 11 harnesses and my canyon gear from Provo and get it driven up. It was on - Pine Creek and Keyhole with 12 people, 7 of whom didn't know how to rappel.

I got back at 8:15 in time to sleep for 45 mins and then make breakfast for the crew - who complained about "only" getting 5 hours of sleep. We headed off to do Kanarraville Canyon, one of my favorite hikes in Southern Utah.

The next day we were off. Luckily we had 3 fairly experienced climbers in the group, or else we would probably still be there. As it was, we had to have several mini-seminars on everything from how to rappel to the proper way to let the person down below know that you need a fireman's belay. (General consensus was yelling "hey douchebag, I'm tired!") Keyhole was cold but the water didn't seem high and we were through it in an hour and a half. This was my first time through Pine Creek and I was amazed at how gorgeous it was and how ridiculously short the approach was.

Two of the people had done a canyon down in Moab before, but this was everyone else's first time and they were in awe. I was a little jealous of how amazed they were by everything. I didn't like the idea of standing up on that ledge for the first rappel in Pine Creek, so we sequenced off our 270 pound friend. I recommend that everyone have a Jake Day on hand at all times. Also, the first big rap, I think it's the Great Cathedral? How do most people navigate that ramp? It was slippery and I didn't like the idea of everyone walking down it, so we set some webbing up and rapped off the big log at the previous downclimb. I pulled the rope and then set up right off the ramp. Do most people handline down it or just walk down?

The last rap was gorgeous, but I was too concerned with getting everyone down safely to enjoy it at first. I sent the first guy (a climber) down double strand with two biners on his ATC and he firemanned the rest. After the last person went down I climbed to the top, enjoyed the view, and took a well-deserved 10 minute nap.

Final count - 12 people. 2 canyons. 9:30 hours total (including an hour lunch break). 1 delicious Thai dinner (homemade of course). 0 accidents. 456 gay jokes made by guys whose rappel setups I was inspecting. 2 arguments about the health care bill. 1 possible love connection. 1 damned fine trip.

[xxnitsuaxx]

You never know when the Russians are coming...




5 Hour Energy Shot - I was running on 4 hours of sleep in 3 days.


Talk about bomber




NOT my "O" face. That's my "I may die of frostbite" face.

[Cirrus2000]

Wow, action packed weekend!

The ramp to the cathedral rappel: I just walk down to it, and clip in to the bolt anchor with my Clipster. Then, after setting up the rappel, I pull up a big bight of rope and hand it to each rappeller in turn, and they get on the rope above me, I inspect 'em, then, on rappel, they pass around me down the ramp.

Helmets, as well as harnesses, would have been a good idea. I'm just sayin', before Tom can:

[xxnitsuaxx]

Yeah - I thought about lying and telling y'all my camera was broken so I wouldn't get yelled at about helmets. I would be hard-pressed to round up that many helmets if I was actually trying myself, much less coordinating from down south. We thought about laying in wait for a Boy Scout troop, mugging them, and taking their helmets, but a troop never materialized...

[Iceaxe]

If Tom whines about the no helmet deal just tell him you traded the helmets for cute female cuddle bunnies.... ... because I seldom see Tom with one of those....

[ratagonia]

If Tom whines about the no helmet deal just tell him you traded the helmets for cute female cuddle bunnies.... ... because I seldom see Tom with one of those....

MY THOUGHT was you really should supply helmets for the female-type cuddle-bunnies. The guys - expendable!

T