First time through Heaps!

[Kuya]

Heaps Canyon -- Zion NP 2012

HEAPS!

Talk about a HUGE and AMAZING canyon! I have been wanting to do a "Big Deal" Canyon for a while. So when a few of my friends agreed that they would do the canyon with me I quickly grabbed a few permits. The closer the date arrived for me to hike this canyon, the more nervous I got. It was a different feeling. Most canyons trip I plan do not include the nervous feeling LOL. But all the canyon beta that I had read pertaining to this canyon instilled a little bit of fear into me. SO... we did it anyway, to prove to ourselves that we could do it!

When it came right down to it, the canyon was in its "Super Fun" and "Easy" mode! It was tip top full of water and all the scary potholes and such were filled. All we had to do was jump in, swim across, and gracefully use our"beached whale" escape technique to get out! IT was A BLAST!


Well.... before I get ahead of myself, lets start the Trip Report from the beginning. We arrived in Zion National Park Thursday Evening. Due my laziness we missed the last shuttle that would take us to the Grotto Trail Head (The start to our round trip hike). After driving around a bit, we ended up talking to a Park Ranger that actually shuttled us from our car to the Trailhead!! We not believe it! That Ranger saved us from maybe getting a parking ticket and/or walking an additional 5 miles! She wouldn't even accept our $20 cash offering to pay for her time. This was a miracle!


The next 4 hours we spent hiking to the top of the West Rim Trail to camp site #4. It was about 6 miles that we had to hike, and we gained over 3000 ft in elevation. It was quite the HIKE! The hike was so worth it though. come boring, it was nice to be able to sleep in a bit and take our time hitting the trial. On the other hand, Sleeping in my hammock with a Bivvy Bag was not one of my best camping experiences. the Bivvy bag kept me warm enough. It did not keep me very comfortable. Josh had a similar experience with his bag as well lol! Oh well, the cool thing is that we survived, and as soon as the sun came up we got warm again and forgot about the cold night.


What we woke up to was incredible. Only a little ways from our camp is the Phantom Valley. It is one of the prettiest places in Zion! Well, one of the prettiest overlooks I have seen in Zion :) What was even cooler was the fact that we got to descend into the Phantom Valley! Hoodoo's and potholes, and other cool geologic features are to be found in that valley. It was fun to find them! We even had to refill our water contaniers with water from potholes in the Phantom Valley. Yes we did bring a filter, and we did look for the cleanest looking pothole, and yes the water did taste a little like dirt after a while, but I can say now, after a few days, that I am not sick from filtering and drinking that water. For that I am very grateful!


Anyway, now I will let the pictures kinda tell the story of our decent into Heaps Canyon!

Our Campsite~ The hammocks were a little cold. So were the bivvy sacs that we were using. BUT, we did not freeze. It was a cold and unforgetable evening, but as soon as we started hiking, I know I was longing for some of that cool evening air again. The weather in Zion NP was hot that day! Perfect weather for hiking in a wet slot canyon.:D

Phantom Valley! This valley is one of the prettiest I have ever seen! This is the valley we chose to descend to enter Heaps Canyon. This canyon has its own narrow slot canyon section called the Phantom Valley Narrows! They were beautiful!

Some Hoodoo's on top of a plateau. Very neat!

Josh on the first rappel. we go the rope stuck when we tried to clean this rappel. Josh had to climb back up and get it unstuck. We had a few hiccups like this as we started our descent into the canyon. Got a rope stuck, I left or dropped my gloves twice (which i had to go back for) etc.

The Ridge we had to walk along to get to the 200'+ Rap to get the bottom of Phantom Valley

Hoodoo!

Some Cool Rocks

First signs of potholes and slot canyons!

Our first peek of what was to come. Heaps is Josh's FIRST EVER Zion slot canyon! LUCKY GUY! So this was his first look. He was a little surprised as all the vegitaion that was found in the area. Canyoneering in Moab and the San Rafael Swell are not that.

Josh is just very happy to be here!

Lots of Log Jams to jump off and plenty of water to swim in. That was what we go to do all day! It was so much fun!!!

The BEAUTIFUL sandy corridor after the first Narrows. This was truly a place of stunning beauty. Josh and I both experienced moments where we were just stunned. all we could do was stand in awe and admire God's grand creations! It was truly a amazing experience to be in this place.

The Log in the Subway got bored and decided to make a home in a better canyon ;)

Thought this was kinda funny! This is found right before we enter the 3rd and longest set of narrows. It was also the most difficult section. I guess we were warned!

So excited for more narrows!

Yes! Those walls are that HUGE!

These walls are HUGE TOO!

These were the last section of narrows. We had no idea what to expect in this section. The previous two sections were really fun and not too technical. This section prove to be much different. At one point we were army crawling though a log soup that was thick enough that you could't swim through, but not buoyant enough to let you crawl on top of. it was one of the hardest things I have ever done to get myself and our bags through that. It was 30 feet of dense bark, wood, logs, sticks, leaves, and needles!

Just happy to be here!

Ahhhhhh! The dreaded quicksand! We HATED this stuff. Walking through this zaps energy so fast. The canyon was so wet that quicksand was to be found everywhere.

Beautiful narrows! I reall wish we had a waterprrof camera to show of some of really pretty narrows! We spent about 7 hours straight in the technical section of this canyon. Most of that was spent swimming through some of the prettiest slot canyons in the world. One day I need to get back in there with a good camera to get real pictures of what Heaps looks like. This is just a tiny sample of what the narrows looks like. They do get a whole LOT better. There was one section that was so dark we almost needed a headlamp to see!

Looking at a log jam. there were LOTs of these to be found in the canyon.

The other side of a log jam LOL :D

[Eric Holden]

Beautiful! Love the trip report but this picture..... just phenomenal....!

[Kuya]

Thanks! It sure was pretty down there!

[Iceaxe]

Since it was your first time through..... every time the canyon hooked left did you think... Oh Crap!!! not again!

That's what I remember thinking my first time through....

[ratagonia]

Great trip report, fun to hear the enthusiasm of a Heaps first-timer!

You'll be happy to know that rope bags are back in stock - or maybe your PARTNER will be glad to know, as it looks like he carried the long ropes all day.

Can be helpful to carry a separate drybag for the long rope, and stuff it in after the second rappel. Seal it up - you only need it again for the last rappel sequence.

At the first rappel, there is a cleaner rappel over the ridge to the right... cleaner rap, cleaner pull. about 65' so a 120' rope needs a little bit of help.

Tom

[Kuya]

Tom,

yeah, we so wished we had two more rope bags. (We couldn't find them anywhere in Utah Valley). I had a 220' rope in my bag, and carried the working 200' rope most of they way. It was unfortunate that my partner had to carry the 300' and the other 90' working rope the way he did. It became a lot bigger problem when we were sloggin' through the "log soup".

Additionally, thanks for the tips! and thanks for the good beta (you too Shane)! We can't wait to do this canyon again!

[Aj84737]

Amazing pictures dude. That looked like a blast. Been wanting to do this one for a while but unfortunately I don't think I'm gonna make it this year. Oh well always next year.

[Mountaineer]

Thanks for posting this trip report with the great pics and narrative. One of the best I've seen! Looks like you guys had a total blast. Can't wait to do this canyon someday.

[taatmk]

Nice report. On my "someday" list.

[seth.l.craig]

Nice report. On my "someday" list.

Let's go next spring! Just bring your boys to carry the ropes.

[Scott Card]

Excellent report. It brings back a lot of memories of my first time through. What a great canyon.

[Kuya]

This weekend I am headed back through Heaps again (for the second time) :D It is bad that I am still terrified of that final 500' descent?!

[Scott Card]

Jealous......

[Absolute Gravity]

Lucky! I got to get in on a Heaps trip this year... GOT TO! Wonder if my work would question taking a few sick days due to Canyon Fever.

[TommyBoy]

This weekend I am headed back through Heaps again (for the second time) :D It is bad that I am still terrified of that final 500' descent?!

I just got to do it for the 1st time 2 weeks ago, and yeah that final descent is something else. I was fine for most of it except for the 20 min I had to sit and wait at that tree right after the 50' drop. There is nowhere comfortable to wait at that spot.

[Scott Card]

I just got to do it for the 1st time 2 weeks ago, and yeah that final descent is something else. I was fine for most of it except for the 20 min I had to sit and wait at that tree right after the 50' drop. There is nowhere comfortable to wait at that spot.

We take radios to sequence that last set of raps to avoid too much waiting at each rap station. It worked great until my partner dropped one of them. Then we only had two. I gotta say, a 500 foot drop left no pieces that we could find. Musta turned the radio to dust. We looked and looked to clean up the trash and couldn't find anything.

[deagol]

the pics of the Phantom Valley look like Yosemite made out of sandstone.

[tcott]

I just got to do it for the 1st time 2 weeks ago, and yeah that final descent is something else. I was fine for most of it except for the 20 min I had to sit and wait at that tree right after the 50' drop. There is nowhere comfortable to wait at that spot.

You don't find sitting on a tree root 500' off the deck comfortable???

[Iceaxe]

I hate that final rappel. You are so far away from the wall there is nothing for your eyes to focus on and that really messes with my head.

I've done a number of 300' rappels and I can tell you they are not all created equal.

Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

[Scott P]

Sometime, I'd really like to do Heaps Canyon.

I've had it planned twice, but both times fell through. The first time, the most experienced person dropped out and I was the only one left who had ever done a big rappel. The second time the NPS closed the canyon the day we were going to do it.

Maybe some day.