Canyoneering, it's kind of like fun, only different.

So we took our family vacation over the last week up to the Teton/Yellowstone area of Wyoming.  We set up base camp in Colter Bay and ran our day trips from there.  It was quite an event with over 35 kids, and 14 adults.  We had a good time playing games, trying to keep all the food put away so the bears wouldn't come harass us (we actually had one in the camp).  We spent a nice day visiting the highlights of Yellowstone, though our preferred hike was omitted because there was still too much snow on the access road; and the mosquitos were in squadon.

 

The week long trip gave us a perfect opportunity to finalize our testing on the Coleman eXponent Northstar X8 tent .  What a fabulous full 3 season tent.  The full double fly provides ample protection from the wind and rain, and when guyed out properly, is incredibly stable.  There Was plenty of room inside for the two parents, 4 kids in sleeping bags, and a baby in the porta-crib; plus all of our gear.  The vestibules are handy, but could stand to be a little larger.

 

We also finished up testing on a couple of Eureka tents.  You can see those reviews over on Gearreview.com. It is amazing how much the family camping tent market has evolved over then last several years.  Keep an eye on our site for upcoming sleeping bags, pads, and tent reviews over then next couple of weeks.

So after our exploration attempt, we found ourselves mid-way through the day, loaded for bear, and looking at temperatures in the mid to high 90's.  There are a couple of places over in Zion that we wanted to look at, but most are either full sun exposure or far away on the other side of the park.  None of us were very excited about spending the afternoon marching in the sun.  We had favorable reports that Boundary Canyon was flowing slightly.  That would make a cool descent, but with a price; the MIA exit in late afteroon sun.  We decided to pay the piper and head down Boundary.  We stayed in the drainage, rather than heading down the MIA road and entereing via lower routes.  The old fire roads were in pretty good shape, with the exception of a lot of fresh deadfall from the winter.  We made it to the head in good time, and could hear a group out in front of us.  Not wanting to catch them in the canyon, we ate a leisurely lunch and rested in the shade.

 

We descended the canyon with relative efficiency after a 30 minute snafu at the first anchor that got the rope and the pull cord all tangled up preventing the rappeller from progressing.  We prefer to rig off the much larger tree on the south rim (which also has a cleaner pull); but opted to go off the existing anchor on the north rim.  Someone had extended the anchor nearly to the edge, but not quite...accomplishing nothing.  With the anchor close to the edge, the start is much more awkward; but because it isn't actually over the edge you don't really get any mileage towards making the pull easier.  The pull cord had been rigged and leaned against the tree, when the first guy loaded the anchor and it swung around, the pull cord got knocked over the edge creating a tangled mess.  Lesson learned...clip the pull cord bag, or let the last man rig it.

 

Anyway, after we got that sorted out, things moved along pretty well, and the small amount of water in the canyon actually felt pretty good.  All off the rappels were slimey and mossy.  I felt bad that on rappel I was knocking off some of the moss because it is so beautiful and green.  After an 11 a.m. start we hit the last grotto at a little after 3.  We met up with James Burr from Delta, and his group who had been ahead of us in the canyon.  We spent the better part of an hour shooting the breeze with them and filling up our water bottles in the Oak Creek drainage.  A short hop down stream to the MIA exit and we were on our way out.  We made it up the MIA in a little under an hour (55 minutes) and took a new route back to the west rim trail head.  This saved us lots of time, and allowed us to make that awful journey in relative comfort and partial shade.  We kept hearing 4 wheelers on the road, and hoping for a ride, but it wasn't to be and we ended up walking the whole way.  Car to car, including the rests we were about 7 hours in the canyon.  Not a bad way to rally and save the day.

So as I noted a couple of weeks ago, I have been exploring around this particular drainage in anticipation of a first descent this weekend.  I have been looking at this place for about 8 years, starting on the 1983 BW aerial photos and quads for the area.  The only problem is there is this scary, nasty looking dogleg right in the middle.  In every aerial it is in a shadow, and the contours on the quads just don't have the needed detail to show what is actually going on.  That's why I have hiked in on several occassions to look at the drainage from various angles.  We felt like we had finally gathered enough information on the geology and probable nature of the canyon to attempt an alpine descent.

 

We got our team together and planned our attack.  We would approach from an adjacent drainage convenient to vehicle access, and then travel cross country once on the plateau to the head of our destination.  I was giddy with anticipation and didn't get a very good night sleep, in spite of knowing I had something in the neighborhood of a 20 mile day ahead of me, with full exploration gear.  We woke to brisk temperatures and a beautiful pre-dawn.  After dropping a shuttle vehicle, we were on the trail, well ahead of the heat of the day.  Everything was finally coming together...that is until about an hour and a half into our approach.

 

We have done approaches using this canyon as an access in the past, even at this time of year.  It hasn't been uncommon to run into a few isoloated snow drifts, particularly in some of the deeper, mostly shaded parts of the slot.  Initially we thought this would be the case, but it quickly became evident that the bountiful winter and cool spring were going to throw a wrench into our plans.  We hoped that even though the more-than-expected snow conditions would allow access to the top of the plateau, even though at this point we knew we wouldn't be making a descent, at least we could rim walk and gain some new perspectives on the drainage we hadn't seen before.  It was not to be.

 

So for quite some time now, I have been trying to convince my wife to come canyoneering with me.  And by some time, I mean 11 years, because that's how long we've been married.  Now, don't get me wrong.  She has been down in Bull Valley Gorge, and up the Zion Narrows, and through Orderville Canyon.  But I'm talking something more than that.  She has always used the excuse that she was pregnant, just had a new baby, or was nursing.  Granted, that may be true, but to me...well, I won't go there.  Priorities...I'm just sayin'.

 

So I put together a support team of friends, got the reservations, and permit, and it was settled.  Pine Creek on Memorial Day weekend.  I chose Pine Creek deliberately.  It is short, rarely has surprises, and the approach and exit are short and easy.  A perfect candidate.  I rented my wife a nice 5 mm wet suit just to make sure she didn't get cold.  There had been recent rains.  The weather was cool but nice.  A diminishing chance of showers throughout the day (20 percent and decreasing) so we felt comfortable as we dropped in seeing the clear sky extending all the way to St. George.

 

My wife was a trooper, and after the initial fear of exposure, awkward starts, and trusting the rope seemed to be having a good time.  That is until it started to rain.  I don't need to impress upon you the significance of rain in a slot canyon.  Fortunately, we were beyond the Cathederal, and short rappels / downclimbs thereafter.  Having been through the canyon many times, I knew we were within about 5-10 minutes of where the canyon opens up immediately above the penultimate and final rappels.  Nonetheless, as the rain picked up from an occassional drop to a sprinkle, to a light shower, I became increasingly concerned, and we upped our pace from relaxed and leisurely to consciously efficient.  We made it to safe ground within minutes, and were out of the woods.  At about the same time, the small wispy clouds blew by and the sun returned.  The freshly watered trees in the valley were spectacular.  The colors on the cliffs, some wet, others dry, were fantastic.  I have never seen the rock with such personality.  It was amazing.  I managed to pop off a few good pictures before moving down to help my wife rig for the final rappel.  The funny thing was, in the end, the canyon was mostly dry.  Most of the pools had drained out and we only had a short deep wade / possible swim to exit the Cathedral (as usual).

 

By then she had become much more confident and comfortable trusting the rope.  As always, there was that moment of hesitation on the last rappel in Pine Creek when you realize you're going to have a little slack in your rope as you go over the edge.  She did great, and was able to look up and around as she descended, and enjoy the spectacular scenery in the final grotto alcove.

 

It was odd how conscious I became with my wife in the canyon.  My senses were heightened as I found routes and moves that would be easier for her.  I could hardly hold the camera still to take pictures.  I'm not sure if I was twitching from excitement, or nervousness.  In the end it was a great experince for both of us to trust each other, and make those simple gestures to ease the other's life.   Sum total price was about $50 including food, permits, and gas.  Try and get a deal like that from your local family counselor, and we were there for 4 hours!  I think I might have to see a "therapist" more often for marriage and family counseling.  I've heard of some great thereapists at the Full Left Fork, and Rim to Rim to Rim clinics that do wonderful work.

 

So a good friend and I, actually a couple of good friends and I have been working on documenting the canyons in a particular area of Washington County.  We have our eye on one in particular.  We have scoped out various parts of the drainage, but were missing a critical, and crucial detail.  The exit route and final rappel sequence.  We have poured over aerial photos from various sources, maps, topographic maps, even Google Images trying to find out more information.  But unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, there isn't much information.  There simply was no substitute for making the 5 mile bushwhack in, and 8 miles back out (I'm not going to explain where the 3 miles in the middle went.  If you're that curious, ask me.) to have a look.  So we did.  We spent the morning with intermittent light rain, and a short burst of sleet.  In the end, the day cleared up and we enjoyed the hike out in cooler weather. 

 

I carried the Imlay Canyon Gear Heaps Pack that I have been working on. As with the previous models of the Heaps, the pack is simply built for work. The internal stays make carrying a heavy load more comfortable than on most other packs. The competing weekender sized packs are just not going to hold up to the abuse. Anyway, I digress. The 2008 Heaps pack has a rugged PVC laminate bottom that holds up to the abuse of sandstone and bushwhacking that I regularly throw at it. It also features new cavernous pleated pockets....and I mean big. I saw a helment go into one of the pockets this weekend, no problem...apparently that was part of the design.  If you care to bring your designer puppy, you could probably fit it too.  Watch for the upcoming review over on Gearreview.com.

 

The descent into the lower, non-technical portion of the drainage was steep, and about 1200 vertical feet.  It is by far the steepest descent I have done without ropes.  We estimated the slope to be 60 to 65 degrees.  The saving grace is that rather than a large slabby descent like we expected, it was a loose, rock filled slope.  This made the descent easier on the one hand because the soft soil gave footing.  But on the other hand, the rocks rolled easily when disturbed, so we had to be pretty careful not to knock them down on each other. 

 

This was also my first trip with Bo, the proprietor of a local outlet store.  Man, for an old guy, he can hike.  I'm not sure how he compares to Ram, but it was all I could do to keep up with him in the sand in the morning when I was feeling fresh, let alone in the afternoon.  It was a shame when he took a small fall on his already injured shoulder.  He was a trooper though, and gritted through it.  I look forward to future trips with him.  He really has been about everywhere, and done about everything in that neck of the woods.   Plus he volunteers on the Zion SAR team.  Couldn't ask for a better hiking partner.  Just don't walk too close when you're bushwhacking, because he is going so fast, sometimes he forgets about the branch!