On edge in Englestead Hollow

Englestead Hollow/ Orderville Canyon, (thru trip to Temple of Siniwava) 4BIVR
8.5 miles
Zion National Park
07/27/09

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A few nights before leaving for Zion I had a dream about the 300 foot- rappel in Engelstead. In that dream my sister Ellen was with us on the trip. (A note about Ellen; she is a marathon runner not an outdoorswoman. Her motto in life is “Maximum Comfort”. A day at the beach is too dirty for her. She has not and probably never will go canyoneering.) In the dream I was extremely worried about her. It would be her first time canyoneering and I kept telling her she did not have to rappel if she didn’t want to. She looked at me and told me she was confident in her skills, trusted the equipment and was ready for the challenge. I on the other hand was terrified and chose to stay in camp and clean up a picnic table. Waking up from the dream I knew my subconscious was playing two roles at once. I was both Ellen and myself. I was confident and scared; ready for a mental challenge and wishing I could just stay home.

It is no secret I have a slight fear of heights. The night before Engelstead after a long day of canyoneering through Das Boot and the Subway I was talking to Phoenix Eric and warned him the morning of the big rap he might see me cry. I was just kidding about crying but the truth is I knew I was going to be on edge the next morning, literally and figuratively.

After a late start and some trouble finding the head of the canyon we finally made it to the 300- footer. Chris rapped down first followed by a very eager Flagstaff Eric. I was third to go over the edge. While waiting my turn I laid down, closed my eyes and worked on my yoga breathing. With super high friction on my double eight I backed off the ledge. In the end my experience on the rappel turned out to be more of a physical challenge than a mental one. Rappelling with such high friction I was forced to push the rope through my devise the whole way down. I concentrated on my progress moving down the rope and the wall in front of me. I did not look up or down or take in the scenery. By the time I made it to the canyon floor I was sweating, tired, proud and safe.

With Phoenix Eric, Mike and David safely down the rappel all that was left to do was pull the rope. With all of our focus on descending safely we failed to perform a test pull to ensure we could successfully retrieve the rope. A BIG MISTAKE. Now the trouble began. The rope did not budge. We sent waves up the rope; we pulled from every direction and used jumars for advantage to no avail. All of our rope for completing the canyon was tied up and we needed it to continue the descent. As a last resort David volunteered to ascend the rope. It was a tense 45 minutes watching David ascend 300 feet. I was not interested in chatting with anyone. My eyes were glued to my husband creeping farther and farther off the ground. When David made it safely back up to the rim I let myself take a breath. When he safely rappelled back down with the rope recovered I felt an enormous sense of relief. Drenched in sweat David told us the pull rope was getting stuck in a small notch that was perpendicular to the canyon rim.

Attempt to pull the rope to no avail.

After the rope incident I was as emotionally worn, as David was physically tired. Talking to Mike we both agreed that it was hard to get back in the spirit of things. I had to force myself to stop and appreciate my surroundings, but once I was able to do that my canyoneering rhythm came back to life. Englestead proved to be a test with a few awkward rappels and difficult down climbs.

Nearing the end of the canyon our group experienced another heart stopper. While on top of one of the last rappels there was a thundering clap in the sky. We moved as quickly and safely as possible through the final narrows coming out in Orderville. The weather became a major concern. At this point our group split on what course of action should be taken. Several felt we should immediately go up Orderville, which would be the fastest way out of the canyon and would avoid the more narrow sections lower down in Orderville but leave us many miles from our car on the rim. Others felt we should seek high ground, wait to see what happens and then descend Orderville as planned. This is when our group got a little bit chaotic. Hastily we decided to go up canyon as the clouds got darker, the thunder continued and a few sprinkles could be felt. At one point several in our group investigated ascending a side gully to exit Orderville. This proved fruitless and as quickly as the bad weather rolled in, it subsided. With some opposition we decided to turn around and head down Orderville as planned. In retrospect, I feel the best course of action would have been to seek high ground and wait in which case we would have saved time and energy. However, in the moment of the inclement weather I feel both options held valued weight.

Lower Orderville was extraordinarily beautiful with tight narrows, elegant sandstone fins, an abundance of small springs, clear pools and vegetation. We reached the Narrows, the tourists, and the shuttle and then unfortunately the excruciating drive home to the “Dirty Bird.” It was 4:30 am by the time my head hit the pillow and I fell into a dreamless sleep.

-Laura

(Props to Phoenix Eric and Chris for going back the next morning to the top of the 300- foot rappel to recover our 325- foot rope.)

Chris dropping in on the big rappel.

Laura on the big rappel.

Eric (front) and Chris watch others on the big rap.

Mike on the big rap.

Eric, (from left) David, Eric and Mike attempt the pull to no avail.

David ascending the big rap.

David utterly exhausted after rapelling/ ascending/ rapelling the 300- foot drop in an hour.

Chris in a beautiful fluted rappel.

Eric holds the pull rope out of the way as Laura rappels.

Laura tests the heat of her rappel device.

David

Eric wades a pool in Orderville.

Giant, narrows walls of Orderville.

Laura negotiates a down climb in Orderville

Eric on the shuttle bus back to the Visitor’s Center after a long day.

One of the last glimpses of Zion in daylight before heading home.

The crow and the condor in Kolob Canyon

Kolob Canyon, (thru trip to Temple Siniwava) 3CVR
16.5 miles
Zion National Park
06/28/09 – 06/29/09

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I am a planning kind of person. I like to put my toe in the water before stepping in the pool. In canyoneering that is a good thing. For a canyon like Kolob, with the wild card of extremely cold swift water cascading down a deep gorge that drops 700 feet in a 1/3 of a mile planning is an especially good thing.

Canyoneering is a dynamic sport that allows participants to explore such extreme wilderness you can’t plan for everything. The unexpected is where I believe the true treasures exist. This could bring me to “Crow and the Condor” but about that later in the post.

Our journey began with nine hours of driving, including a two-hour traffic stand still on the edge of the megalopolis that seemed to not want us to escape. Reaching the outskirts of Zion our few hours of rest under the stars were marred by the roar of a semi’s diesel engine continuously running to allow its inhabitant a comfortable night of air conditioned sleep. The next morning entailed waiting in line at the permit office, a shuttle to the trailhead and a bit of cross- country navigation that finally brought us to the canyon.

The Washington County Water Conservancy District (WCWCD) said they would be releasing 3 CFS, (water released from the dam at the Kolob Reservoir is responsible for the near constant flow in the canyon) but after a crude test we determined that the actual CFS just above the technical section to be somewhere at a maximum of 2 CFS. WARNING – It absolutely cannot be assumed that there will be less CFS in the technical section of Kolob Canyon than that of what the WCWCD is releasing. It is just as likely that the opposite could be true. Needless to say conditions were going to be easier than what we were expecting. Easier, but still challenging with the constant pattern of rappel, wet disconnect, swim and pull over a series of 11 rappels. All too soon the technical section was over and we were stripping out of our 7mms and enjoying our lunch.

A short stroll down canyon brought us to the bottom of a 400- foot spring fed waterfall; a magical surprise that I had completely skimmed over during my research of the trip that had focused on the technical section.

 

After about an hour of boulder hopping, hand line assisted down climbs, wading and swimming I was in the lead hiking with my head down when I was completely startled by an enormous bird sitting on the canyon floor. As the bird grunted and hopped/ flew onto a shelf about 60 feet away, Chris who was right behind me said, “That is a California Condor.” According to the National Parks Conservation Association there are roughly 160 California Condors that exist in the wild. Stunned we stood and watched as the massive bird observed us, but the moment did not last long because suddenly a shower of small rocks began falling upon us from hundreds of feet above. We immediately began running back up canyon but not before watching one rock nearly clip the wing of the condor and another coming from what I estimate to be within 15 feet of hitting Eric. The shocking event was over as fast as it started but we were spooked. What aligned to allow us to witness two such rare sights of nature at the exact same time?

After waiting several minutes to ensure safe passage, we continued hiking. As we approached, the condor flew down canyon several hundred feet beyond view. Minutes later we were back in its presence but this time it was joined by a crow that cawed at the larger bird. We passed the pair but before not too long watched as the condor was chased by the ensuing crow through the slotted corridor 30 feet above. We were treated one more time at the confluence with Oak Creek Canyon, the crow still harassing the condor. As we headed down Lower Kolob Canyon the crow and the condor headed up Oak Creek Canyon out of sight.

We bivouacked that night near the MIA exit absorbing all that had occurred during the day. The following day included a number of cold swims, one hand line assisted drop into an icy cold pool and slogging challenges before reaching the confluence with the North Fork of the Virgin River, known as the Narrows. It is pretty amazing when the exit hike for your technical canyon descent includes the best part of one of most famous and utterly stunning hikes of the southwestern United States. We took in all the beauty; Big Spring, the deep dark narrows, Imlay boulder, Orderville junction and Mystery Falls before reaching the Temple Siniwava.

Chris later spoke with the Zion National Park wildlife manager who was very excited about our condor spot. The wildlife manager told Chris that there are a number of tagged condors in the park and believe the one we saw was a juvenile non-tagged condor that could very possibly be the offspring of two tagged condors; wonderful and exciting news for all.

-David

Eric on rappel.

Chris at the entry rappel.

Chris on rappel.

Eric negotiates the awkward start of the second rappel.

Eric gets creative.

Eric (left) and Chris work the ropes on a pull.

Eric consults some beta while nearing the end of the technical section.

Eric on the final 165- foot rappel.

Eric at the 400- foot waterfall.

Eric at the 400- foot waterfall.

The last of the snow for the season in Kolob.

Chris wades through water on day two in Lower Kolob.

Chris enjoys the water of the Narrows at the confluence with Kolob.

Eric at Big Spring in the Narrows.

Eric (front) and Chris wade through the Narrows.

Imlay boulder, in the Narrows. Can’t wait to see this from above.

The subterranean world of Buckskin Gulch and the Paria River

Buckskin Gulch – Paria River, 2BV
30 miles
Vermillion Cliff Wilderness Area
06/14/09 – 06/15/09

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David and I along with John and Kim backpacked the incredible Buckskin Gulch and upper portion of the Paria River.  We drove up late Saturday night getting into camp at the White House trail head around 1am. David and I crashed under the stars as my sleep was disturbed with dreams of midget rattlesnakes (beta we had read suggested that a rare species of midget rattlesnakes lives in Buckskin Gulch). Sunday morning we got a shuttle from Paria Outfitters to the Wire Pass trail head. After about 15-20 minutes of hiking, the narrows in Wire Pass began. Though short, Wire Pass is a fantastic canyon in it’s own right with a couple of down climbs and wavy sandstone walls. Where Wire Pass opens up it converges with Buckskin Gulch. The sandstone is so soft under a large arch at the intersection of Wire Pass and Buckskin that people have carved out Moqui steps to a bench under the arch. Many people have also carved their names and various faux pictographs in the sandstone.

Once in Buckskin the walls extend overhead continuing to grow deeper with every step. The most amazing aspect of Buckskin Gulch is its length. Buckskin is about thirteen miles of subterranean and sometimes dark hiking.  Buckskin is directly under a flight pattern so throughout the day we were constantly hearing airplanes overhead. Although we had dutifully checked the weather many times before leaving, with each airplane rumble our thoughts turned to flash floods. It is easy to start getting paranoid when you are 8 miles in and hundreds of feet from any direct sunlight. Needless to say with some clouds in the sky, a few minutes of the lightest drizzle and one real clap of thunder in the distance we ate our lunch at lightning speed.

Although many people do the entire trip in one day we took our time taking lots of pictures and soaking in the unique scenery. There were a number of places in Buckskin Gulch where the canyon would make a sharp turn so as we approached it would look like a dead end up ahead. Often times these sharp turns would lead into a chocolaty pool of indiscernible depth.

Sunday night we camped along the Paria River about three miles downstream of its confluence with Buckskin. We rested on our small beach sharing with each other what animals and figures we saw in the endless patterns in the 800-foot sandstone walls that surrounded us; the Colorado Plateau version of seeing faces in the clouds. As the light faded in the canyon we cooked our Mountain House meals and relaxed under the massive walls.

Monday morning we hiked to Big Spring further down the Paria encountering knee-deep quicksand and a lot of slippery mud. After filling our water bottles we turned around and made the 12-mile hike back to the White House trail head, taking pleasure in the dried mud crunching under our feet like bubble wrap.

-Laura

John at a pool crossing in Buckskin.

David stands in Buckskin Gulch.

Laura crosses a pool.

David uses a hand line to negotiate a boulder jam.

Jimson Weed, a la Georgia O’Keefe.

Canyon walls.

Sandstone fins in Buckskin.

Kim soaks in the sun.

Holes in canyon walls.

John in Buckskin Gulch.

John and Kim, REI models.

John in Paria Canyon.

Autumn in Zion

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We may have been even more excited for our second trip to Zion National Park than our first. This time we knew the mind boggling beautiful wilderness we would be exploring. An early cold spell had descended upon the southwest changing conditions from mid autumn to early winter canyoneering. Not wanting to waste a day of canyoneering our crew left Phoenix right after work and headed north. Around midnight as we approached the eastern end of the park on Utah State Highway 9 the headlights of John’s Toyota Tundra illuminated the falling snow. It was going to be interesting.

Birch Hollow, 3AIII
7 miles
East of Zion National Park on BLM land
10/12/08

The full range of autumnal colors greeted us as we started Birch Hollow Canyon, along with a fine dusting of snow. The sun was nourishing, but the air was cold. John’s car read in the high 20s as we took off for the canyon. Birch Hollow was bone dry, but certainly not short on action. One rappel followed another. The highlight of the canyon may have been a beautiful 110-foot rappel down polished fluted walls. Birch Hollow ends in the larger Orderville Canyon. A relatively easy hike up Orderville and back to our car was a great way to start the trip.

The Left Fork of North Creek, aka “The Subway”, 3BIII
9.5 miles
Zion National Park
10/13/08

The Subway is a famous canyoneering route. What it lacks in tough technical challenges it makes up for in sublime beauty. The Subway is also filled with water; part of which flows from a spring and with temperatures in the 30s this trip was going to be far from a walk in the park. After picking up another member of our team, Justin from the Great White North (who we had only met the day before at the outfitter, Zion Adventure Company) we began navigating across gorgeous slick rock to the entrance of the canyon. After we all suited up in double wetsuits we began the descent. With strong teamwork, using each other as ladders we down climbed all the recommended rappels. Kim fell off one of those human ladders into a pool of water. Her reaction…. Hysterical laughter. More down climbs and swims and we reached “The Subway” a place where the canyon walls form a cylindrical like chamber. After a long but straightforward hike we reached the end of this must do adventure for canyoneers.

Mystery Canyon, 3BIII
7.5 miles
Zion National Park
10/14/08

Mystery is another classic Zion canyoneering adventure. Our trip began with a beautiful and brisk ascent up the Observation Point Trail. The hike afforded us magnificent views of the main canyon of Zion. After 2100 feet of switchbacks we made it to the head of Mystery Canyon. After a sketchy descent into the canyon through towering trees and over frozen ground we were quickly surrounded by soaring sandstone walls. Before not long, the rappels began one right after another. With our team of four geared in at this point and with two ropes we were able to leap frog each other on the rappels and make real good time. Mystery had it all: a heart pounding approach, beautiful narrows, a majestic forest within parts of the canyon, relentless rappels, an enormous rockfall, a long multi-part rappel into a deep mysterious spring and concluding with a sliding rappel into the famous Narrows with an audience of tourists below. This part of the Narrows is less than a mile upstream from the Temple of Sinawava, the final stop on the Zion shuttle and a popular hike among visitors of all ages. As we walked down the Narrows back to the shuttle stop, we received a number of weird looks and questions from hikers as we were clad with wetsuits and harnesses. I even heard a foreign tourist say a bunch of words in language I did not understand and then clearly say, “SCUBA”. I am embarrassed to admit it but we kinda felt like rock stars.

-David

Courtney hikes past fall foliage in upper Birch Hollow.

John rappels down fluted walls in Birch Hollow.

David about to rappel in Birch Hollow.

Laura and Kim soak in the sun in the cold air.

Kim having fun on slick rock.

Kim reacts to the cold water.

Kim under the waterfall.

John assists Kim with a down climb.

Props to a German tourist who lent me his tripod to get this shot.

A channel of water flows by fallen leaves.

The approach on Mystery.

Kim and John stuff the rope bag.

Kim takes in the narrows in Mystery.

narrow walls

Kim gets off rope at Mystery spring.

John rappels into Virgin River with an audience.

A tight squeeze through Stone Donkey

Stone Donkey Canyon, 3AV
24 miles
Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument
05/11/09 – 05/12/09

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After a grueling day of Voodoo Canyon, David and I drove (or more accurately I should say David drove and I slept) to Page, Arizona, for the second part of our mini adventure vacation. It felt wonderful to get a good night’s sleep Sunday even if it was in a Motel 6. After a quick breakfast (a McMuffin for David and a personal size cereal from the gas station for me) we had a short drive across the border into Utah to the Hackberry Canyon trailhead. Hackberry Canyon is beautiful with a shallow meandering stream cutting through soaring sandstone walls.

Our initial plan was to hike in 10 miles to the head of Stone Donkey Canyon, but even with a decent night’s sleep I was still way too exhausted and sore from Voodoo. Instead of killing ourselves with mileage we decided to set up camp at mile 4.5 from the trailhead. We got into camp around noon and as soon as the tent was set up it was naptime. I passed out for a couple hours, woke up to eat lunch then promptly fell back to sleep. After waking up from my final nap of the day we took a side hike to Sam Pollock arch. The impressive arch is roughly 100 ft across and 100 ft high. Getting back to camp before dark we made Mac and cheese for dinner and were asleep before 9pm.

From camp it is about 4.5 miles to the head of Stone Donkey Canyon. Dropping into the canyon requires a 200 ft rappel the last 80 of which is overhanging. The crazy thing about a 200 ft rappel is that by the time you reach the bottom your rappel devise is on fire; it is too hot to touch.

Once in Stone Donkey the fun begins. This was the first canyon I have been in that requires walking sideways holding my backpack to the side while squeezing through the tight passage. The interesting thing about being in such a narrow confining space is that I had no desire to really stop and admire my surroundings. Every slight opening was a mental relief. I had the conflicting feelings of having a ton of fun with the need to keep moving to get out of there! From the rappel to the end of the canyon it took David and I less than an hour. After an amazing descent of this slot canyon, David and I hiked back the way we came to our car and then drove back to Phoenix.

-Laura

Sam Pollock Arch

David rests under the arch.

Laura on rappel.

David pulls the rope.

David squeezes through the canyon.

Laura

Arriving in Zion

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Zion is unbelievable. The Checkerboard Mesa and Navajo sandstone formations in a rainbow of color greet us as we drive into the park. With a few Arizona canyons under our belt, Mike, Ira, David and I planned our first trip to Zion National Park in Utah. Along the way we also stopped at Horseshoe Bend downstream from Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Arizona. We picked three canyoneering adventures for our first visit, Fat Man’s Misery, Key Hole and Pine Creek.

Fat Man’s Misery, 3BIII
9.5 miles
East of Zion National Park on BLM land
06/21/08

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Fat Man’s Misery canyon is misery indeed. Don’t get me wrong, the canyon itself is beautiful and narrow. The misery becomes apparent after the technical section on the hike out. The canyon has a number of fun rappels and a beautiful grotto followed by a natural sulfur spring before coming to the end of the canyon at the East Fork of the Virgin River. We were foolish enough to do the canyon in June (recommended time of year spring and fall) when temperatures were in the high 90s/ 100s. While hiking out of the canyon I was far behind the boys. I was dehydrated and exhausted in general (I later found out I was being referred to as a zombie looking for brains as I hiked/ stumbled/ shuffled along). I think I would have been fine if it wasn’t so darn hot out (no shade anywhere), if I had more water and if we didn’t waste time getting lost and trying to find the trail.

Keyhole Canyon, 3BI
.75 miles
Zion National Park
06/22/08

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Our original plan was to do Birch Hollow the day after Fat Man’s Misery but we were all wiped and it was going to be another scorcher so we decided to go a little more low key. We got a permit for Keyhole Canyon also known as Starfish Canyon. Keyhole Canyon takes only a couple hours to descend; it is dark and narrow and like a carnival fun house with rappels, down climbs, twists and turns. There is one crazy long cold swim through a hallway that curves so you cannot see the other end where you come out back on dry land. Keyhole was a great way to start the day. Mike and Ira decided to spend the rest of the afternoon tubing on the Virgin River while David and I chose to hike up the famous Narrows. The hot weather was welcomed in The Narrows as we hiked through the water from the Temple of Sinawava up into Orderville Canyon.

Pine Creek Canyon, 3BII
1.5 miles
Zion National Park
06/23/08

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If ever there is a classic canyoneering trip it is Pine Creek. You park and immediately drop into the canyon; it really doesn’t get much better than that for canyoneering logistics. Once you are in the heart of the canyon it is hard to believe that a busy road and many tourists are just above you. While in a deep and dark section of the canyon we were privileged enough to see four Mexican Spotted Owls, 3 of which were owlets. The owls, perched high above us on logs jammed between the canyon walls, bobbed their heads and watched us as we watched them. The most amazing part of the canyon is the rappel into the Great Cathedral. It is one of those rappels where you just have to stop midway down and appreciate your surroundings. The final rappel is 100ft, partially free hanging into a shallow spring pool. After hiking out of the canyon back to the road below the tunnel we needed to hitch hike back to our car. Mike was our designated hitch- hiker as David, Ira and I waited by the side of the road for Mike to catch a ride. After about 20 or 30 minutes with RVs, minivans and sports cars blowing by Mike, David decided to put his thumb out…. and of course the first car driving by picked him up no problem. Driving home that evening we were already talking about planning our next trip to Zion.

-Laura

Horseshoe Bend, a stop on the drive to Zion.

David hikes across the slick rock on the approach to Fat Man’s Misery.

Ira and his new friend.

Mike takes in the canyon.

Ira on rappel.

David and Ira at the start of the canyon.

Mike down climbs in Keyhole.

Ira rappels in Keyhole.

Mike swims through a long twisting hallway in Keyhole.

Water flows down the Narrows.

The co-authors of this blog in the Narrows.

I call this rock Jabba the Hut rock.

People hike the Narrows.

Laura in Orderville Canyon.

David, Ira and Laura on a down climb.

Ira rappels into the “Great Cathedral”.

Laura gets horizontal on the rappel in the “Great Cathedral” in Pine Creek.

Mexican Spotted Owlet in Pine Creek.

Ira looks up at the owl.

Mike on the final rappel.

The Egypts – Not for those who weigh more than 200 pounds

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Mike Schennum produced this video of the Egypt 2/ Egypt 3 loop along with a hike to the Wave and descent down Waterholes Canyon from the same weekend.

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Egypt 2 (descent) Egypt 3 (ascent) loop, 3BIII
4.2 miles
Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument
03/01/09

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The beta we had read was if you weigh more than 200 pounds don’t attempt this canyon.

After a 235- foot rappel off the back of Chris’ FJ Cruiser to get into the canyon I experienced the narrowest canyon (no it is more a fissure in the earth than a canyon) that I have ever been in. After descending Egypt 2 we climbed a mesa and headed into Egypt 3 for an ascent. It got even narrower, way narrower. I am talking turn sideways, backpack held over your head, stem up 10 feet, then down five feet because it is a little wider, breath in NARROW. Egypt 3 is pure excitement, fun and sweat. Ascending the slot put an interesting twist on it. At one point we took a break in a wider section of the canyon. After a little while, looking like a dorky skateboarder clad with helmet, knee pads and elbow pads, I was pacing back and forth because I was so excited to get back into the crack.

-David

Mike rappels down the 235- foot drop into Egypt 2.

Chris (pictured) gives Mike a firemen’s belay on the 235- foot rap.

Chris down climbs.

Jessica turns sideways to squeeze through a narrow place.

Mike squeezes through one of the narrowest parts of the canyon.

Mike squeezes and ascends.