Canyoneering, Climbing, & Reminiscing

Last weekend Pete and I decided to go on a mini vacation. We left work a little early, caught a plane to Salt Lake City, drove through the night and arrived at Zion National Park at 4:30am. Once there we found the Zion Canyon Visitor Center where a line had already formed with visitors seeking permits for slot canyons and hikes that only a limited number of people are allowed on each day. I had slept most of the drive and was ready to fall back asleep but Pete was wired after consuming a 5 hour energy shot to keep himself up for the drive. I went back to the car and slept while he sat in line unable to sleep. When the Zion Canyon Visitor Center opened in the morning Pete managed to obtain permits for the 3 slot canyons we had hoped to do. We couldn't believe our luck! For 2 of the 3 canyons we picked up the last 2 available openings. After getting the permits we prepared our things, rented wet-suits, and headed out. Pete still hadn't slept. He ended up staying awake for 34 hours straight but he stayed in good spirits and was a good sport. The first Slot Canyon we did was Echo Canyon and just as you would expect the acoustics were fantastic. The hike up to Echo Canyon was painfully hot but once in the shaded canyon things felt just right. The hike through Echo was a lot of fun. There were a few repels along the way, most of which ended up in potholes filled with bitter cold water, hence the need for a wetsuit. I have a strong aversion to being cold but with my wetsuit on I wasn't cold at all. Here are some Pictures from Echo Canyon...The cliffs were beautiful. Here I am getting ready for the first rappel. Here we are in our super cool helmets! I really enjoyed this section of Echo where we jumped from the little perch Pete is on into the water filled pot hole. Pete was anxious to get out of the water, besides being really cold it is also stagnant and stunk. More pictures showing the rad canyon walls.........Here we are both super excited to have successfully completed our first Slot Canyon and Canyoneering experience. Now for more. We finished Echo Canyon early in the day so we ventured next to Keyhole Canyon. Luckily the hike to the entrance of Keyhole Canyon wasn't long because it was ridiculously hot. We loved Keyhole canyon! It was so much fun! Filled with lots of variety. There were down climbs.Followed by shallow pools to wade through. Narrow passage ways....More rappels into potholes filled with cold water.......Cool chambers....Keyhole's walls were just as impressive as Echo's, if not slightly more so.At the end of Keyhole Canyon the walls narrow and the canyon fills with water. The walls are too close to allow for comfortable swimming but we were able to push off the walls with our arms to propel ourselves along. It was fun. The next day we hiked 4 miles gaining 2,200ft of elevation in 105 degree weather with the sun beating down on us much of the time to reach Mystery Canyon. The hike was brutal with the heat and the steep climbs but we really enjoyed Mystery Canyon. The hike through Mystery Canyon was really relaxing. It consisted of one rappel after another with a few down climbs mixed in................Action shot of Pete down climbing. This is one of the longer and more interesting rappels that ends far below in a small pool. The picture really doesn't do it justice. Guess you better just go and check it out for yourself. ...Here I am on the final rappel.... Leaving Mystery Canyon and entering the Narrows. Hiking down a short segment of the Narrows was a lot of fun too. It was such a hot day, it felt so good to lay in the river and cool down. We would have liked to stay and do some more slot canyons but we figured we probably wouldn't have much luck getting anymore permits so we headed for Maple Canyon. Maple Canyon is one of Pete's favorite places to climb. The next day we headed back to Logan, Utah. I love and miss Logan. Pete and I have dreams of moving back there some day. We went up Logan Canyon and I got on my favorite climb of all time, Terminological Inexactitude, more commonly referred to as TX, at Fucoidal Quartzite. It is still my favorite climb :) We visited a few other crags and then drove around Logan reminiscing. We stopped at the Apricot Tree where Pete and I would sit on summer nights and eat apricots. The Apricots weren't quite ripe yet but we found 2 that tasted pretty good. I loved that Apricot Tree. One day when I own a house and some land I want to have an apricot tree just like it!