The Day My Camera Died

It was a day like any other at work, little did I know that I would destroy my camera by the time the day was over. This was my seventh time this season to enter into the Subway. Paul Simonetti was going with me, so at least I had some company. I really did not feel like doing the Subway from the top down. I spent so much time in there already that the thought of going down from the top really did not excite me. Instead, I thought that I needed to make the route a little more interesting by checking out some of the side canyons that came in. The first one we came to was Pine Springs Wash or Wolf Springs Wash. The map is not entirely clear on which one it is. It was a good idea as we saw some nice pools and some small waterfalls. I also learned that I could make it out of the Subway using this route. That would have to wait for another day. The next drainage to check out was Little Creek. I was not expecting much, but I really liked Little Creek. It had some impressive features with water and vegetation. The drainage became more narrow and there were a few small scrambling moves that we had to make. Then came the fateful scrambling move. It was right at a small waterfall. I went around it to the right. There was a very easy way that was basically a walk up, but I wanted to do a little scrambling. So I grabbed a rock that was connected to the rock above me. I tried to pull myself up on that rock, but in the process, the rock broke off. Will, I was flying through the air after that. I landed hard on my right side, bounced, and ended up right in the water. My first thought was that I deserved that, going off somewhere that would be frowned upon at work. The next thought was, oh no, my camera is in my pocket. When I looked at it, the thing was trashed. I slammed into it and broke the screen and the camera was just generally messed up. I thought that I might be able to save the thing if it dried out, but the likeliness of that was rather slim. Paul was just happy that I was okay, but I spent the next few hours sulking about my camera. I got over after a while as Paul and I continued up Little Creek to some great spots that I wish I could have photographed. I really wanted to return and make a trip down Little Creek ending up at the Subway, then coming back out Pine Springs Wash. Well, Paul and I finished by hiking up the Subway and hiking out. I spent the next day at work researching cameras, because I needed something to document all these great trips that I got to do for work.

Brrrr!

Oh what a weekend adventure we had in store for ourselves. Jacqueline really wanted me to take her down a slot canyon this whole season, so we finally got our chance. I heard that Echo Canyon did not have very much water in it, so that seemed like a good option for a canyon. I enlisted David, a good friend and co-worker since he had not made the descent before. We hit the shuttle and went up the trail from Weeping Rock. I knew kind of where to start, but David said he knew for sure, so I followed his lead. We ended up rapping in rather higher up than we intended. We looked at the water and it did not seem that low. It was not particularly a very warm day out already, so we enjoyed the last few minutes of being dry and comfortable. Jacqueline was happy and nervous to start her first technical canyon. David went in first and then we got Jacqueline in after him. He was able to throw her out of the keeper pothole that we rapped down into. He climbed out with that and I was forced to wiggle my way out. The canyon had a couple extra down climbs and raps that I did not remember. Finally we made it around the corner and I saw where I came in with Brian the previous year. By the time that we started the part of the canyon that people normally do, we were already wet and cold. I guess wetsuits would have been a wise decision. We continued on and the canyon was rather straight forward from there on out. A couple raps of 15-20 feet into some pools of water. Jacqueline became more comfortable throughout with the idea of how to rappel by leaning back and putting her weight on the harness. We were really cold and had to stop fairly often to warm up. We came to the keeper pothole. There was some debate about how to get out of it, but David finally manned up and jumped in. He wiggled out of it and then we helped Jacqueline rappel through. Then I got to go down after they were down. We were cold, but we finished the last rappel after that. The canyon still remained slotty for quite a long time. It is a very deep, dark canyon. We enjoyed it much more now that the water was gone. We made sure to take lots of pictures of the slot formations. There were only a few small down climbs ahead, so we finished with those and popped out of the canyon. It took a bit longer than we expected and was definitely very chilly. Rapping into a pool of water near the end of summer can do that to you. Afterward, we were able to enjoy a Pizza Noodle pizza or two (for which I still owe David $10) and watch some Monday night football. Not too bad of a day in Zion.

Coalpits

Nobody likes to hike up Coalpits Wash in the summer because the first five miles or so look like the first picture here. While this tree is very beautiful, most of Coalpits is a charred, flash flooded wasteland coming from last summer's wildfires and this summer's weather. But if you have the stamina and the strength, you can be lucky enough to see Coalpits in the upper section where much of it has features like the small waterfall below.
On this day I was supposed to go through Mystery Canyon, so Coalpits was a bit of a letdown. I had to make it worthwhile, so I set off to see how far I could get up the canyon. 

Once I was hiking, there was no way that I was going to turn back. My watch was telling me that 12:15 was the time to turn around to be back to my vehicle by the time that I was off, but my eyes, heart and feet were asking what was around that next corner? Water, views and cliffs that could rival the main canyon. First there was the peak that I foolishly tried to climb by myself last spring.
I was about two-thirds of the way up this face of the peak before I decided that it was a bad idea to try to climb this peak. The views just got better as I got closer with the Bishopric

And as I was nearing the top, there was a peak that I swear looked just like Angel's Landing.

It probably would have been climbed just as much if it hadn't taken five hours to get to where I was, but it did. This left me with a bit of a predicament. It was one o'clock and I was scheduled to get off at four. The only way back was the way I came in so my instincts were to hoof it. If I booked, I thought I could get back in time. That was an idea, but when I saw the last possibility for a good swimming hole, I had to derangerify myself for a few seconds and jump on in. After that I just hauled. I was marred by quicksand, no trail, loose rocks, water, sand, brush, and flash flood debris, but I motored on through. Unfortunately, I did not make it back to the trailhead before 4:00, instead I was three minutes late and had to settle for 4:03. I am definitely loving the physical shape that my job allows me to be in, although this trek wore me out pretty good.

This Week in Backcountry

Well this was definitely one of my best weeks working for backcountry. With different hours and less people, we have trimmed it down to only one person with a full desk shift. What that meant for me was that I got to spend each day doing something in the backcountry. On Wednesday, I hiked up to the West Rim. There was a trail counter there that was supposed to have burned up in the fire. When I got to the West Rim (1hr 52min after leaving the trailhead [World Record]), it had burned everywhere around the counter except for the trees that it was on. 

The counter was working as usual, which meant that it still did not work well, but it was in one piece and functioning. I also found a tent randomly placed at a trail junction, wide open, with no stakes or rain fly and nothing in it. I packed it down thinking it had been abandoned. Turned out to be some Americorp kids and they had to fly it back up to him. The next day, I was stuck at the desk for much longer. I decided to hike in an area that does not get much foot traffic. I went out to Dalton Wash which is a short cut to Coalpits Wash. I knew nothing about the road except my truck could probably make it. 

It made it all the way up to the near top, where it turned 4wd. I backed up down this incredibly steep hill until I found a spot that looked safe to turn around. It was but as I was making one of my last turns, I got my right wheel stuck in a hole. I was scared I was going to have to call dispatch and have them bail me out. Miraculously, another vehicle came down at that exact point. He helped me by just pulling on my truck while I backed it out. I made it out and got my truck pointed down the hill. That guy was a lifesaver. The hike itself was not that spectacular. Definitely a nice short cut, but the area is not that impressive. 

Lots of petrified wood and sand. I think I got stung by a bee, but I can't be sure. Something flew out of my shorts that gave me a nice little prick. The next day, I actually got to do a technical canyon for work. It was great. We did Spry Canyon which I have done once before. This time it was much slower. For work, there are so many safety procedures that you have to go through. Prussiks, belays, daisy chains, etc... It was still fun and I got a chance to learn a couple of things. The rappels are rather sweet when they are not scary.
This one to the left, I actually got to set up. 

It was a double rappel that goes free at the end. It was beautiful. We got out about two hours later than we expected to be out. It makes me miss the good ol' days of canyoneering with Brian where we could run through things in no time at all. Speaking of Brian, I got to chill with him and his wonderful fiancé that night, before...
Going through Pine Creek the next day with the Superintendent. I was planning to really get my trip leader qualifications down going with Annette, so when I heard Jock was coming I was not that excited. But it turned out to be cool. I am always impressed when the Superintendent wants to come out in the park and do some of the more exciting things that Zion has to offer. As you can see, Pine Creek had quite a bit of water in it. I was prepared and was always in the water, because the wetsuit that I had was a little warm. Pine Creek took most of the day to do which surprised me. Here are pictures of me on the last rappel (102 feet, free for about 95 feet).

The last day of my week of backcountry, I chose a day hike up Hidden Canyon. 

Frankly, by this point I was just exhausted. Each of these days I was up before 6 am. The week was beginning to wear on me, so I chose an easy day hike. Hidden Canyon is still fun with up climbs and nice slotty sections. I hiked up as far as time allowed and took lunch. I spent most of my time cleaning grafiti as this is one of our most tagged places in the park.

Bill and Karen catching the Subway

Jacqueline talked about how tough Karen and her uncle Bill were last time they came to Zion, so this time we decided to just see how tough they were. We decided that if they already saw the main canyon trails, that the Subway would prove to be something new and different for them. I let Jacqueline take pictures because this will make the sixth time this season and eighth time total that I have been in the Subway. Jacqueline took seventy pictures. Out of these we definitely got some good shots. 

Not much new on the hike for me. I was playing tour guide, leading the way trying to find the best route up the drainage. I was even able to locate the dinosaur tracks. As we got to the part of the Subway that you pay the big bucks for, the hiking party began to slow down as photo ops were abundant. I was worried when we set out that the weather may turn us around because there was a high flash flood probability and then we would not get to see what we came for. But sooner or later there it was. It is still impressive even if you have seen the Subway quite a few times. I was happy because there was a little bit of exploring for me to do as I took a little dip and swim to get to Keyhole Falls. It seemed to have flashed a day or two earlier and brought in some debris and lots of sand. 

We took our trip back and had lunch on my favorite rock. The water this time was over my head, so I got to have a nice chilly swim at lunch time. The rest of the way down and then up and out, the group was very quick and efficient. We hustled our way on out of there and I had to admit that Jacqueline was right, Bill and Karen sure can handle themselves better than most visitors to Zion. We had a good trip and a fun visit with them.

The Real North Fork

I was scheduled to do the Narrows for work. It just so happened to be on the opening of football season for the Washington Huskies. This did not make me very happy. I had a conflict of interest. Seth was supposed to go with me on the trip. Seth discussed bailing on it, because he did not want to do the trip. I thought about the game, but being a backcountry ranger is bigger than that. When it came down to it, although the weather did not look great, I decided to bag the game and go for the Narrows. Seth decided to bag the Narrows and do something else, so once again I got a backpacking trip for work alone. This was great. 

I started at about 10:30am, which is a bit late for a Narrows hike, but I was fine with it. I moved quickly and had to because there were a group of three high school/college age kids doing the day hike right in front of me. I had to stay in front of them, even with my overnight gear, because I could not let anyone else pass me. I was able to lose them after Bulloch's Cabin. This is also the place where the canyon begins to narrow. I was surprised how long it took to actually get to the campsites inside the park. It was a bit aggravating also because my ankle was a bit sore. The views were beautiful and everyone I talked to along the way was very polite and excited to talk to me. That made my day so much easier. Campsite 1, although not as exciting, had one of the best views in the park. Continuing on down, not too far from campsite one, was where the only obstacle in the entire Narrows is. The waterfall, about fifteen feet or so, drops down. Conveniently right next to that is a break through some huge cliffs for people to walk right down.
Well, I continued on down, checking permits, cleaning up graffiti, picking up trash, dispersing campfires, because I did actually have to work a bit on this trip.

Soon enough, I was at my site where I could chill out. Directly from my site, I could see the fire burning over the Narrows. I did not like my site at first because it was directly in the sun, but once the sun went behind the cliffs, I enjoyed it. The only thing I had to do to make it better was to clean up all the trash left there. I can not believe how irresponsible people are at times, as my backpack was half full of trash. After that, the site was much better. There was a wonderful dipping spot, that at first, I went in just to clean off. Later, I went in for a swim. The water was definitely silty, but it was still comfortable temperature wise. I spent the evening chilling in camp, reading my new book "The Splendid Little War" on the Spanish-American War. Almost finished it before dozing off. The next morning I was up at seven and hiking by eight. Within minutes, I came upon Big Springs. The Narrow's is very interesting because above Big Springs, there are lots of side canyons coming in (Deep Creek, Kolob Creek, Goose Creek, etc...) and below there are so many fresh water springs coming in. 

I was very impressed by the hundreds of springs coming in. Those springs did not help to make the water any clearer. The going was slow because I could not figure out where to put my feet and how deep the water was going to be. Quite a few times, I had to bail out on a chosen route because of deep water. The walls were much more Narrow in the section between Big Springs and Orderville.
Soon I started running into more and more people, so I knew I was going to be out of the canyon soon. After Imlay and Orderville came in, I was very familiar with the canyon from there. Saturday, Labor Day weekend leaves me with this last question as I am nearing the exit with the Narrows: Is this wilderness?

North Fork Speed Record

Now I am not making any substantiated claims on this one, but I did the North Fork of Taylor Creek car to car in 2 hours and 18 minutes. I am sure someone could do it faster, but I am not sure that they have tried, so this may have been the fastest ascent of the North Fork of Taylor Creek. All joking aside, I was in the mood to hike very fast on this day. The North Fork of Taylor Creek spurs off of the South Fork of Taylor Creek about a mile in. It was an enjoyable hike because I was able to use my new Ipod shuffle hiking for the first time. I had heard from Jacqueline that the drainage is very brushy, but on my inspection, it turned out ot be not so bad. It was a beautiful hike with even some scrambling opportunities throughout. I took this photo at what I was calling the end, where the climbing got difficult.

All in all, a nice short hike rather near to home.