It was tough to get back in the harness again after learning of a friend’
s fall in Pine Creek. It was nice that I was able to avoid it for a little while. Jacqueline and I went out to Michigan where she was the maid of honor in her friends’ Kara and Dan’s wedding. It was an excellent wedding in Traverse City
, Michigan. We had a lot of fun and it was great to spend some time with Jacqueline’s friends and their husbands. We also got to hang out with her brother Paul who
was up from Salt Lake. When I got back to work, Derrick and I, the new volunteer, started out on a trip through the West Rim on a search and rescue. By the time that we were a mile or so in, the party was located and it became a backcountry patrol. I have done the West Rim numerous times, but this was Derrick’s first experience. The coolest thing we saw was a giant roach of some kind near Campsite 8 on the West Rim. The hot Zion sun really wore Derrick out and he was spent by the time that we got to the bottom. The next day was when I finally put on the harness again. Andrew Fitzgerald and I went through Spry Canyon. It was an e
xcellent trip as it was Andrew’s first experience with Spry. I was having a bad day, though, as I was kicking rocks down on Andrew left and right. We had to build our own anchor after the last flash flood knocked out one of the anchors. I was pleased because we were able to skip the fourth rappel where it is required to lean over and grab that webbing while hanging over a big drop. I had a very dumb
moment on that trip when on the last free hanging rappel, I adjusted my harness and forgot what I was doing halfway through. When I went to clip in, I did not feel that bite on the rope and I realized that I could have injured myself pretty good if I would not have realized that I had not double backed my harness. I caught it though, but it just reminded me that we are constantly only a few inches away from serious consequences all the time when it comes to rappelling.
s fall in Pine Creek. It was nice that I was able to avoid it for a little while. Jacqueline and I went out to Michigan where she was the maid of honor in her friends’ Kara and Dan’s wedding. It was an excellent wedding in Traverse City
, Michigan. We had a lot of fun and it was great to spend some time with Jacqueline’s friends and their husbands. We also got to hang out with her brother Paul who
was up from Salt Lake. When I got back to work, Derrick and I, the new volunteer, started out on a trip through the West Rim on a search and rescue. By the time that we were a mile or so in, the party was located and it became a backcountry patrol. I have done the West Rim numerous times, but this was Derrick’s first experience. The coolest thing we saw was a giant roach of some kind near Campsite 8 on the West Rim. The hot Zion sun really wore Derrick out and he was spent by the time that we got to the bottom. The next day was when I finally put on the harness again. Andrew Fitzgerald and I went through Spry Canyon. It was an e
xcellent trip as it was Andrew’s first experience with Spry. I was having a bad day, though, as I was kicking rocks down on Andrew left and right. We had to build our own anchor after the last flash flood knocked out one of the anchors. I was pleased because we were able to skip the fourth rappel where it is required to lean over and grab that webbing while hanging over a big drop. I had a very dumb
moment on that trip when on the last free hanging rappel, I adjusted my harness and forgot what I was doing halfway through. When I went to clip in, I did not feel that bite on the rope and I realized that I could have injured myself pretty good if I would not have realized that I had not double backed my harness. I caught it though, but it just reminded me that we are constantly only a few inches away from serious consequences all the time when it comes to rappelling.
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