Back to the Basin

Jacqueline and I were finally fitting in some time to get out to Great Basin. We wanted to make the trip before the big move in only a few weeks. We were anxious to sell one of our old vehicles before moving to Colorado, but we had not been very lucky yet. So we packed up the new vehicle, our Xterra, and made the 3 hour drive out to the Basin. There was a trail that we had not hiked yet near the visitor center, so we made that our first destination. We got a bit confused at first where the actual trailhead was because it lacked signs but eventually we stumbled onto a bridge and lots of signs to begin our trek. We were set now to follow the the stream up Pole Canyon, so we could relax and take a hike together. It was great to have some cooler temperatures and lots of greenery. We were even lucky enough to get some sprinkles. Jacqueline made sure to pull out her rain jacket immediately and I made sure to make fun of her becaurse getting a little moisture when it is in the high 70s is usually a relief. 

The jacket was quickly off. The map showed that when we got to Pole Canyon Spring, there was a dead end. As we continued to hike the three plus miles of meadow and forest hiking, we ran into a sign that pointed us to a connector trail with the Baker Creek Trail. We debated whether we wanted to take on this new endeavor and eventually a definite yes came out. We were hoping to see a spring before our departure, but never quite ran into it. Instead we were soon climbing. The hills looked high and Jacqueline wondered where this trail would take us. I pointed to the obvious saddle, but she denied my route choosing ability. 

Soon we were heading up to the saddle. We were able to get some awesome views of Wheeler Peak and the surrounding peaks. We looked at our map to decide what to do from there. Either we could head back the way we came or we could hike to the Baker Creek Trail and then be stuck with a long walk along the road. We decided to go with the new trail instead of the backtrack. We descended until we hit Baker Creek and from there it was only a short walk to the parking lot and a long walk down the road to our car. We were not lucky enough to see any marmots crossing, but we did get inaudibly yelled at by some early 20 something rednecks. We shrugged it off and enjoyed our walk that kept getting warmer and warmer as we lost elevation. I was happy we chose this because we got to see two neat sights. First we saw a cave. This was right near the car. We went to go check it out but there were resource management signs, so we let it be. I would love to go back with some people and spelunk it. The other sight was a rattler, which I spotted but Jacqueline did not. Once we got back in the car and drove, we saw the rattler once again crossing the road when we were driving. I guess he couldn't make up his mind. From there we headed up to Wheeler Peak Campground. This was going to be our third trip to the campground and our third different site. All the sites were within 50 feet of each other though. We were right near the meadow and there were plenty of deer there to enjoy the large grass. We did our usual of throwing some beers in the creek, although this time our access was not as good, so every time I got a beer, my feet got soaked. We made some dinner, played some cards, and then retreated to the Xterra. The sleeping was not as comfortable for me as the Ranger. I had to basically sleep sideways crowding Jacqueline to get my 6 ft. plus frame into there. I knew we would have to make adjustments next trip, but I got some good sleep. We woke up nice and early to begin another trip. We were the only souls parking at the Wheeler Peak parking lot, but our destination was not the 13,063 ft giant that towers over the park, but instead a smaller peak, Bald Mountain that is just a slight detour off the Wheeler Peak trail. Having climbed Wheeler twice, I had the route planned out in my head. We basically followed the trail through the aspens, to the meadows, past the lakes, up through the pine forest, until it plateaued out at a somewhat saddle. I say somewhat because going left would have meant another 1800 feet of climbing, but going right where we were going was a very gradual slope. We only needed to climb another 500 feet to stand on the summit. It was disappointing to have a radio tower up on top, but the views were great. We could see Mt. Moriah to the north and Wheeler Peak to the south. We enjoyed the view for a bit, but we had to go down and retreat back to the daily grind. We made sure to stop at Stella Lake and skip some rocks before making the drive back to Springdale. When I got home, I had two messages about my truck. That night two people showed up at the same time and bid on the ranger. I sold it to a kid on his way out to Colorado for college. It was hard to see it go but it was going to be a lot easier moving in a few weeks without an extra vehicle to deal with. I was still sad to see it go as I put a lot of miles and a lot of memories into that truck.

Hidden Canyon from the Top

I couldn't believe it. I was going to have two new canyons within one month's time. I was scheduled for Mystery, but when a SAR took out the Hidden Canyon from the Top party, I was ready to fill their shoes. I got the okay from the boss lady and soon Craig was driving Annie, Kelsey, and I to the Cable Mountain Trailhead. None of us had done the route before, so it was going to be a brand new experience. We were all stoked for it as we came armed with a couple of big ropes and a good route description. We wasted a lot of time getting to the drop-in point. It was a hot day out, so that kept us motivated to get into the cool canyon. First we went too far and turned back. Then we found ourselves at the head of a very steep drop off after too much intense bushwhacking. It can't be this hard could it. We just followed the rim until it dropped off steeply to a big fat ponderosa pine with a bunch of webbing. 

We knew this must be the start, so we got ourselves ready to go. Kelsey was the first one ready, so she got going. The first drop was not particularly steep, but awkward to start and long. This canyon is only done (legally) about 10 times a year, so we knew we would have our work cut out for us. We all made it down the 100 footer and continued on our way. By this time it was already lunch time so we all dug in to find the only shade we could. It was a hot one, so the shade was much needed. We spent the rest of the day downclimbing and rappelling almost constantly. It seemed like we would walk ten feet and then right in front of us was another, hmm, what should we do about this one. Some of the drops were long, but not particularly scary. We got a good rappel inside of a little narrow slot. We had to go out on a boulder and swing over the edge, then go free until we got to the bottom. All the time doing all of that on only one bolt. 

It was questionable, but the amount of time it would take to rig another anchor up could put us far behind. After each drop, first one included, we would constantly see grafiti. Hidden Canyon is a very popular hike to do from the bottom up, so each hiker was leaving their mark saying this was as far as I have gotten. I am not sure how the hikers seem to make it up some of the crazy obstacles or why when this was such an enjoyable trip from the top down. I personally had only been a little ways compared to the length of the entire canyon. Continuing we would vary from flat greenery, to boulder fields, to steep downclimbs, to short rappels. All the time we were pushing the limits of what our bodies could do and our water capacity could hold. It was definitely a sweaty day as there is zero water in this canyon to cool you off. Continuing we came to a big drop and were wondering how to negotiate it. 

We followed the left side of the canyon, eventually having to cross a large arch suspended 150 feet above the canyon floor. This was a little nerve racking but eventually Kelsey and Annie stumbled upon a huge ponderosa with some webbing. We knew this would take us once again to the canyon floor. Kelsey was right away the first one down and let me tell you it was great to have her so excited about canyoneering and doing everything. She acted like the leader on this day even though I was technically the trip leader. We got to do a really sweet rappel that was also a long one. It had a little overhang, but mostly it was just an easy ride to the bottom. 

This was the last place that I thought I would technically be able to get up from the bottom to because the rest of the way, it was just awkward downclimbs and big boulderfields. We really got good at downclimbing at the end of the day even though we were pretty comfortable at the beginning. This would not be a canyon for someone who does not have good body control when it comes to downclimbs. When we were getting close to being done, we started to get a little worried because the sky was getting very dark above us and we could hear the thunder. Soon the rain started to fall, but it was only sprinkling. We were smart enough to know that Hidden has a small drainage, but that this was not a place to be. We found out later that other places in Zion canyon were getting pounded, but we were doing fine. Soon after that we heard voices, our first of the day. They were high above us and eventually we talked to these folks. They said they were trying to find the secret way out of the canyon. We were finally able to convince them that they had incorrect information and that the best choice of actions was retreat. We were happy to see the familiar parts of the canyon appearing and we popped out a little bit after five. I was hoping to get home on time, but now it seemed we were going to be 30 minutes late. Oh well, it turned out to be a really fun day doing a new canyon and I really liked Hidden from the top. It seems like the perfect canyon to do on an eighty degree day. On this 105 degree day, though, we were all out of agua by the time we picked up the shuttle bus at Weeping Rock. I would love to do that canyon again, though, as it truly was a blast.

Englestead Canyon

Occasionally, Zion backcountry rangers get to do something interesting and exciting for work. There are days when the entire world will look at us and be envious of our job. I must have earned enough of the other days where I carried a bag of wet toilet paper up a steep cliff in 110 degree heat, to get the right to spend the day in a nice cool canyon with the most experienced rangers on our small staff. Brad, Annette, and I were off to slide down ropes into Englestead Canyon. This canyon is a once a year type of opportunity where if we are not lucky enough to get scheduled for it, we will not get it. With the increasing popularity and big rescues in recent times, I was anxious to see what it was all about. Brad and Annette both went through the canyon the previous season, so I had some experienced folks as partners for the day. Kelsey came with us to pick up our rope after we left because Englestead starts with a 300 ft. drop. I can not lie, I was nervous about this height, just because I had never descended something that steep before. 

After sitting at the drop for hours being edge attendant for a recent rescue, I was not particularly as intimidated as I would have been seeing it for the first time. When we got there, we had company, but they were on their last rappeler, so we knew we would not have to wait long. He was a nice guy and he seemed experienced which put our minds at ease. We figured we may be on their tails all day, but we never saw them again after that drop. We got our rope down and Brad went first. He was the man when it came to gear choices and creating friction. He had an easy time with it and in typical Brad manner acted like it was no big deal. It was a big deal for me though, because I was so much happier being number two down, rather than number one. 

Annette gave me a quick lesson in the double carabiner technique and then I was off. I went very slowly at first considering the large amount of friction that was on my single strand of rope. I also hung my pack for the first time. Let me tell you men, between the legs, not so comfortable. Eventually my ride began to speed up. Halfway through it went free for a little while, but it really wasn't too bad. I had Brad at the bottom providing extra friction and eventually I asked for it. Everything went smoothly and I was standing right next to Brad at the bottom of the hole. Annette went last and it was no big deal. Even with her 50 pound pack that she carried on every trip, she did not have a problem. We all were soon down at the bottom ready for the next drop which was right around the corner. From there on out we all switched the lead because we were all comfortable with the experience level of the other person. I took the second drop and it was a bit awkward getting started. 

Eventually I figured it out, but managed to put a big knot in my shin. I belayed them from the bottom as we looked around the corner. The beginning of Englestead is just one big drop after another. Only one spot, though, did we have to use our 200 footer that we were carrying with us. It was a sweet rappel. I got to start it out. We went about halfway down, then it was this fluted sandstone, very similar to Birch Hollow. It took us right down to the ground where you could look up and see a big arch. It really showed just how huge the canyon really was when you could look up from the bottom or down from the top and see this little person with a long rope hanging from them. 

After being around canyons for a while, there are just some places that are deceiving to the eye and this rappel in Englestead was definitely one of them. We continued after this with some short awkward drops. Some of those were downclimbable, some were not. Eventually the canyon opened up again and we could take a look of how far we had gone. Horizontally, it was not too far, but vertically, it seemed huge. We got some easy walking in for a while, but eventually we ran into something completely unexpected. Snow! I knew that Englestead held snow into June, but we even got a good patch here in the desert in July. We were excited to see it as the temperatures started to creep up each minute as we continued through the canyon. We enjoyed the greenery that was around us as the grayish brown would continue soon enough when we ran into the rest of the canyon's descent. It was turning out to be a very enjoyable day. When you have that curiosity about what can be around the next corner, it can put a smile on your face almost immediately. I missed this feeling as everything in Zion was getting repetitive. Getting a new canyon in with experienced folks was a rather comfortable experience. Well the canyon began to narrow once again, but this time it seemed we were left with mainly short drops. They were becoming less awkward too which was a relief to my slowly subsiding knot on my shin. There was really sweet fluted ones that went around corners. Then of course, there were always the awkward log jam to keep us honest, but mainly the canyon was starting to look a lot like Birch Hollow with just beautiful cliffs rising above us. 

We did not see much water at all as Englestead stays mostly dry. The little that we did see was not very deep although it was not very appetizing to look at either. One pool was below a small gray arch, but was only about waist deep. I was pleased with how quickly we made our way through the canyon as we started the first drop around 10am and by 130pm we were downclimbing into Orderville Canyon. We still had to do an Orderville finish, but this was a welcome relief. It was a comfortable walk out with some splashing through pools at the end. It truly is a good day with three different experiences as Englestead leads to a wet Orderville, which leads to a populated, yet mostly flat Zion Narrows. The masses of people in the Narrows is always overwhelming as for as backcountry rangers sometimes it takes just as long to wade through the large swarms of people as it does to figure out large dangerous obstacles in a canyon. A great experience for the day and I was glad I got this one in before my impending departure.

Jacqueline Goes Canyoneering

Occasionally I can drag my wife out for an adventurous trip. Brad and Sharon set a weekend aside to hang out with Jacqueline and I before we took off for Norwood. They wanted to do a canyon for quite some time with us, but my wife is not into risky things too much, so we decided to do Keyhole. Keyhole is like my default canyon. I had already been through it at least five times that year including a recent trip where the canyon was chocked full of debris. There was so much debris that Seth and I were literally crawling on top of the long swim through the canyon. On this day the canyon was muddy, but not any more difficult than normal. We threw on our wetsuits and were ready for the journey. 

We just so happened to be right in front of another group of Zion staff. Andrew, Dan, and some others were right behind us as we descended Keyhole. Jacqueline looked like an old pro and it was nice to go through the canyon with my wife. It was a short uneventful trip, but still enjoyable. We finished it off with a inner tube trip down the Virgin River. Annette and Greg met us for lunch at Cafe Sole, then we floated the river. It was actually a lot more fun then I thought as I had never done the trip before. We should have done it more often because it was a good time. You bumped your butt quite a bit, but most of the time it was easy to float the river and enjoy a cold beverage. We occassionally slipped through some ripples, but there was never anything too intense. It turned out to be a fun leisurely day outside enjoying the hot summer desert sun by playing in the water.