John invited me and Randy and friend Marcela to hike the Subway slot canyon in Zion National Park. This was my first taste of the relatively new sport called "Canyoneering". The best description I have found of this is to call it "hiking with ropes". There are several things to watch out for in this activity but the most important is the weather. Flash floods have been known to take out groups while on these kind of trips so you really have to be careful and make sure that there is no significant rain anywhere along the drainage you happen to be canyoneering in.
We got an early start Sunday morning and made it through the 9+ miles in 9 hours which was about average for this canyon. There were 4 places where we had to rappel short distances and several pools of water that had to be swum.
John had us practice rappelling on the stairs at his timeshare and this was great preparation for those of us with relatively little climbing experience. We attracted quite a bit of attention from the timeshare grounds keepers and fortunately they didn't see fit to stop this practice.
At the beginning of the hike it was cool - cool enough so that we wished for heavier clothing and possibly gloves. By the time we got to the first pool, we were still fairly chilled and getting into that water took some doing. By the end of the last swim I was borderline hypothermic with lots of shivering. Randy and John were similarly chilled but Marcela was smart enough to carry a wet suit and was pretty comfortable.
The rappels were all pretty short with the longest one being approximately 30 feet. The previous evening's practice at the timeshare allowed us to navigate these with no problems.
For me, the most challenging part of this hike was at the end when we had to climb out of the canyon. This steep climb occurred during the hottest part of the day and the temps were in the high 90s ... It was so hot that the lava rocks that bordered the trail were actually too hot to touch!
Because of the challenges and incredible sights in this hike, this was a day I will never forget.
3 comments:
What an Epic adventure. I am still smiling and I cannot wipe that smile off my face!
Hey Jens
What a grest trip you guys had. I love Zion. It and the Grand are in my heart.Two falls aqo girlfriend and I spend 9 days in Zion. We didn't do Subway. But after your pics it is at the top of the list.
From the River Trail we hiked up the river 3 miles then took a very small slot caynon, (can't remember it's name) for about another mile before it cliffed out. ( Needed those ropes) The second time up the river we hike the 16 miles in 3 days up to the pleatu on the Northern end. Then caught shuttle back to campground.
Isn't Zion maybe the most amazing place on earth. Another great hike not for the anyone tipped by heights is Angel's Landing, whewwww. On a windy day, OMG.
That is wonderful you got to do Sunway. Stuff like that changes your life just a bit each time.
I'll be moving back to Frisco this Dec., and will be at Copper this WInter. Maybe over a beer, you me and others can put that plan of Silverton into action. Be well my friend, Karpy
Jens, now you know why the years that I lived in Zion were some of the best years of my life! The Subway is an epic adventure. Googlel Paria Canyon - It's near Lake Powell and a backpacking trip I've wanted to do for years. I'd love to do it with you!
Karpy - the small canyon you hiked up was Orderville Canyon. It's another awesome hike. Do it from the top down and end up in the Narrows. One small 15 foot rappel.
Jens, the Narrows that Karpy talks about is one of THE hikes you must put on your bucket list. No rappeling but excellent canyoneering. Let's have dinner sometime and I'll regale you with tales of my flash flood experience. I've done the Narrows a dozen plus times, but that one took the cake.
Would have loved to have done the Subway with you, but I was climbing the Grand Teton at the time. Only one rappel - 140 feet long!
Check out my pics on Facebook of my vacation in Zion last year. Did an excellent day of canyoneering in Water Canyon. You'll love it.
Hope to see you soon!!!
Post a Comment