Mem Day in the Escalante - May/June 2004
 

Went down Escalante-way for Mem Day. Crew was Alicia, Tom and Sharon Talboys, Tom Wetherill up from Tucson for the occasion, and Tom Jones (me) (A 3-Tom trip!) . Target #1 was a slot I have had an eye on for a couple of years. Perhaps it was the name - Allen's Dump One - which had caused a lack of takers, or perhaps it was my lack of enthusiasm. Would it be good? Hard to say, the only thing I really knew is it would have a big entrance.

I love canyoning with folks from Arizona - they're so happy to be in a REAL canyon they're willing to carry the ropes, or run back for the 300 footer when Tom (that's me) decides we really do need it afterall. We get going casual in the morning and hike over to the top of the canyon. "Uh, why are these other people wandering around?" After having my eye on this thing since 1998, we choose the same day and same hour to explore it as another group from Salt Lake City, friends of friends. Who-da-thunk! After poking around the steep loose scree at the top of the canyon, we pick a pretty clean shot off the rim. Looks like 240 feet to the bottom - and it is, but actually exactly 200 feet to the highest place the feet can touch the ground. (The other group rapped in a little further upcanyon - looked not as clean, but shorter)

Well, that was fun! We follow the canyon down and it has a few moderately interesting slot sections - like this...

We're playing hopscotch with the other folks from SLC. So when arriving at a real drop in the rest of the canyon, we have lunch and let them get ahead. We are able to Omni-sling this drop, thus leaving the canyon clean (ghosted), with the help of "the other guys" cleaning both slings at the start. I'm terrible with names, so I won't even try, but here's "the other guys" working hard to hide their faces, as Steve provides backup to a chockstone they slung for this drop.

Tom W rounding a bend, lower in the canyon. And that's about it. Not much of a canyon. C-List. So I won't provide any beta other than - "I did it so you don't have to".

Tom W was apparantly unclear on his Sherpa duties, and brought way too small a pack. Good thing the Imlay Canyon Gear Rope Silo has a handy carry strap. We really wanted to do the FULL length of the canyon. Well, "I" wanted to, for completeness. But the canyon devolved into a brush-filled nightmare and the troops mutinied. Okay, okay. We declared ourselves complete and looked for a way up onto the canyon's shoulder to catch the exit buttress.