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I have a tendency to be easily sidetracked around sunset. Saturday night's diversion: a dirt road off U-24 in the middle of nowhere, while driving to Capitol Reef.
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Latest Rave by special guest star, Dan Ransom
I've been hounding Malia for the last couple of weeks, trying to persuade her to endure the heat and show me through Pandora's Box. After a couple of weeks of nearly hooking up, the timing finally worked for Sunday, and off we went. It would be a one night stand for Brandon and I, as we left from Provo late Saturday afternoon and would return Sunday.
736 ounces of Gatorade, a couple of Rockstars, and a full tank of gas... Yeah, I think we're ready for a canyon hit-and-run. Who cares if it is high summer and temperatures might hover around a hundred degrees? My brother is in town from Lake Tahoe, and we need a nice physical canyon to appease his appetite for some slotty sandstone. With just one or two distractions on the way down, we rolled into the trailhead at about 10:00 pm, threw out some gear and hit the sack. It was a very breezy 70 degrees most of the night.
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Sleep easy there young fella, tomorrow's a big day.
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Giddy Up! Knock down that Rockstar and powerup... Sheeee-ite!
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We met Malia at the trailhead around 7:30 a.m., and started the fairly long approach up, made even longer by the fact we all had around 10 pounds of water in our packs. Around 9, we made it to the first rappel station, fueled up, strapped in, and down we went.
I'm a big fan of fun rappels, while Brandon and Malia don't really care for them, at least not compared to the downclimbs. They are climbers extraordinaire, while I am barely self-sufficient (if that?). Good thing the canyon has alot of fun raps as well as interesting obstacles to keep us all entertained. First up is the very fun sequence of entry rappels.
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With a thicker skull than the average canyoneer, Brandon Ransom apparently has no need for a helmet. I've been told he won't make that silly mistake again. Heading down the first rappel of a very fun entry sequence.
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Some nice light and nice sculpting early on.
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Like two deer in the headlights, Pandora's lure draws Malia and Brandon deeper and deeper into the slot.
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