"Their Own Introduction?" the querulous reader asks.

Heaps and Imlay are unlike other canyons in Zion, and deserve their own introduction. Deeply incised into the stone, Heaps and Imlay have a character that is both sublime and perilous. Sublime because the dark hallways, carved stone and subterranean pools offer an experience only hinted at in other canyons; perilous because what accompanies these beauties are continual exposure to water, difficult pothole exits and a degree of strenuousity one giant leap greater than other Zion canyons.

	In the middle of the main Heaps Narrows.

So what's the big deal?

There are several factors that make these a big deal:

1. Extreme Condition Dependency. When the potholes are full, Imlay and Heaps are a romp; a cold, strenuous romp, but a romp none the less. The main technical difficulty in these canyons is the long chain of continuous potholes. When full, rappel into the pothole, swim to the other side, and exit with ease. As the water level works its way down, the pothole exits become more and more difficult; and the number of difficult exits becomes large. So, if your buddy says "way over-rated, not hard at all", ask her how many potholes she had to drill out of.

2. Leadership Counts. Do not underestimate the difference between leading and following in these canyons. If you were "taken down" one of these canyons, don't think it is easy to be in the lead.

3. Big, deep potholes with water in them. Imagine yourself swimming in a pothole. You swim to the other side. The lip is 12 feet above water level, the sandstone smooth, polished and slightly overhanging. Can you get out? There are 4 or 5 potholes in both canyons that CAN be in this condition. Be prepared to deal with these conditions - because you might have to!

4. Hours and hours in the freezing cold water. The "extreme" sections of both Imlay and Heaps take from two to eight hours for a party to traverse. Much of this time is spent in pools, swimming and wading, and walking between pools. This alone requires a great deal of energy, and will wear you down.

5. Excess Baggage Charges. Getting yourself through these puppies is hard enough, schlepping your stuff through is even worse. Unfortunately, their length encourages people to do them as overnights. Of course, with camping gear, the canyons take even longer!

So how do you prepare for these canyons, and stack the odds in your favor?:

A. Bring a strong team. By which, I would suggest:

1. Someone who has done it before - an obvious candidate.

2. No Weaklings! People who are not fit enough become a big liability in these canyons.

3. Everybody Climbs! There are climbing sections that are hard to belay in both canyons. Everybody needs to be able to climb.

4. The Right Size: three to five is the best group size. Less than three cuts down the options in partner climbing and pothole exits, more than five definitely slows the group down. The small ledge on the last rappel of Heaps fits no more than 4 people.

5. Variety is the Spice of Life: Physical variety is of great benefit in partner climbing and pothole exits. It helps to have one small, lightweight expert climber, and one big strong guy that can toss the dwarf when needed.

A rappel in Imlay Superior

B. Know what you are doing. Here's some specific skills you should know:

1. ALL members of your party should be capable of rappeling quickly. With 30 or 40 rappels each, folks not real comfortable with rappeling are a big liability.

2. For Heaps, ALL members of the party should be ready for a 300-foot (90-meter) single line overhanging rappel on a skinny cord. One canyoneer recently broke his back on that rappel. Why? Because he had never rapped single strand before, had inadequate skills and equipment, and lost control of his rappel.

3. Escaping Potholes: Do you know how to escape? Some techniques we use include Pack Tosses, Cheater Sticks (like the Happy Hooker), partner climbing techniques, and, as a last resort, hand-drilling holes and hooking out. You should have ALL of these tools and techniques available to your team, AND some practice in deploying them, so you can choose the best tool at each point.

4. Experience! Unfortunately, there are few Zion canyons that have these kinds of obstacles. I recommend doing Kolob and Das Boot in preparation, as well as The Squeeze and Quandary Direct (in the Swell) before considering yourself ready for Imlay. Try taking your team with 30-lb packs through Pine Creek in wet conditions, in less than 45 minutes (for the technical section). Now you're getting there.

And did I say BRING LESS STUFF. Moving the baggage around can be up to half the effort - don't bring stuff you don't need.

Here are some things you probably should bring:

Bolt/Hooking Kit: Hammer, 3/8" drill, drill holder, 2 - 3/8" shortee RB's (Removable Bolts), 2 Pika Bat Hooks or Black Diamond Talons, 1 BD Sky Hook or Grappling Hook, a bunch of slings (14) to tie into Aiders to hang on these things.

Ropes:

Imlay: Shortcut Route: Longest rappel is the last one, about 140 feet (45m).
Full Imlay: from Potato Hollow, longest rappel is 165 feet (50m). Most of the rappels are quite short. It helps to carry a 40-60 foot piece of rope to use on the short rappels. Ropebags are quite useful, if that is the way you swing.

Heaps: The longest rappel is the last one, almost 300 feet or 90 meters. There are several ways to deal with this. If you carry a 300-foot (90m) rope through the canyon, put it in a drybag. When we do it, we use a 200-foot (60m) rope, a 100 to 150-foot (30-45m) rope, a 200-foot (60m) pull cord, and a 300-foot (90m) rope stashed in the rocks on the ground. In the bulk of the canyon, you will want to have two working ropes up to 100 feet (30m) long. The entrance rappels include a 200-footer (60m), so be prepared for that.

	90 meter rappel at the end of Heaps, from about 30m down.

The final rappel can be handled a variety of ways. Some people even combine the last two rappels, forgoing the sentry box ledge and rapping 450 feet (150m) to the ground. I could give you the step by step directions, but, really, truly, if you cannot figure out an efficient way to do it then you should not go in there, so...

But I cannot resist throwing out a hint or two or three:

Hint #1: If you stash a rope below the final rappel, hide it from view. That three-leafed plant among the rocks is poison ivy - don't touch. I like to stack the rope into a pack, so it is ready to go. Attach a sign to the pack that says (something like): "Please leave this rope here. We left it on July 21. If you take it, we will DIE."

Hint #2: Bring radios. Family band radios make communication through the long rappels much easier.

Hint #3: Don't wear your pack on the last two rappels. Hang it by a sling from your harness.

ENOUGH! To the Canyons!

There are two ways to do Imlay, and two ways to do Heaps (of which I have only done one). The Imlay Sneak Route hikes up from Zion canyon and catches the best part of the canyon. It is usually done in one long day. From Potato Hollow on the West Rim, the Full Imlay route is a little longer, and often done in two days, camping near the Crossroads where the Sneak route comes in. Heaps can be done by the Gunsight Entrance, but the Phantom Valley route includes some very nice narrows at the bottom of Phantom Valley. It makes for a long, long day or can be done in two days at a more relaxed pace.