The Latest Rave is your resource for Utah Canyoneering know-how. From Utah canyon condition reports to narratives of mind-bending epics to wildflower sightings, you will find all the beta you need from Tom and his team on The Rave.
Hadn't done Behunin for a few years. Kinda needed to, to check on the anchors and maybe fix the 2nd to last, which was a mess; and maybe add a high-water anchor for the last rap, out of the watercourse, since people seem to keep getting stuck up there. I hadn't done a canyon with my fellow Imlay employee and friend Shirlz, and we had fine weather, not so many orders to fill, and...
Read MoreCanyoneering with a crack team is a great pleasure. Two guides from France, Guillaume Coquin and Francois, plus Locomotive Lynn and Cassy Brown from ZAC (and me) make one darn fine team. A test run in Mystery the day before was a bit later, hotter and longer than I prefer before a Heaps, but we did hook up with visiting Australian photographer Mark Watson, who generously offered to hike the 600 foot rope to the Emerald Pools for us...
Read MoreA somewhat difficult Imlay. My wonderful niece Rylin and hubby Eric really wanted to do Imlay, and could sneak down for a weekend. Which coordinated well with lil' 'Lana (now an OB instructor, formerly a ZAC guide) being in town (briefly). Ry and Eric brought along Dave Eiriksson; lil' 'Lana brought along Zion NP Trailcrew Chief Shannon Calabro to complete out team...
Read MoreYes. Again! I've come to really like Not-Imlay. No fight for a permit. A scenic tour. Nice long raps. A short exit. A shortish day. Bailey was looking for a new canyon (for her) and despite the heat, seemed like a good idea. The bad news is that it starts and ends in the Main Canyon - thus one has to ride the bus to get there and back, which costs time...
Read MoreThe Burgemeester of South African Kloofing was in town, and we ran through Pine Creek and Fiddle Me This, and were looking for a Big Finish.
Read MoreAnna was in town for a week of fun canyons, and tried to set up a Heaps trip. It did not set up, so we backed off to Telephone. Grabbed a permit in the morning (thanks Erin), hopped on the very full rush-hour bus, made it to the trailhead about 9am. Compared to last week, it was not all that hot out. As in, it was hot, just not Scorching Hot! I was Jonesing to do Telephone because...
Read MoreIs it MAY, already? Where does the time go? Elana is back in Springdale briefly between travelling the world (Israel, Jordan, Spain, Portugal, Morocco!) and moving to Silverton to guide for Outward Bound - and with the fine weather, a canyoneering adventure seemed to be in order. With the recent rain, something casual please. How about Spry?
Read MoreAs the mayor (self-appointed) of Canyoneering in Zion, it is my obligation to entertain foreign visitors as best I can. In this case, Kiwis Nicole and Raquel were road-tripping in the USA and were sent my way. Rough all over, it is. We did a warmup in Pine Creek on one day; they adventured in Mystery Canyon the next; then it rained on Saturday. Sunday would be their final day in Zion - what would be the best bang for the buck?
Read MoreWent out to the Roost to do some Rambling with Alane from Colorado. The weather was a bit rainy, so we kept things rather mild, and tried to keep not too wet. First day, after driving in, we rambled down the Middle Fork of Robbers Roost Canyon, and did it's one rappel (as two rappels), hiked down the Middle to the North, then up to the usual Mindbender climb-up exit. Made the top as the sun was setting...
Read MoreWorking on the 2nd Edition of my Zion Canyoneering Guidebook, one of the 'benefits' of due diligence is that I 'get' to do all the canyons again at least once, to see how they are doing. Lodge Canyon was never a favorite, but, after two trips this spring, it is not so bad, really...
Read MoreAbysmal Canyon, actually. I love the name because "it is way past Bad". Quite a few years ago, Ram and I were invited on the first descent of this canyon, and it seemed like a good way to start this year's Death Valley trip. We have learned that hiking up from the bottom 3000 feet is easier on the body than hiking down from the top 3000 feet...
Read MoreJust a month prior, we had a particularly great trip through this canyon.So it seemed a good choice for a sunny February Sunday, for these peoples who had done a few canyons in Zion. After a bit of shenanigans, we had ourselves a shuttle driver, used to driving farm equipment so my Pathfinder should not be a problem, allowing the entire day to be dedicated to going downhill, excepting a few minutes here and there...
Read MoreMystery Canyon. Oh my heck my favorite canyon in Zion... well, sorta. Last trip through Mystery, all of seven weeks ago, Amanda had mentioned that she and Chad had downclimbed almost every rappel during the previous summer...
Read MoreYes, it is still winter. After a few days of rain, we were psyched to go sneak another canyon in, and also psyched for a lazyish start, given the festivities the night before, Amanda and Kat's going away party in advance of their coming-up-fast South Africa adventure. The day was grey and not all that warm. The plan was to do Lower Lower Echo...
Read MoreFor this adventure, my two favorite and best canyoneering partners, Amanda Josephine Jessop and Bailey Camille Schofield. THEY went skiing and boarding the previous day, so *I* got to play the man this time, carrying the 300' rope up the hill, holding open doors, helping with seatbelts, etc.
Read MoreThe idea was to sneak in one more good canyon before the weather hit, and Diana really wanted Kolob, so we scheduled a trip Monday Tuesday, hiking out the narrows and... And then it snowed. Plenty of snow up top, so Kolob was not going to be a good choice. Second choice...
Read MoreZion. Tabernacle Dome. A fine easy climb before pigging out on Thanksgiving victuals. What an amazing fall we have been having. The warm, sunny weather has persisted, and it seems our obligation to take advantage. Tabernacle Dome (or Turtle Rock) seemed like a good choice for a pre-feast romp - half-day, not too far, mostly just fun fun fun.
Read MoreCanyoneering? It is getting kinda cold at night, but the fine weather in Zion National Park is holding so, when someone mentioned that ropes were hanging on the last rap in Not-Imlay, we thought we would throw together a trip and go get ‘em sooner rather than later. Invites went out and were quickly returned - guess more people than me have a touch of the cabin fever. Weekday travel would allow driving into Zion Canyon. Sweet temps would allow a reasonable start.
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