Category Archives: Trip Reports

Trip reports from our staff and clients

Trip Report: Prime Winter Conditions in Pine Creek

Posted on January 17, 2012 by

We went through Pine Creek last week on 1/9 with four people. We were thinking of doing the Subway, but heard that two people doing it the weekend before had lots of trouble and it was an ice rink. So, on to Pine Creek! I am not a fan of cold + water + winter + neoprene, so when I say it was really nice, it probably means it might have been the BEST winter conditions ever! The first downclimb is all dry, a 10 foot drop, then just some ankle deep water to get to the first anchor station. The first rappel lands you in water about chest deep. Then, dry, dry, dry… The Cathedral room has a dry landing, but a crux-like way out with a little swimming and muscling out of the lip. Then, dry dry dry… Then… a huge, fresh, dead bighorn sheep! It must have fallen from the top, and it spans the canyon right before a climb down the ledge-y log. Ewww… that thing is going to start smelling soon. I’m used to seeing legs, random rib cages, etc., but this is a full-size, fully bloated bighorn. So, check it out, and have fun. We had drysuits, … Continue reading →

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Mountain Top Reflections: Desert Oasis

Posted on December 14, 2011 by

My first draft of this blog post was a detailed description of my recent Red Rock climbing trip. The salient points were, a) I am good at climbing rocks, b) I know some good places for Asian cuisine in Las Vegas, and c) I am moderately witty. Realizing I spent far too much time coloring such a story, and valuing your time, dear reader, I will spare you my narrative of rock climbing heroism, and ask you to trust me on these points. What I would rather illustrate is the notion of finding one’s self through suffering. By “one’s self,” I mean some greater understanding of who I am, or what I’m capable of. Whilst climbing last week, on the side of an obscure rock, miles from anybody besides my climbing partner, I found myself fully panicked and hyperventilating. Tiptoeing and thrutching up the face of a mountain, I surprised myself by resisting gravity over and over again. The route (Time’s Up, 5.11d) had an exclamation mark next to it in the guide book; I interpreted this as a sign of exciting climbing, and it certainly delivered. The climbing itself was not unique or terribly difficult, but the protection was … Continue reading →

Posted in Autumn, Rock Climbing, Spring, Trip Reports, Uncategorized, Winter | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

High Than Normal Water In Narrows Predicted Through January

Posted on November 12, 2011 by

Over the past week and a half, Narrows hikers have been experiencing higher-than-normal water flows. This has been a result of both snow melt from recent storms, as well as a water release from the nearby Kolob Reservoir. On Tuesday, November 2nd, 2011 the Washington County Water Conservancy District began releasing 35cfs from Kolob Reservoir to increase holding capacity and ensure there will be enough room for next year’s spring runoff. According to the Zion National Park Morning Report, this 35cfs water-release is predicted to last through the end of January 2012. What does this mean for those interested in hiking the Narrows in the next few months? Hikers will need to plan for not just cold water, but also for slightly faster and chest deep water in places. This week, Narrows hikers have indicated that they have adjusted their hike length due to particularly high flows and deep sections. Although the water may be swift, the Narrows is still appropriate for adult hikers looking for an adventurous experience. Staying flexible and preparing prior to the trip will help hikers stay safe and enjoy this hike during the release period. Kolob Creek, a technical slot canyon in the park is … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiking, Seasonal, Seasons, The Narrows, Trip Reports, Weather & Climate, Winter | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Yankee Doodle Canyon Video by Jeff Guest

Posted on October 1, 2011 by

Canyoneer and budding movie-maker Jeff Guest, who won our 15th Anniversary Video Contest earlier this month, recently posted another fun adventure video, this one featuring a fairly large group descent of Yankee Doodle Canyon. My favorite sequences are the ones where Jeff uses his camera boom to self-film (isn’t it weird how his wrist stays still while everything else moves?), and the ones where the guys run down the canyon in fast-forward, creating some serious blitz speed. While I’m not sure I need to see every single person descent every single drop, Guest keeps the pace pretty brisk, and the music and his occasional speed variations do their part to keep my interest. If I’d never been to Yankee Doodle before, I’d probably think it’s about 4x longer than this video makes it appear… nothing like the power of modern media to distort reality, for better (in this case) or worse. Nice work, Mr. Guest.

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Current Conditions for Echo, Keyhole, and Pine Creek Canyons

Posted on September 17, 2011 by

September has brought us some big rains, especially over the last week. Which means one fantastic thing: full, wet, fresh canyons! As tenured canyoneers know well, good rains flush out the canyons, which can become a bit stagnant over dry summer months. With “monsoon” season giving us much less rain than usual this year, it’s great to have some flood conditions this month to clean things up in the slots. Here’s a few conditions reports from yesterday from clients who descended these slots: Echo Canyon: Cold (as usual), with several swims. Folks said wetsuits are REQUIRED. Keyhole Canyon: Cold-ish, with many swims. Most folks said, “You’ll want a wetsuit!” While some tough guys said that maybe they could’ve been okay without cold protection, other tough guys said “No way.” Consider how tough you are, and respond accordingly. Pine Creek: Cold, with many LONG swims (40 yards or so). Folks were saying, “It’s the wettest I’ve ever seen in there,” and commented that wetsuits are REQUIRED. ALL tough guys said you’ll want a wetsuit.

Posted in Autumn, Canyoneering, Safety, Seasonal, Trip Reports, Weather & Climate, Zion, Zion National Park | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Canyoneering Images from Garden Creek, Grand Canyon

Posted on September 13, 2011 by

Mr. Ransom and his camera have been out of house again, much to the delight of armchair canyoneers everywhere. See what where he went in his gorgeous pictorial trip report. After you’ve whet your whistle, plan a trip to Garden Creek Canyon yourself, with beta from Todd Martin’s new Grand Canyon canyoneering guidebook, Grand Canyoneering.

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Trip Report: Russell Gulch and Subway, 9/9/2011

Posted on September 10, 2011 by

With beautiful weather and the upcoming ACA Rendezvous, many people may be planning a visit the Subway soon. The following trip report details the conditions I found on last Friday, September 9th. Springdale Forecast: Partly Cloudy, High of 90, 30% chance of Scattered afternoon thunderstorms. Group Size: Two 10:30: Started hiking at Wildcat (would have liked to start earlier to avoid afternoon rain) 1:30 Arrived top of Subway Slot (where Russell Gulch meets Left Fork) 2:30 Arrived Red Cascades at the end of the “technical section” 5:05 Finished Hiking at Left Fork We started with the Russell Gulch Variation at the beginning. There were 5-10 wades and one short swim in that section, before the “Subway Proper.” In the Subway itself, we encountered 5-6 swims. The swims were not that long (some as short as 3-5 feet long). We waded up to the waist at least 8 more times. The water was significantly colder for the first half of the hike, up until near Rappel 2 where the black bowling ball chockstone is. This is also where the water begins flowing in the canyon (no flowing water, only still pools up to that point). The water was a bit warmer after that … Continue reading →

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Canyoneering Trip Report: Kolob Creek, 9/8/2011

Posted on September 9, 2011 by

Descended Kolob Creek last Thursday with Carol Petrelli, Heather McIlvenna, Kev Swanson and Dan Ransom… Releases from Kolob Reservoir: They are alternating weeks of zero release and 3.5 cfs release. This was a week of zero release. Looked like about 1 cfs under the bridge, was about 1/2 cfs at the first rappel. Tame as far as waterflow. The water was clear and cold, of course. Most of us were comfy in 4/3 wetsuit with some booster type stuff. Most anchors in good shape. There are new bolts since last time I was in there (which was a couple of years ago). The chilliness convinced us to stay down in Springdale, so we got a little bit of a late start. Left the West Rim TH at 8:30, first rap at 10:00. Finished the last rappel about 1:00, to the MIA about 5 pm, up to the road in an hour and a half, another hour to the car. 11 hours total at a casual pace. A wonderful canyon. Nice that the irrigation schedule allows us to get in there this year, this early. For some good photos from our day, check out Dan Ransom’s pictorial trip report. Tom

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ZAC Memories from John Heusler

Posted on August 30, 2011 by

This in from John Heusler, a guy who’s been with us since the beginning. Thanks, John! Wow… so much to say about Zion Adventures. Jonathan is without a doubt hugely knowledgeable and insightful about his craft. Besides being a great businessman, he is a heck of a nice guy to boot. We first met just about 15 years ago, when the company was in its infancy, on a cold February day. Jonathan outfitted us with dry gear to hike up the Narrows. He warned us of all the dangers and also pointed out the details of what to look for in terms of beauty. Things like “pictures in the rocks.” Keep your eyes peeled for lots of subtleties that are, in themselves, breathtaking. Ice was everywhere, but it didn’t stop us. We hiked all day and arrived back just in time for them to close the shop. What a trip it was! Since then I have hiked just about every single hike there is in Zion, and every time, I stop in for gear and help from the helpful staff at Zion Adventure Company. NEVER will you find a more accommodating group than this one! Kudos my friends! Congratulations on … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiking, Reflections, Seasonal, The Narrows, Trip Reports, Winter, ZAC Events | Tagged | Leave a comment

ZAC Memories in Verse from Bob Shear

Posted on August 23, 2011 by

Bob Shear was kind enough to send us this EPIC poem, written in antiquity, describing the adventure he and his brothers had with us in early 2000. Thanks, Bob! My brothers and I went to ZAC in March 2000 for a half-day training and a self-guided descent of Keyhole Canyon. Though we were all in our 50s, we had never really done anything together, and it became quite an adventure. Two of us, myself and Dick, continued on with canyoneering for quite a while. I still have my gear, and hopes to return to Zion some day soon. Anyway, in the fall of that year, my brother, Chet, and I got into a little poetry competition, and I wrote the story of our Zion Adventure in (not very good) verse. Here it is: It started in March, Millenium Year Phone call from brother: “Hey, come on out here.” “We can hike canyons and rap off the cliffs. Come on you sissies, no buts, ands, or ifs.” So onto the planes got two city Shears Not been together for so many years. First came the elder, a poet to some. Then came the younger, least athletic one. Slot machine airport, crude … Continue reading →

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