Jolley Gulch Canyon, Zion National Park: Not So Bad
Worthy of faint praise. After a couple years of not quite getting around to the mighty Jolley Gulch, finally did the canyon today with Felicia and it was not nearly as nondescript as I expected.
We rallied at 9 am at the East Rim Trail parking lot, which was packed. Felicia immediately gained massive points by handing me a scone from Deep Creek Coffee Haus, we loaded up ropes and stuff and hiked up the trail. I suggested a shortcut which while definitely short required some 4th class climbing and probably only cost us 15 minutes, and soon-ish or maybe soon enough we were at the head of Jolley Gulch. Felicia is in the process of learning how to be a canyoneer rather than a ride-along, so we did some anchor selection and rigging training there at the head of the canyon before finally setting up a FiddleStick off a big tree for the first rap, about 170 feet of it down a really nice flute.
Looking south from the East Rim Trail.
Abronia fragrans getting into bloom
Approaching the head of the canyon
Tom: “Whoa, that’s quite a drop!”
Felicia starting down the first rappel
Felicia half way down the first rap
Our anchor: FiddleStick around a tree, a BIG tree
At the bottom, a small pile of snow... took me a couple hours to figure out it was from the previous day's hailstorm. At the bottom, we yanked the FiddleStick and the rope dropped down, no problem. Nice little pothole ledge, leading to the second rappel - with a bolt anchor including a drilled ring-angle! A remarkable relic of a previous era. Felicia set up an anchor using a nearby log, just for practice, and rapped from that with me backing it up.
Tom starting down the first rappel
Almost at the bottom
Anchor for the second rappel
Natural anchor for the second rappel
At the bottom of this rap, 10 feet further on, was another drop - kinda a surprise. Since I rapped using the bolt anchor, we could re-rig the rope for the second drop, though the pull was a bit tough. There was also a deadman dug in on that ledge, so someone either decided to break the rap in two, or pulled the rope a bit early!
Felicia starting down the second stage of R2
Felicia on rappel
A short downclimb on the way out
A nice little narrows on the hike out
I had expected less, but really, not such a bad canyon. Dry (and even dry after a bit of rain the day before), spectacular first rappel, easy one-hour approach. Does require a permit as it is inside the Park. Closest decent canyon to my house! A good way to while-away a Saturday.