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.
There is a long tradition of Pie and Beer Day in Utah — our second 4th of July! Coming on a Wednesday this year, we HAD to take the day off but… the madness of Zion these days, and the maddening heat finally here, the standard canyons inside the Park just did not seem like a good idea. Shirlz suggested a romp through Benson Creek up by Parowan / Brian Head. Splashing water, a couple nice raps, not too long, someone else driving… Previously it had seemed a long way to go for a short canyon (1-1/2 hours from Mount Carmel), but it sure seemed like a good idea on this day.
One concept I have been working on putting into words is the idea of Stewardship, both personal on my part, and moreover the stewardship the community and visitors take on, to keep the canyons clean, friendly and in as natural a state as possible. Keeping the canyons “natural” requires active management, as contradictory as that sounds, and producing a guidebook spurns the steward in me to take action, and deal with problems that have festered for a while.
I have some bruised ribs, so I am not up for much right now, but I could not resist getting out to my closest Zion trail to shoot some flowers. It rained last month, almost every day. Now we have had a week or two of hot weather, so the flowers are out something FANTASTIC! All shots here at near the East Entrance trailhead to the East Rim Trail… and actually within 100 yards of the parking lot. SO many blooms out. No mosquitoes. Hot hot hot though…
Not the best conditions (excuse#1). A late start due to errands to run, etc. It was windy. There was not much light. But there were a fair number of flowers out, and Cassy Brown and I both got a few good shots, despite the excuses… uh, I mean, challenges!
Parking in Zions is tough at around 5 pm, on a Saturday, but we found at spot at Canyon Junction. Took a quick peek around there. Then Weeping Rock, in the shade, chilly. Then …
Less for the thrill and more for the fun, the Xcalante canyons have been calling me all winter. I watched the film “Gorging” and sweat through a portion of a man shuffling, scraping, and screaming through DDI. I don’t know what personality type looks at that and thinks “Huh.. I wanna do that..” but here I am.. With a particular weakness for trials of strength. And I love stemming. And a good downclimb or two. Silos and stretching? I wouldn’t use the word “love”..
I was looking for good stuff going into Echo Canyon, and this is the good one. I looked seriously at a couple others that were kinda lame. But this one… starts with a 200 foot rappel, has a bunch of raps, a bunch of interesting features and, me still my beating heart, can be done without leaving anything behind.
Our regular rope bags are designed to maximize their functionality as rope bags. They float, are fairly easy to stuff, have straps and all, have decent drainage, all that. The new “SECO” line is for doing canyons where flotation is not required but a lighter weight and bulk would be desirable.
“Brandishing their sharply honed cinematic swords, director Penny Lane and producer Gabriel Sedgwick strike a cunning balance between cheeky, brazen entertainment and defiantly serious storytelling in this wickedly topical documentary that bares its horns to speak truth to power. “
With the Angels Landing trail closed due to collapse, thus starting Imlay from Lava Point, it makes sense to do the full Imlay, as much as I am not as fond of the top half as of the bottom half. With thunderstorms almost every day in the previous week, it would be full, and fairly warm. That huge flood on July 11th might have brought a few changes to the canyon, what would we find?
Albania is actually close by Switzerland and is often so far away for tourists. Beautiful beaches, wonderful mountain landscapes and remote regions to explore, as well as nice people who are mostly very helpful show the country from its sunny side. Also for canyonists this country is still rather new territory and there is still a lot of potential for new tours.
I have been working on massaging the pack designs for about a year now – a year and a half actually – and finally finally got the pre-production samples in from the factory on July 13th. Yeah! I am very happy with the work the factory does. There are a few small mistakes, all of which will be fixed in production, which is now underway, with the shipment expected to arrive the last week of September. While the line itself has not changed much, there are a few upgrades from previous years worth noting:
So it is a good idea to start early, and stay out of the sun. So we did, mostly, by doing a canyon on the East Side, possibly the third intentional descent. Part of the research for the Zion: Canyoneering 2nd Edition.
In researching the very fine book The Kolob Tragedy, I encountered an interesting rumor that, during the KT lawsuit, the Park had claimed officially that the rappel section of Kolob Creek was not in the Park. If true, this would mean that getting a permit to run Kolob would not be required, as there would be no technical canyoneering inside the Park.
Johan and Hans from Costa Rica were in town, and I wanted to show them canyons as dissimilar to Costa Rica as possible. Despite the high heat at the end of May, I figured we would go to North Wash and get a few narrow-type canyons in.
Went to the DarkHorse Leadership Canyoneering Rendezvous down in North Wash, I arrived Thursday night and it was COLD, so having a large room inside was really helpful. I hung out and chatted with people and retired to a tent on the large lawn about 11pm.
“We all want to get through this safely.” Ram’s cinematic voice rang through my head as I stuffed my helmet into my pack. “Figure out your system: ask around.” I slipped on my second pair of neoprene socks...
