The other weekend Steve B took me and a large group on a canyoning trip to one of his favorite canyons. This was my third time through this canyon, and the conditions were perfect.
The first jump to get into the canyon is at least 50 feet. From there you are more or less committed to an 8 hour trek down the canyon in an amphibious assortment of jumping, rappelling, swimming and boulder hopping to the damn at the end.
The proper gear for canyoning is essential. All of us had a wetsuit, canyoning or approach shoes, helmet, harness/rappelling equipment, dry bag for food, cameras and other gear, and a water-draining backpack. I also brought a GoPro and a Nikonos 35mm underwater camera. One year I brought my Olympus XA2 and kept it in a dry pouch. The Nikonos is obviously much more practical for this.
There are dozens of jumps that range in height and complexity, some of which require more precision than others.
If you’re not a climber, which I am definitely not, the rappels take some getting used to. There are few sections of the canyons that can only be completed by rappelling. One is a 100 foot waterfall, the others have parts that you are not up against the granite wall, but suspended.
One of my favorite jumps his called “The Black Hole.” it is a 40 footer into a pool just before the waterfall (pictured above). The jump feels much bigger because of how high you are. The group is lined up waiting to clip into the ropes for the descent.
Rainier and Kyle posted up by the pool during lunch.
After the 100 foot waterfall rappel, we took a lunch break at pool at the bottom. All the jumps and rappels, and even hiking around certain sections of the canyon, require a lot of focus to make sure you don’t slip up and hurt yourself. But it is impossible not to just look around you and stare in awe at the beauty of where you are.
Before the last rappel of the day, we all signed the trip log, a tradition that dates back to the 70′s. You can look through this log to see Steve’s 7 or 8 trips to this canyon over the years, and even read the stories of the very first guys to pioneer this canyon. I was proud to sign my name for the 3rd time.
Steve flipping through the trip log.
The next day we were all so tired from the canyon, so it was a pretty lazy afternoon before making the drive back home.
We cut up a watermelon and drank beers and sodas at the lake above the canyon.
We were stoked Kyle joined us this year. Nobody was sure he would actually show up until we saw him.
Kyle brought his homie Moi, who was a rad guy to have on the trip. Friendships were made and strengthened on this trip. Some of the guys are not pictured here, but are some good friends of Steve’s. They made the trip all the way from Utah and Idaho. They were some of the nicest and humble people that are true experts in the canyons in Utah.
Before hitting the road, we stopped at Jimmy John’s, Kyle’s favorite place in the world. After that we decided we would get coffee and prolong our weekend just a little further. But all that was around was Starbucks. Realizing we brought some good coffee and we had everything we needed to make it, we setup camp in the parking lot to sip coffee and review some of the footage. Thanks again for an amazing trip, Steve. And thanks to all the friends that contributed to one of my favorite weekends of the year!
TAGS: #campvibes • #goodvibescanyon