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clovehitchedI've been quiet recently. That's because I've been in the US, on holiday, doing things that upset my insurance company (seriously - when I asked my travel insurance people if they'd cover what was involved, they replied, "under no circumstances!". Thankfully ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
the_local_echo was able to arrange so-called "extreme sports" insurance for us).
Anyway, expect a few of these posts over the next couple of hours. Here's the first - Mystery Canyon, one of Zion National Park's highlights.parmonster and I sat out all night from 10:45 until 07:00 the next morning to get the permits for this. We did it last year and ended up having, er, a slight problem with a flash flood. This year the weather was much kinder. Photos under the cut.
Our intrepid team. From left to right, me,zoeimogen, paradox_puree, parmonster, viesti, and the_local_echo, who did not appreciate being on this high plateau in Zion at 7am.
This is our little stroll - Mystery Canyon. A 2,400 foot descent into Zion's famous Virgin River Narrows. Isn't it pretty? Isn't it intimidating?
Despite the greenery, by the way, this is actually a desert.
The first part of the hike is a walk down a seemingly never-ending debris-slide which is charmingly called "Death Gully". It tends to result in a few scrapes and bruises.
Then you have to start down-climbing.
And abseiling.
Mystery has something of a reputation for being a "History of rock bolts museum". Bolts like this we do not abseil off, because it really upsets the poor insurance company.
These ones are much more reassuring, and we're using three of them. This is nice because it's a 10 metre drop below me here - a moderate abseil which is just long enough to make any death slow and excruciatingly painful due to horrific internal injuries.
OK, I won that one. Where do we go now?
zoeimogen coming down.
Getting deeper into the canyon, where it's getting sculpted and slotty. The scenery being incredibly pretty is one of the great things about canyoneering. Terrifying your insurance company is another of them!
Thumbs up!
Right atcha!
This is the crux of the canyon - the 120 foot abseil into Mystery Spring. You walk out along this ledge and rig the abseil. This photo isn't tilted to make it look worse than it is - it really does slope like that.
This was the point last year when I might have cried a bit.
Going down...
Here's the eponymous spring, right where you want to land. The water is a bit bracing after the daytime heat (high 30s), as one can see fromthe_local_echo's amusing expression.
Ooh, did we just come from up there?
This is the crowd pleasing exit - the abseil down the waterfall into the Virgin River Narrows, in front of lots of gawking day hikers who are wondering where the hell these crazy people suddenly came from.
Survivors' photo - taken at the end of the paved trail by a kind day hiker. We then walked a mile to the end of the road and jumped on the shuttle bus, just in time to make it back before the visitor centre closed.
Also posted at http://auntysarah.dreamwidth.org/242299.html - you can comment here or there.
the_local_echo was able to arrange so-called "extreme sports" insurance for us).Anyway, expect a few of these posts over the next couple of hours. Here's the first - Mystery Canyon, one of Zion National Park's highlights.
parmonster and I sat out all night from 10:45 until 07:00 the next morning to get the permits for this. We did it last year and ended up having, er, a slight problem with a flash flood. This year the weather was much kinder. Photos under the cut.Our intrepid team. From left to right, me,
zoeimogen, paradox_puree, parmonster, viesti, and the_local_echo, who did not appreciate being on this high plateau in Zion at 7am.This is our little stroll - Mystery Canyon. A 2,400 foot descent into Zion's famous Virgin River Narrows. Isn't it pretty? Isn't it intimidating?
Despite the greenery, by the way, this is actually a desert.
The first part of the hike is a walk down a seemingly never-ending debris-slide which is charmingly called "Death Gully". It tends to result in a few scrapes and bruises.
Then you have to start down-climbing.
And abseiling.
Mystery has something of a reputation for being a "History of rock bolts museum". Bolts like this we do not abseil off, because it really upsets the poor insurance company.
These ones are much more reassuring, and we're using three of them. This is nice because it's a 10 metre drop below me here - a moderate abseil which is just long enough to make any death slow and excruciatingly painful due to horrific internal injuries.
OK, I won that one. Where do we go now?
zoeimogen coming down.Getting deeper into the canyon, where it's getting sculpted and slotty. The scenery being incredibly pretty is one of the great things about canyoneering. Terrifying your insurance company is another of them!
Thumbs up!
Right atcha!
This is the crux of the canyon - the 120 foot abseil into Mystery Spring. You walk out along this ledge and rig the abseil. This photo isn't tilted to make it look worse than it is - it really does slope like that.
This was the point last year when I might have cried a bit.
Going down...
Here's the eponymous spring, right where you want to land. The water is a bit bracing after the daytime heat (high 30s), as one can see from
the_local_echo's amusing expression.Ooh, did we just come from up there?
This is the crowd pleasing exit - the abseil down the waterfall into the Virgin River Narrows, in front of lots of gawking day hikers who are wondering where the hell these crazy people suddenly came from.
Survivors' photo - taken at the end of the paved trail by a kind day hiker. We then walked a mile to the end of the road and jumped on the shuttle bus, just in time to make it back before the visitor centre closed.
Also posted at http://auntysarah.dreamwidth.org/242299.html - you can comment here or there.
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no subject
Date: 2010-07-02 07:43 pm (UTC)Looks like you had a grand time :o)
Just posted the last of the Orkney pics over on mine! You'll need to scroll back a ways to find the previous postings.
no subject
Date: 2010-07-02 09:35 pm (UTC)Will check out the Orkney pics :-)
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Date: 2010-07-03 02:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-02 09:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-02 09:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-05 12:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-02 09:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-02 09:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-05 11:12 am (UTC)Wow!
no subject
Date: 2010-07-08 09:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-06 09:18 pm (UTC)Also: gosh, those are big bags. Where's the teapot?
(only just remembered these photos had gone up...)