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clovehitchedMystery and Keyhole we'd done before. Behunin was new to us, and promised to be a bit of a step up from anything we'd done before.
Very kindly, local canyoneering expert, Tom Jones, who wrote the book I was seen reading in part 1, offered to join us (just four of us for this one) and show us some useful technique - we had something of a reputation for being too slow apparently.
Behunin, like Mystery, descends from the plateau above down into Zion main canyon - a descent in excess of 2000 feet. Unlike Mystery we don\t get to use the car to get to the top, we get to walk up the West Rim Trail, which is paved, but it's still a major pain. The weather is hot, the sun is fierce, the walk is only a few miles, but it also involves a half mile elevation gain.
After a few hours hard slog, we arrive at this view. Zion does not do small (follow the trees into the distance - they're big trees).
You want us to go down there??? Did I mention I have this thing about heights?
I'm starting to be very glad we had Tom along. I must admit that I'm starting to feel quite apprehensive about this, and possibly out of my depth. Foremost in my mind is the way Behunin ends - a slot in the wall, 400 feet above Zion's gentle Emerald Pools trail. More on this later.
Oh my god...
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zoeimogen taking things in her stride.
Tom is showing us some really useful stuff, including getting the next abseiler ready and at the top while the one before is still going down (as long as you don't drop loose rocks on their head, and the anchor can hold you both). I've done this once before, last year, in the Subway, a much less intimidating prospect (you get people doing that one without rope, which is possibly not sensible, but they do mostly get through). Tom uses this technique generally. I can really see the benefit.
Tom showing us how it's done.
This is called a fireman's belay. If the person abseiling lets go, I pull the rope tight and do the job of their brake hand for them. This prevents a rapid rendezvous with the floor.
One of the bolted anchors was in dubious condition and Tom wanted to replace the bolt. Generally not putting bolts in canyons is preferred, but most canyons in Zion are often bolted. Canyoneers do have the same sort of religious debates about this that rock climbers do.
Once Tom has put the new bolt in, he has me rig the sling anchor from it, using two bits of webbing I tie together. I know how to do this in theory, but I have never rigged one in a canyon setting before. I feel a bit like I'm taking an exam!
Of course, if I rig the anchor it's only fair that I get to go first. Encourages me to be thorough. It's a hundred feet to the bottom - no pressure...
Getting down towards the end section of the canyon now. The rock texture has changed noticeably. We have descended a long way.
Behunin is a "dry" canyon, but "dry" is a relative term when we're walking along what is, after all, a river bed.
Just negotiate these handy trees.
OK, I admit it, I'm showing off now.
And this is the end. Those little green shrubs are full size trees, four hundred feet below. Here's how this works - you down-climb ten feet to a ledge (which slopes towards the edge, and is rather exposed). You then abseil 120 feet to another ledge:
Here - the final anchor is on lower ledge about six feet below me (that's me there - behind me you can see one of the easy day hike trails in the distance). From there it's 165 feet to the floor. The last 120 feet of that involves you hanging freely. Yes, you're 120 feet above the ground, dangling on a strand of rope less than 9mm thick.
Asthe_local_echo demonstrates. As an added bonus, some of that green stuff is poison ivy. They don't like making this easy, do they?
Once at the bottom, you boulder hop down a couple of hundred feet until you bump into the trail hikers. They see you covered in canyon, carrying gear and long ropes and ask you where you came from. You point up to the notch in the cliff. They shake their head and wander off.
We cleaned ourselves up and met up with Tom again in a local Tex Mex restaurant, which did really awesome food and nice beer. A perfect end to an intense, educational but ever so slightly terrifying day!
Also posted at http://auntysarah.dreamwidth.org/242876.html - you can comment here or there.
Very kindly, local canyoneering expert, Tom Jones, who wrote the book I was seen reading in part 1, offered to join us (just four of us for this one) and show us some useful technique - we had something of a reputation for being too slow apparently.
Behunin, like Mystery, descends from the plateau above down into Zion main canyon - a descent in excess of 2000 feet. Unlike Mystery we don\t get to use the car to get to the top, we get to walk up the West Rim Trail, which is paved, but it's still a major pain. The weather is hot, the sun is fierce, the walk is only a few miles, but it also involves a half mile elevation gain.
After a few hours hard slog, we arrive at this view. Zion does not do small (follow the trees into the distance - they're big trees).
You want us to go down there??? Did I mention I have this thing about heights?
I'm starting to be very glad we had Tom along. I must admit that I'm starting to feel quite apprehensive about this, and possibly out of my depth. Foremost in my mind is the way Behunin ends - a slot in the wall, 400 feet above Zion's gentle Emerald Pools trail. More on this later.
Oh my god...
zoeimogen taking things in her stride.Tom is showing us some really useful stuff, including getting the next abseiler ready and at the top while the one before is still going down (as long as you don't drop loose rocks on their head, and the anchor can hold you both). I've done this once before, last year, in the Subway, a much less intimidating prospect (you get people doing that one without rope, which is possibly not sensible, but they do mostly get through). Tom uses this technique generally. I can really see the benefit.
Tom showing us how it's done.
This is called a fireman's belay. If the person abseiling lets go, I pull the rope tight and do the job of their brake hand for them. This prevents a rapid rendezvous with the floor.
One of the bolted anchors was in dubious condition and Tom wanted to replace the bolt. Generally not putting bolts in canyons is preferred, but most canyons in Zion are often bolted. Canyoneers do have the same sort of religious debates about this that rock climbers do.
Once Tom has put the new bolt in, he has me rig the sling anchor from it, using two bits of webbing I tie together. I know how to do this in theory, but I have never rigged one in a canyon setting before. I feel a bit like I'm taking an exam!
Of course, if I rig the anchor it's only fair that I get to go first. Encourages me to be thorough. It's a hundred feet to the bottom - no pressure...
Getting down towards the end section of the canyon now. The rock texture has changed noticeably. We have descended a long way.
Behunin is a "dry" canyon, but "dry" is a relative term when we're walking along what is, after all, a river bed.
Just negotiate these handy trees.
OK, I admit it, I'm showing off now.
And this is the end. Those little green shrubs are full size trees, four hundred feet below. Here's how this works - you down-climb ten feet to a ledge (which slopes towards the edge, and is rather exposed). You then abseil 120 feet to another ledge:
Here - the final anchor is on lower ledge about six feet below me (that's me there - behind me you can see one of the easy day hike trails in the distance). From there it's 165 feet to the floor. The last 120 feet of that involves you hanging freely. Yes, you're 120 feet above the ground, dangling on a strand of rope less than 9mm thick.
As
the_local_echo demonstrates. As an added bonus, some of that green stuff is poison ivy. They don't like making this easy, do they?Once at the bottom, you boulder hop down a couple of hundred feet until you bump into the trail hikers. They see you covered in canyon, carrying gear and long ropes and ask you where you came from. You point up to the notch in the cliff. They shake their head and wander off.
We cleaned ourselves up and met up with Tom again in a local Tex Mex restaurant, which did really awesome food and nice beer. A perfect end to an intense, educational but ever so slightly terrifying day!
Also posted at http://auntysarah.dreamwidth.org/242876.html - you can comment here or there.
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no subject
Date: 2010-07-02 09:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-02 09:09 pm (UTC)Just doing the last one now. Stay tuned :-)
no subject
Date: 2010-07-02 09:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-02 09:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-02 09:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-02 09:43 pm (UTC)We tend to abseil single strand though, as can be seen from the pictures. In that case we use a "biner block", which allows you to abseil down one side, and then pull the whole thing down by tugging into the other side (clipping into the wrong side is considered extremely bad. People have done this. Some have survived).
There's a page on Tom's site (http://www.canyoneeringusa.com/utah/tech/blocks.php) which explains how it all works.
no subject
Date: 2010-07-02 09:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-02 09:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-03 09:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-03 04:26 pm (UTC)And remember, we are doing this single strand on 8.3mm rope. There isn't a whole lot of friction compared to e.g. 10mm double strand climbing rope.
no subject
Date: 2010-07-05 02:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-05 11:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-06 09:24 pm (UTC)Tiny people!