Zion Camping, Hiking & Canyoneering!

Zion Camping, Hiking & Canyoneering (technical and non-technical)  ::  August 16-21, 2011

      Holy Smokes is Zion AWESOME!

     “What’s Technical Canyoneering?” you ask.  Technical canyoneering means it requires a rope, a harness, rappelling and a little experience or training (and no fear of heights or water!)  The following reservations have been made for ‘technical’ Canyoneering, tho some might change if The Subway permits are attained last minute, or if there’s heavy interest in other activities .. but here’s the possibilities: Keyhole Canyon (18ppl) on Wednesday the 17th; Mystery Canyon (6ppl) on Thursday the 18th; Behunin Canyon (6ppl) on Friday the 19th; Pine Creek Canyon (9ppl) on Saturday the 20th; and Middle Echo Canyon (4ppl) on Sunday the 21st!  I’ll provide more information to those interested in the Technical Canyons, but your participation will have to be approved by me FAR in advance. Some of the canyons require wetsuits, all of them require standard personal gear (which I can provide), some canyons might be OK for a beginner while others require minimal experience.  If this activity interests you … talk to me!

     In addition to the technical itinerary, I’ll be providing a group ‘do-it-yourself’ non-technical itinerary each day featuring the best hiking and exploring that the park has to offer.  And, the Itinerary for this trip will be uber flexible as there are soooooo many awesome things to do and see in this park! 

     Details :: The cost for this trip is $195 and includes camping, permits, park entry for all carpools of 2-3-4 people (anyone driving alone will pay their own park entry; people with National Parks Passes, you enter FREE anyway!)  I’ll also take everyone out for Pizza one night; I’ll provide a BBQ dinner one night; and I’ll try to bring enough Starbucks VIA for our mornings!  No other meals are included, nor is transportation to and from Zion National Park from your hometown.

     Campground :: We’re staying at a Group Campsite at The Watchman Campground, just inside the South Entrance of Zion National Park.  There are flush toilets, water, picnic tables and a campfire ring.  The campsite is ‘tent only’ and will hold 20-40ppl, but only 8 cars. There are no showers in the park. The only shower is five minutes away and costs $5, and is only available during business hours.  This IS a camping trip, you will need to bring your own tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, pillow, flashlight, cooking/eating/drinking gear, etc (I’ll hook people up to share the big stuff – coolers and stoves).  And, we’ll be 3 minutes away from a grocery store, so no need to come stocked with food for a week!  (I cannot accommodate RV’s, tho feel free to make your own reservations.)  No pets are allowed at the group sites.

     Cars :: I’ll help you arrange your carpools, but there is no guarantee that everyone will be accommodated.  The more flexible YOU are, the more likely it is that YOU can be accommodated.  The campsite only has parking for 8 cars.  There is overflow parking nearby, tho not all that convenient.  If enough people sign-up for this trip, I will look into renting a van that would leave from Los Angeles and I’ll figure out a fee for that service IF the need arises (tho again, don’t count on it!)

     Weather :: Average High for August is 97F and the Average Low is 66F (AWESOME!)

     Itinerary :: Tue 8/16-arrive, go for a swim in Pine Creek, Drive through the historic tunnel, Walk the Canyon Overlook Trail, Snacks in Camp, Ranger Program, Campfire.  Wed 8/17-While some of us are rappelling and swimming in Keyhole Canyon in the morning, the others should hike up Angel’s Landing; And in the afternoon, we switch! Then check-out the visitor’s center, maybe throw together a BBQ, and hike the 3mi Watchman Trail at sunset.  Thu 8/18-Six very competent rappellers will rappel Mystery Canyon (8-9 hours) while everyone else should get their feet wet hiking up the Narrows as far as they want to go, and then back to the shuttle. We’ll figure out dinner, maybe check out the ranger program at 9:15 and do a night-hike of the Riverside Walk from camp.  Fri 8/19-Gonna try to get permits for The Subway which is Semi-Technical … which means we’re going to have to share the burden of spending the night in front of the BackCountry Office, starting at about 8pm on Thursday!  If we don’t get them, 6 competent rappellers will do Behunin Canyon (8 hours) while everyone else should do ‘the circuit’ and see all the little wonders in the park and check-out the awesome little town of Springdale (or tackle the LaVerkin Creek trail to Kolob Arch for a strenuous day!).  Sat 8/20-At 7am we’ll all go hike Hidden Canyon .. it’ll take us 4-5 hours. Then at 2pm 9 of us in wetsuits will go do Pine Creek, the technical part.  I’ll take everybody out for a farewell Pizza Dinner at the Pizza & Noodle Company and head back for a campfire.  Sun 8/21-Four of us will start our morning early to grab one last technical canyon, Echo (4-5 hours), before we head back in our carpools.  Woohoo!  BTW:: If anybody wants to do The Narrows from the Top (16 miles), you’ll need to buy your permit now and reserve a spot on a shuttle to drop you off at the start.  Ask me how! 

     This trip is being offered to all of my buddies and buddettes from other organizations ... so chances it will be a mixed bunch of awesome peeps!