This was the first canyon of our trip, located in the San Rafael Swell.
This day kicked my butt. I was SO out of practice in terms hiking and downclimbing. Good thing I have patient friends.
The canyon was absolutely gorgeous. Lots of beautiful hallways varying in color and composition. This is why canyoneering is addictive; you never know what's around the next corner.
Unfortunately, a scare was waiting for me around one of the corners. At one point, Jason and Kristin got pretty far ahead of me. I was walking peacefully through the canyon, thinking about how amazing this place was and how happy I was to be here, when Kristin jumped out at me from behind a rock. I threw my hands in the air and SCREAMED, earning me a role in the horror movie Jason wants to film about a canyon monster.
Our route took us through Lower Baptist Draw to Upper Chute canyon. At the bottom of the last rap in Lower Baptist, we discovered rocks that were perfect for lounging. We decided to wait out the midday heat and watch 127 Hours. (We planned on doing Blue John the next day.) It was the perfect break.
Little did we know how much hiking we still had. Or maybe Jason knew, but I didn't. There were a few miles of soft sand, and I was pretty much spent before we'd even reached the exit. Since it was my first day out and I hadn't been in the desert for a while, I forgot how to listen to my body and know when I'm dehydrated or when my blood sugar's low.
We hiked up a tall mesa, and I seriously thought I was going to die. Jason reached the top first and yelled, "I see the cars!"
"Oh, thank you, Jesus," I thought. When I finally stumbled to the top, I saw the cars, too. On the next mesa. We still had to go down a steep scree slope into a valley and back up a mesa the size of North Mountain.
(Struggling up the hill... notice Kristin is behind me in case I collapse)
Kristin aptly labeled this pic "The hills that tried to kill Erin B."
By the time I made it to the top, it was almost dark and I was in bad shape. Kristin and Jason wisely decided that we should camp right there and that tomorrow should be an easy day. I didn't argue.
*All photos courtesy of Jason Marshall (www.inthecanyons.com)
This day kicked my butt. I was SO out of practice in terms hiking and downclimbing. Good thing I have patient friends.
The canyon was absolutely gorgeous. Lots of beautiful hallways varying in color and composition. This is why canyoneering is addictive; you never know what's around the next corner.
Unfortunately, a scare was waiting for me around one of the corners. At one point, Jason and Kristin got pretty far ahead of me. I was walking peacefully through the canyon, thinking about how amazing this place was and how happy I was to be here, when Kristin jumped out at me from behind a rock. I threw my hands in the air and SCREAMED, earning me a role in the horror movie Jason wants to film about a canyon monster.
Our route took us through Lower Baptist Draw to Upper Chute canyon. At the bottom of the last rap in Lower Baptist, we discovered rocks that were perfect for lounging. We decided to wait out the midday heat and watch 127 Hours. (We planned on doing Blue John the next day.) It was the perfect break.
Little did we know how much hiking we still had. Or maybe Jason knew, but I didn't. There were a few miles of soft sand, and I was pretty much spent before we'd even reached the exit. Since it was my first day out and I hadn't been in the desert for a while, I forgot how to listen to my body and know when I'm dehydrated or when my blood sugar's low.
We hiked up a tall mesa, and I seriously thought I was going to die. Jason reached the top first and yelled, "I see the cars!"
"Oh, thank you, Jesus," I thought. When I finally stumbled to the top, I saw the cars, too. On the next mesa. We still had to go down a steep scree slope into a valley and back up a mesa the size of North Mountain.
(Struggling up the hill... notice Kristin is behind me in case I collapse)
Kristin aptly labeled this pic "The hills that tried to kill Erin B."
By the time I made it to the top, it was almost dark and I was in bad shape. Kristin and Jason wisely decided that we should camp right there and that tomorrow should be an easy day. I didn't argue.
*All photos courtesy of Jason Marshall (www.inthecanyons.com)
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