| Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page5
Page 6
Page 7 Page 8
Home
Trip Reports |
| |
|
Even though it's the week of the 4th of July, we manage
to score a walk-in permit for the Subway. In order to make the trip a little
more exciting we opt for the Das Boot approach (also known as Upper
Great West Canyon or the Upper Left Fork of North Creek, but we
decided to simply call it 'Fred') as
described on the
Canyoneering USA
web site.* A small amount of route finding is
required to determine the best way into the canyon, but we arrive without
incident. |
 |
|
|
|
'Fred' features a little bit of water as well as some
nicely sculpted narrows that I am compelled to take photos of even
though I've got hundreds of similar photos already in the files (the
product of an OCD related mental disorder I suspect). |
 |
| |
Why the wet suits when there is so
little water in the canyon? Well, we're a bit overdressed. I begin to
get warm and at each pool pull open my suit and let the water pour in,
after which the group loudly performs an inventory of all the dead creatures
they find in the water. (With fingers in ears) La, la, la - I can't
hear you - la, la, la!
Here's Aaron in a particularly interesting section. |
 |
|
|
|
After one short rappel we reach the main route through
the canyon and stop to have a snack before proceeding. A few groups
pass, including a ranger who checks our permit. |
 |
|
|
|
Soon we reach the famed Subway and take the obligatory photos.
Though the imagery is nothing new, I still find this scene one of the
best in all of canyoneering. |
 |
|
|
|
Though I'm sure there are other who would disagree
(some vociferously perhaps), the fact that I can not only get a permit
for the Subway, but can get a photo like this (with no other people!) during the week of the
July 4th holiday tells me that the Park Service is doing something
right
with the permit system in Zion. There were still plenty of people in
the canyon this day, but certainly fewer than if access were
unrestricted. |
 |
|
|
|
We kill some time playing around at the small waterfall
just below the Subway. As long as it's not a flash flood, flowing water
in canyons = fun. Here Steph demonstrates why, in some circles, she
has earned the title of 'Most Photographed Woman in Canyoneering' as
she dutifully holds still as chilly water pours down her back. |
 |
|
|
|
* This hike also appears in M. Kelsey's Technical Slot
Canyon Guide to the Colorado Plateau, though his description enters further up the drainage
and features some additional technical challenges. |
|
|
| Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page5
Page 6
Page 7 Page 8
Home
Trip Reports |
