Can•yon•eer•ing /ˌkænjəˈnɪərɪŋ/
noun
The sport of exploring canyons by climbing, rappelling, hiking, swimming, or wading.
It might seem like a silly way to spend a vacation, but I recently met some friends to go through several technical canyons in Zion National Park. As the definition implies, there are all sorts of obstacles that you encounter in these canyons, from tight squeezes into slots, to extremely cold pools that you have no other choice than to swim through, and very large drops (sometimes several hundred feet) that you have to rappel from.
A canyoneer moves through Das Boot Canyon
Of course, that’s part of the fun. Problem solving, using your brain and working as a team to move past these obstacles. There are times when I feel like I’m literally walking into the heart of the earth, the sky disappearing above me, as I move into some sort of subterranean wonderland. The aspect of adventure is always there; canyons can change quickly, and often do with flash floods. But also, there’s the aspect of having the privilege to see these wonderful places. These are the parts of our national parks that very few visitors get to see–most don’t give much thought to their existence.
Even in darkness there is light
A tight squeeze inside Das Boot Canyon
In three days, we went through four different canyons, each with a different story to tell. First we went through Das Boot, which is the technical start to the much more popular Left Fork of North Creek (The Subway). Even on a dry year, Das Boot is wet and cold–at the minimum wetsuits are a requirement, and swimming multiple (sometimes stinky) pools is unavoidable. It is a stunningly beautiful canyon, though, with some of the most amazing reflected light I’ve ever seen.
Into the heart of the earth, Orderville Canyon, Utah
The next day we went through Birch Hollow, which is a technical start to Orderville Canyon; Orderville ends in the Zion Narrows. It’s a long day, but there’s a little bit of everything in there, ending with some classic Zion scenery.
Rappelling into Pine Creek
Finally, we went through Keyhole, which is a very short, but cold and wet canyon, and Pine Creek, right in the heart of Zion, and a true classic. The last rappel in Pine Creek is a lot of fun, about 120′, and you’re hanging free of the rock face for most of it. I was able to have my friend belay me while I made a few images on my way down.
Hard on the hands
Being able to explore these canyons, to get up close with the earth, and see something very few get to experience is good for the soul (if perhaps a little hard on the hands). That’s not a bad way to spend a vacation.
Floris van Breugel also recently has done some canyoneering in Zion; check it out here (fantastic images), and if you are interested in even more canyoneering, check out Dan Ransom’s work. He goes into some pretty serious places, and comes home with some beautiful images.
Amazing shots!
Thanks! I really appreciate it. Hope you enjoyed your time in Zion…
Your vision is growing more powerful all the time.
‘Even in darkness’ and ‘into the heart’ are truly great photographs. They leave me speechless…
Thanks, PJ. That means a lot. I’m glad you liked the photos!
Great post Greg with some wonderful images. Canyoneering is something I’ve never really tried, but as a combination of rock climbing skills and exploring it sounds quite appealing.
Thanks, Russ. I think you’d like it. It’s definitely a combination of all sorts of different skills, and it takes you to some wildly beautiful places (as does climbing). I suppose that’s why it’s getting more and more popular.
Five years ago you could go through Pine Creek and never see a soul. This year, we ended up waiting for up to 45 minutes for groups in front of us to move through. Maybe it was just the day, but it felt kinda crowded at times.
Wondefful post and beautiful images, Greg! I’ve been wanting to take a canyoneering class for a couple of years–and this reminds me why. What camera did you take with you?
Thanks, Robin! You definitely should take a class–you’d like it!
I took my Canon G12 with me. It was compact enough for me to swim with it around my neck (in a little dry bag), and I wanted to be able to shoot in RAW. I would have loved to take my SLR, but didn’t for several reasons:
1. I go with a group of non-photographers and they don’t always want to wait for me to compose a shot, etc.
2. It’s bulky, especially for the longer canyons where ropes, food, etc take precedence in my pack. Keeping it dry is another issue. Although I had a small dry bag, there are places where it is completely unavoidable to dunk everything in the water. I’d much rather have a dry bag malfunction with my $500 point-and-shoot than my $2500 SLR, insurance or not.
3. A tripod would be a pain in the butt through some of this stuff, although I have carried full photo gear through the Subway (from the top).
The little G12 does a pretty good job with the dynamic range of most of these scenes, and although I’d prefer to always shoot at ISO 100 with it, the noise isn’t too offensive, even at ISO 800, which is where you gotta be in most of these places.
Thanks for the link! Looks like you had a fun and action packed itinerary. Great images – I really like the dark green walls of Das Boot!
Thanks, Floris, I appreciate it. And, you’re welcome–was really inspired by your post!
That second image is incredible! I still haven’t been through Utah yet, but these photos really make me wanna check out Zion – SOON 🙂
Thanks, Steve! Yes, you definitely should check out all of Utah, but if you’re limited on time, Zion is an amazing place…definitely one of my favorite national parks.
Great stuff Greg, something I’ve always wanted to try. Even in Darkness and Into the Heart are both classic canyon shots with great light. But I agree with Floris, Tight Squeeze is my favorite here, great comp with a very different vibe than most slot canyon images.
Thanks, Jackson! You’d really love it. In the southwest at least, canyoneering would be a great compliment to river trips because you could stop and explore canyons along the way. Katie Lee wrote about doing this all the time in Glen Canyon before it was flooded.
Thanks for sharing these places Greg. Some amazing stuff, particularly Das Boot. I really like the cooler colors in that one – quite unique. Glad to hear you didn’t get an arm stuck! 😉
As a diver, I have to think it is darn hot climbing and hiking around in a wet suit. Do you have it off and on constantly?
I think a class in this would be pretty fun.
Haha…yeah, I’m glad I didn’t get an arm stuck either! No one is more glad than I am…
These canyons are typically quite cool inside…sometimes 30-40 degrees cooler than outside temps, so even though you could be comfortable in “regular” clothes, it’s not too bad in a wetsuit. However, if you were in a situation where you were moving from the cold to the hot and back again, you’d have to strip off the wetsuit. They are miserably hot!
Nice Greg! It was too early in the season to hit the canyons last time I was in Zion. Really want to return to make some of these trips. Love the images. Beautiful work.
Thanks, Wesley! You know, there are groups who go through these canyons year-round–I think you’re just sane. 🙂 I couldn’t imagine going through some of these in November or December.
With this incredible journey you open another world to those of us who have little technical climbing experience. Not to mention photographs that blow away what I’ve seen in more cliche slot canyon locations that everyone has done. The greens in that third photograph are unusually beautiful.
Thanks, David. I appreciate it!
Hoo boy, Greg. You just took me somewhere I could never go for real. As a confirmed claustrophobic these are the last places you would find me. Let’s not go here next year. 🙂 And the tightest one is the most beautiful with all that wonderful color as David noted. The whole adventure of canyoneering seems really heady. Wonderful shots!
Haha…it’s been noted, Steve. 😉 We’ll find some other places to visit.
I’m glad you enjoyed the photos.
Another superb post Greg… man, you make my life look dull!! – I can only hope that my 6 weeks on Iceland coming up from 28th Aug and then 4 weeks in Scotland help me to compete 🙂
Seriously though, a superb series of images from a wonderful location. Serious envy… The hands shot is a classic…
Thanks, Alister…I know you’d be in heaven exploring these places. Perhaps someday when your travels bring you to the U.S. we can work out a trip…
Yeah man, your life is a real snooze-fest. Trekking in Tibet, traveling to Iceland and Scotland. Sheesh, Alister…get a life. 😉 All joking aside, enjoy your travels, and be safe. I look forward to seeing your images!