Baptist Draw / Upper Chute

Tony, Stephanie and I hiked through Baptist Draw and Upper Chute Canyons on May 5th, 2012. This was Tony's first canyoneering adventure.

We had mixed feelings about this hike. It took forever (9.5 hours) and the exit sucked. We estimate the length of the Baptist/Chute/Fault loop to be about 10 miles.  Six of those miles are pretty dull. The middle 4 miles are really good. If there is a way to shave 3 or 4 miles off the slog (i.e. possible car at the top and bottom) Baptist/Chute would be worth it.

On the postive side, the slotty section in Baptist is excellent, and really easy to get through. The 80 ft rappel is very scenic and fun. Upper Chute is physical and beautiful.

THE BEST PART OF THIS HIKE IS THE SECTION OF UPPER CHUTE JUST NORTH OF THE BIG RAPPEL. IT IS AMAZING!! YOU WOULD WANT POSTERS OF IT HANGING IN YOUR HOUSE!!

...However we left our cameras in our packs at the bottom of the big rappel, so we don't have any photos to share.

Bob

You know you have a canyoneering addiction when you own a Hanksville T-Shirt.

 

Zero Gravity

Stephanie and I checked out Zero G on May 4th, 2012. The conditions were great! The water was low but very clean. The section with the keeper pothole was short, but really nice. It's a great way to spend 3 hours if you are in the area.

Check out our Zero Gravity video HERE.

The section with the bomb bay was much tougher than it appeared from above. I chose to go high and rig a rappel. Standing on top of the chokestone above the bomb bay, the descent looks really simple. It proved to be an optical illusion. I dropped down on the far side of the chokestone, maybe two or three feet away. As I slid down, the walls pinned my chest until I was suck. I didn't have the foresight to rig an extended rappel device, so one horns of my Piranha was pinned between my chest and the wall, stabbing me in the Solar Plexus (Ouch, *&^%, ouch). My feet and calves were hanging free in the bomb bay; I was making the Zero G signature move. The stabbing pain in my chest motivated me to slide sideways about 2 feet where the canyon widened about a half-inch. I was then free to drop into the bomb bay.

Stephanie is much skinnier than I am. She went under the chokestone then used the rappel rope as a hand line. When the lower half of her body was in the bomb bay she lost control, smacked her head and slid down the handline burning four of her fingers. She only fell about 2 feet, but her hand is burnt pretty badly. Good thing she was wearing a helmet. Again, that section looked really easy to her, but proved to be worthy of the R rating.

Bob

Egypt 2

On Sunday April 1st, Steph, Tyler, Aralynn and I headed down Egypt 2. It was Aralynn’s first canyoneering adventure.

Of course, we opted for the 270 foot entry rappel. If you choose to do this canyon, I strongly suggest giving this rappel a try. The view on the way down is astonishing! We all wished we could immediately return to the top and do it a second time.

At the second rappel (40 ft) there were two anchors available:

The first was set back from the edge of the rappel to allow for a comfortable start. The likelihood of sticking the rope from that anchor was very high.

The second anchor was extended over the edge of the rappel, which required a tricky and somewhat exposed start. Obviously there was no chance of sticking the rope from that anchor.

We opted for the first anchor . *DOH* (LAMAR should have used the second anchor, lesson learned).

Sooo… we pulled 99% of the rope through, then the rope stuck. We yanked and whipped the rope for 20 minutes or so.

Tyler then volunteered to climb up and get the rope. (He is a climber first and a canyoneer second.) The crux move at the top required that he reach over the right side of the boulder and hold a “5.10 sloper” to pull himself to the top. It took all of 90 seconds for him to make the climb (he never weighted the rope in the photos below). It was a VERY impressive climb!

Egypt 3

I soloed Egypt 3 on Saturday, March 10th, 2012. It was one of the best hikes I’ve ever done.

I had never ventured out to the Egypts before Saturday and was hoping for some peace and quiet. Boy, did I chose the right place. I had the Egypts entirely to myself. I didn’t hear a sound from any human on this hike, no airplanes overhead, no cars passing by. For me, it was a unique and refreshing experience.

Egypt 3 is a fantastic canyon with two distinct halves. The top half contains chutes, slides and a large pothole. The walls are stunning and the obstacles are fun.

The bottom half is dark, narrow and sinister. The walls are rough and passage is slow and hard earned. The width of my hand is 9 inches from my thumb to the end of my small finger. I could nearly span my hand the width of the canyon along much of the lower slot. I estimate the minimum width of the canyon at 10 ½ inches.

The Egypt area is pristine. There are many balanced rocks that would be easy to topple, there are many sandstone fins that would be easy to crush. If you head out there, tread lightly.

Currently conditions are ideal for hiking in the Escalante area. The high temperature on Saturday was around 60, the low was around 30. The entire canyon was dry except for one pothole that contained a bucketful of water.

Free advice: If you decide to visit this canyon, wear long sleeves, long pants, gloves, knee pads and elbow pads. You will be glad you did. Don't do this hike mid-summer. The hike back to your vehicle is up a southern facing slope that is completely exposed to the sun. Mid day temps of 60 degrees are just right, 80 degrees would be nasty, 100+ degrees could be lethal.

Click here for a short video of Egypt 3. Sorry about the shaky footage.

Upper Egypt 3

Looking straight down onto twisting slide

Large pothole with a slide in the background.

Another larger slide, about 20 feet long. People can upclimb this??

 I came across a rope ladder about a third of the way down canyon. 

Was it left for those that choose to ascend Egypt 3?

 I would argue that you're missing the best part of the canyon if you skip the top section.

 

Lower Egypt 3

My half full pack lodged easily between the canyon walls.

 

After the hike, I drove down to Hole in the Rock for an awesome sunset and a celebratory beverage.

Middle Leprechaun Canyon

Steph, Tyler and I tackled Middle Leprechaun on January 12th. None of us had been in that canyon before. Steph and I did East Lep last August. Tyler had never been to the North Wash before, but he is a good climber and a strong dude.

I know the stats to throw out: I'm 5' 9" and weigh 174 lbs. My chest is 42" and I can barely squeeze through a 9 inch gap (2x4's, 9 inches apart). Tyler is also 174 lbs and about 6 foot with a 43" chest. Steph is much too thin to stress about getting stuck in such a canyon (about 110 lbs). Tyler and I got beat down, Steph simply strolled trough.

Some thoughts:

There are two entrances at the top of Main Lep. We chose the west entrance and it was spectacular in the morning light. It was not difficult, although we did not have to build/rebuild the dead man anchor on rap 1.

Middle Lep is much, much more difficult than East Lep. If you are over 180lbs or not in that great of shape, don't even consider hiking Middle Lep.

The obstacles get more difficult as the canyon progresses. The nastiest stuff is after the last rappel and reaches a crescendo just before Belfast Boulevard.

Doing this canyon without others that have done it was very exciting - it dialed the sense of adventure to a 10.

A bunny strap can be your best friend. Learn to use one. (I never used one before this hike)

A skinny teammate can be an even better friend. Steph helped us out a bunch by dragging our packs when we were about ready to abandon them out of frustration. She thought Middle Lep wasn't that tough.

Right now the North wash is bone dry, perfect conditions in Middle Lep. It was 20 degrees when we started and 40 when we finished.

We only got a few pictures. You risk losing or smashing your camera in the really good skinny parts, and we didn't want to risk a forced bivy by taking a million photos.

Frozen spring by the parking area.

Above is the only non blurry photo we got of the spicy stuff. Tyler and I went much higher than Steph in this section. For people over 150 lbs, there is much grunting and/or swearing involved with these sections. Sometimes the higher you go the easier it gets.

Round trip through Middle Lep took us 6 hours.

Goblin's Lair

Steph (my wife), Tyler (my brother-in-law) and I took advantage of the weather last week and stopped by The Lair on the way to Hanksville. On January 11th, Goblin Valley was deserted, a rare treat. We didn't even see a park ranger while we were there.

Looking up at the 90 foot rap.

Looking into the Chamber from the exit.

Sunset with the Goblins.

Thanks to Shane Burrows for posting the beta for this hike. 

The Lair was a nice warmup before we went to the North Wash. No stress, just a bit of pure fun.