Scott Chandler
Wildness is a necessity- John Muir
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2014
- Messages
- 1,099
They say that curiosity kills the cat but it seems that curiosity also finds me canyoneering in Zion. On Sunday I got the fancy to look at the permit system to see how full reservations were and lo and behold there were open permits to visit The Subway. I guess it tis the season for fewer crowds back there. I enlisted my dad for a shuttle ride (and got him a permit to hike up the creek) and I was set to come through the top.
I arrived at the Wildcat Trailhead and found a group of four gearing up. Yay, company... Since I was going to be meeting my dad at the Subway proper I decided to burn some time by visiting the Northgate Peaks and let that group go.
I hit the end of the Northgate Trail as the sun was coming up. It made for nice light on a couple of the peaks and harsh shadows on the others.
Back to the Subway Trail I went. Lots of photography happened catching the light and shadows on the slickrock country. The hike down into The Subway is certainly a nice one. Its a shame people can't just follow the cairns set up by the park and still have to blaze their own path. I knocked over a lot of unnecessary rock piles.
I lucked out and ran into the group of four that I meant to be in front of me at the entrance gully. I gave them an extra 45 minutes and here I was catching them. UGH. After I set off into the canyon I never saw them again, even on the hike out, to which my dad and I took our time.
The section of the canyon above the springs had less water in it than I had seen in the past. That said, I still needed the wetsuit to get through these cold upper pools.
Then the springs started up and the canyon transitioned into that gorgeous beast that I've come to love. It simply never gets old. It seems that I missed the peak of the fall colors in the canyon by a week or so but colors flew in a couple spots.
I had heard reports and seen pictures of the corridor below Keyhole Falls being full of sand so I wondered what I would find when I got there. The power of water had run its course and the canal had been scoured clean. The only spot still sandier than I have seen it before was right below the falls. It made that handline pretty nice.
I tried to hang out in the section between the falls and the lower Subway as long as possible as it is a nice section and I'd never spent much time in there. Sadly its so darn short because I found myself dropping into the place everyone gets to all too soon.
Not to say I don't love the main Subway.
I amazingly hit The Subway right when my dad arrived. What great timing. I had to move or I'd get cold in my wetsuit so I ventured to the cascades below the Subway. This section is so nice because there are so many small details and scenes to see.
After a warm up and lunch when we hit sunlight, the long hike out began. I'm not sure if I will ever hike UP and DOWN that watercourse. It is rough. The boulder hopping has the added factor of sand and wet shoes to make the whole experience a slow and tedious thing. That said, it is pretty.
I enjoy that hike out so much that I actually don't mind the trudge up to the trailhead. Crazy.
I arrived at the Wildcat Trailhead and found a group of four gearing up. Yay, company... Since I was going to be meeting my dad at the Subway proper I decided to burn some time by visiting the Northgate Peaks and let that group go.
I hit the end of the Northgate Trail as the sun was coming up. It made for nice light on a couple of the peaks and harsh shadows on the others.
Back to the Subway Trail I went. Lots of photography happened catching the light and shadows on the slickrock country. The hike down into The Subway is certainly a nice one. Its a shame people can't just follow the cairns set up by the park and still have to blaze their own path. I knocked over a lot of unnecessary rock piles.
I lucked out and ran into the group of four that I meant to be in front of me at the entrance gully. I gave them an extra 45 minutes and here I was catching them. UGH. After I set off into the canyon I never saw them again, even on the hike out, to which my dad and I took our time.
The section of the canyon above the springs had less water in it than I had seen in the past. That said, I still needed the wetsuit to get through these cold upper pools.
Then the springs started up and the canyon transitioned into that gorgeous beast that I've come to love. It simply never gets old. It seems that I missed the peak of the fall colors in the canyon by a week or so but colors flew in a couple spots.
I had heard reports and seen pictures of the corridor below Keyhole Falls being full of sand so I wondered what I would find when I got there. The power of water had run its course and the canal had been scoured clean. The only spot still sandier than I have seen it before was right below the falls. It made that handline pretty nice.
I tried to hang out in the section between the falls and the lower Subway as long as possible as it is a nice section and I'd never spent much time in there. Sadly its so darn short because I found myself dropping into the place everyone gets to all too soon.
Not to say I don't love the main Subway.
I amazingly hit The Subway right when my dad arrived. What great timing. I had to move or I'd get cold in my wetsuit so I ventured to the cascades below the Subway. This section is so nice because there are so many small details and scenes to see.
After a warm up and lunch when we hit sunlight, the long hike out began. I'm not sure if I will ever hike UP and DOWN that watercourse. It is rough. The boulder hopping has the added factor of sand and wet shoes to make the whole experience a slow and tedious thing. That said, it is pretty.
I enjoy that hike out so much that I actually don't mind the trudge up to the trailhead. Crazy.