Spry Canyon

In April we went down with some friends to Zion's National Park. We did an amazing canyoneering trail called Spry Canyon. It had several rappels and was amazing. I think that we have found a new hobby. Here is part of what our friend had to say about the hike:

This first rappel is the perfect way to start out, 165 ft. It’s a fairly gentle slope at the beginning, getting steeper at the end. We tied two ropes together for this rappel to avoid having to down climb from the last ledge (a little stop with a quaint little tree). Since it was spring, this rappel had flowing water that had pooled at the bottom. As scout, I worked my magic and found a way around it. Almost to the bottom you will find a small lip that runs along the rock. Descend to that point and edge your way to the sand.

We encountered a half dozen or so easy rappels as we continued to follow the wash. We were able to avoid getting wet with some adroit maneuvering.

A little further we encountered a fun little rappel with a difficult set up. Here we rappelled down a gap between the rocks. The difficulty is that the bolts to anchor the rappel are on the other side of the narrow slot. Find a stick assist in pulling in the rope and chains rather than leaning over the slot without any protection.

After the half dozen or so rappels (they are amazing, but if I spend time going over each one you will be reading for weeks) we could avoid the water no longer and had to get wet. We just had to suck it up and dive in.

After the first truly wet rappel we descended one more dry rappel before we made it to one of the more iconic slot rappels. Chains are located on the right of a narrow flute. Note: this is a double descent. We had to drop into the first pool, wade through, and descend into the next. The slot then drops away to the next rappel.

When the slot empties it is a beautiful sight, but it was also a bitter shock for us. We had lost a lot of time earlier in the canyon and on the slick rock ascent and the sun was nearly down. Just as we came out of the frigid water the winds started whipping through the slot.

This is when we ran into another slight hold up. The two tiered rappel in the slot provides plenty of places to get the rope stuck. Normally, it would be easy to climb up a bit and unhook any snags, but with the freezing water and bitter wind this became a difficult situation. My advice: start as early as you can if you go in the spring to avoid this cold situation, and get out of this slot in good time.

Well, we all did make it out eventually and luckily, were able to change into dry clothing. From here there was another rappel and then some navigating down the boulder field to the final rap. The final rap is called the lambs tongue. It is possible to avoid this, but you will regret it. From the anchor on the tree this is one of the best rappels of the canyon, a free hang with a wonderful view.

From the last rappel the boulder field continues down to Pine Creek. The easiest way out is the follow the creek west once you reach the bottom. It takes you straight to the road. Unfortunately, we did not take this route. Instead, with the sun down, we tried to climb back up the other side of the canyon, hoping to run into the road. Bad decision. We actually ended up above a cliff with nowhere to go. So, April, out fearless leader, found a sturdy boulder for an anchor and we tied together all of our extra webbing for one last rappel. (If you make similar bad choices, just look for our webbing and if seems safe feel free to try our new rappel.)

Luckily from here we were very close to the road and thus ended our adventure (and at times, misadventure, with Spry).

So, final words of advice. Follow directions. Start early and give yourselves plenty of daylight to get through the canyon. Bring dry clothes, you will want them after the two wet rappels. Follow the creek bed to the road, and bring extra webbing if you plan to ignore this advice, and a head lamp.

We also took a quick trip over to Bryce Canyon for a quick look.

P.S. Check out our blog called SPLAT: Snapshots and Postcards from Life At the Top all about our canyoneering adventures. http://splatzion.blogspot.com/2009/10/spry-canyon.html