Trip Report - Pine Creek Canyon, November 16th, 2009

Video and photos from the Pine Creek descent will be added next week.

Trip Report: Pine Creek
Monday, November 16th, 2009

The Background

Eight months ago at the beginning of my tenure at Zion Adventure Company, I never would have imagined where this job would take me. Dangling over a rock fall 85 feet above the ground on a free hanging rappel was probably the last place I would have expected to end up.

For me, Pine Creek was a big deal, and even days after completing it, it remains such. Shortly after I received my ZAC Notebook in the early part of the season, I made a list of things to accomplish for the season. Pine Creek, ironically, was included, and the entire season it remained the least likely to be accomplished. It was amorphous, undefined, and something I was not sure that I even wanted to pursue. However, as the season progressed, several staff members each said that when I was ready to go, that they would be willing to accompany me through Pine Creek. I’m glad that I was able to set my own timeframe for this endeavor, and that no one pressured me into doing something for which I was not ready.

As I have been preparing to leave for Israel, “Do Pine Creek” ended up on my list of things to do before I leave, along with such exciting things as “photocopy passport,” “buy an adaptor,” and “clean the bathroom.” Over the past few weeks, I came to the realization that Pine Creek probably was not beyond my current (and limited) canyoneering abilities, especially if I considered all the Boy Scout troops that I had outfitted over the season who successfully completed it. Moreover, having some of the most experienced canyoneers in the United States as co-workers, I felt that with whomever I went, I would be in good hands.

Ultimately, things came together in such a way that Jonathan, Rob, and I were able to go to Pine Creek Monday morning, for a day that would become the best day of my life.

The Canyon

After the rains of over the weekend, I knew to expect exceedingly cold water. On Sunday, Jonathan did some reconnaissance work, and at that time there was ice on the first pool. Thankfully by Monday morning it was gone, however, that did not make the water any warmer. After what seemed to be an eternity spent simply putting on gear, we were able to begin the day. Sunday afternoon I saw Rob, and I commented on how I would probably feel much like the younger brother in the movie A Christmas Story the next day. In one scene Randy has so much winter wear on that his arms stick straight out. It’s great, and I did feel exactly like that. At one point I dropped my Burt’s Bees lip balm and because of the 2 fleece jackets, long sleeve wicking shirt, fleece pants, hiking pants, dry suit and protective coverall, I could not reach the ground to pick it up. Embarrassing.

In the days prior to my first Pine Creek descent, I started thinking about two mantras to help me basically get through the day. My mantras were:

I will not let fear and anxiety hinder my progression.

And to a lesser extent:

No tears.

Having those thoughts to guide the day worked well, especially the second one at the first rappel. After jumping into the first pool and ending up over my head in ice cold water, the sketchy first rappel was not what I was expecting. On Sunday while working at Simply Birkenstock, a guide with Paragon from St. George was in. (Interestingly, his wife was wearing a Zion Adventure Company fleece jacket). He mentioned how unnerving the bolt for one of the rappels was, and when I saw the bolt for the first rap, I knew instantly what he meant.

Once I saw the start of the first rappel, I was eager to turn around while I still could. Inhibited by the layers of clothes, cold from total submersion, I slowly approached the rappel, telling myself, “If I slip, I have to slip to the right into the pool.” As I stood with my safety attached the prospect of getting to where I needed to be seem a complete impossibility. Jonathan’s effortless move to get on rappel almost sickened me. As I disregarded his suggestion to sit down to start the first rappel, the second mantra kept coming into my head. I do not think I ever actually shed tears, but the water in my eyes I attribute to my hair and hat dripping onto my face after my frigid plunge.

At this moment, Jonathan was not my favorite person. I was upset that he seemed to not be giving me the space I needed to do the rappel on my own terms. Having never been out with him I began to wonder if Jonathan was like this on all trips or just with me. I must admit I was a little taken back at his, as from my perspective, he seemed incredibly impatient with me. Since Monday this has been something that I have pondered considerably. The conclusion I have come to is that Jonathan knew more of my abilities than I did. In the moment, I was a little upset, perhaps even hurt, but I am glad I was not given the choice to turn around. Had that occurred I would have always wondered if I could do Pine Creek. After the hike out while driving back to the Land Cruiser I commented about how seriously I considered ended the day at the first rappel. Jonathan’s response was, well classic Jonathan. He said, “I never considered that to even be an option.” Well, I am glad that one of us did not.

After I overcame my hesitation and anxiety of the first rappel, the rest of the day was absolutely amazing! I am humbled beyond words with what I experienced. The rappels, the scrambling, the down climbing, seemed to come with such ease. The rappel in the Cathedral section was perhaps the fastest of my life. Not that speed is important, but for me it illustrated that I have more competence than I give myself credit for. Besides the tumble on slick rocks that Jonathan warned me, I ended the day unscathed. I was told that I hit my head as I rolled, but I have no recollection of that, though I have bruises from that tumble. At least they came from doing something AWESOME!

Until Monday one thing that I had been terrified of with canyoneering was free-hanging rappels. Rob had repeatedly told me over the prior months that such rappels were “fun” and “easier” than rappels where one’s feet are on the wall. Whenever he said this, I just looked at him with intense skepticism. After Monday I realized that such rappels are not bad. I just need to work on not grasping the ropes so tight that my arms and shoulders ache for days afterwards.
After the last rappel, it was oddly surreal to look back at the canyon and to think that minutes prior I was there, that I did something I previously thought nearly impossible. During the hike out it was hard for me to comprehend what I just did, and even days later it still seems unreal. Driving back to Springdale I commented on how I felt as though the whole morning had been a dream, but I knew it was not because I still had Canyoneers on. Any dream involving Canyoneers would be more like a nightmare.

Final Thoughts

Canyoneering is an incredibly empowering activity. I am grateful for Rob and Jonathan’s willingness to lead me through Pine Creek. Monday was a gift to me; one which will not soon be forgotten. Every time I complete a canyon, I realize how much that environment means to me, and that I want to be back in a canyon as soon as possible. After each canyon, I resolve to go more, but that never seems to happen. Next year, I intend to make canyoneering a weekly or bi-weekly event. Ultimately, for next year I would like Mystery Canyon to be my goal. If I were to do it, it would have to be on a busy Saturday in the summer, so that the Narrows would be full of people to watch me come out of the canyon. Shallow, I know, but something about that admiration and awe from Narrows hikers in the Narrows Footwear Package is appealing.

I am not sure how I will go about making this goal a reality. Adding on to ZAC trips would be the obvious solution, but I am not sure that is the right one. Scott and I discussed this in some length last night. This season I was hesitant to add on to trips as I did not want Zion Adventure to look bad because of my inexperience and ineptitude. Now I wonder if adding on would diminish the experience of the clients involved in some capacity. Over the winter, this is something I am going to have to ponder. Hopefully, other staff members can provide some insight into this situation as well.

One simple action Monday night while I was working in the shop brought about a fantastic finish to an already amazing day: Tom gave me a high-five and congratulated me on doing Pine Creek. Something like that coming from the reigning canyoneering king meant a lot.

Other lessons from the day include:

• Always make sure the neck gasket on your drysuit is tight before jumping into exceedingly cold water.
• I do better in canyons when I do not know what to expect. For me not reading Zion: Canyoneering (sorry Tom) before I go out works well, as then I do not have any expectations. I simply have no choice but to say, “Bring it on!”
• Listening to Jonathan is always a good idea.
• The mental component of canyoneering cannot be understated.

Monday was the best day of my life…I truly lived that day.