Pine Creek Canyon

This moment is bittersweet.  Our family was so excited to hike the Subway in Zion National Park on Wednesday.  We entered the lottery months ago and were ecstatic to get a permit, but now there are storms in the forecast and we can't risk being caught in a flash flood.  So even though it is painful, we've decided to cancel our trip and try again another time.  It's the right choice, but still disappointing.

As for the sweet, today I get to share pictures from when we canyoneered through Pine Creek in July.  It was truly the experience of a lifetime!

Grandma Susie and Grandpa Charles joined us for our grand adventure, camping with us in Ponderosa Grove.  In fact, they even treated us to Oscars!  We are all smiles because we made it to the Zion Wilderness desk to pick up our permit five minutes before it closed.  (It was a close call, partly due to a very pokey ranger moving sloth speed at the front entrance.)

Given the extreme heat, the misters were quite welcome.

After dinner, we decided to hike up to Zion Overlook to see the slot we would be passing through from above.

No matter how much time I spend in the park, it always takes my breath away.

Plus, the canyon is a great photo backdrop.

We made it out to Ponderosa Grove just in time to set up camp and watch the sun set.

The next morning we had a leisurely start.  While very technical, Pine Creek is only 1.5 miles long so we didn't need to be up at the crack of dawn.  I love Eli's little toes sticking out of the sleeping bag in this picture!  Our tent felt strangely large with just Eli, Talia, Jason, and I.  Annika was at horse camp and Brooklyn was at a conference in Florida.  We missed them both, although frankly the canyon would have been way too challenging for Annika this year.

Pine Creek begins at the east side of the Zion tunnel, right where the Canyon Overlook hike begins.  You make your way down underneath the Route 9 bridge and the fun begins.

I'm not sure if Charles and Susie thought we were courageous or nuts right at this moment.  Probably a bit of both.  Either way, we were super grateful to them for dropping us off!

First order of business, changing into wetsuits.  For those who've never had the joy, this is kind of an obstacle unto itself.   Wetsuits may seem a bit superfluous in 100 degree heat, but some of the pools in Pine Creek are freezing.  After looking into the cost of wetsuit rentals, we decided to order off of Amazon and really liked them.

The first real obstacle: a seven foot drop into what they call the "Intimidator Pool."  Nothing like a dive into the murky unknown to get you started on an adventure.

Meanwhile, Charles and Susie were watching us get set up for our first rappel from the Zion Canyon Overlook hike.  If you look really carefully, you can see a few of us standing on a fin in the lower right hand corner of this pic.

Rappel 1: approximately 60 feet.  I was the guinea pig who rappelled first and then helped to belay the rest.

Jason had the hardest job setting up each of the rappels.  He really did his homework and carefully studied out the route in advance so that we would be safe.

Looking so official in all our gear.  Knowing that this is a canyon to be taken seriously, we rented helmets from U of U Campus Rec.

In total we did eight rappels, six of which ended in pools.  I lose track of which is which, so enjoy the photo journey.

The hardest thing about the rappels was getting started.  Most of the time you had to work around some awkward boulders.  Not horrible, but also not for beginners.  I was grateful for all the time we spent working up to this with the kids.

A happy place with a handsome feller.

With this rappel, you begin by working around a giant log that has gotten jammed over time.

The group behind us was quite experienced and didn't bother with wetsuits, although there were moments when they wished they had.

The narrow canyon walls are so incredible.  You can see why flash flooding would be such a risk--there's no room for the water to go but up!  At times we could see logs way up above our heads, washed through during previous storms.

Rapelling into the Cathedral.  This space is positively magnificent.

But brrr!  Trust me, the water is chilly.

Are you feeling the love?

Poor Jason always got stuck stuffing the rope bag as well.  But hey, he's looking sharp in his Illini colors!

Speechless.

From the Cathedral, we had a long swim (300 feet) to the next rappel.

Warming up in the spot of sunlight that made its way through the steep walls.

If you're feeling tired, there's a random handrail to help you.  Zion accessibility for the win!  

More wonder.

I was pretty impressed by how well our dry bags worked.

Massive chockstones.

Another massive rappel.

The canyon opens up before the two final rappels.  Perfect place for a lunch break and a nap.

We warmed up quickly in the sun.  Eli complained most about the cold but was out of his wetsuit first.

Can you spy the window of the Zion Mt. Carmel tunnel above us?

Talia and Eli show off their mad rappelling skillz.

We pulled out the gloves for our final 100' rappel.  Most of it was a free rappel, so the descent generated a lot of heat.  Our 60 meter rope just barely skirted the bottom!  I was extremely grateful Jason did a good job of locating the center so I didn't go flying down.  (We actually had a second 65 meter rope with us, just in case one of the ropes got stuck.)

Look at that blondie smile!

The three dots at the bottom are Talia, Eli, and I, all waiting for Jason to descend.

Naked Daddy!  (Not quite, but the red polka dot shorts are camouflaged by the red rock.)

Talia helps to pull the rope.

At last!  Only thing left is the trek back to the road.  Don't let it deceive you though.  This journey through the massive boulder field is tough and technical!  Many of the rocks are big as houses.  It took us around two hours to make our way out.

While there is cyanobacteria in the area, the park ranger basically told us that it was okay to get in the water as long as we didn't drink it.  The danger of heat stroke outweighs the risk of rash.  So when this gorgeous pool showed up, I couldn't wait to hop in with the tadpoles.  It felt so clean after the murky junk we'd been swimming in.

Better than a spa!

Plus, baby frogs!  They were everywhere.  Annika would have loved it.

Just when we thought we might never make it back to civilization, we found Charles and Susie who had hiked down from the road to meet us.  The 1.5 mile journey through Pine Creek took us far longer than expected--over six hours--but was worth every minute of adventure.

To celebrate, we went for yet another short hike to lower Pine Creek Falls, a 0.7 mile out and back to this lovely waterfall.  Even on the hottest of days, Zion is full of treasures.

Slip, Slide, and Swim.

Pinch yourself pretty.  Charles says that it's one of the best hikes he's done in Zion.

Last but not least, a well-deserved rest at the campground, having just missed the rolling storm.

So many thanks to Jason, Charles, and Susie for helping this incredible trip happen!  While I'm grateful for the rain, I'll be excited for monsoon season to end so we can canyoneer again.