The Latest Rave is your resource for Utah Canyoneering know-how. From Utah canyon condition reports to narratives of mind-bending epics to wildflower sightings, you will find all the beta you need from Tom and his team on The Rave.
Kind of a crazy spring, here in Zionland. First very warm. Then cooler and rainy, as in very rainy. Went down to the main canyon to see if anything was out in the lower elevations, taking the Kayenta trail to the Middle Emerald Pool, then near Weeping Rock went to one of my favorite riparian nooks. Not all that many things out, but many of the usual suspects were getting going. Also some species new to me, or at least that I had not carefully photographed previously...
Read MoreOn the fringe of Zion National Park lies the little sister of the famous Zion Narrows. Parunuweap Canyon holds the smaller East Fork of the Virgin River, rather than the North Fork that runs through the more famous (and popular/crowded) Narrows. Kat2 (Katherine H) from Hurricane was looking to go backpacking for the very first time - this seemed like a good choice. Flat, local, not too long, secluded, beautiful...
Read MoreSaw a bunch of good flowers at the Virgin Goosenecks on Friday, thought maybe I should do a flowerwalk in the Park, so I wandered down in the morning to walk the Pa'rus trail. I've seen some good blooms there in the past, but...
Read MoreRan up Lady Mountain last Saturday. We planned on a different adventure, which involved getting wet and cold, but not getting wet and cold sounded a lot better, so at the Zion Lodge we off-loaded. We hiked up the sorta-closed upper-Emerald Pools trail, shortly dumping most of the weight from our packs beside the trail. With lighter packs, we headed upward...
Read MoreAfter the Live Like Louis fest, a group of us wandered up Lady Mountain on a fine November day. Not all that eventful, really. We went up. There was some snow near the top that made finding the trail more difficult, and then getting back over to it quite dicey once we found it. Lynn and I put in a bolt above the second step,for rappel and belay. With greater popularity of this route, it seemed like a good idea...
Read MoreAn excellent adventure. A second Zion Narrows? Hardly. Three stars on a scale of 5 - four stars if there were no cows. But the continuity and scale of the narrows of The Barracks do not compete with the North Fork Narrows. Just doesn't.
Read MoreTogether we formed Team Twilight, as we seemed to struggle with getting going before noon, and completed many of our activities just as the sun sank past the horizon.
Read MoreGreg Cornelius really wanted to do Pine Creek with flow, so after a little precip reported, he rounded up Jason Robertson and I for a Pine Creek. Uh, no flow, sorry Greg...
Read MoreWith the river up (Orderville out) and Jerry challenged by the technical stuff, we decided to hike the East Rim trail, from the East Entrance down Echo Canyon, as a consolation prize.
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