is bruce canadian?
in *america* we celebrate labor day, not labour day!
anyway, for labor day, i went to zion canyon in utah. i didn't actually go spelunking or even canyoneering. i went hiking for one day and then the next two days were spent on a canyon hike in 'the narrows'. this is what zion canyon looked like:
one thing i did learn was that if you're going on a two day hike, make sure you have shoes that won't give you blisters the day before the hike. it will be much less painful that way.
the narrows is a two day hike where you basically follow a river down a canyon. the first day of the hike, it rained and hailed and we had to take a break for a while to allow the inclement weather to subside. this threw off our timing and forced us to crash at the second campsite, rather than our assigned campsite #10, which was another 2 or 3 miles further down. the rain did make the river look like chocolate milk and started some water falls as well, but lucky for us, it did not start a flash flood.
flash floods were perhaps the largest danger when you're hiking the narrows, as during quite a few points of the hike, there's no high ground that you can really climb to.
there were even a few points where some people had to swim.
it was a pretty hard hike for me. the entire thing was about 16 miles and i had on a 40 pound backpack on. perhaps nothing for harry, but by the end of the hike, i had blisters all over my feet and had banged my toes on hidden rocks under water countless times. i think one or two toe nails may fall off, but what are a few toe nails?
anyway, for labor day, i went to zion canyon in utah. i didn't actually go spelunking or even canyoneering. i went hiking for one day and then the next two days were spent on a canyon hike in 'the narrows'. this is what zion canyon looked like:
one thing i did learn was that if you're going on a two day hike, make sure you have shoes that won't give you blisters the day before the hike. it will be much less painful that way.
the narrows is a two day hike where you basically follow a river down a canyon. the first day of the hike, it rained and hailed and we had to take a break for a while to allow the inclement weather to subside. this threw off our timing and forced us to crash at the second campsite, rather than our assigned campsite #10, which was another 2 or 3 miles further down. the rain did make the river look like chocolate milk and started some water falls as well, but lucky for us, it did not start a flash flood.
flash floods were perhaps the largest danger when you're hiking the narrows, as during quite a few points of the hike, there's no high ground that you can really climb to.
there were even a few points where some people had to swim.it was a pretty hard hike for me. the entire thing was about 16 miles and i had on a 40 pound backpack on. perhaps nothing for harry, but by the end of the hike, i had blisters all over my feet and had banged my toes on hidden rocks under water countless times. i think one or two toe nails may fall off, but what are a few toe nails?
posted by yao at 12:37 PM
1 Comments:
there weren't really any caves or anything around there, but there were some people who were canyoneering (belaying down cliffs). sperlunking requires a bit more risk and specialized tools than hiking.
anyway, i did go with 4 other people, and i did hold them back. well, not really since they just ditched me and i continued walking at my slow pace. so i guess i was afraid of it at the begining of the trip. that's why i genereally prefer hiking alone. i can go at my own pace and be comfortable. i literally had to limp the last few miles. i was limping around for almost a week after the hike too.
we did rent some socks and canyoneering boots. the socks were neoprane and the boots were okay i guess. they stuck well to wet/dry rocks that didn't have moss on them. they also gave us a stick, which is very useful since we couldn't see the rocks under the water.
i didn't have wet underwear! i was supposed to bring a swim suit, but i forgot, so i bought a pair of nylon shorts, which was quick drying. i had a polyester shirt on too. and the shoes/socks we got were made to be worn in water/wet conditions. basically, no cotton at all since cotton offers no warmth when wet.
anyway, if you want to hike slowly, you can come with me!
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