UT: Escalante – Raven – A canyoneers memoir of a milestone

Raven is unlike any other. It is not for the faint of heart, or for those that are out of shape. It requires a climber’s mind. Many canyons can be done if there is a capable leader. This one requires everyone be at least advanced or expert level. Can it be dumbed down? Sure, just like Everest can be. With enough bolts and lines it can be safely protected. As of now, there is no protection. Let’s keep it that way.

There are canyons, and then there are those that move into the world of X (exposed moves where a small mistake will lead to serious injury or death). I submit that these types of canyons are in a completely different class of their own. They require different skills, and are not for every canyoneer. And by the way, that is OK.

It has taken me lots of trips to work toward this one. I’ve done several in the R category. Raven is a big step above any R. At least it is for me. I find it similar to a free climber’s world. No rope, just you and the rock.

The vast majority of the population will never step foot in any canyon. Most will never do a 5th class climb. Heck, I just realized a few weeks ago many never even want to experience a wilderness hike! If we break it down from outdoorsman, to mountaineer, to climber, to canyoneer; certainly the numbers diminish.

I did not grow up as a climber, as some here have; only being introduced to climbing and canyoneering a little over 3 years ago. In my mind’s eye, I’m still a rookie. Why? I fully recognize the giants that have done much harder canyons (DDI, Long Branch, Bishop, Scorpion, Big Tony …). I have a renewed respect for you. You are pioneers that broke barriers to a new world. For you, going into Raven is a walk in the park. Silos are second nature by now.

However for me, Raven is no walk. These things are amazing. But they are full of risk. How much? That can only be answered individually. Each of us has our own level of acceptable risk, with accompanying varying degrees of confidence, skill, and experience.

For those of us who do venture out, we progress and learn. We seek after it. Most sensibly never take on challenges beyond ability. We acknowledge honestly our progress, and then carefully recalculate skills gained. Our line of acceptable risk is set by our own boundaries counter weighted with reward. And that reward can be amazing! It can be a satisfaction and sense of accomplishment often difficult to describe. But the best mountaineers acknowledge when the risks are too great. They will turn back from that 8,000m peak only 50 meters short of the summit. They will spend their entire lives working toward a goal, but to let it go only in the final moments. They recognize that pushing the limit too far will result in death. The best of them recognize the fine line between commitment and obsession.

I pushed my limit in Raven. However, I did not push it beyond my own reasonable level of acceptable risk. The calculations paid off, and the sense of accomplishment is beyond fulfilling.

We started early am near Chimney Rock. The day was sunny as we left our packs at the nose between Headless Hen and Raven. We took light packs, expecting to do a lot of high stemming.

Once at the nose, navigation is easy. You just stay to the West of the rim and counter around up to the head.

The start of the canyon puts you off the deck almost immediately. There are several mini silos you have to cross, high off the deck. I say mini, but when you are crossing them they may not feel too mini at the time. ;-)

You will pass an open section that you can easily scramble out (~1/4 way, 3rd to 4th class). Take it if you need to. At this point, the mini-silos aren’t too bad. But if they feel too much, you have an early opportunity to escape.

Then after a few more silos and ~30 minutes of high stemming, you are out in the open. There was our exit! About half way through, there is an even easier escape (2nd class) that will take you home. And the next part of the canyon is staring immediately right at you: a ~40’ narrow steep chimney climb up to a wedged chock stone. Do you continue?

Others have reported that there would be much harder silos to cross up ahead. I didn’t come here to die. However, I felt the undeniable pull to take the easy exit. After a few minutes of discussion, and our own silent contemplation, onward we went. Up. Up. Immediately my foot slipped and I barely recovered. A serious injury just narrowly averted. Did the exit next to me take away some of my confidence? Focus. Focus.

After a couple more silos, these ones much bigger, we got to another chock stone and then down to the canyon floor! We made it. Or so we thought…more stemming required. Again, up we went.

More silos, and then a big silo some call black raven. You come to a point where the only available options seem to be going down (but how?), and then climbing back out (how?). Or, you could stem up even higher and stretch really far out and cross (no way).

The drop here looked like 100’, but in reality was only 40’ or so. A fall here would be disastrous. Tyler then figured out an option. If you could somehow get your foot on a narrow ledge on the right, you could hold yourself there for a second and then quickly lean on the other side toward the narrow slot farther down canyon. Do this all very carefully while hovering over open space.

Dig deep. Push. Weigh carefully the fear and risk, and turn it into confident focus. The move is a relatively easy one to make: if you were only a few inches off the canyon floor, you wouldn’t even think twice about it.

Here I go…step over …now into exposed space…foot dangling…now eject out of the tight slot behind me…foot lands on small hold…please don’t let it slide on that sand…lean over to catch your weight…carefully move down canyon….and stem again. Whew. Made it!

Looking back at black raven, pics never do justice do they?
​ By the way, you do get to the canyon floor again (thinking you are done with some high fives), but it slots up, more stemming, another mini silo or two, some potholes to escape (fairly easy with partner assists), and you are out!

Extra care to avoid. Guess on the bird type? ​
The strength of teamwork is undeniable, especially that explicit trust when you put your life into the hands of others. Those experiences are leveraged in your regular daily life.

Would it be a walk in the park for me next time? No, but maybe a little easier. It is the hardest I’ve done…so far. ;-)

Thanks for reading and coming along with me into Raven.

Canyon time: 2 hours (not including approach or return), 3AII X-

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