In what may go down as one of the finest days in the history of the sport, I was joined on February 9th by Jenny, TJ, Clint, Ram, and Bruce for a descent of Englestead Hollow out Orderville Canyon. The day started clear and cold. A 300 foot sheet of ice greeted us at the canyon-head; it soon began to snow. We suited up at the first rappel and began our descent making good time in the ice and snow. Once in Orderville canyon, we were slowed by gaps beneath the ice. Near Bulloch Gulch, Orderville Canyon began to flow and never let up. It was a very unique experience as we waded through pools in a blizzard. Occasionally the sun broke through the clouds and welcomed us to the Narrows. I’ll be taking a break from Zion for a few years and couldn’t imagine a more fitting end.
Trip Report
Wib
Englestead is by far one of my fav’s! beautiful timing!
John Styrnol
Been there in early Jun 2008 with some nice snow banks, but nothing like that.
SCard
WOW! Just…..WOW! Another adventure that must go on my list of to do’s. Spectacular!
Ram
here is the first installment of my pictures, just from Englestead. The Orderville pictures will follow tomorrow. When driving up top, we only got stuck once. Nice one Kip. We took the ATV trail down toward the canyon and some of but slide the steep slope. Kip tried to both….. side step, then fall, then slide, then remain on the ground making funny faces, lamenting a screaming tailbone.
The rap series at top took some time and many of us got a chill. The icefall near the bottom on the 2nd rap was breaking away under our little rapping feet and was dangerous. The first falls was not continuous so no 300 foot line existed, but great ice was up high and OK ice down low. Past the raps, the snow fell and the canyon was deeper in snow. Hollow ice plates broke under the leaders weight, feeling like you had fallen 4 feet. It was usually two feet, but your belly said it was further. We had to stay in the watercourse and rappel at Englestead and Orderville confluence, insrtead of the snow kledge which was out of condition. Pretty cool down that way. We were in Orderville before 1 PM and it was snow filled……to be continued.
Pictures?
Rockrat
Amazing, Looks like a whole different world in the winter!!!
TJ Cottam
It certainly was an excellent trip! I put a bunch of photos on facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.610558072292504.152791.127018853979764&type=1
Jenny
I ditto that, Kip. If this day was not the best day in the canyons for me, it is one of the top two. Thank so much for the idea. Calling up the perfect snow storm at the perfect time was shear genius. Hurry back to the red rock country. You will surely be missed.
Dan Ransom
Wow. And to think, I missed this trip! Good stuff.
Just think, you are trading the navajo slots of Zion for the concrete canyons of Manhattan. You sure you are in a good headspace?
Nick Woolley
Epic. And what an amazing way to say goodbye to Zion for a while!
ratagonia
Awesome!
Bill
That ice is amazing.