Mike had the forethought to make reservations for the elusive Mystery Canyon, three months in advance. It amazes me that the park doesn’t let more than 12 people per day down this canyon, making permit availability a nightmare. I now only do Mystery if someone else gets the permits and invites me, or in the winter when permits are readily available.
This may be the first time I’ve eaten a legitimate breakfast before a canyon. We stayed at Mike’s cabin right next to Zion Ponderosa the night before so we would be closer to the trailhead. This gave us time in morning for eggs and bacon instead of the usual cold cereal. On the trail by 7 am, not another soul in sight.
We made our way casually to head of Mystery Canyon. The entrance gulley seems to get steeper every time I come here. There was some nice cloud cover that kept the day cool for us. With four people, Mike, Bruce, Karlyn, and myself, we weren’t very concerned with time so we turned it into a skills practice session. Different blocks, stone knots, tandem rappels, and various other techniques. Moving fairly quickly through the canyon we stopped for lunch just after the dry lake area. The skies weren’t looking as friendly at this point and it started to rain lightly. It rained intermittently for the next hour or so, though not hard enough to cause alarm.
Keep reading at http://www.adventurepluslc.com/canyon/mystery13/
Featured Image for the Homepage