Kolob

Marty and I just got back from a 2 day adventure down Kolob Creek. We started Monday morning and drove up to Lava Point and bushwhacked over to the head of Kolob Creek. Canyoneering through Kolob is always a challenge and thick wet suits or dry suits are a necessity. We chose to don dry suits this time. We also had heavy packs as we planned to spend the night in Kolob before hiking out of the Narrows the second day. These heavy packs make rappelling and swimming more challenging. The first part of the canyon is quite technical and has several raps and some very deep and cold pools of water. Everything was going well until the last (and the longest at 165 feet) rappel. Marty got hung up on a knot about 100 feet up and while free hanging. It took him 30 minutes to solve this problem and continue rappelling down into the large pool below. Once down we began to hike down the deep and narrow canyon. A few more swims and short rappels we passed the MIA route (our usual exit from the canyon, albeit a steep and grueling hike out) and continued down Kolob. We finally made our camp somewhere above the confluence of Kolob and the North Fork of the Virgin. The next morning we began the fairly long journey down the Narrows. The fall leaves were beautiful and the river clear. Of course it was cold and it was nice to get home and be warm again. The hike down the Narrows is always spectacular, but it is challenging with a heavy pack. I did slip and fall down hard once and it left me with some bruises. Marty did well, but also admitted to some sore back muscles. It was fun to do a challenging canyon with Marty and spend the night in the backcountry of Zion. Choosing a difficult and seldom visited canyon added to the adventure.