Stuff

That's the title I use when I can't think of what to name a post. So a few recent things and plans...

Haven't managed to get out and do any canyon since Suicide. I WAS gonna do Eaton finally with Dave and 2 other guys but, lame old me somehow slept through 4 alarms (not snoozed, slept), and woke up like 15min before the meeting time haha. Sucks for me. Will have to do it sometime soon.

Last Wednesday though I did manage to get out to Stoney Point with Zack and have some fun. Taught him a few things, did a bunch of raps, finally got myself a longer runner (for mariner hitch purposes), with lots of practice ascending, switching to descending, etc. Was a fun day, especially at one rap we played bumper cars coming down on. Nothing like crashing into each other on a freehang on a rope heading towards the ground - that was tons of fun. We were both equalized on 3 good bolts and there was a smooth rounded edge, so... :D But yea... not up for debating safety issues of that.

Unfortunately I did not have the camera with me at the time. The last rappel for me of the day involved going off the very edge of stoney point, was probably just under 90 feet, partially free hanging. Was kinda hoping no onlooking drivers were calling the police saying I was going to "jump" since I was standing on the edge for a while, debating and reinforcing the bolts I rappelled off of. I will have to go back sometime this summer and take a picture. If it wasn't safe I would not have done it, but for kicks I'll describe it:

Two large screws in the rock. A chain link of I think around 7 links, with the ends placed on the screws and fastened down with nuts. The sketchy part was I could move the screws in the holes they were in. Not up and down but around. Even so, they were really stuck in there and at the angle of rappel the chance of them moving "up" was fairly nonexistant. I put myself on rappel and went the other way (on the ground) just to shock and test it - at an angle much more likely to get the screws to move upwards. It held fine but I used my smaller rope to back it up to a tree a little farther back anyway... for mental comfort. One of those moments where the technical side knows its safe but the creative side is uncomfortable anyway. Will have to take a picture when I go back.

So that was Stoney Point. In other news... I'm not entirely Superman anymore. No more diving into bushes of poison oak and eating it for breakfast as the past 9 months have been. My lower left leg.... failed me. That is all.

As for future stuff... ZION! Plans just got made, woohoo. Josh, Zack and myself. The three of us are going to head up and spend Monday through Friday there, going to be a blast. So hopefully I'll get at least 3 canyons I haven't done yet under my belt after this is through. Really hoping we get to do Mystery and Englestead. Also hoping we get through something quick and maybe hike up Angel's Landing the same day, as I haven't done that yet. Zack has though apparently, since he lived in Utah for a while. As for doing a canyon I've already done... man it would be a hard choice between Pine Creek and Spry. The first has just some awesome rappels, especially the last... but the latter has such a beautiful exit hike with so much downclimbing and river hopping!

So, definitely stoked about this, can't wait. Other than upcoming Zion, starting to drive north a little and do some canyons there over a few days, as opposed to having to drive up multiple days and multiple trips. Would like to hit up the Seven Teacups again, do Tar Creek, and maybe another one or two in one trip, probably get John and Kyle to get out there with me since they live up there.

Ordered myself a nice backpack from REI as well, so hoping I can get a few overnight camping/backpacking trips in this summer, as I can't remember the last time I did. Hopefully it gets here on the "expected date" of Saturday too, so I can have it before Zion. If not, mine will do fine. Don't fail me REI!!!