Yesterday, we were lucky enough to be the first group of the year through Kolob Creek. We exited out the Narrows and all said, I still consider it one of the great (and more difficult) days in Zion Canyoneering.

Friday began by calling the Water Conservancy District; they were releasing 3 CFS but guaranteed to stop all flow by Saturday. We presented this information to the park and, after verifying it for themselves, they issued us a permit.

We dropped a car off at Canyon Junction then drove to Lava Point. The approach via Goose Creek Knoll seemed to be in normal conditions; even Boundary was still flowing. We continued on until reaching Kolob Creek. Even though the WCWCSD was not releasing water, there was still either residual flow or runoff to the tune of about 3–5 cfs. As we descended the canyon, signs could be seen of past floods. Existing webbing was in tatters. We removed most of the anchors and replaced them with new webbing and links. Aside from the ‘high–flow,’ the technical slot did not show many signs of change. The water was clear and cold and only existing debris blocked our way. It was spectacular!

After the last rappel in the upper slot, we geared down, grabbed a snack, and continued down Kolob Creek. It was some distance from the last rappel to the confluence with Oak Creek. There was also quite a bit of swimming and trudging before passing the MIA exit.

Our group split up at the MIA. Some members weren’t feeling up to 14 more miles of difficult canyon hiking. So, we continued on through lower Kolob. There were several swims and many obstacles until we reached the Narrows. Lower Kolob had more debris than I remember but its beauty was indescribably incredible.

I was feeling slightly strained by the time the North Fork arrived. But soon enough, we passed Big Springs and then Imlay. When we started seeing large groups of people, I knew we had almost completed a near perfect day.

Our times are as follows:

7:00 AM – Started Hiking from West Rim
8:00 AM – First Rappel – Upper Slot
12:00 PM – Last Rappel – Upper Slot
1:00 PM – Oak Creek
1:40 PM – The MIA
3:50 PM – Confluence with the North Fork of the Virgin R.
4:50 PM – Big Springs
5:40 PM – Imlay Canyon
7:00 PM – The Temple of Sinawava


KM
July 24, 2011



Ambitious Adventures in Zion:
  Kolob Creek out the Narrows • Kip Marshall
  Just Imlay & Heaps in a Day • Tom Jones
  Zion Trifecta • Jared Campbell & Buzz Burrell
  Zironman • Jared Campbell & Buzz Burrell

© 2011 James Marshall