Ryan, Jeff and I awoke at the impure hour of three in the morning. This would allow us to do all the on-trail approach hike in the dark and the cross country approach just as the first sun hit our side of the Earth. This early start was necessary due to the looming possibility of late afternoon thunderstorms. The last thing any of us wanted was to be in the narrowest, darkest part of Imlay with black clouds and rain overhead. My one other attempt to see Imlay years ago was aborted when it started raining on our approach. To our satisfaction we had a starry night sky and a crisp, clear morning.
Imlay is one of the most beautiful and most challenging canyons in Zion and perhaps the Colorado Plateau. Much of its challenge comes from long, sustained narrows with cold water and very deep potholes. Before the monsoon rains arrive, the water in the potholes can be filled only halfway or lower. These so called keeper potholes can be significant obstacles to escape from, especially when the lips are smooth and overhanging and there is a lack of objects beyond to lasso. Escape may be possible by one person climbing, partner assists, pot shots (tossing bags of sand or water with a rope attached to try and pull yourself out on), wedging/lassoing a rope or other object on something beyond the pothole, inflating a small raft to give more buoyancy and support, or as a last resort, hooking your way out of the pothole on small manmade holes. The geometry and water level of every pothole is different so part of the challenge is utilizing the best tool for the job. My best tool for the job? Ryan, my deployable 6'6" ladder who could hoist me up as I climbed my way out on thin hand holds. Once the first person was out of the pothole, it was easy for that person to assist the others. From what we had been told the canyon was in pretty difficult (i.e., fun!) condition.
The approach to Imlay was very long. We ran into a deer part way up the infamous Walter's Wiggles swithcbacks- it gracefully jumped right past us down the switchbacks as we watched in astonishment. The off trail bit seemed to drag on for hours. We climbed up and over one steep and sandy saddle only to have to go down into a valley and climb again up another steeper and higher saddle. Brutal! But at last we could see the canyon. We worked our way across nice slickrock to the entry, as one of the most impressive shear, cross-bedded cliffs in Zion towered overhead. The echoes were incredible!
Within the first 50 m of the canyon floor we entered a shallow narrows full of tricky logjams. The trickiest involved a somewhat scary overhanging downclimb of about 6 m. We suited up and had a snack as we still had virtually the entire canyon ahead of us. We tried to be as efficient as possible, pulling ropes from one drop straight to the next or "sequencing" (leap frogging our ropes between drops). After several short rappels in an open canyon, we entered another log-jammed narrows. The Navajo Formation has spectacular patterns here.
Shortly we entered the main narrows where things got exciting. The canyon now dropped fast. Lots of downclimbs, a few rappels and out first real pothole escape challenges. With each drop the canyon grows deeper and darker. The water in the potholes was surprisingly fresh and pleasant. We manged to climb out of every pothole with good climbing skills and some buddy boosts. They were great fun and every one was a little different. One of may favorites had an overhanging log jamming the exit- from the top of the rappel above I attempted to lasso the backside of the log a half dozen times, eventually snagging the end of the rope. Now it was a simple matter of rappelling into the pothole and pulling up on the other side. Most of the potholes were shallow or empty, but I managed to find a few to jump in to. Some of the potholes had the most amazing reflections of canyon walls and sky. A few of the keeper potholes or drops had well-placed logs which were easy to climb up or do high wire traverses across- most convenient.
After a few longer drops we reached some nice sculpted potholes with well placed logs. We reveled in just how beautiful and sustained the Imlay narrows were. We had now been at it for hours (and making excellent time), but the canyon remained strong until its very surprising and abrupt end. For all of the canyon's water fluted and sculpted majesty, the canyon just sort of ends at one last pothole with a flat and characteristically unwater-worn patio beyond. From this small patio, the canyon ends at a 40 m rappel into the Zion Narrows. The view from here is impressive- the drop seems like much more than 40 m as you can see outward a much longer distance, and the tiny tourists below look like, well, ants stumbling their way up a shallow river. So unassuming is this exit that none of the dozens of tourists noticed us until we slowly lowered the rope down to river level. That got their attention. One by one we dropped the mostly freehanging drop, which landed directly in the river. We had several tourists asking us where we were climbing (despite us having rather thick wetsuits on...) so we patiently explained the sport.
For the rest of the hike out the narrows we had that smug satisfaction that we just had the best day of the hundreds of tourists we past (who were probably rather enjoying their days). It was only lunchtime and we were unconcerned by flash floods at this point, so we detoured up Orderville Canyon a little way where we happened upon Aaron. After catching up and splashing around in the water, we continued out the narrows. Jeff amused himself by floating down very shallow and rocky rapids on his back. Ryan amused himself by laughing behind the backs of tourists stumbling around on the slippery and uneven rocks. I took pictures and thought about how awesome the canyon just was. For some silly reason we wore our wetsuits the whole walk back and the shuttle back to our car at the Grotto. About two or three hours after exiting, we were hanging out in Springdale when the sky turned very dark and it immediately torrentially downpoured for about an hour. So glad I was to be out of Imlay! What a great, but long, day!
At the backcountry desk the weather forecast magically improved and canyoning was on the cards again for tomorrow. Jeff, Ryan and I had an Imlay hangover (what else could compare tomorrow?), but Aaron was itchy keen to go canyoning the next day. After much half-hearted and unenthusiastic deliberation we decided to check out Hidden Canyon since none of us had been there before, and what the heck, it was supposed to be worth a go. The girl at the desk was similarly unenthused. "Hidden Canyon please." "Why would you want to do that?" she said. "We don't know. You have a better idea?" "No," she said.
At the backcountry desk the weather forecast magically improved and canyoning was on the cards again for tomorrow. Jeff, Ryan and I had an Imlay hangover (what else could compare tomorrow?), but Aaron was itchy keen to go canyoning the next day. After much half-hearted and unenthusiastic deliberation we decided to check out Hidden Canyon since none of us had been there before, and what the heck, it was supposed to be worth a go. The girl at the desk was similarly unenthused. "Hidden Canyon please." "Why would you want to do that?" she said. "We don't know. You have a better idea?" "No," she said.
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