Birch Hollow Rappelling

One of my favorite rappelling hikes in Zion National Park (that doesn’t have water) is Birch Hollow.  The nice thing about Birch Hollow (other than the long rappels) is that it is a dry canyon. The bad thing about Birch Hollow, if you don’t have a really good 4-wheel drive vehicle you will have to hike out a nasty 1-2 hour hike (most people hike out, they don’t drive in).

Approach: Go to Zion Ponderosa Ranch (nearish the East Entrance of Zion).  Continue past Zion Ponderosa Ranch approximately 3.5 miles (mostly on dirt road). You will see a sign for the Birch Hollow hike. Note: Before parking your car here, make sure you park a car or dirt bike at the pick up point… the Orderville trail head. You will hike down the canyon and rappel 2 jaggedy rock faces with deep overhangs.

Group Gear: 100m rope, 2 cars, and rope protection for sharp edges.
Personal Gear: harness, locking carabiner, descender (figure 8, ATC, etc), shoes that grip, helmet, gloves and water.
Hike Time: 3-5 hour canyon hike, 1-2 hour exit hike. We had 4 people and 2 ropes (both 60m ropes that we had to tie together for 3 of the rappels) and it took us 4 hours 15 minutes total.
Rappels: about 12 (if my memory serves me). The longest required rappel (shown below) is about 90 ft.

Keyhole Slot Canyon

Keyhole is a short, water-filled slot canyon in Zion National Park. Keyhole slot canyon is great for beginners to canyoneering because it requires lots of skills, but only on beginner levels.  All the rappels are short with pre-set anchors.  Water swims are quick. No difficult down climbs. The best part about this canyon, next to no hiking! There is about 10 minutes of hiking to get to the entrance, and you come out next to your car. The downside to this hike, the water is COLD!!!

Approach: To get to Keyhole, drive past the Zion National Park Visitor’s Center, stay to the right (don’t go up the main tourist canyon), through the long tunnel in the rock, past the East Entrance, and continue for 2.1 miles. The trail is not marked so park where the drainage crosses the road. Walk up the road, around the bend (less than a 1/4 mile).  The trail will be on your left. You will hike up a semi steep rock face for about 10 minutes, down the other side for about 2 minutes, then walk through the canyon on your left. On the other side of the short canyon, walk straight for about 50 yards; Keyhole will be on your left.

Group Gear: 60m rope.
Personal Gear: harness, locking carabiner, descender (figure 8, ATC, etc), wetsuit, neoprene socks, shoes that grip, helmet, gloves and water.
Hike Time: 2-4 hours (we had a group of 7, and it took around 2 hours 45 minutes).
Rappels: 2-4 rappels.

Birthday Update

So my birthday ended AWESOME! After waking up to breakfast and a bunch of fun gifts ranging from tangible, to edible, to fun adventures, I was treated to a manicure and pedicure, then lunch at Happy Sumo and dessert at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for some delicious caramel apples.  Bade hates sushi, almost as much as I hate avocado, but since it was my day he sacrificed for me.

In the afternoon I had to do a little work, but birthday celebrations continued for dinner.  Bade took me to Black Sheep Cafe, which is a Native American restaurant. We have been wanting to go there for weeks, but every time we try there is a big wait. The food was yummy, the decor was odd, and birthday dessert was ice cream with homemade caramel (my favorite), yum!

Early Morning Birthday

Today is my birthday! “and I’m gonna have a good time”

I woke up this morning with breakfast brought by Bade, a box of my favorite junk foods, a photo album of Bades and my adventures, and a certificate to go paragliding! What a good way to start my birthday :-) 

Big Fish Sunday

I think Bade caught the biggest fish from his little pond today, and he was only fishing for about 2 minutes!  Look at this monster! (Oh and yes, we were painting all morning…that’s what’s all over his hands.)

Grilled Peaches And Cream

It is warming up outside, which means its grilling season.  Ok, so it isn’t that warm at Bade’s house yet, but it is warm enough where I don’t feel bad making him go out and grill.  So tonight, we cooked up New York Strip steak with red bell peppers and mushrooms on a kebab, with buttered squash in tin foil. For dessert, I drained a can of peaches (no added sugar, stored in water, not syrup) and sprinkled on 3-4 Tbsp brown sugar, and about 1 tsp of cinnamon.  Add a little butter to the mixture, and wrap up in tin foil. Grill on medium heat for about 15 minutes.  Serve over ice cream with maple syrup, and optional granola.  Next time I even want to add a little cake mix to the peach mixture to make it a little more like a cobbler.

House Work On Your Head

Bade and I have been hard at work on his house all day today. From caulking EVERYWHERE (caulk seems to be our answer to any tiny gap or misalignment) to painting closets (yuck, I do NOT suggest painting closets unless you can delegate that job to someone other than yourself) and even painting bead board to put in the back of the glass front kitchen cabinets.

Early Morning Fishing

So I am beginning to get a sense of how much Bade loves to fish.  First thing when getting home from work, Bade goes right to the back porch to check on his fish in the river.  When I ask Bade to turn on the grill for dinner, he takes his fishing pole out with him so he can fish as the grill heats up.  First thing in the morning, Bade checks on his fish, even catches one often before breakfast. So needless to say, I have MANY pictures like the following.

Bathroom Remodel

This weekend, while listening to LDS General Conference, Bade and Z installed a new slate floor in Bade’s main floor bathroom.  This slate is MUCH better than the gross carpet that was in there before! We also switched out the vanity for a half vanity, the toilet for a new elongated white one, a new light fixture, and a giant (48″ wide by 36″ tall) mirror to span from the wall to the shower.  We left the wood walls and ceiling (it’s like a sauna when you shower). And even though it doesn’t match, Bade had to keep that jetted tube; super strong jets. The best part, when you open the window you can hear the river really well :).

Dirt Filled Weekend

With a mere 2.5 hour car ride, Bade and I arrived at a camp filled with dirt bikes. Ok, there were literally like 15 dirt bikes, which is really funny because there were only 10 possible (if you count me) drivers, and 10 kids 6 or younger. The dirt bikes ranged in size from 400cc down to 50cc; the 6 year-olds could ride the 50cc bikes all by themselves. We spent 3 hours riding the first day, and 6 hours riding the second day. Since this was my first time riding a dirt bike, my butt was very unprepared, and a day later I am still feeling it :-/. Even with a very tired and sore rear-end, it was a really fun weekend and I hope to do it again soon :).