Spry

Rain is not common in Zion in Autumn and rain is exactly what you don't want when canyoneering. We knew it was coming and as we hung out around the fire on Monday night we talked about our options forba canyon after the rain had passed the next morning. The Subway seemed like a bad idea and after much consideration we decided to try for a Spry permit the next morning.

The rain came right on time and kept up all night but as the sun rose over the Watchman the rain was gone but with it the temperatures dropped into the 40s and a nice brisk wind blew in.

We got our permit and headed out for Spry. A long approach took us by some petroglyphs and provided a chance for us to warm up but we all knew what was coming and I think we were all a little worried about how cold it was going to be. We delayed putting on our wetsuits for as long as possible but the normally dry Spry was quite wet and at the top of a hundred foot drop we could see a pool below and knew we would be swimming and the time had come.

Stripping down and putting on a wetsuit at the top of a waterfall with a strong wind in your face is quite the experience and from there we knew were going to have to move fast through the canyon. I can get really cold but my 4/3 wetsuit proved to be up for it and was never too bad.

Both Edmund and Jeff had done the canyon before but neither could quite remember it or agree what was coming up next. After a dozen or so rappels and some tricky downclimbs they both decided we were at the next to last rap but every time there was another one right around the corner. We must have done six 'next to last' raps before there was nothing around the next corner and were looking out from the last rap to Highway 9 and Pine Creek from where we had come.

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