Tumbling Through Telephone Canyon

I know I've been saying this quite often lately, but I truly am beginning to question my sanity.  I found myself doing it again early Saturday evening, as a group of us trudged up the steep slickrock in Zion National Park.  We were all exhausted and incredibly sore after a full day of tackling Telephone Canyon, but there we were in the 100+ degree blistering heat, trying to find the trail that would lead us back to civilization.  We all moaned and groaned as we climbed further and further up the massive rock formation, but we had no choice but to continue on.  This is when I began questioning myself.  My feet ached, my quads burned, and my mouth felt like cotton.  The lukewarm water in my Camelback had ceased being refreshing hours ago.  I wanted nothing more than to be sitting at camp with a cold beer in my hand.  I could almost taste the bitter effervescence...

Dehydrated and spent, I had no one to blame but myself for this one.  It was definitely my fault we were here, after all.  Mouse would have been content spending the weekend by the pool.  I was the one who had pushed for this trip to Zion and for a day of canyoneering.  It had been way too long since we had visited Zion, and I had been craving a good day in the canyons for months.  I'm no newbie to the trials and tribulations of the canyons; I knew what I was getting myself into.  So, I did my best to keep my mouth shut and soldier on.

As we traipsed through the backcountry and I thought about the day, I had to admit it had been pretty good, despite my current state of fatigue.  There's just something about being in Zion that makes me feel alive.  And there's something about completing a canyon that makes me feel like I can conquer the world.  We descend into the unknown depths of unforgiving rock and hope for the best.  Sometimes, we swim through icy cold pools.  Sometimes, we wade through muck.  We didn't have to do either on Saturday, as Telephone is bone-dry this time of year, but we did have to contend with a series of incredibly awkward and challenging rappels.  I knocked myself around quite badly on a few of them, and am now sporting the scrapes and bruises to prove it.  But I also found myself in awe of the magnificent views as we delved further into the heart of the canyon.

Eventually we found the trail leading us back to the main part of the park.  Not long after, we found ourselves sitting at the campsite, knocking back ice cold beers, and trading war stories with our friends who had tackled other canyons that day.  Crazy or not, I can't think of a better way to spend my weekend.