Desert Southwest - The Checklist Edition - The Subway - Zion National Park - September 2014

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After a short bit of straight walking along the joint section, the canyon abruptly turned right and arrived at another water obstacle: a rounded-out, slightly subway-esque stretch of narrows with a series of merged potholes. The potholes were filled with what looked like a fair bit of water.

First Swim Section

Caroline volunteered to go first on this stretch, and chose to hug the left-hand wall. It went up to mid-chest, making it the deepest bit so far. Continuing on, she arrived at a half-submerged chockstone. She informed us that the water continued after the chockstone and then ended at a sandy shoreline shortly beyond.

Avoiding the Deep Stuff

I followed after Brian, who chose to hug the right-hand wall. He managed to get as far as the chockstone without going deeper than to waist-level. I followed in his footsteps to join with him at the chockstone.

Following along

We could see the others waiting for us on the sandy beach, not far ahead. They told us to not bother trying to find a shallow spot - this next bit was a swimmer no matter what. Brian pushed off into the water, floating his pack ahead of him.

I soon followed, floating my DSLR in its protective Outex enclosure ahead of me. Check out the half-submerged picture!

This part's a swim

Outex in Use

Reynauds Man

We were all thoroughly wet after our swim, and those more prone to cold among us - namely Roland and Jenn - seemed a wee bit uncomfortable. Time to continue our walk downcanyon and generate some body heat!

Increasing Grandeur

Below our first swimming stretch of water, the canyon became markedly more majestic. The walls became much taller and more organically-sculpted, and the amount of shrubbery and trees diminished. The indirect daylight and desert varnish-covered sandstone sometimes created a blueish hue on the walls. At the base of the right-hand wall along this section was a flow of water emerging from the ground/wall - a small but vigorous little spring!

Coincidentally - or perhaps because of this spring - from here on down, the Left Fork began to have a flow of water in it (rather than just a disconnected set of still pools, as had been the case up to this point).

Nearing Bowling Ball Corridor

For Roland and Jenn's sake, it would have been nice to have a bit more walking time to regenerate some body heat. But, it wasn't to be: within five minutes we arrived at another stretch of water, this time through a dark, narrow slot-like section. From my route description, I knew that we had arrived at the so-called "Bowling Ball Corridor".

The Bowling Ball Corridor is so named because at two points along its length, there is a chockstone of basalt lava that has eroded into a ball (well, mostly a ball - perhaps better described as highly ovoid). Depending on the current configuration of the slot (water level and the amount of sand/debris on the floor), these balls must be climbed over or swum under. We could see one of the chockstones blocking the way as we stood at the upstream end of the gloomy-looking corridor.

(side note: I remembered the bowling ball section from my last two descents through the Left Fork narrows, and I recalled that it was possible to scramble around it on the left. However, doing so involved a bit of exposed ledge and a short rappel down at the far end - we elected not to try that this time).

Bowling Ball Corridor

The first bit of the Bowling Ball corridor was only hip-deep, and we quickly waded through it to a small section of dry ground. We were now at the first "Bowling Ball". The near side of the ball was filled in with enough sand and debris that we could walk over it - however, on the other side, the slot dropped away under the water . About forty feet further down the corridor, we could see the second chockstone. It was halfway above the water line. Hopefully it would be easy to climb over it - I didn't relish the thought of trying to duck underneath it.

Bowling Ball Section

I watched as Stephanie and Jenn negotiated the watery corridor between the two chockstone bowling balls. It wasn't more than hip-deep today. Stephanie was therefore able to scramble over the second bowling ball. She quickly informed us after doing so that the water afterward was swimming territory - beyond neck-deep.

courtesy PChen

Exit, Bowling Ball Corridor

Negotiating the second bowling ball chockstone could still have been tricky, even though climbing over it wasn't too difficult. If the far side of the chockstone dropped straight into neck-deep water, it would make for an awkward entry.

Fortunately, some sort of debris (a log, I think) had gotten lodged below the second chockstone. I carefully lowered myself down, stomach against the chockstone, and using the log as a foothold / ramp down into the deep water.

Bowling Ball Corridor Exit

A thirty-ish foot swim brought us out of the slot-like narrows and into a wide area, where a sloping ramp of sand allowed for an easy exit. We stopped on the sandy beach just beyond, waiting for everyone to complete Bowling Ball Alley.

courtesy PChen

Bowling Ball Corridor Exit

Brian, BBC Exit swim

Last Man Out

Roland brought up the rear, splashing out of the water at about 11:34 a.m. With a few of us shivering from the long immersion in cool water, we wasted no time and marched on. I knew from the route description that this was the last of the swimming. Noon was approaching - which meant a high sun - and I hoped that soon the canyon would turn in such a manner as to give us a nice slice of warm desert sun.

Watery slot exit, Left Fork North Creek - Click on video above to start

We walked down the now-very-obviously flowing floor of the Left Fork, splashing along a mostly sandy bottom and through little flows and small riffles. Up ahead, we could see sunlight on the far canyon wall as it made a big, left-hand bend. For those looking for a warm sun, it looked promising.

courtesy RHanel

Flowing Water

Nearing a Sunny Bend

Easy wading

In a couple of minutes, we reached the bend. Indeed, not far ahead, the sun's rays reached down to the bottom, fully illuminating the right-hand wall. We all knew immediately that this would be our lunch stop (plus it was nearly noon, so it made sense from a time-of-day perspective)

courtesy PChen

Joint Channels

Sunlight on Canyon Floor

Noontime Warmup

We gathered along a nice warm bench of rock and got out our food, and soaked up the sun's rays. Jenn had a distinctively blue-ish hue to her lips, and I don't think it was avant-garde lipstick. The sun was warm and there was no breeze, and it wasn't long before the cold ones among us were warming up nicely.

courtesy RHanel

A Touch of Cyanosis?

A Fine Canyon

Approaching Keyhole Falls

While the others ate and relaxed, I trotted a bit downcanyon to scout out the next obstacle - Keyhole Falls. At a narrowing in the canyon, a lodged chockstone (the "Key") blocked the flow of the now substantial flow of water in the Left Fork. Depending on water levels, the water flowed over, around and/or under this chockstone. Today it was flowing around and underneath it.

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