Somewhere beyond friggin’ Egypt. I hear there is a canyon or two out there.
Tuesday would take us deep into Escalante territory for some more really good canyons. Brandon put a stipulation on the day: It was his birthday, so we had better be doing some dope canyons. Dave suggested we check out Dove, a fun but short canyon with a ridiculous string of potholes, some of which are pretty tricky to get in and out of. There must’ve been something like 40 or 50 or 300 potholes back to back to back. Never seen anything like it. Kinda like Quandary, only longer and more fun.
Infinite pothole madness.
Ah yeah, the team gearing up. Look at the intensity. Their faces say it all. Dave is ready for action, Malia smiles with anticipation, B’s ready to hike up his skirt a little more, Penny is doing some quick equipment checks, and Doug is so hot in is wettie he could puke.
Partner assist, partner capture. Nice work team. Don’t mind me, I’m just taking pictures.
First tough keeper. Malia aiding out. Notice the shadow of the guy who refuses to lend a hand… And Dave just chilling in pothole paradise.
All smiles now that she’s out.
Doug taking a handline. No bolts or anchors in this canyon. Just partner assist after partner assist.
The birthday boy… Yes ladies, the man is single.
Getting up for a little stemming action.
Doug, Brandon, and Malia, shortly after I slipped and lost my glasses.
The hero, rescues the glasses from the bottom of the slot with a pair of aiders and a hook.
Malia enjoying one of the many jumps in Dove.
Penny taking a little swimmer.
B, huckin’ a sick birthday jack-knife.
Doug, getting his glasses to safety.
Malia contemplating a nice sized jump.
Malia helping Doug out of another difficult keeper.
The canyon was a short one, but we didn’t seem to care. We took a nice leisurely pace through it, and capped it off with a nice competition of centrifugal running. Doug “Twinkle Toes” Noel won the contest, with Dave winning the “Around the World” round. I got honors for “most likely to splash.”
A nasty looking storm front started moving in late in the afternoon, so B and I took off for camp to make sure we could secure everything from the 50 mile an hour winds. No damage, but it didn’t look like the birthday bash was going to be very enjoyable with all the wind and sandblasting going on.
Malia and Penny are great to share the canyons with, no question. But where they shine even better is in throwing parties. You should have seen the presents, wrapped and all, that were flowing out of the trucks. They even found a “Happy Birthday” mylar balloon in the canyon. Had Care-Bears on it, B’s favorite. The party lasted until the rain finally sent us to bed. Nice work Malia and Penny!
B busting into the special “Birthday Beverage.”
Yeah, that’s right. Thirty AND fabulous.
Last light on the storm that was headed our way.
The pterodactyl, known for attacking fellow campmates and raising hell in the middle of the night.
And for the final encore, Escalante decided to give us a fantastic lightning show.
The biggest baddest bolt of the night.