Where: Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
When: March 2009
Partners: Kip Marshall, Matt Smith, Bo Beck, Ryan from Provo, and 5 other folks whose names I never got
Some months back, Ram suggested Pandora's Box as a particularly nice canyon for me to do in Capitol Reef National Park. And like so many other recommendations I've gotten over the years from reliable sources, I filed it away on my ever-growing to-do list.
So one day not long ago, Kip sent me an email asking if I'd like to do Pandora's Box with him. Of course I did!
Joined by 8 (!) others, including former partners Bo Beck, Matt Smith and Ryan from Provo, we had a large and festive group slogging up the approach trail that dumps you off (and then disappears) on the mesa adjacent to the canyon. Once there, we stopped for a quick break and a few snapshots before making our way over to the head of the canyon. Right away, a couple rappels and the squeezing began...
Leading the group at one point, I came to the first squeeze, got on my belly and started through...for about 6 feet. As it got tighter, I balked and asked Bo (who's thinner than I) to check it out for me. When he reported that it was very, very tight down-canyon, I crawled back up-canyon and elected to stem over this slot, where the going was easier. Soon, the canyon widened.
Soon slotting up again, we encountered more thin narrows and some high-stemming in and around beautiful chambers. A really nice canyon, this one.
And there was the occasional rappel...
And plenty of high-stemming over narrow slots...
While this was no beginner canyon (as there are numerous tight narrows, awkward downclimbs and rappels, as well as plenty of strenuous high-stemming), the going wasn't bad and it was super-fun!
Most of the way through the canyon, there's a sustained (100-yards) stretch of tight narrows. As we made our way toward it's end, Matt spotted fresh cougar prints...in the tight slot! Sweet!
Just beyond a brief widening point in the canyon, it slotted up again and then dumped out into a mesmerizing Subway-like chamber.
Just beyond the subway chamber, we came to the final rappel sequence. Here, a beautiful perch provided views into the stunning amphitheatre at the mouth of canyon.
Done with the technical canyon, I had a bite to eat and waited for word to arrive that the rest of our group had reached the final sequence. Hearing that, I bid farewell to the party and set out for the car. Along the way, I found some nice petrified logs...
I arrived back at the car 8.5 hours after starting out.
Pandora's Box (4AIVR)
