Ram had extended an invite for me to join him, Aaron, and Tim in Zion for a Imlay on Christmas Day. Yikes, sounds cold, but I didn't have any other plans, and hadn't done anything crazy in awhile, so I accepted his generous invitation.
After a lengthy discussion with Brian C. though, I got a little worried. I've done a lot of canyons in Zion, but none in the winter. He warned winter conditions are a whole different ball game. To make sure I could bring a good A game, I decided to go down early and do a couple of canyons solo to make sure I was ready.
Day 1 - Keyhole and Pine Creek
What better canyon to start in than Keyhole?!?!? Yeah, I know
For the first day, I wore a 2-piece 5mm suit. It was workable, but even just in Keyhole, I started to get a little chilly by the end. Both canyons had a bit of ice from thin and easily passable to 1/2" and hard to break as you crossed a pool. Of course the camera battery proceeds to die after the second rap in Pine Creek. Doh! I rented a drysuit on my way back through Springdale...
Day 2 - Spry... or not...
Day 2 dawned early, and I went to the Spry exit to gear up. Apparently not shaving or showering for a couple of days had turned my normal "clean cut and trustworthy" look into "escaped mental patient", because an hour+ later and 20-30 passing cars proved I was not going to be picked up. Grumble... grumble... off to do some hiking instead.
The Imlay group met up Saturday night and we got organized for a early start on Sunday.