Mike Brunson getting ready for the walk in to Misery Canyon.
Finding your way to the head of Misery Canyon takes you across the open terrain of Checkerboard Mesa and using a GPS is very helpful. As it turned out we ended up assisting three misguided hikers who had planned on descending the exit route to get to Parunaweap Canyon (East Fork of the Virgin River) and mistakenly went down the technical route without any technical gear. When we caught up with them they were in a cold subterranean section between what they couldn't climb back up and couldn't descend further. We rigged them up and helped them down. The moral of the story is know what you're doing and be prepared.
Another spectacular day in Zion.
The entrance pools to Fat Man's Misery Canyon.
The first of a number of short rappels.
We found this canyon to be elegant and not too technical. It's a great adventure if you're
looking for something away from the more popular canyons in incredibly scenic country.
One of the antique anchors found in Misery Canyon.
One of the natural anchors found in Misery Canyon. The canyon is free from all but the antique
bolts (which shouldn't be used) making it fun to move through on the easy-to-find natural anchors.
The confluence of Misery Canyon and the East Fork of the Virgin River (Parunaweap Canyon).
Mike in Parunaweap Canyon.
The East Fork of the Virgin River through Parunaweap Canyon is a slightly
smaller and a much less visited version of the North Fork through the Zion Narrows.