UT: Capitol Reef A Day in Pandora

The penultimate rappel did not instill confidence in anyone. The slung bush was dead, rotten. The new anchor someone built over a large boulder right in the watercourse. Two issues. First, it was under a large wobbly boulder that looked fine if not carefully inspected. Large cracks were forming around it, and it was unstable against the wall. Most likely OK for today? Maybe? Second, the sling simply fell into a narrow crack that would inevitably suck you in. Inviting sure narrow crack fighting while on rappel. Moreover, there appeared to be no other options to anchor from. I suppose most canyoners would have accepted the situation and quickly went on. For us, we took pause…

Pandora has a bit of a reputation. Some rescues and near misses. Mostly due to the remoteness and commitment you need to make to get there. It is a tiring day, and mistakes or injuries are a bit more likely. Solid skill, experience, strength, and endurance are needed for this one. Interesting that some of the beta out there says “large people need to climb up higher in some sections…”, well everyone needs to climb. Depending on sand levels, a few narrow sections even small people can’t get through. To emphasize: anchor experience, downclimbing, stemming and squeezing abilities are required. Go in prepared and confident, you will be fine.

I took a quick check of the watch, 5:10 am start. September 10, 2022. We could have started at any time, as I didn’t sleep at all. Anxiety was in full force. Even though I had done this canyon over 8 years ago, time marches on. Furthermore, we planned the trip months ago. There was a lot of history for this day. Here we go.

The planning. In March, I set a goal for doing Pandora later in the year. I had a lot of weight I wanted to lose and mountain bike goals I wanted to hit. I called my goals “determined for Pandora again”. But I did have some setbacks. A late spring snowmobile ride injured my knee. And a canyon trip right after that twisted an ankle. But I stayed with it. Healing, beating my speed targets, and beating the endurance goals. I was finally ready. Elizabeth also set several goals and wanted to do it. Motivated, she was ready too. Moreover, Tyler and Katelyn had just finished the Tetons Grand Traverse the weekend before. If anyone was a “super athlete”, ready for anything, they were. We assembled a great team.

Back to the trip. The hike started up some steep hills and I was already gasping for breath. Good grief, maybe I wasn’t ready? Or perhaps all the smoke from the fires were getting to me. Yet finally, we got to sunrise rock around 6:15 am, then the head of the canyon around 6:45. Just in time for the sunrise.



Now what, water? Yes, potholes and the rock pockets were full of water. The head of the canyon was wet. We opted to go in light, so no wetsuits. Maybe we miscalculated and would freeze to death in there. Stray thoughts plagued us…attitude...keep a positive attitude…

Now fully committed, we harnessed up and got into a smooth rhythm. What a fantastic time! The canyon is a true slot canyon. Love it. Narrow, and many spots a challenge to get through. Some points I would lean my helmet against a rock and stretch down to thread an anchor. Others we slithered through. Blindly balancing one foot on a small ledge while using our arms to take a spot for another. A few places I wondered how we would ever get through, but they yielded easily.

Splash, squish. Socks and shoes were now muddy and wet. Multiple spots where the water is unavoidable, but mostly ankle deep on this day. Only one section had water past our knees. Woohoo, no wading or swimming!

Teamwork is key. And getting purchase to climb up and over can be tough. However, once you are up and going; the stemming is straightforward. You really don’t notice how far up you are, keep moving and have fun. Not bad at all. This place is filled with amazing beauty and charm.



There is one specific high stem section you can escape on a ramp to the right. Some opted to go around it with the ramp bypass (make sure to stay RDC to work back down for the easiest path back to the canyon floor). Others did the high stemming, and some tried both. All of us agreed it wasn’t the hardest point of the day. Afterwards, we stopped for a lunch break (even though it was about 9:30 at this point…ha ha). We were all feeling pretty good!

I’ll yield to the beta out there for the play by play, as they are all very good and accurate. But a note on one section. Rap 5 at the end of a long narrow section that opens to a large subway, is especially tricky. The first time I went through years ago I got my arm caught on my pack and injured my arm. This trip Elizabeth got her finger stuck between the rope and the rock. Seems that spot has always provided us an injury. Climb up and over, and carefully come back down. Doable. Be careful. Don’t forget to take a picture in the subway below.






We finally arrived at the penultimate rappel. Done already? I again looked at my watch, the time was about 11:15 am. Perhaps we overestimated the time needed. Yet Meeks Mesa was still out there…

After a lot of design discussions for the anchor, we opted to sling from a larger bush higher up the shelf above the canyon. That provided us a straight clean rap right to the canyon floor for the final rappel. It took us some extra time, but we felt good in getting it right.

We were super careful on the last rappel, rigged a clean pull, but it still proved tough. A few hard pulls later, we got it. Harnesses off, ropes coiled, we scrambled the boulders and got to Meeks Mesa. Most of it was 3rd class, but some was 4th class and a bit tough. Harder than I remember. There are some cairns, yet even with them and a GPS it was tricky.

The mesa finally yielded; and got back to sunrise rock where we stashed some much-needed water previously. About 4 liters for the day was about right. Finally, back to the car by 3:30.




That’s it. A trip report from me is long overdue. Thanks for sharing the journey. Have fun and get out there!

It was worth the wait!! Great report and accomplishments, Mark.

Awesome. Thanks for this. And for being responsible, even at the end of a long canyon...

Tom

Strong work Mark and thanks for the excellent trip report. I still haven't returned to Pandora since my trip just a week after yours all those years ago. Other than a very cold and difficult day in Imlay a few years back, that trip through Pandora remains the most "mentally challenging" day I have ever experienced in a canyon. I still remember several challenging sections, doubting our chances for success, but thinking: Mark and Tyler did this last week so we should be ok. Perhaps it's time for a return trip.

Hey Taylor, good to hear from you. I still remember taking our first WFR class years ago.

It wasn't nearly as hard as I remember, actually easier than many other canyons I've done. However, like anything in life, being prepared helps a ton: physically, mentally, skills, etc. Weather and the conditions will also be a huge factor on your fatigue or overall risk. Go easy with a steady mind and enjoy.

You would do fine in Pandora. It is one of the best.

Pandora is a challenging canyon to write a good description of. Lots of people underestimate it because it does not sound like much.

Tom