I am lucky enough to have taken my third float down some of the Escalante this past May as well. Naturally we pulled off at Neon Canyon to visit Golden Cathedral. The place really is special, quiet and intimate. But this time our visit along with other day hikers who took the walk up was wholly devalued by the dominating occupation of just a small canyoneering group. Here we are in a “cathedral” that has been deemed special even by Escalante standards, and yet for an hour at least had been transformed into a megaphone and a GoPro photoshoot.
Really, I wasn’t all that bitter about it since I’d experienced the spot in general peace and quiet before. Just annoyed at our timing. Yet I did feel quite sorry for the folks who had put hours of effort into a special trip to see the place. Especially since these folks were trying to experience the place in a way that does very little to diminish the experience of others.
I’m taking the effort to share my view of this experience because it provoked thought and reflection in me at the time, and perhaps it will for others here as this is a site that is largely based in wilderness experience. I myself enjoy technical canyoneering in a certain context, but as a wilderness traveler I try to reflect on the effects that everything I do in the backcountry has on others as well as the environment. I came to the conclusion that my technical canyoneering should have little business occupying places like Golden Cathedral, that is places that people intentionally visit for its natural beauty (not to see a spectacle).
Thanks for taking the time to write up the trip report and a bit of history, I enjoyed it. I too have come to the conclusion that the reward of multi-sport trips is disproportional to the added complexity, and can actually confuse and detract from the intention and quality of the trip. I love my pack rafting trips, but even they instill a great appreciation for the sweet simplicity of just plain backpacking.
My friend just bought a Scout, I’m curious to see how the bottom copes in the butt-dragging desert ditches. I’ll let you know!
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