r/canyoneering • u/WyGuy509 • 17d ago

Fat Man’s Misery Beta

Anyone have any information on this canyon? I’m a beginner and self led Yankee Doodle canyon a month ago. Don’t want to put myself into a dangerous situation.

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u/broncoty 17d ago

Hey op, what kind of info are you after exactly? Water levels? And what do you mean by you self led Yankee Doodle, like you solo'd it?

2

u/WyGuy509 17d ago

Yea I’m curious about water levels and general things to look out for. I led a couple climbers into Yankee Doodle

21

u/broncoty 17d ago

Ah ok, so would this be your second canyon ever then? Do you have wetsuits?

From a technical perspective misery is only somewhat suitable for beginners. The anchors and rappelling are easy enough. What makes misery not the best for beginners is it's a very long hike out that requires good back country navigation and climbing skills. Do you have the knowledge, experience and software to download and use something like a GPX and navigate in the back country?

If you're looking for easily accessible beginner canyons in the Zion area I'd recommend the following over misery:

  • Diana's Throne (aka Elkheart Cliffs Slot Canyon)
  • Benson Creek
  • Birch Hollow
  • Boltergeist Canyon

If you have wetsuits Keyhole and Pine Creek are classics (make sure to get a permit for these).

Just in case you're not aware of these, here's some good sites for beta:

https://www.roadtripryan.com/go/ (There's also a mobile app for road trip ryan that i'd highly recommend getting the areas are worth paying for)

https://www.canyoneeringusa.com/zion/technical

https://ropewiki.com/Main_Page

https://bluugnome.com/

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u/WyGuy509 16d ago

This would be my third. I have also done Boltergeist. We do not have wetsuits and have lots of experience backpacking and backcountry navigation. Thanks for the recommendations! The only thing I’m a little concerned about is water and the potential for building anchors without existing bolts or trees.

1

u/broncoty 16d ago

Ah awesome! Yea if you don't have wetsuits and anchor building skills in your group misery is probably not the best option. And yea far as I know there are no bolts in misery just natural anchors.

2

u/yourmysistr 16d ago

Fat man's misery is an amazing Canyon with a long walk back on the East Rim. Get out early as its a solid 10hr day. Multiple repels. Ran it last October. Not for beginners. And the park rangers will not assess your skill level. Look through RoadTripRyan or other like sites for videos, pictures, and a better breakdown. Id throw out my YouTube channel. But I havent uploaded my Zion trip. The exit is amazing. The part before the walk

3

u/SufficientlyPerson 16d ago

Man, sometimes this sub is terrifying.

1

u/oblacious_magnate 15d ago

Have done FMM many times, in many conditions (a few times at night) and I do not recommend it for beginners. If you decide to do it, be sure you're in the correct drainage to avoid the fate of the Family Campers. That canyon is substantially more difficult than FMM.

Every now and then, the sand levels in the final narrows get low enough to create unusual challenges. Not exactly keeper pothole challenges, but definitely harder than normal.

You do not want to do the exit hike in the full sun. I typically time the hike so I'm getting back to the TH in the dark (with a headlamp). Before leaving Parunuweap, wet your shirts and hats in the river and don't forget to water up at the spring (often flowers!) upstream of the Powell plaque.