Corkscrew Canyon, czyli Kanion Korkociagu!

Lower Antelope Canyon, 2012

We arrived to the most-visited and most-photographed canyon in the U.S.: Antelope Canyon.  Did anybody watch the "127 hours" film about a mountain climber who becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive? This is the place (Lower Canyon) where this true story was filmed. This part of canyon is also known for a flash flood accident in 1997 that killed 11 tourists. Since then the entry to Antelope Canyon is restricted to guided tours led by Navajo guides.
The canyon is located on Navajo land near Page and includes two separate slot canyon sections: Upper Antelope Canyon (The Crack) and Lower Antelope Canyon (The Corkscrew).

Upper Antelope Canyon is called Tsé bighánílíní, "the place where water runs through rocks" by the Navajo. It is the most frequently visited by tourists, due to two considerations. First, its entrance and entire length are at ground level, requiring no climbing. Second, beams (shafts of direct sunlight radiating down from openings in the top of the canyon) are much more common in Upper than in Lower.

Lower Antelope Canyon, called Hazdistazí, or "spiral rock arches" by the Navajo, is located a few kilometers away. Prior to the installation of metal stairways, visiting the canyon required climbing along pre-installed ladders in certain areas. Even following the installation of stairways, it is a more difficult hike than Upper Antelope—it is longer, narrower in spots, and even footing is not available in all areas. At the end, the climb out requires several flights of stairs.

Dzisiaj dotarlysmy do najczesciej odwiedzanego i fotografowanego kanionu w Stanach Zjednoczonych: Kanionu Antylopy. Czy ktokolwiek ogladal film "127 Godzin" gdzie mlody alpinista podczas samotnej wedrowki zostaje uwieziony w rozpadlinie skalnej w niedostepnych gorach Utah i jest zmuszony do desperackiej walki o przetrwanie? To wlasnie w dolnej czesci tego kanionu zostala sfilmowana ta tragiczna aczkolwiek prawdziwa historia. Ta czesc kanionu znana jest rowniez z wypadku w 1997 roku, gdzie pod woda zginelo 11 turystow.
Od tamtej pory wstep do kanionu odbywa sie wylacznie pod nadzorem Indianskich przewodnikow Navajo.

Kanion Antylopy znajduje sie w poblizu miejscowosci Page i dzieli sie na dwie sekcje: wyzej polozony zwany "Upper" badz Szczelina i dolny kanion zwany "Lower" badz Korkociagiem (ktory jest znacznie trudniejszy do przejscia i mniej dostepny ze wzgledu na waskie szczeliny a czasem i brak gruntu pod nogami, co wymaga wspinaczki po zainstalowanych metalowych schodach i stopniach).

Pictures of Corkscrew by Iwona