Photos:
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=275202837/a=38054161/t_=38054161
Thursday 9/25:
This was a trip I had been looking forward to, for many reasons. Heading out with Mike Kelsey, the author of several guidebooks, is always a good time. The Warm Springs canyons had seen very few, if any descents. Ram's crew had done some of them; and Mike had done parts of some of them before. They were supposed to be pretty challenging. We were going to try to run through all of them and scope the upper sections out to see if there was anything worth doing there. Stuart and Tom were joining me from Boulder; and we would meet Mike Kelsey down there. We left the Boulder area around 1pm, and made it most of the way there. We just drove off 276 onto a two track to camp.
Friday 9/26:
We woke up really early, ate a quick breakfast, packed up and went to meet Mike. We met Mike, did introductions since Mike hadn't met Tom before; and then drove in to the Warm Springs area. We parked the cars, did last minute preparations, and started hiking around 7:45am. We scouted a new route in, which worked, but it was a pretty steep downclimb. Made it to the head of Pottymouth (Kelsey's Fun Slot) around 8:30am.
Mike had been down this section before, and he advised not to take anything with us. Since Ram's estimates were also only a couple hours for this canyon, we went with that plan and dropped all of our gear at the start of the slot. Pottymouth / Fun Slot has some pretty tight sections, and you can go high as well. It is pretty short; we made it to the 7m drop at 9:45am and to the big drop to Lake Powell at 10am. The big drop to lake Powell at the end is really cool; it looked to be around 250 feet down to the water (only by viewing though, so caveat emptor.)
As I mentioned above, Kelsey recommends not to take anything through Pottymouth / Fun Slot except knee/elbow pads and a camera. That can work for this canyon, but make sure you are ready for it, and have had enough water (or will have enough) based on the temperature. As always, I'd recommend having emergency gear nearby, just in case. (It's easy to stash stuff at the entry and exits to all of the Warm Springs canyons, the distances are pretty short.) There was a little water when we went through; knee deep, but it could be avoided. It was 90's for us, so no wetsuit necessary.
We upclimbed Lower Pottymouth (Kelsey's Lower Warm Springs Canyon. It's quite short from the big drop back to the confluence with Pottymouth (Kelsey's Fun Slot), but pretty. The 7m drop is fun. It can definitely be upclimbed, but most folks will likely want a rope. It was pretty dry, with only one small puddle that could be avoided. This section would be far more difficult with wet/muddy shoes. From the confluence, we climbed back up and out Pottymouth / Fun Slot.
We then headed over to the beginning of the slot to Sinusitis (Kelsey's Keeper Pothole Fork); now 11:30am. We decided to explore the upper section first to see if there was anything worth doing. We upclimbed up to the head of the canyon. There were a few fun downclimbs, but nothing too spectacular. We were back at the start of the slot section at 12:15pm, and dropped in.
Sinusitis / Kelsey's Keeper Pothole Fork is a fun canyon with lots of variety. The Keeper Pothole was completely dry, and was climbed out by using a partner assist. It would be far more difficult with water and/or wet/muddy shoes. It can also be stemmed over with high penalty points for failure. This canyon had some high stemming too, but not too serious (compared to the next two.) There was a little water, knee deep; but it could be avoided. The final downclimb from Sinusitis / KPH Fork was pretty cool. We were back into Lower Pottymouth / Lower Warm Springs Canyon at 1:45pm.
We upclimbed the 7m drop, and pulled our rope. Got to the confluence with Pottymouth / Fun Slot around 2:15pm, and had a break and a bite to eat. There was another small side slot that looked pretty fun, and we explored up that a little ways. Went back down, and upclimbed Upper Warm Springs Canyon starting at 3pm. This had some really spicy upclimbs. We used a partner assist and a tossed hook twice; which is always an exciting thing. It was completely dry. We hit the top at 4pm, and were back at the cars at 4:15pm. Since it was still early, we stashed some gear for Glaucoma (Kelsey's Best Slot) for tomorrow.
It was a great day. We set up camp, shared some food, and planned the next day's adventures.
Saturday 9/27:
We woke up before daylight; and had breakfast. Glaucoma (Kelsey's Best Slot) was supposed to be the most challenging canyon; so we wanted as much of a safety buffer zone as possible. I wanted to try to make it all the way down to Lake Powell if possible, so I was all for getting as early of a start as possible. We started hiking at 6am.
We scouted the upper section which had alternating tight and open sections; with one cool triple dryfall section. When we reached the head of the slot, instead of dropping in; we headed to where we would exit the canyon. Here, we built a rockpile anchor and lowered the exit rope down with a pack (with water and ascenders) into the canyon. We would have to ascend out of this canyon; so we made sure it hit the bottom. We then headed back to the start of the slot section; getting there at 8am. We set a sketchy anchor on a balanced rock outcrop on the left side LDC. It didn't look that sturdy, so I only kept it around as an emergency handline and downclimbed it instead. The others did the same.
It wasn't very far to the 7m drop; which we hit at 8:15am. I was able to downclimb it with the rope nearby as a mental crutch. It's not that bad of a downclimb, but it's definitely exposed with big penalty points for failure. After the downclimb / rap, the canyon had some silos, lots of off the deck work and some strenuous upclimbs. The small amount of water in the canyon was able to be avoided. Do not underestimate this canyon. I would give it an X rating as there are several spots where you need to span over silos, and it has a cool room (also needing to span over) which would trap you if you fell in. I had never seen anything like it previously. We reached the stem over the room at 9:30am.
Kelsey recommends not taking anything in this canyon, but I strongly disagree. We had one pack between the group, and was glad I had it. In the pack, I took some water (which we drank) and some emergency gear including a 50' rope (even though we didn't need it, was glad to have it just in case. My guess is that many groups will want a rope at the downclimb; either in the canyon or set up prior to dropping in / with a rim crew.)
There is a little window just before you hit the exit ascent; which we hit at 10:45am. Due to the amount of work we did in the canyon, we drank quite a bit of the water we had lowered down with the ascending gear. Tom and I wanted to head down to Lake Powell. Mike and Stuart weren't interested, so they would hang around the exit for a bit, and then ascend up the rope and meet us at the top. Tom and I started down around 11am.
One of the first obstacles is a downclimb into a keeper pothole. This didn't look very easy to get into, or out of. Tom stayed up top, and was my anchor. I rapped down, and it looked really challenging to get back out of. I was able to climb out on the other side, and that was pretty challenging too. Based on that, Tom and I chatted and decided that I'd try to make the run down to the lake, and then we could switch. Better to have only one of us stuck down here if it came to that.
I continued downcanyon down in a V-notch; to a rock pile. I had a few short ropes, so I attached one at the rock pile. I was able to downclimb the drop, but some would likely prefer a rope there. From there, it was a steep V-notch down to one last drop to the shoreline. There was an older line set up there; but I chose to set a quick line of my own to use as a handline. At the bottom, I tested the old line really well; so I knew if it would hold Tom. Got down to the lake at 11:45am, and dipped my head in. Refreshing!
Since Tom was waiting for me, I didn't want to stay too long. I climbed back up the drop and steep, slanted V-notch. Found a golf ball wedged in this V-notch. Wild! Continued climbing back up the drop to the rock pile. Finally, back up the lower angled V-notch and into the chamber. The chamber was really tough to get out of. It took me two tries, even with the rope. I was re-united with Tom at 12:30pm. We finished the last of the water we had; and I was still thirsty. Tom wanted to head down to the lake too, so I gave him the short ropes, and the beta.
He made it down to the lake, and was back in the chamber at 2pm. He had a hard time trying to get back out of the chamber. It took him four tries, and he was exhausted and thirsty. We had more water at the exit pack, so we continued climbing back up there. Made it to the pack just before 2:45pm and drank the rest of the water there.
NOTE: If you are heading downcanyon from the ascending exit, beware of the first chamber. This is easily one of the most challenging spots in canyons I have encountered. It is a chamber with a flared, tight, negative exit. Even with a rope, it took me two tries (and a lot of energy) to get back upcanyon, and it took my buddy Tom four tries. It could very easily keep someone. I wedged a rock that can be used (carried from a different part of the canyon as there was nothing there), but I would back it up with some rock pro or another anchor (you will likely be putting lots of force on it unless you are proficient climbing 5.11 off-widths.) You could use a #2 or #3 BD Camalot C4 or a big bro 3 upcanyon from the chamber (or maybe a combination of them.) We put a LOT of stress on the rope (we used meat anchors), so just make sure it's solid. If you made it through the main canyon, you should be fine with everything down from the chamber to the lake. I'd bring the rock pro and a 40' rope for the chamber, a 45' rope for the rockpile handline (able to be up/downclimbed by strong climbers), and 50' of rope for the final rap/ascend or handline. You can lower that stuff in your exit rap pack.
We then ascended to the rim, and cleaned up the anchor. Mike had waited for us, but Stuart had gone back to camp. It was only 3pm, so we decided to head over to the Tinnitus (Kelsey's Potholes Fork) exit and set it in prep for tomorrow. We got to the exit at 4pm and made a rock pile anchor. We lowered the pack over the lip with some water and ascenders and made sure it hit the ground. The exit to Glaucoma / Best Slot was pretty steep, but this exit to Tinnitus / Kelsey's Potholes Fork was overhung. It would be quite the exit.
On the way back to camp, we stashed some gear near the head of the canyon; and then made it back to camp at 5pm. Quite the full day. We had some dinner, and good conversation. In the evening, there were storms all around us. We were hoping for the best; for clear weather so we could do the final canyon tomorrow. I was personally a little concerned that the gear we stashed could get washed into the canyon and possibly into Lake Powell if a big enough storm hit. Thankfully, we didn't get much rain at all, and it started to clear up during the night.
Sunday 9/28:
Tinnitus / Kelsey's Potholes Fork was an unknown to us; so we again opted for an early start. We woke up, had breakfast, and started hiking around 6:15am. Just in case, we went to check on our exit rope, which looked fine. We also checked and discussed the weather. There were some clouds, but they hadn't built upward; and looked like they would likely burn off into the day. We went back to the entry and rapped off a hook on a little lip; starting at 7am.
The entry was really cool, with a neat double pothole feature at the bottom of the drop. Interestingly, the first pothole was deeper than the second. Tinnitus / Potholes Fork is a pretty strenuous canyon, but not as much as Glaucoma (Kelsey's Best Slot.) It is a shorter day, and it has some pothole escapes, tricky downclimbs, and strenuous upclimbs. We did use a partner assist or two, as well as a hook rap for the canyon entry and for one pothole entry. We had one unavoidable water up to our thighs (or knees if you tried to avoid it), and didn't use wetsuits. It was again 90 degrees out, so the water was welcoming.
The final drop is awesome, and can be downclimbed by the skilled. High penalty points for failure though. We reached the final drop to the exit around 8:15am, took a break and then we were all at the ascending exit at 9:15am. You can pass the ascending exit and make your way down to Lake Powell. We still had time, so we went down to the final drop to Lake Powell which we reached at 9:45am. It is one final 70' rap down to the lake.
We headed back up to the ascending exit. The ascending exit can be done with a 200' rope, but it has a large freehanging section; so make sure you are proficient with ascenders before attempting. We were all up at the rim at 11:15am, back to the cars at 12:15pm. We then packed up and started driving out at 12:45pm.
Overall, these are pretty remote and rugged canyons. Be prepared
if you attempt them. If you are prepared though, they are pretty
cool, with some really challenging sections and some beautiful features.
The views of Lake Powell and the surrounding areas are fantastic.
The road in definitely needs a HC AWD/4WD vehicle, and there is one spot
that is fairly steep. We had two Jeeps (Commander and Patriot) and
made it in and out fine. The roads were dry, but rocky and rough in
sections.
Note that Mike Kelsey had seen some of these canyons previously, and they had much more water than this trip. Since it was in the 90's for us, and the canyons were really dry this time through, there wasn't any question that wetsuits weren't needed. Personally, with the amount of effort that was needed in these canyons, I can't see a wetsuit being necessary except in the coldest of temperatures, or if you want the abrasion resistance for all the chimney work.
Hope you enjoy the pics!
A.J.
Photos: http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=275202837/a=38054161/t_=38054161
Group Room (multiple albums): http://ajoutdoors.snapfish.com/snapfish