Photos:
http://www5.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2596354007/a=38054161/
Thursday 10/8:
I was organizing another beginner friendly canyoneering trip. There was going to be eleven of us; Aaron, Marty, Jessica, Bryce, Jen, Gerald, Lisa, Eric, Shannon, Nick and I. This would be Aaron, Jessica, Eric, Gerald, Shannon and Bryce's first technical canyons. Although, Bryce had a background of caving, and Gerald was an experienced desert explorer. It would definitely be a good time. We drove out after work, and got to the Sandthrax campsite late. It was pretty crowded already. Luckily, Marty had gotten there early and had a spot for us. We set up camp and headed to bed.
Friday 10/9:
Since it was a beginner friendly trip, we were pretty relaxed in the morning; we were also waiting for Lisa and Eric as well as Nick and Shannon, who hadn't shown up yet. We had breakfast, made our morning Hogs runs (drive to bathrooms), and waited around as much as we could. By around 9am I figured they either weren't going to show or they would meet us later (we couldn't verify as there isn't any cell reception out there - but eventually found out Shannon had gotten sick so Nick and Shannon wouldn't be joining us.) So, the seven of us made our way towards Left Blarney.
We started towards Left Blarney around 9:15am, and were at the entry rappel at 10am. While folks were still rappeling, we went and scouted an alternate entry. It looked like it went, so I upclimbed and then downclimbed it to make sure. It went; will have to try to remember that for next time. We continued downcanyon, taking our time, giving pointers, and allowing folks to try downclimbing drops while on belay for safety. We ended up running into Lisa and Eric, who had upclimbed from the bottom to find us. We continued down Left Blarney and got to the confluence around 12:30pm.
We had lunch and visited there, and then started upclimbing Right Blarney around 1pm. People upclimbed for as much as they felt comfortable with. Some of us made it to the headwall around 1:40pm. We then downclimbed, picking up the folks who decided to wait at the different upclimbs, and all went to the confluence and continued downcanyon; arriving back at the cars at 2:30pm. It was still early enough to hit another canyon. Many folks were content with the day, but Lisa, Eric and Marty were still up for another. We decided to do Right Shillelagh.
The four of us started hiking at 3pm; and reached the head of Right Shillelagh at 3:15pm. We got to the first rap, and ran into a group from California that we had seen earlier in the day (and had given water to.) I noticed they were using a Beal Randonee 8mm line. Those lines aren't really made for canyons; the sheath isn't very durable. I've had one destroyed in one trip that wasn't all that intense. I warned them about it, and told them to keep a good eye on it. We sat and had a bite to eat, and let them finish the rappels.
When we got to the second rappel, I was amazed on the rapide that was there. The thing was HUGE; my biggest biner fit through it easily. Even my figure 8 passed through it fine. I'm sure someone was trying to be a good samaritan by leaving a rapide that would definitely inspire confidence as there is no way that thing would break; you could probably load a train on it. However, it was a definite safety hazard, as many guides list that rappel being over 100'; so people are likely to use a biner block and rappel single line rather than do a double rappel. Almost any carabiner would have the chance to pass through that rapide; so it could cause an accident similar to the one that killed Keith in Heaps. Needless to say, I replaced the rapide, and we continued downcanyon. Even with the delays, we were still back at the cars at 4:30pm.
We debated doing another canyon, but would likely be coming back in the dark then. I thought it would be better if we went back to camp and used the daylight to make dinner and visit; especially since I wanted to see if Nick and Shannon were there, as well as we were having a potluck dinner. We had a wonderful meal, visited with new and old friends, and enjoyed a nice campfire. A great end to a fun day!
Saturday 10/10:
We woke up, and were surprised to find Sandthrax even more packed than the night before. It was the busiest I had ever seen it; and we didn't even see two of the groups that we knew were supposed to be in North Wash this weekend. (They likely saw the crowds and found another place to camp.) It turned out that there was a climbing group from the Salt Lake area that was taking around 60 people through Monkey Business and then Right Leprechaun. I was originally planning on doing Right Leprechaun with my group; but we changed our plans. I didn't want any part of that madness.
Instead, we started hiking towards Left Leprechaun at 8:30am. We didn't even bother driving there; since we had all day, we just started hiking from the campsite. (Didn't want to contend for parking with any of the hordes...) We made it to the head of Left Leprechaun around 9:45am. We dropped in, and enjoyed the canyon. Took time showing techniques, and letting people downclimb on belay if they wanted to try it. We hit the confluence of Left and Middle Leprechaun at 1:15pm. From here, we broke into two groups. Some folks were going to head downcanyon; but five of us were going to climb the ridge and head over to do Middle Leprechaun.
Eric, Lisa, Marty, Gerald and I climbed up, and reached the Left fork of Middle Leprechaun around 1:40pm. We downclimbed and handlined our way down and reached the upper confluence around 2:15pm. Some of the group went to upclimb and downclimb the Right fork of Middle Leprechaun. We all then headed down Middle Leprechaun. Middle is a great canyon; some fun downclimbs, some stemming, and lots of squeezing. It didn't seem as tight this time around. Maybe the sand is higher or lower than last time. Still had a few spots where I had to climb up a little or crawl sideways closer to the ground. Fun stuff. We arrived back at the confluence of Left and Middle Leprechaun at 4pm.
We decided to relax and have a snack. While we were there, some of the horde had upclimbed from Right Leprechaun. We talked to them for a few, and then they headed back down. When we were done snacking and chatting, we headed downcanyon, through the dark and fun Belfast Boulevard, past the confluence with Right Leprechaun, through the Subway, and was back at camp around 5pm. We enjoyed another potluck dinner and visiting by campfire. Went and talked to a few other groups - including Rick Thomsons group, and some of them, including Greg Cornelius, joined us at our campfire. It was great to visit; it had been a while since I had seen some folks (like Greg.) Another great day!
Sunday 10/11:
Since we were driving home today, we got a little bit of an earlier start. We were going to do Right Leprechaun today, so we were still able to hike right from camp. We left camp around 7:30am, and were at the head of the canyon around 8:30am. We armored up, and made our way downcanyon. We took plenty of time to play; working on tricky downclimbs, partner assists, allowing downclimbing attempts on belay, doing jumps, spans and more. We stopped for lunch around 11:15am near the Dinosaur tracks, and then finished the canyon and was back at camp at 12:15pm.
We packed up our camp, and headed into town. Some of us stopped at Blondies for burgers and shakes. The shakes were great; the rest was like a normal greasy spoon meal. Made the drive back to Colorado. All in all, another great weekend in the canyons!
Hope you enjoy the pics!
A.J.
Photos: http://www5.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2596354007/a=38054161/
Group Room (multiple albums): http://ajoutdoors.snapfish.com/snapfish
Planning Info:
This trip is a beginner friendly trip. The canyons are generally short (lets assume 6-ish hours days for the amount of people) and are also generally dry. I'll get as up to date conditions as I can as we get close to leaving. It will also be car camping at it's finest, and we'll have a potluck dinner one of the nights. Very likely won't require wetsuits. (See below for details.)
Going:
| # | Name | Drive or Need Ride? | When Leave? from Where? |
| 1 | A.J. | Driving Purple Jeep Grand Cherokee, can fit 1 more | 1:30pm Thurs, Boulder |
| 2 | Jen | Riding in AJ's Purple Jeep Grand Cherokee | 1:30pm Thurs, Boulder |
| 3 | Marty | Driving Red Subaru Impreza, can fit 1 more | 10am, Lakewood |
| 4 | Gerald | Likely riding with Bryce in Subaru Outback | 3:30pm Thurs, S Boulder |
| 5 | Shannon | Riding with Nick in Jeep Sahara or Black Audi A4 | 5pm, Friday |
| 6 | Lisa | Hitching; unknown arrival time | Will meet us there. |
| 7 | Eric | Hitching; unknown arrival time | Will meet us there. |
| 8 | Jessica | Riding with Bryce in Subaru Outback | 3:30pm Thurs, Boulder |
| 9 | Bryce | Driving Subaru Outback, fits 3 | 3:30pm Thurs, Boulder |
| 10 | Nick | Driving Jeep Sahara or Black Audi A4 | 5pm, Friday |
| 11 | Aaron | Riding with Marty in Red Subaru Impreza | 10am, Highlands Ranch |
| 12 | ? | ? |
Waitlist:
| # | Name | Drive or Need Ride? | When Leave? from Where? |
| 1 | ? | ? | |
| 2 | ? | ? | |
| 3 | ? | ? | |
| 4 | ? | ? |
Here’s the plan for the upcoming canyoneering trip. We will be doing canyons in the North Wash area. We may do more than one canyon per day, depending on our time through the canyons and depending on people's desires. North Wash is a great location, as there are lots of slots to choose from, several within walking distance of camp.
Timeframe:
We’ll head out on Thursday morning/afternoon/evening 10/8, and return on Sunday 10/11. We’ll drive to, and meet at, the campsite Thursday night and set up camp. Plan on the drive out there taking 8 hours. We’ll do canyons through mid-day Sunday and be back Sunday night.
Itinerary:
The plan is that we will try to hit several North Wash Canyons canyons. We will likely travel in one group of 12 (or less.) Tentative plan is to do Right Fork of Leprechaun on Friday (Kelsey's East Fork of 28.1 Mile canyon). Saturday is likely Left Fork of Blarney (Kelsey's West Fork of 27.6 Mile canyon) although we might also opt for the Left Fork of Leprechaun for some fun tight narrows and dark corridor. (We can be flexible...) Sunday could be one of several mini-slots, Lucky Charms, or many other options. That's the great thing about North Wash; there are plenty of options in a close proximity to camp. Whichever option we choose, we'll try to be done by 11am, and on the road by around noon.
Other resources:
Michael Kelsey’s book: (1st or 2nd Edition) Technical Slot Canyons of the Colorado Plateau; pg 116 in 1st ed, pg 140in 2nd ed.
http://www.climb-utah.com/Powell/index.htm
http://www.ajroadtrips.com/go/trips/north-wash-2.html
http://canyoneeringusa.com/utah/north/
Canyon Info:
EVERYONE should be familiar with the canyons they are planning on going on at the very minimum. (Read Leprechaun, Blarney and Shillelaugh - Mile 28.1, 27.6 and 27.4) Please use the resources above to make sure you know the day’s plans; as well as make sure you are capable of them. If possible, we’ll try to read the descriptions aloud before heading in. If you don't have access to Kelsey's books; and aren't a member of the Climb-Utah site; send me an e-mail asking for the beta and I can send it to you.
Carpooling:
I'm keeping track of driving info as people tell me they are interested (see chart above.) We will solidify rides as time gets closer. Usually around a week before the trip. A tradition is that drivers do not have to pay for gas; and it's a nice gesture to buy the drivers a dinner as well if circumstances allow.
Roads:
The roads that we will use to access the canyons should be passable by any vehicle. We will camp at the Sandthrax campsite, which is right off Highway 95. If we end up with Subaru's or other mid to high clearance vehicles, we will also then have access to other sets of canyons; including the Poison Springs canyons...
Maps:
I will have a printout of the route descriptions. If anyone has time to do research to see if they can find other people's trip reports, buy/print their own topo maps, etc; please do so. The more beta we have, the better.
Guidebook/Maps:
I am using the guidebook "Technical Slot Canyon Guide to the Colorado Plateau" by Michael Kelsey (2nd Edition). You can get this guidebook at any outdoor store. If you want your own maps, you can get them at the Boulder Map Gallery, or print them out from Topo or similar program.
GPS:
I will have a GPS with me; but if you have one and want to bring it; feel free. Note, the GPSs probably won't work in the canyons (definitely not in the slots) but we can waypoint our camp and car location...
Camping:
It will be car camping at it’s finest. There is a large camp area and we will hang out at the campsite at night. Bring a camp chair, and pick up firewood if you can. (Firewood is available in Green River. Check the gas stations.) If you need to share a camp stove, or can share your camp stove, then email everyone when we are solidifying rides. I will have a whisperlite camp stove with me and don't mind sharing. I'll have plenty of fuel. Note: They are good for boiling water and high-heat cooking; they don't simmer well.
Campsite Location:
Sandthrax Camp: Take I-70 around 12 miles past Green River. Take the exit for Hwy 24 to Hanksville. In Hanksville, make a left at the T-intersection to head East on Highway 95. Just after Milepost 28, around 28.3 miles from Hanksville; look for a small spur road on the left. Take that road in around 100' and the road will curve right (there will be an informational sign at that curve.) There are a bunch of camp spots there. We will try to get the first big spot on the right when you come in. Look for our vehicles. If you don't see them there, continue down that road, as there are more campsites tucked in farther down; and you should be able to spot us.
Water:
There is NO water in the area. Bring enough water for the weekend (a 7 gallon container will usually last 2 people for 3 days with water to spare; 7 gals might be enough for 3 folks for a 3 day weekend - it will depend on how much people drink and how hot it is outside.)
I’ll be bringing a 7 gallon container. Remember that you can fill up or purchase water in Green River - the second Green River exit has two gas stations visible from the freeway. The West side one (on left after exit) has an Arby's, the East side one (on the right after exit) has a Subway. There is a water spigot outside of both gas stations in Green River (ask before using.) There is also a well with super-high power water (fills seven gallon jugs in no time flat) on the right hand side; with the Subway. It’s out in the parking lot area, near four red posts and the sign for the station. Look for the pipe coming out of the ground; no need to ask if using the well. I've used this one many times, and the water tastes good.
There is another option for water in Hanksville. At the intersection of 24 and 95, turn right and drive a couple of blocks until you see a BLM office sign on your left. You will turn left on a road and drive South down a road for about a half mile, near the end of the road. There is a hydrant in the parking lot across from the trash cans. There are also bathrooms across the parking lot.
I recommend the hard plastic 7 gallon containers (or other hard plastic containers) over the collapsible ones. I've used both, and my hard plastic one has lasted YEARS without leaking. Collapsible ones last months at best. You can get the plastic 7 gallon blue containers at Walmart.
Firewood:
If you have room, try to pick up firewood. It is usually available in Green River. Same gas stations as outlined above in the Water section. Or, if those two are out, we have always been able to find it by driving in towards the main town of Green River and there is another gas station called the Silver Eagle.
Gas:
Best places (best prices) to fill up on gas is in Golden, as you are going South down 93, shortly after coming into town there will be a Loaf and Jug on your left at a light. They give a discount for King Sooper cards. Next gas we usually fill up at is in Grand Junction off Horizon. Exit the Horizon exit and turn left onto Horizon. Head South for a mile or two and gas up at the Safeway. Use a Safeway card for a gas discount. You can also stop and get food here. Finally, you can top off in either Green River, or Hanksville. Those two stations are usually pretty similar in price; with Green River usually being a little better price.
Wake-up Times/Timing of Day:
We will be leaving camp relatively early every day. We’ll wake up sometime around sunrise, and be moving shortly thereafter so we can utilize the most of the daylight. (I'd rather be back at camp early than be struggling in the dark.) First light is around 7am, Sunrise is around 7:30am, sunset is around 6:45pm and civil twilight ends around 7:15pm. Plan on waking up around 7:30am, having breakfast and being ready to go at 8:30am. (Wake up earlier if you will need more than an hour to be ready.) We will likely want to start hiking early, as many days we have a climb for an approach and want to do that before it gets too hot out.
Anchor gear:
I don't know the current conditions of anchors in the canyons, but it’s a fairly popular location so they likely will have good anchors. Regardless, I will have all the anchor material we will need. If you want to bring additional stuff, you are more than welcome to. We will likely be spreading some group gear amongst the group, so save a little room in your pack. (2-3 Nalgene's worth of space.)
Wetsuits:
These canyons are normally dry to semi-wet. Recent reports show them as being pretty dry. I'll try to find out current conditions about a week before the trip, and will send a conditions update. I don’t expect enough water to require wetsuits, but make your own decision. If you have a wetsuit, feel free to bring it on the trip. You won't need a heavy wetsuit; so leave the 5mm full suit at home. Bring something like a 2/3 full or shorty wetsuit if you have it. You may choose to leave it at camp when we are there, or possibly pack in a light wetsuit; just in case we run into water. A lot will depend on the outside temperature too.
Dry Bag:
If you have one, I'd plan on bringing it. You may decide to leave it at camp; or maybe even just pack it in just in case we hit water. You can decide. Just make sure it is well protected inside your pack if you do bring it in.
Ropes:
I’m planning on bringing all the ropes necessary; but they will likely be 8mm ropes. If you haven’t rapped on 8mm line, it can be fast. Very fast. I recommend having 2 carabiners on your belay device to add more friction, a jaws-type ATC/belay device helps too, and definitely bring a pair of gloves so you don’t burn your hand. A pair of bike gloves works fine; as do gardening gloves. There is a thin pair of Nitrile gloves made by Atlas that work well in warmer canyons (Nitrile is sticky enough to still climb with them on) and a thicker pair of Atlas gloves (Therma or Therma-Fit’s) that work better for colder canyons. Ask me if you have questions or concerns.
NOTE: Atlas gloves can be found at most hardware stores; they help protect your hands, and are sticky enough to climb with. Highly recommended.
Meals:
We'll just do most meals on our own, but let’s plan on doing a potluck dinner on Friday 10/9.
Weather:
Point Forecast:
Hanksville:
http://www.weather.com/outlook/recreation/outdoors/tenday/USUT0101?from=36hr_topnav_outdoors
http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USUT0101?from=search
Green River:
http://www.weather.com/outlook/recreation/outdoors/tenday/USUT0094?from=36hr_topnav_outdoors
Precipitation:
http://mesowest.utah.edu/cgi-bin/droman/precip_summary.cgi?state=UT&rawsflag=3 (See Hanksville)
http://www.intellicast.com/National/Precipitation/Weekly.aspx?location=USUT0208 (Past Week UT Precip)
Right now, it's looking around 70's during the day and around 35 at night. This would be pretty good weather. However, It's likely still too early to really tell what the weather is going to be right now, so make sure you CHECK THE LINKS AGAIN just before leaving! Dress appropriately.
Here's the temperature spread:
Town Rec High Avg High Avg Low Rec Low
Hanksville 95 72 35 -6
Green River 92 71 37 12
Group gear:
Everyone should plan on carrying a little something extra; as we’ll have some group gear and emergency gear to carry for the canyons. Plan on around two to three nalgene’s worth of space; so make sure you have some room in your pack for that. We’ll divide the group gear up just before heading into the canyons.
Recommended Canyon Gear:
Lightweight, non-cotton clothes. Recommend long sleeves and long pants, but as durable/light as you can be. Good to go to Salvation Army, Savers, or similar and pick up stuff there. There will likely be a lot of scraping against rock, and much better to be cheap clothes than skin.
Elbow pads and knee pads. Just cheap volleyball ones. I’d stay away from the plastic ones, as those could slip if you are using it to brace yourself against rock (as well as they leave unsightly marks on the rock.) Walmart makes some good cloth ones for $6 per pair that I have been using for a long time.
Gloves. You will likely be stemming/chimneying in the canyons, so again, better to tear into gloves rather than skin. The Atlas Nitrile ones, or the Therma/Therma-Fit gloves mentioned above work well. You can get them at most hardware stores; McGuckins definitely has them. Bike gloves work okay as well.
Packs. You shouldn’t be carrying a huge amount; so you will want a small pack that can get worn/shredded/possibly destroyed. Probably around 1500-2500 cubic inches would be a good size; which is a decent sized daypack. You need enough to carry some approach/emergency clothing (ex: windbreaker, possibly windpants, etc), some webbing, group gear, a decent amount of water (1-2L?), and some food. You can use a webbing harness for these canyons just fine; or a real harness is likely more comfy. Make your pack size as small as possible.
Everyone will also need a short piece of webbing or cord so they can lower their backpack if necessary. I use a 15ft piece of parachute cord, with loops tied into it. You can use 5-6mm cord, or webbing too; a daisy chain works really well too. Make sure you have at least a 10 ft piece that you can tie to your pack to lower it. I have spools of cord at my place, so if you want to buy the cord off me, just let me know.
Shoes. Bring shoes that you don’t mind getting trashed. When I do aggressive canyons; a pair of shoes lasts a weekend if I’m lucky… The stickier sole, the better; approach shoes work well but pretty much any kind of tennis shoe will work. NO SANDALS!
Rappelling Gear:
- Harness
- Belay device
- 2 large locking carabiners (mandatory), 2-4 normal sized carabiners – locking or non (optional)
- A small sling/cord/shoelace to secure your belay device, so you don't drop it (optional, likely not really needed for these canyons since they have drier conditions)
- Some kind of a rappel glove is recommended; the Atlas ones mentioned above will work, however they are pretty sticky so they will wear quicker than a leather/bike glove
- Helmet: bring some kind of a helmet, a bike helmet works too. A helmet is MANDATORY. You don't have one, you aren't going in the canyon with me.
- Prussik slings: I would also like some folks to bring prusik slings. These are just two loops of cord that you attach to your harness. They allow you to climb up a rope if you need to. They are also useful for connecting yourself to an anchor. They are very easy to make. Just go to any mountaineering store and buy *two different colors* of 6 or 7 millimeter climbing cord (one should be ~6 ft, one ~10 ft). (around $5) I can show you how to make, and use, the slings when we are out there.
Recommended Non-Canyon Gear and other info:
Bring enough water for the weekend (see Water section.) Bring firewood if you have room; and hopefully we can have a fire in the evenings. This is car camping at it's finest; so bring a chair, table, cooler, food/drink to share, etc.
Pitching In:
I usually ask for a $5/day for gear used/destroyed on the trip. Plan on pitching in $15-20 for the whole weekend and the way it will work is that the people that provide ropes will get some money; regardless of signs of wear. If a rope gets a coreshot, etc; then they will get more money. Those who leave anchor gear in the canyons will be re-imbursed (webbing, R/QL’s, etc.) I keep a kitty of money from canyon trips; and the rest gets saved for the next trip. If we have other group gear destroyed (water filters, etc. – shouldn’t on this trip) then we’ll pitch in more so that person isn’t footing the bill by himself. Feel free to pitch in extra if you would like.
Disclaimer:
The people organizing this trip will do everything they can to help keep you safe. However, the outdoors are unpredictable, and anything can happen. Ultimately, YOU are responsible for your own safety. Make your own choices; about what canyons you feel up to, as well as your actions in the canyon. If you see something that you don’t agree with, bring it up. Everyone makes mistakes, and I’m sure nobody will have an issue with discussing why we are doing a certain thing. Better that than the possible alternative if something is truly wrong. You should know enough about the canyons through your own research to know whether it’s something you can handle. Nobody else takes responsibility for you, your actions, or even their (or anyone else’s) actions, decisions or gear. You and you alone have the responsibility for keeping yourself safe. Read this disclaimer, and interpret it in the context of this trip: http://www.nelsonrocks.org/disclaimer.html
E-mail me if you want my cell phone number (I don't want to post it on the internet.) We likely won't have a cell signal out there. As always, feel free to e-mail me or give me a call prior to departing to discuss any questions you might have.
Looking forward to a fun time canyoneering!
A.J.