rock_ski_cowboy
09-16-2005, 10:18 AM
I've been toying this idea in my head for a while and finally decided on a week.
WHEN: October 13-15 (16th if you want to stay for sunday but I'll be headed home). Come late if you need to
WHAT: small canyoneering gathering
ORGANIZED: not very. Use this forum to organize ourselves. I've got some less-experienced people coming with me. Hopefully some other experienced guys that can lead come along so some inexperienced ones can have a chance too.
WHERE: Sandthrax Campsite
FOOD: BYO. I'll bring the mini-BBQ, hopefully someone has a camp stove, and we'll have a nice warm campfire.
WHO: Canyoneers with some experience, including some that feel comfortable leading canyons. No newbies without someone more experienced that is willing to take responsibility for you. I'd like to invite everyone, but the canyons on MY list, unfortunately, aren't for everyone and I already have a few people that will be tagging along with me, including a few semi-newbies.
If you want to come, but aren't sure if its for you, please post to this forum and we can assess the situation.
No age limits, but the crowd will definitely be younger than what you'd see, for example, at a Tom Jones fest. For example, the folks I'll be draggin along have a top age of about 26 and includes several teenagers.
WHICH CANYONS: My list is: Shenanigans, Trail and South Maidenwater, something else in the area- probably Shimrock (middle leprechaun), and The Black Hole. Your list may vary (YLMV?). My list is flexible depending on group dynamic and what people really feel like.
Several of the canyons I've currently chosen carry an "R" rating (meaning you could get effed up if you don't know what your doing, and might could anyhow) Shenanigans, Trail, and Shimrock are uber-narrow (180 lbs max), very physcal and demanding of skin, and require some stemming. The Black Hole requires a full wetsuit and consists of long sections of swimming, including swimming under, through, and possibly climbing over huge piles of logs in frigid waters. The exact state of the log jams in "The Hole" will probably be unknown so it could be kind of hairy or maybe not too bad. There are quite a few excellent canyons in the area that are suitable for the less-experienced and aren't as tough as the ones I've picked for myself & co. If the skinny canyons around N. Wash ain't your thing, a lot of canyons are within an hour or so's drive from there: The Roost, The Reef, parts of the Swell, Cedar Mesa, etc.
Hopefully 2 or 3 other experienced dudes come along and lead some canyons of thier own, that way we can get get more less experienced folk in too. If you're willing to lead, post your own list of canyons you'd like to do and be willing to take a couple folks with you. We'll keep groups under 8. We'll try and mix up the groups each day, and we can combine groups or just have one group if not too many people end up going. I'm guessing this will be the case for Wednesday and Thursday, I'll probably be lucky to get just a few people to come down if any. I'd expect more for Friday and Saturday.
GEAR: Helmets. Harness, rappel device, slings, locking biners. Most canyons in the area require some amount of stemming and downclimbing so the need for some sort of helmet is very high. Sticky shoes: almost but not quite absolutely necessary. Wetsuits are optional: there are enough canyons that don't require them. Thats not to say you won't get a little wet in most of them. Black hole definitely requires a thick, full suit in its current evil condition in October. A few other canyons may require a suit. A suit makes for nice body armor in a narrow canyon on a cold day. Gloves, long sleeves and gear you can trash are Highly recommended. Elbow and knee pads are a nice luxury. Rope if you have it. Cold weather camping gear and clothing.
Specific info on canyons can be found in the lake powell section of climb-utah.com. More info on gear and canyoneering in general can be found on climb-utah.com and canyoneeringusa.com. Kelsey's book is also a good reference and has some canyons in this area.
WHEN: October 13-15 (16th if you want to stay for sunday but I'll be headed home). Come late if you need to
WHAT: small canyoneering gathering
ORGANIZED: not very. Use this forum to organize ourselves. I've got some less-experienced people coming with me. Hopefully some other experienced guys that can lead come along so some inexperienced ones can have a chance too.
WHERE: Sandthrax Campsite
FOOD: BYO. I'll bring the mini-BBQ, hopefully someone has a camp stove, and we'll have a nice warm campfire.
WHO: Canyoneers with some experience, including some that feel comfortable leading canyons. No newbies without someone more experienced that is willing to take responsibility for you. I'd like to invite everyone, but the canyons on MY list, unfortunately, aren't for everyone and I already have a few people that will be tagging along with me, including a few semi-newbies.
If you want to come, but aren't sure if its for you, please post to this forum and we can assess the situation.
No age limits, but the crowd will definitely be younger than what you'd see, for example, at a Tom Jones fest. For example, the folks I'll be draggin along have a top age of about 26 and includes several teenagers.
WHICH CANYONS: My list is: Shenanigans, Trail and South Maidenwater, something else in the area- probably Shimrock (middle leprechaun), and The Black Hole. Your list may vary (YLMV?). My list is flexible depending on group dynamic and what people really feel like.
Several of the canyons I've currently chosen carry an "R" rating (meaning you could get effed up if you don't know what your doing, and might could anyhow) Shenanigans, Trail, and Shimrock are uber-narrow (180 lbs max), very physcal and demanding of skin, and require some stemming. The Black Hole requires a full wetsuit and consists of long sections of swimming, including swimming under, through, and possibly climbing over huge piles of logs in frigid waters. The exact state of the log jams in "The Hole" will probably be unknown so it could be kind of hairy or maybe not too bad. There are quite a few excellent canyons in the area that are suitable for the less-experienced and aren't as tough as the ones I've picked for myself & co. If the skinny canyons around N. Wash ain't your thing, a lot of canyons are within an hour or so's drive from there: The Roost, The Reef, parts of the Swell, Cedar Mesa, etc.
Hopefully 2 or 3 other experienced dudes come along and lead some canyons of thier own, that way we can get get more less experienced folk in too. If you're willing to lead, post your own list of canyons you'd like to do and be willing to take a couple folks with you. We'll keep groups under 8. We'll try and mix up the groups each day, and we can combine groups or just have one group if not too many people end up going. I'm guessing this will be the case for Wednesday and Thursday, I'll probably be lucky to get just a few people to come down if any. I'd expect more for Friday and Saturday.
GEAR: Helmets. Harness, rappel device, slings, locking biners. Most canyons in the area require some amount of stemming and downclimbing so the need for some sort of helmet is very high. Sticky shoes: almost but not quite absolutely necessary. Wetsuits are optional: there are enough canyons that don't require them. Thats not to say you won't get a little wet in most of them. Black hole definitely requires a thick, full suit in its current evil condition in October. A few other canyons may require a suit. A suit makes for nice body armor in a narrow canyon on a cold day. Gloves, long sleeves and gear you can trash are Highly recommended. Elbow and knee pads are a nice luxury. Rope if you have it. Cold weather camping gear and clothing.
Specific info on canyons can be found in the lake powell section of climb-utah.com. More info on gear and canyoneering in general can be found on climb-utah.com and canyoneeringusa.com. Kelsey's book is also a good reference and has some canyons in this area.