jwurst
06-07-2008, 09:22 AM
Just got back from a 5 day trip. On Wednesday, a week and half ago, we hiked the Woodchuck/Woody canyon route. I haven't seen Woodchuck published other than in a trip report in the canyons yahoo group (I think). Its an addition to make Woody into a longer day.
Woodchuck was well worth it. It had good climbing challenges and waist to chest deep water depending on if you found the shallow route through the potholes. It has one mandatory rappel and a couple of other spots were sequencing or handlining is useful. If you skip this canyon then you are missing half the fun.
We had a bit of trouble finding Woody, or at least knowing we found it. We hiked up from the bottom in Woodruff canyon and apparently didn't go high enough. We crossed Woody's drainage several times without knowing it was the right wash. We ended up needlessly hiking all the way to the top to let the GPS confirm we were in the right wash. At the top the canyon narrows occasionally but doesn't stay that way until the bottom half.
Woody had filled up since the last trip report that I saw on it. Most of the potholes were within a foot of being full. We rapped into a couple of them and only had to use a packtoss on one. The sad thing was that it looked like an easy swim out so we didn't have a potshot ready. I assisted my wife into the hole and then she couldn't get out. There was sand in a shallow spot two potholes back but it took a fully body bridge to get over the pothole in between and I wasn't anxious to repeat that move twice more to retrieve some sand. And the two others in our party were trailing behind, finishing up the last rap, not immediately available to help. With a potshot in my hand, I opted to throw my pack. :eek2: It worked fine of course. It was just a shame. The availability of materials to fill potshots is one of their few weaknesses. It might be worth packing a full potshot through canyons like this.
We left nothing behind in either canyon. We didn't need to use any sandbag anchors but might have if the water had been lower (last man down had to slide into deep water a time or two). There is a really nice placement for a hook at one larger drop and the rock there is getting scarred from them. A BD Grappeling hook fits it perfectly.
Here are a few pics:
Handlining into a pothole in Woodchuck.
http://myweb.cableone.net/wuorst/post/DSC04419.jpg
Last rappel in Woodchuck.
http://myweb.cableone.net/wuorst/post/DSC04429.jpg
Woody:
http://myweb.cableone.net/wuorst/post/DSC04459.jpg
http://myweb.cableone.net/wuorst/post/DSC04463.jpg
http://myweb.cableone.net/wuorst/post/DSC04464.jpg
My wife, a little tired after exiting the most difficult pothole using my pack.
http://myweb.cableone.net/wuorst/post/DSC04466.jpg
The last pothole. It wasn't too hard of a climb out. She attacked it in a funny way and went with it. I told her that if she is the first to try a climbing move then she ought to gte to name it. :roflol: She says her pack was caught on something.
http://myweb.cableone.net/wuorst/post/DSC04473.jpg
Woodchuck was well worth it. It had good climbing challenges and waist to chest deep water depending on if you found the shallow route through the potholes. It has one mandatory rappel and a couple of other spots were sequencing or handlining is useful. If you skip this canyon then you are missing half the fun.
We had a bit of trouble finding Woody, or at least knowing we found it. We hiked up from the bottom in Woodruff canyon and apparently didn't go high enough. We crossed Woody's drainage several times without knowing it was the right wash. We ended up needlessly hiking all the way to the top to let the GPS confirm we were in the right wash. At the top the canyon narrows occasionally but doesn't stay that way until the bottom half.
Woody had filled up since the last trip report that I saw on it. Most of the potholes were within a foot of being full. We rapped into a couple of them and only had to use a packtoss on one. The sad thing was that it looked like an easy swim out so we didn't have a potshot ready. I assisted my wife into the hole and then she couldn't get out. There was sand in a shallow spot two potholes back but it took a fully body bridge to get over the pothole in between and I wasn't anxious to repeat that move twice more to retrieve some sand. And the two others in our party were trailing behind, finishing up the last rap, not immediately available to help. With a potshot in my hand, I opted to throw my pack. :eek2: It worked fine of course. It was just a shame. The availability of materials to fill potshots is one of their few weaknesses. It might be worth packing a full potshot through canyons like this.
We left nothing behind in either canyon. We didn't need to use any sandbag anchors but might have if the water had been lower (last man down had to slide into deep water a time or two). There is a really nice placement for a hook at one larger drop and the rock there is getting scarred from them. A BD Grappeling hook fits it perfectly.
Here are a few pics:
Handlining into a pothole in Woodchuck.
http://myweb.cableone.net/wuorst/post/DSC04419.jpg
Last rappel in Woodchuck.
http://myweb.cableone.net/wuorst/post/DSC04429.jpg
Woody:
http://myweb.cableone.net/wuorst/post/DSC04459.jpg
http://myweb.cableone.net/wuorst/post/DSC04463.jpg
http://myweb.cableone.net/wuorst/post/DSC04464.jpg
My wife, a little tired after exiting the most difficult pothole using my pack.
http://myweb.cableone.net/wuorst/post/DSC04466.jpg
The last pothole. It wasn't too hard of a climb out. She attacked it in a funny way and went with it. I told her that if she is the first to try a climbing move then she ought to gte to name it. :roflol: She says her pack was caught on something.
http://myweb.cableone.net/wuorst/post/DSC04473.jpg