Udink
12-05-2009, 02:07 PM
I'd long heard of the Grotto (http://www.ajroadtrips.com/go/trips/san-rafael-swell/grotto.html) and have wanted to go there, but until now I didn't have the motivation. Somebody recently placed a geocache there, and that was excuse enough for me to go. I knew there was a short water-filled slot section that I may not be able to make it over, but it was worth risking just so I could be outdoors doing something, even in December. I got a late start from home, but the hike was short so I wasn't worried about running out of daylight.
A bald eagle near Huntington
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5L1wjTGI/AAAAAAAAG7w/eRNQfhLEkvA/s400/IMG_0990.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/RwYLW3BJ0v6bFHoLiL6v-g)
I got to the trailhead around 1:00 p.m. and followed a faint ATV trail for a few hundred yards until it crossed the wash coming out of Grotto Canyon. From there, it was a relatively boring walk along a rocky wash bottom.
The trailhead
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5MeRFSmI/AAAAAAAAG70/5uhKn-K67hI/s400/IMG_1004_stitch.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iOI2MV_7VEkMj-2BhAEoeA)
Faint ATV trail
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5NswDzVI/AAAAAAAAG74/VNyBKOHGTCY/s400/IMG_1009.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/REc98_a-jJle5p4oZdRjSg)
Rocky wash bottom
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5O-jtM-I/AAAAAAAAG78/_uPO1AMtVBU/s400/IMG_1011.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rT4r8cimt-wDkQ8lAkDZJQ)
A fun, shallow, narrow section
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5Qf2TPYI/AAAAAAAAG8A/FOWvt9MJ77o/s400/IMG_1014.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7okYAtB14z00DfVepK9GkQ)
A purplish-brown slab of Carmel Formation rock
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5TAoJlQI/AAAAAAAAG8I/IZdm1rdrYGQ/s400/IMG_1022.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3joL7q233HhGg6e_L5l3Mg)
After about a third of a mile, the Carmel Formation gives way to Navajo Sandstone, and this is where the hike got more interesting. It narrowed up a bit in places, but never got very deep in the narrows. At one point there was a pothole that has to be bypassed by climbing out of the canyon, though I erred and climbed out on the north side, which wasn't too difficult, but getting back into the canyon above the pothole was tough.
The start of the Navajo Sandstone
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5UN6gLYI/AAAAAAAAG8M/tFtKKAU5iAg/s400/IMG_1028.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MJ8yGmTRw_MOIS9ROk-CZA)
Narrow, but shallow
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5VNHifvI/AAAAAAAAG8Q/XB0iQw-YF4s/s400/IMG_1038.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/C2SV_w4BIlaYlp6Ib_zaLQ)
Torrey above the pothole
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5YqPrbVI/AAAAAAAAG8c/GHun81t026w/s400/IMG_1051.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XxBAHtItL4d_VFwRayO4vg)
Panorama of the pothole
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5ZvOkifI/AAAAAAAAG8g/YCGe9W7JmzQ/s400/IMG_1052_stitch.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/g0-682-V2JmRAyWRAhQAIA)
Pothole bypass (north side)
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5sMK2yHI/AAAAAAAAG9k/OhIwI8xYO50/s400/IMG_1120.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5c-B_zMNHXI2HqZCx0IXaQ)
Pothole bypass (south side) (preferred route)
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5q_NFZsI/AAAAAAAAG9g/5ynh_U3X3wE/s400/IMG_1116.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/etFL5ZZFfaeJm9249pGRpQ)
The pothole viewed from above
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5a9OIhOI/AAAAAAAAG8k/JTEzkfaOVAo/s400/IMG_1063.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CHuhTho00iEzv5KfJ3o37g)
After dropping back down into the canyon, I just followed the bottom up toward the Grotto. There was some light bushwhacking, and the canyon just got more and more narrow until I hit the slot section full of water.
Light bushwhacking
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5e0ROQXI/AAAAAAAAG80/-IrcpGvMnGk/s400/IMG_1074.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/VwetJcj-hUvVkONkEWpLmg)
Getting narrower
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5gH8mBmI/AAAAAAAAG84/e-_gze5ayiQ/s400/IMG_1081.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/usRWTBh-HO_djWAy2RtwZw)
The water-filled narrows
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5iAFdhEI/AAAAAAAAG9A/Lsi-1T0XrsI/s400/IMG_1090.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gfyHo7Y_YhRWXE7MZZZgRw)
I was hoping that the water would be frozen solid enough for me to walk over, but no such luck. The surface was frozen, but the ice was only about 1/4-inch thick. I attempted to stem over it, which turned out to be easy at first. Toward the end of the water-filled section, but walls became purely vertical and stemming required much more strength and skill, and I just didn't feel comfortable going all the way. I don't think a fall would have hurt me, but I didn't want to suffer the discomfort of hiking back in freezing weather and wet clothes.
Looking down into the water
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5jPqKMWI/AAAAAAAAG9E/Uqz_e8lcCyw/s400/IMG_1092.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/n-gYhGzJPPbTXslg_fd7IQ)
Torrey waiting as I stemmed over the water
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5lklZW-I/AAAAAAAAG9M/pTxzkQCG7sI/s400/IMG_1094.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OSZjsypZzQbCveXX8jfS7Q)
After admitting defeat, I managed to turn around while stemming, and made it back to the start of the water without too much trouble. I hiked down-canyon about two-tenths of a mile and climbed out on the south side, then followed the rim of the canyon until I could see down into the Grotto.
The Grotto seen from above
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5m_VxJsI/AAAAAAAAG9Q/BCanklHRNhI/s400/IMG_1099.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8Zb2R___uTpKgrYnLddZaQ)
Zoom of the Grotto from above
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5nmL7ovI/AAAAAAAAG9U/Qemw_Cz7hZg/s400/IMG_1100.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/EHzqE0sWxpylhv6eaZN7UA)
View down-canyon from the rim
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5orWHjOI/AAAAAAAAG9Y/Nn7NhoDLQ6w/s400/IMG_1101.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/aeYydVG_uC8buraPnUuN1Q)
Another view down-canyon
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5pjD0JlI/AAAAAAAAG9c/wPNzo1Z8sP4/s400/IMG_1110.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/e_NT0d8-tcS36GhjlKHAYQ)
The hike back to the truck was uneventful. This time I bypassed the pothole on the south side, which was much easier than the north. On my way home, I stopped to take a few more photos.
Curtis Point
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5tlAeqHI/AAAAAAAAG9s/3x18nkpKlH4/s800/IMG_1132_stitch.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Yw3BBoodHVXKkfBfG6VcLg)
Buckhorn Flat
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5uT0xNpI/AAAAAAAAG9w/AEtZrJ5zWCs/s800/IMG_1137_stitch.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Sj4HJsj0ZRD9kpGOUH-KQA)
More photos here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Dennis.Udink/TheGrottoAlmost#
Tracklog and waypoints (Google Earth .KML format)
http://castlecountry.org/geo/TheGrotto(Almost).kml
(sorry, you'll have to copy and paste the URL, looks like phpBB doesn't like parentheses in URLs)
A bald eagle near Huntington
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5L1wjTGI/AAAAAAAAG7w/eRNQfhLEkvA/s400/IMG_0990.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/RwYLW3BJ0v6bFHoLiL6v-g)
I got to the trailhead around 1:00 p.m. and followed a faint ATV trail for a few hundred yards until it crossed the wash coming out of Grotto Canyon. From there, it was a relatively boring walk along a rocky wash bottom.
The trailhead
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5MeRFSmI/AAAAAAAAG70/5uhKn-K67hI/s400/IMG_1004_stitch.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iOI2MV_7VEkMj-2BhAEoeA)
Faint ATV trail
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5NswDzVI/AAAAAAAAG74/VNyBKOHGTCY/s400/IMG_1009.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/REc98_a-jJle5p4oZdRjSg)
Rocky wash bottom
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5O-jtM-I/AAAAAAAAG78/_uPO1AMtVBU/s400/IMG_1011.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rT4r8cimt-wDkQ8lAkDZJQ)
A fun, shallow, narrow section
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5Qf2TPYI/AAAAAAAAG8A/FOWvt9MJ77o/s400/IMG_1014.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7okYAtB14z00DfVepK9GkQ)
A purplish-brown slab of Carmel Formation rock
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5TAoJlQI/AAAAAAAAG8I/IZdm1rdrYGQ/s400/IMG_1022.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3joL7q233HhGg6e_L5l3Mg)
After about a third of a mile, the Carmel Formation gives way to Navajo Sandstone, and this is where the hike got more interesting. It narrowed up a bit in places, but never got very deep in the narrows. At one point there was a pothole that has to be bypassed by climbing out of the canyon, though I erred and climbed out on the north side, which wasn't too difficult, but getting back into the canyon above the pothole was tough.
The start of the Navajo Sandstone
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5UN6gLYI/AAAAAAAAG8M/tFtKKAU5iAg/s400/IMG_1028.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MJ8yGmTRw_MOIS9ROk-CZA)
Narrow, but shallow
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5VNHifvI/AAAAAAAAG8Q/XB0iQw-YF4s/s400/IMG_1038.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/C2SV_w4BIlaYlp6Ib_zaLQ)
Torrey above the pothole
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5YqPrbVI/AAAAAAAAG8c/GHun81t026w/s400/IMG_1051.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XxBAHtItL4d_VFwRayO4vg)
Panorama of the pothole
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5ZvOkifI/AAAAAAAAG8g/YCGe9W7JmzQ/s400/IMG_1052_stitch.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/g0-682-V2JmRAyWRAhQAIA)
Pothole bypass (north side)
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5sMK2yHI/AAAAAAAAG9k/OhIwI8xYO50/s400/IMG_1120.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5c-B_zMNHXI2HqZCx0IXaQ)
Pothole bypass (south side) (preferred route)
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5q_NFZsI/AAAAAAAAG9g/5ynh_U3X3wE/s400/IMG_1116.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/etFL5ZZFfaeJm9249pGRpQ)
The pothole viewed from above
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5a9OIhOI/AAAAAAAAG8k/JTEzkfaOVAo/s400/IMG_1063.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CHuhTho00iEzv5KfJ3o37g)
After dropping back down into the canyon, I just followed the bottom up toward the Grotto. There was some light bushwhacking, and the canyon just got more and more narrow until I hit the slot section full of water.
Light bushwhacking
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5e0ROQXI/AAAAAAAAG80/-IrcpGvMnGk/s400/IMG_1074.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/VwetJcj-hUvVkONkEWpLmg)
Getting narrower
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5gH8mBmI/AAAAAAAAG84/e-_gze5ayiQ/s400/IMG_1081.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/usRWTBh-HO_djWAy2RtwZw)
The water-filled narrows
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5iAFdhEI/AAAAAAAAG9A/Lsi-1T0XrsI/s400/IMG_1090.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gfyHo7Y_YhRWXE7MZZZgRw)
I was hoping that the water would be frozen solid enough for me to walk over, but no such luck. The surface was frozen, but the ice was only about 1/4-inch thick. I attempted to stem over it, which turned out to be easy at first. Toward the end of the water-filled section, but walls became purely vertical and stemming required much more strength and skill, and I just didn't feel comfortable going all the way. I don't think a fall would have hurt me, but I didn't want to suffer the discomfort of hiking back in freezing weather and wet clothes.
Looking down into the water
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5jPqKMWI/AAAAAAAAG9E/Uqz_e8lcCyw/s400/IMG_1092.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/n-gYhGzJPPbTXslg_fd7IQ)
Torrey waiting as I stemmed over the water
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5lklZW-I/AAAAAAAAG9M/pTxzkQCG7sI/s400/IMG_1094.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OSZjsypZzQbCveXX8jfS7Q)
After admitting defeat, I managed to turn around while stemming, and made it back to the start of the water without too much trouble. I hiked down-canyon about two-tenths of a mile and climbed out on the south side, then followed the rim of the canyon until I could see down into the Grotto.
The Grotto seen from above
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5m_VxJsI/AAAAAAAAG9Q/BCanklHRNhI/s400/IMG_1099.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8Zb2R___uTpKgrYnLddZaQ)
Zoom of the Grotto from above
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5nmL7ovI/AAAAAAAAG9U/Qemw_Cz7hZg/s400/IMG_1100.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/EHzqE0sWxpylhv6eaZN7UA)
View down-canyon from the rim
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5orWHjOI/AAAAAAAAG9Y/Nn7NhoDLQ6w/s400/IMG_1101.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/aeYydVG_uC8buraPnUuN1Q)
Another view down-canyon
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5pjD0JlI/AAAAAAAAG9c/wPNzo1Z8sP4/s400/IMG_1110.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/e_NT0d8-tcS36GhjlKHAYQ)
The hike back to the truck was uneventful. This time I bypassed the pothole on the south side, which was much easier than the north. On my way home, I stopped to take a few more photos.
Curtis Point
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5tlAeqHI/AAAAAAAAG9s/3x18nkpKlH4/s800/IMG_1132_stitch.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Yw3BBoodHVXKkfBfG6VcLg)
Buckhorn Flat
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/Sxn5uT0xNpI/AAAAAAAAG9w/AEtZrJ5zWCs/s800/IMG_1137_stitch.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Sj4HJsj0ZRD9kpGOUH-KQA)
More photos here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Dennis.Udink/TheGrottoAlmost#
Tracklog and waypoints (Google Earth .KML format)
http://castlecountry.org/geo/TheGrotto(Almost).kml
(sorry, you'll have to copy and paste the URL, looks like phpBB doesn't like parentheses in URLs)