San Rafael Swell in September

[ststephen]

In some face-to-face and off-forum conversations with Don the idea of a trip to the swell in September has come up. The date suggested was a three day weekend of 9/24-26 (Fri-Sun). I'm looking at some reasonable airfares right now and will likely grab something soon. I think the plan would be to leave SLC on Thursday after work to allow for 3 full days having a swell time.

Who's in?

[jman]

....having a swell time.

Who's in?

having a swell of a time in the Swell eh? hehe

Wish I could go then with ya guys but I got school...but I am going two weeks earlier during Labor Day (which will be busy... :cry1: ) but plan on hitting Zero G, Goblin Valley, LWH, Ding & Dang, and Crack Cyn (never done yet).

what's on your hit list?

[Don]

Sorry Paul, I told you I'd post something about this and I never got around to it.

I've mentioned this to a few people face to face on via facebook. The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance is having an open invitation camp out at Hidden Splendor Airfield on September 25th & 26th. They (obviously) plan to have a discussion about protecting the wild lands. They will also be doing a pot luck dinner Saturday evening and (if you RSVP) they will have coffee and breakfast Sunday morning (assume that's for contributing members) and music around the campfire.
I think it would be fun to camp near them (not necessarily with them) and participate in the discussions (regardless of your viewpoint; I encourage those of opposing views to join 'cause it'll make the discussion more interesting). Then during the day instead of their guided nature hike we could do some nearby technical slot canyons. Knotted Rope (Miners Hollow), Quandary and Music come quickly to mind. In fact I've been meaning to get back into Quandary to descend the potholes this time!
Here's the SUWA link
http://www.suwa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=events_roundup2010

Cody and I are planning on it (I hope to head down the evening of Thursday the 23rd and stay through Sunday afternoon), and it sounds like Paul is in. Anyone else interested?

[trackrunner]

I'd be interested in a Quandary pothole direct and ascending up Knotted Rope. squeeze also on the hit list

[ststephen]

Cashed in my SWA reward for my flight today, so I thought I'd bump this thread to remind folks of this upcoming trip. Aaron was very bummed to learn he's not going, but I'm due for mini-vacation "with the guys".

[Don]

Cody and I are in for sure. Josh is hopeful. I'm looking forward to it!

[trackrunner]

still interested

[cachehiker]

Cody and I are in for sure. Josh is hopeful. I'm looking forward to it!

I'll talk to you about it on the 20th. mmmm-k?

I'll probably be up to helmet, harness, shoes, rappelling device, and a few carabiners by September.

[Erik]

I'm in. Will figure out some more details (like exactly when I can arrive), as it gets closer.

[Don]

Nice, looks like this is really coming together!


Also, here is my TR from the last time we were down there:
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30037

[Don]

Bump.
And Gonzo (was with me in Englestead when things went off-plan last year) got permission from his wife and is being counted among those committed to this trip!! :clap:

[cachehiker]

Looking positive for me too. I still have 3-4 vacation days left and finances look as though they'll be under control too.

Knotted Rope looks most interesting to me although I might be inclined to camp a little further away.

[Erik]

Any thoughts on routes, number of people definitely going, etc? Realized the date is fast approaching!

[Don]

Any thoughts on routes, number of people definitely going, etc? Realized the date is fast approaching!

Yeah, right now the committed group is Myself and my buddies Josh, Gonzo and Cody (occasionally on Bogley as adamsco), plus Shawn (trackrunner), Paul (ststeven) and Erik.
Brian mentioned serious interest but has made no firm commitment (you in Brian?). A few others expressed interest on Facebook but I'm not counting on them.
Did I miss anyone?

We're planning on Knotted Rope (aka Miners Hollow), Quandary (Direct) and likely Music Canyon.

I hope to drive down Thursday (the 23rd) evening, but still need to nail down logistics with my travel partners.

I've been a little unfocused on this because of Kev's trip next week, but I am looking forward to it!!

[trackrunner]

uggh shoot. My wife had to be born near this weekend. When I asked she was cool and even encourage me to go. But I'm thinking it's a trap or a tarp . . .

I'll let you know

[Don]

Hope you can make it Shawn.

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[ststephen]

"Why sure honey. You go out have a great time with your friends on my birthday weekend. I'll be fine here all by myself taking care of the kids"

Now if you make it a double good birthday both weekends before and after it *might* be OK. But, yeah tread carefully my friend!

[ststephen]

Now on to more logistics: I'll be driving down from somewhere SLC-ish on Thursday evening too. Do you want to meet up to caravan? I don't know where we are camping so if we're not in a caravan I'll need help finding the spot.

Is anyone interested in a communal meal for Friday night? Saturday I want to do the SUWA thing that Don mentioned which is a pot luck. But Friday I'm happy to help organize and cook up something. Is anyone bringing a grill or stove? How do Steak Fajitas sound?

I can also easily be self-sufficient food wise so no worries either way.

If any local folks have room, a folding table might be nice to have for the group in general as would an extra camp chair. Those things don't fly with me easily.

Looking forward to this!

[Don]

For sure we can work out a caravan. Will you be renting a car? I think we'll be tight or I'd offer you a ride.
Group meal Friday sounds fun. We'll have a stove, dutch ovens and a grill with us. I can bring a spare chair and I'll see if we can get a table in too. Seems pretty do-able.
Fajitas would be fun. Maybe grill the meat and cook a some cheesy potatoes and a dessert in the dutch ovens...
Going to be fun!

[Erik]

Group meal Friday thing sounds good. I have a good portable grill and a small stove that I can bring.
What kind of roads to the campsite? i.e. -- can my car make it? truck is acting weird, reliability questionable at the moment.

[Don]

Group meal Friday thing sounds good. I have a good portable grill and a small stove that I can bring.
What kind of roads to the campsite? i.e. -- can my car make it? truck is acting weird, reliability questionable at the moment.

Improved dirt road. In good weather an average car should have no problem.

[ststephen]

Yes, I'm fine with renting a car. But I'm just going to get something cheap and simple. If we get bad road conditions I guess we could always shuttle folks in?

Once we have a final count of folks eating we can figure exactly how much food we'll need. Allison and Shaun are both undecided I think. Dessert in the Dutch oven sounds great. Beans (refried or black) might go better w/fajitas than potatoes though. I'm thinking:

X Lbs of tri-tip
Spice mix to make a dry rub (I can bring that)
Onions & Peppers (sweet and hot) to saute
Tomatoes
Cilantro
Cheese
Sour Cream
Tortillas
Salsa

I can shop for that though I'll need to meet someone to get the meat in a better cooler than I'll have.

[Don]

Oh, duh. Yeah, beans or chilli or bean dip to go with fajitas. Let me talk to Cody; we'll come up with something good from the dutch oven. We'll have a good size cooler and plan room for the meat.

[Erik]

If there is anything in particular people need me to bring, let me know. Will be just me, so I should have a decent amount of room.

Wetsuit for the planned routes? Wasn't sure of conditions for the time of year, etc. I do have a suit now, and spent much of the summer in the whitewater.

[ratagonia]

If there is anything in particular people need me to bring, let me know. Will be just me, so I should have a decent amount of room.

Wetsuit for the planned routes? Wasn't sure of conditions for the time of year, etc. I do have a suit now, and spent much of the summer in the whitewater.

Not like I'm going, but... yes, a wetsuit would be a really good idea for Knotted Rope, Quandary and The Squeeze, which are the best canyons in the area.

Bug dope would be a good idea, as there are sometimes gnats at that time of year.

And I would be neglectful to not mention 1554.

Tom :moses:

[Erik]

hehe thanks Tom! Sounds good, I seem to have an odd fascination with cold water.

[cachehiker]

(you in Brian?)

At this point I think I'm in. :nod: Been working over the Subie this week though, and I'm not 100% sure I've got it fixed. I'll know in the next 6-8 days if it has stopped overheating. The plan would be to leave on Thursday and return in time to make an appearance at work to check email and such on Monday afternoon.

When it comes to accomodations, I prefer to camp away from crowds so you might find me a mile up the road or over the next hill. I tend to car camp with all the bases covered. Coleman dual fuel two burner, lantern, 3-person tent, firewood, charcoal plus grill, table, chairs, books, etc. but few tunes.

As far as agendas go for this relative noob, I hope to do at least one big canyon (Knotted Rope sounds like the one I'd prefer) with the rest of ya'll, at least one mountain bike ride, and to at least scope out if not hike Little Wild Horse and/or Ding and Dang. A lot will depend on whether or not S, or K, or L decides to tag along.

If I end up without a traveling companion, there will be space enough for another passenger.

[ststephen]

If there is anything in particular people need me to bring, let me know. Will be just me, so I should have a decent amount of room.


Extra filled water containers (5 gal?) a large cutting board & knife and a plastic basin for washing would all be helpful and hard for me to bring. Oh and I'm counting on your French Press, too!

[ststephen]

Anyone interested in doing the Chute of Muddy Creek? Sounds like a great hike and it would be nice to take advantage of having access to car shuttles.

[cachehiker]

Looks like I'm now a doubtful. :wallbash:

Not 100% sure yet but a new radiator appears to be in my future. :angryfire: It'll likely be a week or more before I can get it here.

Even if I were willing to pay for overnight shipping, I can't use this weekend for both vehicle repair and packing for a trip and stand a realistic chance of getting both done.

[ststephen]

So where are we on a close-to-final headcount?

Don
Cody
Josh?
Gonzo
Erik
Paul
Shaun?
Allison? (heard rumors though she hasn't posted here yet)

What time for departure from SLC? Where can we meet to caravan? I have room in my car if someone needs a ride or if some other vehicle is getting cramped.

[cachehiker]

Don
Cody
Josh?
Gonzo
Erik
Paul
Shaun?
Allison? (heard rumors though she hasn't posted here yet)

The radiator stop leak helped for once so I'm going to start getting my gear together regardless of how things eventually sort themselves out. I still haven't worked out if I'm losing an ounce every 10 miles or an ounce every 100 miles or whether it's getting better or whether it's getting worse though.

[Don]

Some life-changing shit going on (I'll probably have some campfire stories to share!) so I have not been on top of the planning with this trip. Really, I'm looking forward to having time to decompress in camp. This trip couldn't have come at a better time! I will focus this week on planning and communication with all involved.
I'm looking forward to it!

[ibenick]

It's looking like I'll probably be in the swell next weekend. If you guys know where you'll be camping let me know, I'd love to swing by and say hello.

[Don]

It's looking like I'll probably be in the swell next weekend. If you guys know where you'll be camping let me know, I'd love to swing by and say hello.

We will be at the Hidden Splendor Airfield. Should be a bunch of SUWA hippies around too. Don't expect to find us in camp during the day but you're welcome to stop by either Friday or Saturday evening. :2thumbs:

[Don]

Here is a map that SUWA emailed over the weekend. It shows the route we plan to take to the Hidden Splendor airfield.

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OR, as an alternate route these instructions were also emailed by SUWA:
1) From I-70, take Highway 24 about 25 miles south to the Goblin Valley exit. Turn west and follow the paved road past a spur road that goes south to Goblin Valley. Continue west on the main road for 9.4 miles to a signed junction to I-70 and turn left. In 2.7 miles turn left again at the sign for Reds Canyon and McKay Flat. In 0.8 miles turn left at the McKay Flat sign. Follow the main road for 9 miles to the signed Hidden Splendor road. Proceed down this road for 9.8 miles to the old airstrip (our camp spot) above Muddy Creek.

[abirken]

Rumors are correct! Sorting out some scheduling. Although it may just be a drive in for the sake of DRIVING, camping in my car, enjoying the company, enjoying the scenery and potentially shooting for some adventure on Sunday. It's in the sorting phase for me and will be last minute. :nod::2thumbs: I'll bring beer, water and some yummy baked goods if I make it.

[Don]

Rumors are correct! Sorting out some scheduling. Although it may just be a drive in for the sake of DRIVING, camping in my car, enjoying the company, enjoying the scenery and potentially shooting for some adventure on Sunday. It's in the sorting phase for me and will be last minute. :nod::2thumbs: I'll bring beer, water and some yummy baked goods if I make it.

Wherever, whenever; you’re always welcome in my camp. :2thumbs:

[Don]

Josh is out. Sounds like Shawn and Brian are out. That brings us down to:
Don
Cody
Gonzo
Paul
Erik
and maybe Alison
and maybe a buddy of mine, Brad, who is nursing an injury and won’t be doing anything technical with us.


Cody and I are planning some Cuban style black beans and rice to go with the fajitas on Friday night. We're also planning a lamb-curry & rice dutch oven dish for pot-luck Saturday.
Gonzo is going to plan a dutch-oven dessert for Friday night. Seems like we could use some dessert for Saturday night if you want to plan something like that Erik? There will be a spare dutch oven available if you want to plan something like pineapple upsidedown cake or peach cobbler or cherry chocolate cake (google search for dutch oven dessert). (Also, Erik, in case you’ve never cooked in a dutch oven and are feeling intimidated; we’ll help you cook it, you’re not on your own. We should talk; you have a PM with my phone number so call me.)

SUWA is planning a hike through the Muddy Creek Chute on Saturday, we could join them if there’s enough interest that way. Or we could do it Friday and avoid the bigger group…
Otherwise I think Quandary, Knotted Rope and Music are still on our possibilities list.

Looks like Cody has a commitment Thursday evening so Gonzo, Paul and I will be heading down Thursday evening and Cody will catch us Friday morning.

[cachehiker]

Still packing. When it rains it pours. :wallbash: Still holding out hope that everything will fall into place and I'll be able to catch up with y'all on Thursday.

Shifter on the #1 bicycle crapped out Sunday, still haven't concluded whether or not the car is still losing coolant, and noticed the self-inflater valve has failed on my car camping pad last night. That leaves me with my 3/4" thick 3/4 length backpacking pad. Oh yeah, and I will need to replace the kitchen faucet as soon as I get back.

[ststephen]

Dude - no sympathy on the pad; that's what I usually fly with. Though Kev has shown me my error in my ways and I'll try to bring a foam pad too. I'll count you in as far as food.

Also, other than Brian, do we have a grill I can use to cook the steak? Don - are you bringing firewood?

[Don]

Dude - no sympathy on the pad; that's what I usually fly with. Though Kev has shown me my error in my ways and I'll try to bring a foam pad too. I'll count you in as far as food.

Also, other than Brian, do we have a grill I can use to cook the steak? Don - are you bringing firewood?


[FONT=Verdana]I will be bringing grill for the steak. It

[Erik]

I've got a good portable propane grill. I will be bringing that, a two-burner coleman stove, and of course a French press + a lot of coffee. Hopefully that should leave a little bit of room in the car for gear and a tent :). The only thing I don't have laying around is some type of wash basin (saw it mentioned in the other list). Will bring extra water, large cutting board and knife.
Gear list would include mountain bike, but I've got to get a rack or a bigger vehicle...

As far as routes, I'm interested in most anything that it seems reasonable we can get through safely.

When are people planning to get there? I haven't even looked at the route in detail yet for travel time, etc but was thinking of leaving early-early Friday.

[ststephen]

I think we're leaving SLC area around 6:30 or 7. Should get us there 11ish. Your drive is about 7 hours, I think. So, you don't need to leave until mid-PM at the earliest.

I can always pick up a cheap plastic basin if no one else has one. No big deal, but I find those nice when cleaning up a group meal.

I'm doing final packing tonight; off to the airport tomorrow!

[cachehiker]

It was a good day today. After 150 miles, I'm now 90% convinced that I'm not losing enough coolant to matter. The Planet X Kaffenback frame arrived early so no worries about $350 worth of merchandise spending a 4 day weekend on the front porch. A buddy at work even had an old Thermarest Guidelite collecting dust. Just like me, he prefers an ultralight sub-1 lb. pad for backpacking and the plush 3+ lb. pad for car camping. The 2 lb. pad he bought first was just sitting around. I still want to pick up another plushy but I can't beat $20 for this one.

One more good day tomorrow and I should be good to go early (as in after the garbage has been picked up) on Thursday. I should have a couple of fires worth of firewood and a mountain bike as well as a good old Coleman stove and lantern, a tripod grill and charcoal, a camp chair and table, 3-man tent, two coolers, one pack for the canyons, one pack for the bike, and at least 7 gallons of water.

I'll see if I can pick up what I need for a little Jicama salad and lots of beer so I don't seem like a dutch oven mooch. :lol8:

Any ideas how far up the road from the airfield that I'll need to be to raise Don on the cellular?

[Erik]

Awesome! I'm heading out early-mid afternoon. Hopefully can find everyone pretty well at the airfield. Maybe you guys could pick up a big glow-in-the-dark sign or something :)

[Don]

Awesome! I'm heading out early-mid afternoon. Hopefully can find everyone pretty well at the airfield. Maybe you guys could pick up a big glow-in-the-dark sign or something :)

We'll try to camp obvious. You've met Paul & I so it shouldn't be too difficult. See you tonight!

[ibenick]

Looks like I'm solo this weekend so I think I'm going to try and spend the night at the Bogley camp either Friday or Saturday if that's alright. I'll be totally independent on all food and supplies but I'll throw in plenty of Idaho beer and firewood to support the cause.. See you all down there!

[Don]

Looks like I'm solo this weekend so I think I'm going to try and spend the night at the Bogley camp either Friday or Saturday if that's alright. I'll be totally independent on all food and supplies but I'll throw in plenty of Idaho beer and firewood to support the cause.. See you all down there!

Very cool. You're welcome in camp either night, or both!

[Erik]

that was a great time! looking forward to seeing the pics posted. Anyone whose number I had, please private-message it to me as the trip's casualty seems to be my iPhone. On that note, if anyone finds an iPhone, let me know. *sigh*. Thinking it's out there in the desert, or possibly fell into the porta-potty.

[Don]

that was a great time! looking forward to seeing the pics posted. Anyone whose number I had, please private-message it to me as the trip's casualty seems to be my iPhone. On that note, if anyone finds an iPhone, let me know. *sigh*. Thinking it's out there in the desert, or possibly fell into the porta-potty.

Sorry to hear about your phone; that sucks.
Otherwise; good times for sure. Looking forward to the next trip already. TR & Pics soon.

[cachehiker]

Bummer about the phone.

Turns out I only burped 20 psi out of my tire hitting a rock while trying to make good time. It hasn't leaked at all since I learned how many strokes of a bicycle pump (about 1000) that it takes to fill a car tire. Lucky. Lucky. Lucky.

That trip down Music was epic. My shoulders are killing me. Of course it has to be the first day back when I get stuck repeatedly stacking and unstacking five and ten 45-50 lb. plates on a treadmill to test it. :Ahnuld:

[Erik]

Good to hear about the tire. Music was awesome! Glad we got to do it in the more challenging conditions. Thinking about that makes me want to go again before too long!

[ststephen]

Thanks for the good times everyone. Sorry about the camera Erik.

I posted a TR for Knotted Rope. Hope to get Music up tomorrow. You can find the hi-res on flickr. Love to get your guys shots too...

[Erik]

Ok so I'm about ready to go back to the desert - that was too much fun!