Ouray, Colorado - Bear Creek

[mmac]

Here are some photographic highlights from my personal favorite canyon of the Ouray trip.

The entire album can be found here (http://picasaweb.google.com/mmac437/OurayBear).


Destination: "The Dream"
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_I00irtxm2OQ/THxP0WSuIsI/AAAAAAAABV8/YL1hDYzkjbg/P1020888.JPG

Mark on the approach hike
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_I00irtxm2OQ/THxP_frfReI/AAAAAAAABWY/JLmMN4R8MT8/P1020894.JPG

View of the falls we'll be traveling through later in the day!
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_I00irtxm2OQ/THxQBJFjXQI/AAAAAAAAB7k/wFasHSz_xfs/P1020895.JPG

Prepping some gear after suiting up
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_I00irtxm2OQ/THxQWrur3bI/AAAAAAAABXM/9LGMjOZKBYw/P1020906.JPG

Incredible flow in some places
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_I00irtxm2OQ/THxQkf3pbrI/AAAAAAAAB8M/b3E4RUc9e9g/P1020912.JPG

Sweet rocks are everywhere!
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_I00irtxm2OQ/THxQg-5lYZI/AAAAAAAABXg/z4ME5Rx_bFQ/P1020910.JPG

Loving this canyon
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_I00irtxm2OQ/THxQ39PR7YI/AAAAAAAAB9A/x0qWOp5GD6E/P1020923.JPG

More amazing waterfalls
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_I00irtxm2OQ/THxRGrMbdMI/AAAAAAAAB9g/fPwlU58u0Oc/P1020932.JPG

Lunch time!
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_I00irtxm2OQ/THxRIusbeNI/AAAAAAAAB9o/d155tFVf0yk/P1020933.JPG

Setting up a new anchor beside the falls. The other one was either removed, or washed out... Seemed to be a good placement for the pull though.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_I00irtxm2OQ/THxRLCKg_eI/AAAAAAAABZQ/6dh10E4euP4/P1020934.JPG

Rapping through waterfalls :haha::2thumbs:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_I00irtxm2OQ/THxRPAkM8fI/AAAAAAAABZY/vciJNqem-F4/P1020936.JPG

The result of trying to "test the flow."
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_I00irtxm2OQ/THxRQR7YpOI/AAAAAAAABZc/cLZP4iM3nT8/P1020937.JPG

Randi rocking this rappel!
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_I00irtxm2OQ/THxRiVg6XkI/AAAAAAAABaI/80qoUVZjS7g/P1020946.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_I00irtxm2OQ/THxRlvIofgI/AAAAAAAABaQ/PWXIEzS61rE/P1020948.JPG

Randi and the infamous "missing glove"
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_I00irtxm2OQ/THxRn6UZHjI/AAAAAAAABaU/xeN0dpUlS1g/P1020949.JPG

Mark on rappel
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_I00irtxm2OQ/THxRt_J91YI/AAAAAAAAB-o/Q1QkUJbCDII/P1020952.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_I00irtxm2OQ/THxRxl900KI/AAAAAAAABas/TosPStVxHHs/P1020954.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_I00irtxm2OQ/THxRzQwCqdI/AAAAAAAABaw/5AcOh5oIuNA/P1020955.JPG

Some of the incredible narrows at the end of the canyon.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_I00irtxm2OQ/THxR3MOpcuI/AAAAAAAAB_M/pMvhczntWNU/P1020957.JPG

[ratagonia]

Awesome!!! Tom :moses:

[Cirrus2000]

Wow - what a gorgeous place! :2thumbs:

I love this shot:

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_I00irtxm2OQ/THxQBJFjXQI/AAAAAAAAB7k/wFasHSz_xfs/P1020895.JPG

[Sombeech]

Another awesome report. :cool2: Gorgeous

[Mark Schnupp]

Sweet pics, Mike. Look forward to hooking up with you again and knocking out some of those AZ canyons.

M

[accadacca]

Win! :2thumbs:

[heliski2]

:clap: Love your awesome photos. How much time did the canyon take?

[iceman]

Any of you experienced canyoneers wanna take my wife and I down this canyon on the weekend of the 24th of September????

[josephP]

Wow great pictures. Did you rappell down all those waterfalls in that 3rd picture?

[mmac]

:clap: Love your awesome photos. How much time did the canyon take?

Thanks! If I remember, this canyon took about 6 hours from car to car.


Any of you experienced canyoneers wanna take my wife and I down this canyon on the weekend of the 24th of September????

I can't... I'll be busy that weekend.


Wow great pictures. Did you rappell down all those waterfalls in that 3rd picture?

Thanks, and yes - we did end up rappelling down all of those waterfalls, and more!

[Mark Schnupp]

Any of you experienced canyoneers wanna take my wife and I down this canyon on the weekend of the 24th of September????

This was my favorite canyon as well, and I'm not marginalizing the others because they were fantastic! Bear Creek is truly unique, it really had an exotic feel to me.

I would love to join you for this trip, however I think the season had passed. Like Mike said, we were in the water for at least 5 hours, and although the canyon is orientated well for sun exposure, it was COLD-and that was in mid August. To go in now you would have to be way cold tolerant and dressed for it. With that said, this canyon is not to be missed, and there are killer hot springs 10 minutes away from the exit.

Post pics if you go.

M

[J+B]

Video feat. Bear Creek, from a few years ago when I visited Ouray.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzuVguqXf68


I reckon Bear was prolly my favourite in the area.