Udink
10-10-2010, 01:26 PM
I hiked to Hurst Bridge two years ago (http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthread.php?32562-TR-Hurst-Bridge), but at that time I forgot that Exclamation Bridge was nearby, and I totally missed it. I finally made it back this weekend to check out Exclamation.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=http:%2F%2Fcastlecountry.org%2Fgeo%2FHurstAndExc lamationBridges.kmz&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=34.038806,86.572266&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=13http://castlecountry.org/geo/HurstAndExclamationBridges.kmz
I'd already done most of the hike when I went to Hurst, so I only snapped a few photos along the way. Despite all the rain and flash flooding over the past week, the road wasn't too bad getting into Ernie Canyon--nothing a decent 4X4 can't handle. I started the hike at the WSA boundary at about 10:40AM and made it to Hurst Bridge in about two hours. From there I continued west up the Hurst drainage and then climbed south up a fin to get on top of a ridge in order to get around a huge chasm separating Hurst and Exclamation. After going around the chasm, I tried climbing down a crack that Summit (http://www.bogley.com/forum/member.php?435-Summit) thought would lead to the bottom of Exclamation, with some downclimbing and a handline to get back out. After some really tricky downclimbing (especially for my dog), I got to the top of another purely vertical downclimb with no hand- or footholds, and though I had some rope with me, I still don't think it was within my ability to climb it. I reverse course and climbed back up the crack, lifting my dog much of the way.
Very briefly stuck while crossing Iron Wash
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE05H7QKAI/AAAAAAAAPQc/yugta6aQ7zg/s640/IMG_7750.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HXAbTqwuyUKcTzuLemWhkA)
Butterfly in Ernie Canyon
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1BsSHauI/AAAAAAAAPRA/lMxNzPFrZ0Q/s640/IMG_7790.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kZg00l4-z20DV2tmKIRhGA)
The start of the climb up the Reef
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1FORsGdI/AAAAAAAAPRM/L8zQsWtc-iA/s640/IMG_7801.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/LypfIXabNZsB9e0qY3019g)
Ernie Canyon
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1I9VXDwI/AAAAAAAAPRY/SJ3zaz5OUco/s640/IMG_7823.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fAKwk4D95SJryBNo90XJjw)
Bent Arch
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1NEnuV3I/AAAAAAAAPRo/z9RwChhqtj8/s640/IMG_7853.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/n0mlsHayb_7ruiLa2S6qcg)
Hurst Bridge
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1WaoS-XI/AAAAAAAAPSQ/qhvIeycw2cs/s640/IMG_7883.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MYinFE41Zh9EF79f04xwvg)
Hurst Bridge
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1Ywr0GaI/AAAAAAAAPSc/4xTVeIddvqQ/s640/IMG_7891.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7pFtuXozPn0d29ubqHpSjQ)
The crack I tried climbing down
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1cbVCQAI/AAAAAAAAPSs/3_Yv8SL2V8I/s640/IMG_7925.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/dq0-DGJDz8bDqz0iTseUaA)
The worst of the climbing in the crack
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1db4XXgI/AAAAAAAAPS0/BAR93ILpqzA/s640/IMG_7926.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lIBJi5voIoNSVKGAgTbGDQ)
Jumble of boulders at the bottom of the crack
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1gmdg9gI/AAAAAAAAPTA/fjU8ekRXec4/s640/IMG_7937.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/eBTBud2NSrgurgMsTVnE1Q)
Back on top of the ridge, I followed it west for a short distance while looking for a way down into the canyon above Exclamation Bridge. I found a way down, but I had to jump off a 6' ledge that I didn't think I could climb back up. Oh well, I figured there would be an easier way out farther up the canyon. I hiked all around Exclamation, looking for a way down to the bottom, but everywhere I looked it seemed that you'd need to rappel down and climb the rope back out. There was some webbing w/quicklink around a small arch in what looked like the most logical spot to rap down below Exclamation. I explored the canyons and cracks to the north of Exclamation, then tried finding a way out of the canyon and back up to the ridge to the south. I found a spot, but it was really tough for me, and even more so for the dog. I literally had to drag her up one steep spot that she refused to climb on her own. After that, it was an easy backtrack the way I'd come, back to the truck, where I arrived at around at about 5:10PM.
Back on top of the ridge
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1hZR80AI/AAAAAAAAPTE/Ygy_nl4rcIg/s640/IMG_7945.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gHHJ8FQmcd_Y8ED1f5o4Zw)
View of Exclamation Bridge from above
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1iM8NDNI/AAAAAAAAPTI/rvqvy5nU_R4/s640/IMG_7950.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hDMeR4jfyN5R_U0Fc9fE0A)
The 6' ledge I jumped
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1i5dI3OI/AAAAAAAAPTM/QWnTYr9phEg/s640/IMG_7953.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zIXJPZvO3N2e26yTpVVCEg)
Exclamation Bridge
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1kEHYMZI/AAAAAAAAPTU/6nj7skA0BRo/s1024/IMG_7962_stitch.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/QoLOKNuqJ7OzDBlw6cCiDA)
Rappel anchor
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1k8-GjSI/AAAAAAAAPTY/jg7PFo0c1r8/s640/IMG_7967.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3RTCTtg0QQ9ABT1lZN1k2g)
Another view of Exclamation
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1mvgJg6I/AAAAAAAAPTk/1QLHJEZfI_o/s640/IMG_7982.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-LeEuCQVAuCjF2ocbwoG2Q)
View of the crack (that I tried climbing down earlier) from below
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1oP-5yFI/AAAAAAAAPTs/-BcvfHGFjBs/s640/IMG_7992.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jWcE19r7yetQgtKesUS89Q)
View off the top of the Reef
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1rRgoQQI/AAAAAAAAPT8/FTnW8-48HS8/s640/IMG_8001.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/257JAt8iNudvaOT0UTwrZA)
The sketchy climb out of the Exclamation drainage
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1v5KnsaI/AAAAAAAAPUQ/tPJuHIwCh6Y/s640/IMG_8024.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KV2_cNjc3lIxUG2aSI3Njg)
Panorama from the ridge
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1yULNTKI/AAAAAAAAPUc/HdNWx9zipgc/s1024/IMG_8033_stitch.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zc_DnRh7HW1oZyqJ2_fJ_Q)
Henry Mountains and Gilson Buttes
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1zXZ_vwI/AAAAAAAAPUg/JdaR5eOB1uE/s640/IMG_8046.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5DS-g0PjHRdm3sc_jhxkaw)
Ernie Canyon panorama
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE193nFYjI/AAAAAAAAPVI/IHYLbIUu_8w/s1024/IMG_8092_stitch.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xhUAf1s4Xc-DDZ-wXJJPDg)
Panorama from the trailhead
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1_GBFFpI/AAAAAAAAPVU/3e_-FB8-VB8/s1024/IMG_8109_stitch.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OSR0jcLXpxRoqy_LLqhTAg)
Here's the whole set:
HurstAndExclamationBridges
http://picasaweb.google.com/Dennis.Udink/HurstAndExclamationBridges#
And here's my blog entry detailing the hike:
http://udink.org/archives/2010/10/hurst_and_excla.shtml
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=http:%2F%2Fcastlecountry.org%2Fgeo%2FHurstAndExc lamationBridges.kmz&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=34.038806,86.572266&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=13http://castlecountry.org/geo/HurstAndExclamationBridges.kmz
I'd already done most of the hike when I went to Hurst, so I only snapped a few photos along the way. Despite all the rain and flash flooding over the past week, the road wasn't too bad getting into Ernie Canyon--nothing a decent 4X4 can't handle. I started the hike at the WSA boundary at about 10:40AM and made it to Hurst Bridge in about two hours. From there I continued west up the Hurst drainage and then climbed south up a fin to get on top of a ridge in order to get around a huge chasm separating Hurst and Exclamation. After going around the chasm, I tried climbing down a crack that Summit (http://www.bogley.com/forum/member.php?435-Summit) thought would lead to the bottom of Exclamation, with some downclimbing and a handline to get back out. After some really tricky downclimbing (especially for my dog), I got to the top of another purely vertical downclimb with no hand- or footholds, and though I had some rope with me, I still don't think it was within my ability to climb it. I reverse course and climbed back up the crack, lifting my dog much of the way.
Very briefly stuck while crossing Iron Wash
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE05H7QKAI/AAAAAAAAPQc/yugta6aQ7zg/s640/IMG_7750.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HXAbTqwuyUKcTzuLemWhkA)
Butterfly in Ernie Canyon
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1BsSHauI/AAAAAAAAPRA/lMxNzPFrZ0Q/s640/IMG_7790.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kZg00l4-z20DV2tmKIRhGA)
The start of the climb up the Reef
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1FORsGdI/AAAAAAAAPRM/L8zQsWtc-iA/s640/IMG_7801.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/LypfIXabNZsB9e0qY3019g)
Ernie Canyon
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1I9VXDwI/AAAAAAAAPRY/SJ3zaz5OUco/s640/IMG_7823.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fAKwk4D95SJryBNo90XJjw)
Bent Arch
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1NEnuV3I/AAAAAAAAPRo/z9RwChhqtj8/s640/IMG_7853.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/n0mlsHayb_7ruiLa2S6qcg)
Hurst Bridge
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1WaoS-XI/AAAAAAAAPSQ/qhvIeycw2cs/s640/IMG_7883.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MYinFE41Zh9EF79f04xwvg)
Hurst Bridge
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1Ywr0GaI/AAAAAAAAPSc/4xTVeIddvqQ/s640/IMG_7891.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7pFtuXozPn0d29ubqHpSjQ)
The crack I tried climbing down
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1cbVCQAI/AAAAAAAAPSs/3_Yv8SL2V8I/s640/IMG_7925.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/dq0-DGJDz8bDqz0iTseUaA)
The worst of the climbing in the crack
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1db4XXgI/AAAAAAAAPS0/BAR93ILpqzA/s640/IMG_7926.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lIBJi5voIoNSVKGAgTbGDQ)
Jumble of boulders at the bottom of the crack
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1gmdg9gI/AAAAAAAAPTA/fjU8ekRXec4/s640/IMG_7937.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/eBTBud2NSrgurgMsTVnE1Q)
Back on top of the ridge, I followed it west for a short distance while looking for a way down into the canyon above Exclamation Bridge. I found a way down, but I had to jump off a 6' ledge that I didn't think I could climb back up. Oh well, I figured there would be an easier way out farther up the canyon. I hiked all around Exclamation, looking for a way down to the bottom, but everywhere I looked it seemed that you'd need to rappel down and climb the rope back out. There was some webbing w/quicklink around a small arch in what looked like the most logical spot to rap down below Exclamation. I explored the canyons and cracks to the north of Exclamation, then tried finding a way out of the canyon and back up to the ridge to the south. I found a spot, but it was really tough for me, and even more so for the dog. I literally had to drag her up one steep spot that she refused to climb on her own. After that, it was an easy backtrack the way I'd come, back to the truck, where I arrived at around at about 5:10PM.
Back on top of the ridge
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1hZR80AI/AAAAAAAAPTE/Ygy_nl4rcIg/s640/IMG_7945.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gHHJ8FQmcd_Y8ED1f5o4Zw)
View of Exclamation Bridge from above
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1iM8NDNI/AAAAAAAAPTI/rvqvy5nU_R4/s640/IMG_7950.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hDMeR4jfyN5R_U0Fc9fE0A)
The 6' ledge I jumped
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1i5dI3OI/AAAAAAAAPTM/QWnTYr9phEg/s640/IMG_7953.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zIXJPZvO3N2e26yTpVVCEg)
Exclamation Bridge
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1kEHYMZI/AAAAAAAAPTU/6nj7skA0BRo/s1024/IMG_7962_stitch.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/QoLOKNuqJ7OzDBlw6cCiDA)
Rappel anchor
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1k8-GjSI/AAAAAAAAPTY/jg7PFo0c1r8/s640/IMG_7967.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3RTCTtg0QQ9ABT1lZN1k2g)
Another view of Exclamation
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1mvgJg6I/AAAAAAAAPTk/1QLHJEZfI_o/s640/IMG_7982.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-LeEuCQVAuCjF2ocbwoG2Q)
View of the crack (that I tried climbing down earlier) from below
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1oP-5yFI/AAAAAAAAPTs/-BcvfHGFjBs/s640/IMG_7992.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jWcE19r7yetQgtKesUS89Q)
View off the top of the Reef
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1rRgoQQI/AAAAAAAAPT8/FTnW8-48HS8/s640/IMG_8001.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/257JAt8iNudvaOT0UTwrZA)
The sketchy climb out of the Exclamation drainage
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1v5KnsaI/AAAAAAAAPUQ/tPJuHIwCh6Y/s640/IMG_8024.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KV2_cNjc3lIxUG2aSI3Njg)
Panorama from the ridge
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1yULNTKI/AAAAAAAAPUc/HdNWx9zipgc/s1024/IMG_8033_stitch.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zc_DnRh7HW1oZyqJ2_fJ_Q)
Henry Mountains and Gilson Buttes
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1zXZ_vwI/AAAAAAAAPUg/JdaR5eOB1uE/s640/IMG_8046.JPG (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5DS-g0PjHRdm3sc_jhxkaw)
Ernie Canyon panorama
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE193nFYjI/AAAAAAAAPVI/IHYLbIUu_8w/s1024/IMG_8092_stitch.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xhUAf1s4Xc-DDZ-wXJJPDg)
Panorama from the trailhead
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_JpEWXOITrzw/TLE1_GBFFpI/AAAAAAAAPVU/3e_-FB8-VB8/s1024/IMG_8109_stitch.jpg (http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OSR0jcLXpxRoqy_LLqhTAg)
Here's the whole set:
HurstAndExclamationBridges
http://picasaweb.google.com/Dennis.Udink/HurstAndExclamationBridges#
And here's my blog entry detailing the hike:
http://udink.org/archives/2010/10/hurst_and_excla.shtml