High Spur

[akavalun]

Well after a couple years, I finally got around to doing High Spur. I have very little tech. canyoneering experience, and no gear, so a fellow member invited me and a buddy to join this past weekend. Friday morning we set out from the trailhead and dropped in just downstream from what would be the normal entrance. We came in just down from the rock jam, so we didn't have to negotiate that. The "Circle" was pretty cool, but it was cloudy all day, so we didn't get many pics. About a third of the way down, just before the little NE spur fork comes in, we hit some waist high water. We started to cross it, and another group came up behind us and relayed that there was a swimmer beyond it. Not prepared for swimming, we decided not to continue. We exited back up canyon a ways and headed over to drop down into the lil NE spur. After a couple tries, we got down in, just to find more drop offs with water. Rather than going down, and chancing the encounter of another swimmer, we decided to head back to the circle to check out the after noon light.

The second day, we decided to drop into the main canyon about half way down. We took a decent route down that my partner scouted a few weeks ago. Just as we started to get to the corkscrew, we ran into more water. We decided to head back up and out of the slot, and repelled down in just beyond this water. From here on down the slot was amazing. In my opinion, it definitely rivals Antelope, and there are no people to boot! Some more scrambling and usual stemming around water got us down to the final rap. This was my first tech. canyon, so the final rap. looked intimidating, but all went well. The hike out was a bit of a slog, but all in all it was a great day! I shoot large format, and don't have a digi, so these were taken with my phone. My other friend is still out hiking, and he has candid shots which I will post later this week.

[canyoncaver]

Awesome shots! I wish I could do as well with my real camera as you did with your phone! Now, you just need to get some wetsuits and flotation going so you can really see these canyons.

[Iceaxe]

Great pics for a cell phone. :2thumbs:

Canyoneering usually involves swimming through at least a couple pools of putrid water, its all just part of the fun.

[CarpeyBiggs]

amazing photos. nice stuff! :hail2thechief:

[Sombeech]

these were taken with my phone.

:eek2: Wow

[accadacca]

Okay...what kinda phone? :popcorn:

[RyanGJ]

I think we ran into you guys, were you camping by the junipers near the exit of High Spur? We were the ones who gave a ride to the other party of 4 that went through on Sat. Great pics!

[akavalun]

The phone is a Droid Incredible. It has a pretty sweet camera. Yeah Ryan, that was us camped down from the drill site by the junipers. Pretty nice camp site, and you can cut down into the main canyon from there.

[wes242]

Awesome shots! You got a tripod mount for that phone? :haha:

[ilipichicuma]

Awesome pictures! It's wild to hear it's so wet, when I went down High Spur last January (2010) there was just a little bit of ice. Granted, that's before the snow melts. I need to get back down there soon...

[darkmatter]

Here's akavalun's "phone":

[darkmatter]

Just kidding, those really were from his phone. It's quite the experience watching these guys work the other things. They cavort around, peering up, down, into holes, get on their knees, climb up on things, etc. Finally, something tells them to set up these boxes in a particular way. Then there is a ritual involving a hood. As you can see, one of the hoods is white, which rather scared me. Fortunately, a cross-burning did not ensue. Next, they slip this plastic thing into the box, only to take it out again a short time later. During this period, they hold the end of the string that hangs from the box, and appear to be in a sort of trance.

After all this, they seem to be rather confused, since likely as not, they will want to go back *up* canyon a ways. Weird!

I had to make these observations rather discreetly. If they see me get very close while all this is going on, they get all nervous and might even yell at me.

Allegedly, the point of all this is to get some pictures taken. I asked to see one, but was told that the plastic thing, "flim" I think they called it, had to go to a "lab" somewhere and get "developed". Weird, wild stuff! I'll believe it when I see it.

[akavalun]

Thats hilarious Robert! I must say that was the most interesting account of how we "film" guys go about shooting.

[Iceaxe]

Allegedly, the point of all this is to get some pictures taken. I asked to see one, but was told that the plastic thing, "flim" I think they called it, had to go to a "lab" somewhere and get "developed". Weird, wild stuff! I'll believe it when I see it.

:roflol: :roflol: :roflol:

[darkmatter]

Hey Adam, glad you enjoyed my bit of silliness. I really enjoyed exploring the canyon with you guys in a thorough, contemplative way. Of the couple dozen canyons I've done now, I gotta say High Spur is my favorite. I need to go back, for a third time...there is still Little NE Spur Fork to check out, as well as at least one other side canyon I spotted.

Have you heard from Doug? I have this disturbing vision of his Subaru teetering on a rock and him crawling through a dune gasping "water, water" halfway to Hanksville...

Here are my favorites out of my amateur attempts with the Nex 5. I also have a bunch of promising stuff from the 3D cam that I'll post when I figure out a better way for people to view it than "just look at it crosseyed".

[ibenick]

Damn nice. :slobber:

Alright canyoneers... I have a very capable 4WD vehicle, some canyoneering experience (TR here (http://backcountrypost.com/?p=176)), tons of rappelling experience and I would love to carry the ropes, bring all the beer and cook everyone dinner. So who wants to take me to High Spur!? I own all the necessary gear except a static rope. Please don't make me beg....

[akavalun]

Yep, heard from Doug last night. He went back for more on Monday, and then to the great gallery on Tuesday. He, like myself, is already itching to go back. We are thinking maybe late May, in hopes of dryer canyons and warmer weather.

Ibenick- Did u say carry all the ropes, bring all the beer and cook? Sounds like a dream.....someone wake me! You're welcome to join us if/when we go again.

[Audilard]

I love High Spur. Nice pics!!!

[ibenick]

Ibenick- Did u say carry all the ropes, bring all the beer and cook? Sounds like a dream.....someone wake me! You're welcome to join us if/when we go again.

You heard right. Let me know and I will be there!

[akavalun]

Here's a few more candid shots. Not sure why Robert had a towel over his head. I think he was ashamed to be canyoneering with us wooden box carrying, white hat wearing, confused looking, random wandering photo freaks.....By the way, thanks to Doug Sprock for taking these. It really adds to the trip to be able to look back at the time we spent together.

[Kryzzle]

Looks like water levels are still rising...
We'll be staying in the area on 05/18 and 05/19, and planned to see High Spur. Low level wading would be ok, but swimming we'd like to avoid. Would be good to read some recent TR.

Anybody willing to join us for the adventure?

[Stick]

Looks like water levels are still rising...
We'll be staying in the area on 05/18 and 05/19, and planned to see High Spur. Low level wading would be ok, but swimming we'd like to avoid. Would be good to read some recent TR.?

We went through High Spur Yesterday. At the first drop there was a pool with water up to below my chest at the deepest part. If there is not more rain in the area between now and your trip I would expect the water level to be even lower when you go down.

If the fresh looking water level marks on the walls were indicative of where the water level was last weekend, it looks like it fell about 2 feet in that section. You can probably expect the same to happen between now and your trip.

There were 2 or three other puddles of water yesterday, but nothing else above my knees.

[akavalun]

Stick, what about when just entering the corkscrew? When we were there last weekend, just as you start to get to the real sinuous type slot, there were 2 potholes with about waist deep water. Did you find any water in these? If not, would one be able to upclimb out of those if not wanting to do the final rap, rather just hike back up canyon and out?

[Stick]

Yesterday at the start of the corkscrew section I recall only pot with knee deep water. There were a couple others that were muddy. At the pot with knee deep water I would probably fix a rope if planning on retreating up canyon, though I think a group of two or more people could push and pull each other up it. I would consider it a semi-keeper if going back up.

I would be more worried about getting up the rappel/downclimb right before the final drop, or getting back up the chockstone that comes after the corkscrew section. You posted two photos of the spot I am thinking of in one of your earlier posts. One of them has a picture of someone in the foreground carrying a tripod and his shoes while wading through some water, with someone else in the background standing on top of the chokestone. The spot only had a bit of mud yesterday.

By the way, those are some fantastic photos.

[akavalun]

Well, thats a good sign that the water is already almost gone. I wouldn't bother going past the corkscrew section, so the chockstone, and second to final drop wouldn't even come into play. We would take a small rope and fix it at the small potholes just prior to the corkscrew somehow.

[New Mexico]

My son and I would be willing to join you on the adventure. I can let you know by the end of he week.

James.

[darkmatter]

Adam, I'd lay high odds that the canyon is escapable from that inner rim area where we rapped in to the Corkscrew the second time.