yetigonecrazy
05-12-2013, 11:19 AM
Sometimes you can't win them all, and one of those days was Saturday.
After running my Google Earth/ArcGIS (thanks Matt!)/Bing Maps nearly constant over the winter, I came out with a good sized hit list for obscure canyons that I wanted to get a better look at, scattered all over western CO and eastern UT. One area that I've been looking at more is the Bookcliffs, as they are really the closest sandstone for me to fairly easily access. As Scott P has said elsewhere, the layers in the Bookcliffs, while sandstone and some conducive to slot formation, just aren't thick enough to merit anything worthwhile. Still, I thought I had eyeballed one that might prove to be semi-ok. Due to an unexpected and unwelcome change in plans at the last possible second, I had to bail on my original weekend plans. Needing to be back in Gunnison by 2 ish, I decided to run down to GJ Friday eve, camped out, and got up early and hiked the canyon and then was home with plenty of time. Of course, the canyon wasn't good so it didn't take long.
What I did find was a short (~100 yds), shallow slot that had a handful of decent pools, a handful of downclimbs, and that's about it. It did have flow (maybe 0.5 cfs at most) so the potholes were nice and full. A couple of waist deep, and one that i could just barely touch the bottom of and kinda swam across. Bracingly cold but refreshing. Since it was a bit early (8:00AM) I walked the length of it (tough), snapping photos, and then sat back and relaxed for an hour or so in the sun, then stripped down and got wet. Took about fifteen minutes to do the full thing.
It's in the bottom of Horseshoe Canyon, and thinking along the lines of Fry Canyon and it's Fry-lette, I figured "Horseshette" would be a good name for this, especially considering it's not very good quality.
65979
another local project thats ongoing....
65980
did i mention you park < 100 yds from a fracking platform?
65981
pink rocks on the way into the canyon
65982
first slot appears
65983
one of the "better" sections
65984
better section 2
65985
better section 3
65986
better section 4
65987
better section 5
65988
potholes
65989
dryfall + pool
65990
dryfall + pool 2
65991
looking at the big swimming hole
65992
the big swimming hole
65993
the deep hole
65994
falls + pool
65995
over view
65996
fire damage from the Black Ridge Fire (2012)
65997
more fire damage
After running my Google Earth/ArcGIS (thanks Matt!)/Bing Maps nearly constant over the winter, I came out with a good sized hit list for obscure canyons that I wanted to get a better look at, scattered all over western CO and eastern UT. One area that I've been looking at more is the Bookcliffs, as they are really the closest sandstone for me to fairly easily access. As Scott P has said elsewhere, the layers in the Bookcliffs, while sandstone and some conducive to slot formation, just aren't thick enough to merit anything worthwhile. Still, I thought I had eyeballed one that might prove to be semi-ok. Due to an unexpected and unwelcome change in plans at the last possible second, I had to bail on my original weekend plans. Needing to be back in Gunnison by 2 ish, I decided to run down to GJ Friday eve, camped out, and got up early and hiked the canyon and then was home with plenty of time. Of course, the canyon wasn't good so it didn't take long.
What I did find was a short (~100 yds), shallow slot that had a handful of decent pools, a handful of downclimbs, and that's about it. It did have flow (maybe 0.5 cfs at most) so the potholes were nice and full. A couple of waist deep, and one that i could just barely touch the bottom of and kinda swam across. Bracingly cold but refreshing. Since it was a bit early (8:00AM) I walked the length of it (tough), snapping photos, and then sat back and relaxed for an hour or so in the sun, then stripped down and got wet. Took about fifteen minutes to do the full thing.
It's in the bottom of Horseshoe Canyon, and thinking along the lines of Fry Canyon and it's Fry-lette, I figured "Horseshette" would be a good name for this, especially considering it's not very good quality.
65979
another local project thats ongoing....
65980
did i mention you park < 100 yds from a fracking platform?
65981
pink rocks on the way into the canyon
65982
first slot appears
65983
one of the "better" sections
65984
better section 2
65985
better section 3
65986
better section 4
65987
better section 5
65988
potholes
65989
dryfall + pool
65990
dryfall + pool 2
65991
looking at the big swimming hole
65992
the big swimming hole
65993
the deep hole
65994
falls + pool
65995
over view
65996
fire damage from the Black Ridge Fire (2012)
65997
more fire damage