Woody Canyon

[Slot Machine]

Homeless people would scatter at our stench. Zombies would wince, not even tempted to nibble. It was a fetid, slimy, bubbling mess to conquer.

Steph, Micah and I challenged the dankest of the dank, Woody Canyon, on September 1st, 2013.

After a hefty dose of rain in Ticaboo two nights prior, we were certain that we would be greeted with a gloriously full freshwater canyon. Instead, we were greeted with a dead skunk in the very first pothole we encountered. It was to set the theme of the day.

Despite the stank, it was one of the best canyon experiences we've ever had. VERY fun. Huge potholes, tall partner assists, sketchy stemming, scenic towering walls, and a lengthy section not too different from the prime cut of Little Wild Horse.

Micah is a kick-ass teammate. Steph always shines in canyons like this. It was great to share the day with them.

Bob

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[pikan]

Just when I think that you had finished posting TR's from your long weekend....
:lol8:

[Iceaxe]

Dang Bob... if you don't slow down you will not have any canyons left for next year :-)

Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

[MiCamp]

What a fun canyon!!

Did it stink, hell yeah- a party we met exiting Woodruff passed on our offer of a ride to their car a mile down highway 276. "No thanks, I think we'll jog", they said and it was nearly 100 degrees out. But boy was it a great canyon.:2thumbs:

I'm pretty new to canyoneering and this was my first grade 4 canyon. I finally got to toss and rap off some pot-shots, practice partner assists and catches and all that fun stuff and I couldn't have been happier doing it with Bob and Steph, two of the nicest people I've met and super generous with their time and knowledge.

And Bob, those are some great pics. Except for the last one, which I suppose I can blame on a combination of shear exhaustion and prolonged exposure to the bio-hazard fumes of the stank.:slobber:

[ilipichicuma]

Sweet pictures! We've been wanting to get down to that one for a while! I really like the beached whale sequence.

[Byron]

I'm pretty new to canyoneering Well I must say, it appears that you're moving into pro status quite quickly! Hmmm...I think I see Poe coming up on the horizon?

[Byron]

Excellent pictures Bob!!!! :2thumbs:

[MiCamp]

Well I must say, it appears that you're moving into pro status quite quickly! Hmmm...I think I see Poe coming up on the horizon?

That's very kind of you to say Byron. This past weekend was a wonderful bootcamp! Bob pushed us hard, on the road by 7 and returning in time for dinner and sleep, but man was it worth it. We did a great handful of canyons and I learned so much from Bob, Steph and Tom.

I'll make pro someday, but for now I'm happy being a rookie- learning (and carrying :haha:) the ropes from some seasoned veterans.

And Poe... Reminds me of many years ago when I was a cocky new climber running his mouth in the gym over sending some 5.10 blue taped gym route.:facepalm1: Mark Bennett and a couple other desert rats humored me for a bit before offering me a suggested list of 'easy' desert routes I might enjoy. "It's called Ancient Art and it's only 5.8. You'll love it!" "Don't forget about Lighthouse Tower," another added, "It's just down the road and like 5.9 or something." Lucky for me I didn't have any trad gear or I would have killed myself.

I've learned that patience is both a virtue and a good survival strategy.

[Deathcricket]

Love the sequential pics! Very nice TR man....

[peakbaggers]

Bob,
The look on Steph’s face in the first pic says it all. Thatcanyon doesn’t look anything at all like it was when we went through last Maywith Jared H. Couldn’t see all those nice pothole features because they wereall full up. Nice “beached-whale” move sequence getting out of that onepothole! Whatever works.

[Kuya]

slotmachine, guaranteed that If i would have gone on this trip with you, all those pot holes would have been FULL lol! Everytime I do a canyon with potholes, they are always full of water. EVERY TIME. makes me so mad. I loved this canyon when it was full, but it looks even more amazing empty! Can't wait to do these canyons when I get to actually do pothole escapes! Very nice TR.

[hikster11]

Nice Tr. Did you put those sticks in that hole for an anchor or was that there with webbing when you got there? Anyway cool I would be a little nervous rappelling off those. Looks like you guys had a good weekend

[Slot Machine]

Nice Tr. Did you put those sticks in that hole for an anchor or was that there with webbing when you got there? Anyway cool I would be a little nervous rappelling off those.

An interesting anchor for sure. It was there when we arrived.

It didn't give me the warm fuzzies, so I voted to build a PotShot anchor. Micah and Steph were sure it would hold, so we proceeded to test it.

We adjusted the sticks within the hueco to an ideal position. I tried and tried to make it fail from the top, pulling it in every direction. Much to my surprise, it did not move. Steph and I rapped off Micah, then I tried to make it fail from below. Again, it didn't budge.

The sticks holding the anchor were strong. I just thought they would shift then fall out. To my surprise, they did not.

The webbing extending from the anchor wrapped around the sandstone towards the drop, so the sandstone shoulder was holding much of Micah's weight as he rapped. This increased the magin of safety a little.

The crazy thing about that anchor was the sticks... there aren't that many sticks in the canyon to work with. They had to be broken or cut just the right length to work. One of the sticks was thick, like a 2"x2" from a lumber yard, presumably cut to the perfect length.

Did somebody bring a hacksaw in there just for that purpose? My imagination was running wild while we looked it over...

Whoever built it was bold and clever. I don't recommend building that kind of anchor, or using that kind of anchor. But it sure was creative.

[davehuth]

An interesting anchor for sure. It was there when we arrived.

Was in Woody years back and we used an ibis hook in that hole with the sticks. Will be in there this coming weekend and plan to use a BD Cliffhanger. The ibis had penty of curve to fit nicely in the hole, it looks like the Cliffhanger will work splendidly also. Anyone see things differently or have had issues using a Cliffhanger there? None of us going have an ibis.

Thanks a million, we'll be sure to have some sticks along too...

[MiCamp]

Was in Woody years back and we used an ibis hook in that hole with the sticks. Will be in there this coming weekend and plan to use a BD Cliffhanger. The ibis had penty of curve to fit nicely in the hole, it looks like the Cliffhanger will work splendidly also. Anyone see things differently or have had issues using a Cliffhanger there? None of us going have an ibis.

Thanks a million, we'll be sure to have some sticks along too...

Personally, I think the cliffhanger would be too short to be of use. The hole is recessed a bit and I unlike an ibis or spoonbill hook, the cliffhanger wouldn't be able to get in deeply enough to give to you stability as the direction of pulled changed during the rapell. It would also rest uncomfortably close to the edge and I'd be concerned about it snapping off the edge of the pocket. The sticks and sling we used acted a lot like an ibis, placing the force deep in the hole and minimizing side to side movement during the rapell.
Have fun, it's a great canyon

[peakbaggers]

Personally, I think the cliffhanger would be too short to be of use. The hole is recessed a bit and I unlike an ibis or spoonbill hook, the cliffhanger wouldn't be able to get in deeply enough to give to you stability as the direction of pulled changed during the rapell. It would also rest uncomfortably close to the edge and I'd be concerned about it snapping off the edge of the pocket. The sticks and sling we used acted a lot like an ibis, placing the force deep in the hole and minimizing side to side movement during the rapell.
Have fun, it's a great canyon

We were there just last weekend and used the sticks in the hole with a meat anchor backup. Absolutely no problem with the sticks. Worked quite well. They do indeed seem to have been specifically fashioned for this hole. You'll still find quite a bit of water, but we did not encounter any stench. Maybe another week will see things ripen a little more.

[davehuth]

Personally, I think the cliffhanger would be too short to be of use. The hole is recessed a bit and I unlike an ibis or spoonbill hook, the cliffhanger wouldn't be able to get in deeply enough to give to you stability as the direction of pulled changed during the rapell. It would also rest uncomfortably close to the edge and I'd be concerned about it snapping off the edge of the pocket. The sticks and sling we used acted a lot like an ibis, placing the force deep in the hole and minimizing side to side movement during the rapell.
Have fun, it's a great canyon

Thanks MiCamp your hook assessment seems spot on, we played with cliffhanger and grappling hooks but as you say they make a precarious anchor. An ibis type hook is the way to go (sure just read the climb-utah and road trip ryan beta). There was not much if any material near by for a pot/trap anchor and no other obviously good place to use a hook as the sandstone is quite flaky. The sticks are still solid, but who knows how long they will last.

[davehuth]

We were there just last weekend and used the sticks in the hole with a meat anchor backup. Absolutely no problem with the sticks. Worked quite well. They do indeed seem to have been specifically fashioned for this hole. You'll still find quite a bit of water, but we did not encounter any stench. Maybe another week will see things ripen a little more.

Thanks peakbaggers. Still lots of water - no hole visable in the pot hole past the rap. No stench. Water is cold. We did the climb-utah described loop (included woodchuck) and that was quite fun with pothole partner assist down climbs. I would suggest if doing woody only to use the entry route described by french_de (http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthread.php?30243-Woody-May-3-2008) if you want to avoid the up climb from woodruff wash.