PDA

View Full Version : Trip Report Nighthawk Fork of Shinob Canyon - Capitol Reef



davehuth
06-30-2014, 07:13 PM
We (Monica, Matt, Forrest and myself) descended Nighthawk in Capitol Reef on Sunday 6/29. At 9:00 AM it was already 80 degrees at the Grand Wash parking area when we headed up the Fern

BaitForTheBuzzards
07-01-2014, 09:14 AM
Nice post and fun pics!

deagol
07-01-2014, 09:53 AM
nice TR!
We did Na-gah fork about a month ago and it was hot even then...

ratagonia
07-01-2014, 11:38 AM
Making mistakes - understandable, happens all the time to all of us. Why you did not fix your mistake, why you left a bunch of trash in the canyon is a total mystery to me. Please explain, but thanks for posting. Yes I know I am jumping on you, but I would like to understand why you did not recover from your mistake, and instead blundered forward without repairing your mistake. (I am even willing to admit there might have been good reasons to do so).

Tom

davehuth
07-01-2014, 11:53 AM
Making mistakes - understandable, happens all the time to all of us. Why you did not fix your mistake, why you left a bunch of trash in the canyon is a total mystery to me. Please explain, but thanks for posting. Yes I know I am jumping on you, but I would like to understand why you did not recover from your mistake, and instead blundered forward without repairing your mistake. (I am even willing to admit there might have been good reasons to do so).

Tom


Stop by my house some time, we'll have a beer together and talk about it, thats what friends do.

ratagonia
07-01-2014, 02:43 PM
Stop by my house some time, we'll have a beer together and talk about it, thats what friends do.

I am asking in public. I take it your answer is that you prefer not to talk about it in public.

Acceptable, but not very enlightening.

Thanks for the invite. Might be easier for you to stop by my house near Zion - offer extended.

Tom

Iceaxe
07-01-2014, 03:09 PM
I am asking in public.

Actually Tom you're just being a total ass... but if you need me to explain it to you in further detail please feel free to stop by my house.



Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

davehuth
07-01-2014, 03:47 PM
I am asking in public. I take it your answer is that you prefer not to talk about it in public.

I

ratagonia
07-01-2014, 08:13 PM
I’ll bite. Lets first put this in perspective; the numbers aren’t record breaking or anything like that, just a glimpse at a bigger picture. Our core canyoneering group has supervised/assisted/led/did well over 5000 raps by at least 400 different individuals most of which were new to the sport. I don’t know how to estimate the number of trips done, but its in the several hundreds, all over Utah and several other states. We’ve spent a lot of time doing this in all levels of canyons short of X. We have had ZERO injuries or mishaps.

Everyone uses different risk equations, but the equation I use is reflected in the number of incidents – zero. That rope was left behind because the risk assessment said leave it and move on. At that place, at that time, in that situation this is the decision that was made. We still have zero incidents.

We’ve collected and removed at least a half dozen ropes, gobs and gobs of webbing, carabineers, packs, camera gear, clothes, trash (we couldn’t get the tires out of Parunuweap or we would have taken them too), and you name it from the routes we’ve been through. We’ve spent many, many hours figuring out how to manage obstacles and unexpected situations without leaving things behind, including stuck and too short ropes. Now we’ve left 1 rope behind, and we warned others that it was there.

Safety is the number one priority for us and this will not change.

That's great. Glad to see you are both being a good canyon citizen and making good decisions.

I'm still curious as to what happened and why... especially since you are consistently proficient at what you do. What was different this time?

:popcorn:

Tom

ratagonia
07-01-2014, 08:15 PM
Actually Tom you're just being a total ass...


My apologies for invading your territory.

:moses:

Byron
07-01-2014, 08:49 PM
Methinks Tom is stressed right now...

Iceaxe
07-01-2014, 10:38 PM
Menopause has that effect on some.

Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

Scott P
07-02-2014, 07:32 AM
75109

PS, just messin'.

Anyway, I just read the above thread as a free invitation for canyon booty. :naughty: As far as I know, it doesn't sound like Dave has asked for his rope back.

CARE RES
07-19-2014, 02:58 PM
Canyon was the same 10 days after you went through. Only addition was a bighorn standing at the head of the canyon who after passing laid down to later be seen watching us playing in the potholes.

75383

I was forced to get into pothole (dividing 200 ft rap) to pull the top rope that was hung up and was able to get out easily using the rope for the next rap being held tight by someone at the bottom to make sure I did not disturb the dead man by pulling on it the opposite direction. Also believe i would have gotten out without rope but sided with caution and took rope in with me. I am 6'2" so had a little advantage.

This was my first descent of nighthawk and just need to get a 300' footer to finish off Tempie (and hopefully Wonderland this fall).

And lets just say your rope is no longer in there.

Also no flooding at Capitol Reef NP in the front country yet but can/will change conditions in the week to come if not tomorrow looking at the weather..

CARE RES
07-19-2014, 03:05 PM
We also took alternative route past ferns on the way. It is about same distance to Nighhawk but is more elevation and steeper (more time too probably 1/2 hr), but if want to visit fern's nipple alone or with addition of a Shinob fork it is much shorter than taking Bear to Shinob. Makes a nice loop too for a fern trip.

75384


Arrow is pointing at nighthawk