West Shillelagh

On February 16h, 2016, Steph and I had a serious case of sore muscles. Hard Day Harvey beat us down the day before, so we opted for an easy day in West Shillelagh.

Steph finally got her hands on a pack that fits. Time for a test drive!
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There are about a half dozen really fun downclimbs in this slot. A pleasant suprise.
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The view from rap #1.
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Rap #1. From here the canyon looks 500 feet deep. Pretty awesome.
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Rap #2, 50 feet from a pothole.
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What do I see down canyon?!? Is that... a pile of dead cows??
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This is how you get across the first cow obstacle. Walk directly on its spine. God knows what will happen if you put your foot elsewhere. The stench was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
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This is how you get across the second cow obstacle. Don't step on its head, out of respect for the dead.
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We laughed much and gagged a little on the way back to the car. Who knew this would be such a memorable day in the North Wash?
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I hope you've enjoyed our cowtastic tale. :lol8:

-Bob

After that, you should have yourselves checked for Mad Cow dis...... oops, I mean Dead Cow Disease!

The cow looked like it could have been stemmed. It almost seems like you guys wanted to check off a bucket list item--"walk across a dead cow, done".

Cows are one of the dumbest animals on the face of the earth. They walk into a slot canyon and then they can't get out because they will not walk backwards and they can't turn around. I've actually encountered dead or dying cows in slot canyons several times.

Here is another example:
Dead Cow in Repeat Jr.

Stupid cows. :popcorn:

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I've actually encountered dead or dying cows in slot canyons several times.

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Me too. I've wondered if (Little) Death Hollow got its name from that. It is wide at first, has no obstacles before the narrows, and it narrows rather gradually until it pinches down to a slot. It seems that cows commonly get trapped in there, as well as other animals.

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Originally Posted by agostinone

The cow looked like it could have been stemmed. It almost seems like you guys wanted to check off a bucket list item--"walk across a dead cow, done".

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We were pretty beat from doing Hard Day Harvey the day before, so in no mood to work sore shoulders by avoiding grossness. The cows were solid, at least on their spines, so we took the path of least resistance. It was a character building exercise.

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Originally Posted by Iceaxe

They walk into a slot canyon and then they can't get out because they will not walk backwards and they can't turn around.

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It looked like the upcanyon cow did just that. Then the downcanyon cow backed in behind the first cow and they died where they stood. I vote that we rename that canyon Loyal Cow Disease.

LOL. Great report! Y'all are fortunate to have encountered that cowdaver in February. Could ya just imagine how badly that pile of steaks would've smelt in the dead of July? Ugh! Not to mention the gang of flies and maggots that would've been in full attendance...

I think I'll "steer" clear of this canyon for a while.

Steph! You are adorable and my new hero!

I wish I would have read this before this weekend. Would have saved my sense of smell. I can report the cows are still there, but are now accompanied by thousands of flies and a horrific stench. Needless to say I stemmed a good 3' over the cows. Though I did kinda how one of my partners would have tested the cow bridge and stepped through. :twisted:

I think I'm going to have to toss some hamburger on the grill... Freshly canyoned beef! Glad you all had a good time, and thank you for the beta on the cows... I think I'll look past this one for the foreseeable future.

Glad I haven't ran into a bunch of dead cows.... yet lol.