Shortcut to Death Hollow

I'm planning on taking a small group of adults and teenagers (all are experienced hikers) into the bottom part of Death Hollow as a day drip. I've found two shortcut routes to the Escalante just below the confluence with Death H. Both routes enter near "Micro Death Hollow." Tom's online canyoneering guide describes a class 4 scramble west of Micro that looks too sketchy for our group. Steve Allen's book (Loop Hikes in the Escalante) describes a shortcut that enters just east of Micro that he describes as a class 3 with "obstacles...that are easy to overcome."

Has anyone tried Steve's route? How easy or difficult was it? Attached map shows (approximately) the two routes.

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This is a photo from the top of the "difficult" routefinding spot on the map. Awesome area.

I've been out there 3 or 4 times, but only down and up from the river once. Tom's route will be shorter.

To be honest, I don't remember any 4th class difficulty getting down "Tom's" route. Maybe he can add some additional information. It is steep, but it's not that hard to routefind down, as long as you are used to hiking in the desert. I don't think it should be a problem.

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Originally Posted by CarpeyBiggs

This is a photo from the top of the "difficult" routefinding spot on the map. Awesome area.

I've been out there 3 or 4 times, but only down and up from the river once. Tom's route will be shorter.

To be honest, I don't remember any 4th class difficulty getting down "Tom's" route. Maybe he can add some additional information. It is steep, but it's not that hard to routefind down, as long as you are used to hiking in the desert. I don't think it should be a problem.

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Awesome photo, as usual, Dan. :2thumbs:

On my first visit, I went down a different way, following sparse cairns (and adjacent to the "Tom's route", and it definitely had a few moments of 4th class. On the way back, I took the route we take now and yes, I would probably now rate it 3rd class. In rating it 4th class, my vision was of inexperienced desert hikers with 60 lb packs wearing hiking boots - in which case it would really be pretty darn 4th class. So, somewhere inbetween - 3.5 class?

Tom

What I would add is if you are going down the sneak route or up it just take your time. There is always a way to get down without serious exposure. If you find yourself at a spot that seems really sketchy, backtrack and weigh all your options. The cairns come and go out here. GSENM knocks them down.

Nick
:bandit: