TR: Short Canyon...Where's the Beef?

[lisa]

Short Canyon is good. It's a highly hedonistic minislot which serves up plenty of pleasure with little effort. This, I can deal with.

Short Canyon is packed with nice narrows, challenging downclimbs and deep wades. Toward the end of the canyon, we rounded a corner and came upon a surprisingly pungent discovery. A skinny wading pool wiggled downcanyon in front of us. The water glowed with a beautiful shade of kelly green, which is an unusual color for a canyon pool. We sniffed at a strange smell in the air. Is that a big rock in the middle of the pool? NO. It's a big, puffy dead cow. The poor creature must have wandered upcanyon and then was unable to turn around.

Although our pungent find was undeniably nasty, on some level we found it grotesquely delightful. Cameras clicked wildly. We began to plan a safe passage around the bloated beast. A ledge traverse around the pool seemed to be the surest method of avoidance. Four-paw traction should be employed. Plunging suddenly into the fertile green goo would be a grave (and embarrassing) consequence! Surely if anyone took the plunge they would become the subject of many fireside stories during the coming season. Additionally, until the soiled wetsuit could be properly sterilized the "plunger" may be excluded from vehicle shuttles during the upcoming week, too. We mulled over the consequences, and then we got to it.

John skillfully traversed around the putrid water. He waited at the end of the pool, now unfortunately downwind. He appeared to be suppressing dry heaves as he took pictures of my "tentative traverse". Dan's musical laughter echoed behind me and his camera busily clicked as I clung to the ledge, employing maximum friction as I made my way around the pool. The "tentative traverse" served us well that day. No one took the plunge.

We enjoyed a nice arch and pictographs before taking the climbers exit on right. Hopefully a flood will wash that stinky beast downcanyon soon!

[Sombeech]

wow, I'm not sure what I'd do if there weren't a way around a cesspool with a cow in it, ugh.

It certainly helped the green color though.

[Iceaxe]

MMmmmm.... beef...

Awesome 1st post....

A few years back there was a dead deer in Keyhole's flooded hallway. I understand one of the locals got a staph infection from it.

[DWayne27]

Definitely a great first post and TR. Maybe I will wait a while before I try to knock Short canyon off of the list

[CarpeyBiggs]

that picture is great.

good times... not to mention, we thought we found the source of the pungent nastiness about 10 minutes earlier, when we found a large rat floating in a pool. but no, a dead rat does not even compare to a dead cow.

thank god the wind was pushing the smell out of the canyon, until the very last portion, where dry heaving ensued...

other than that, highly recommend short

[Cirrus2000]

Great report! Excellent photo - love the green! Like DWayne27 says, perhaps eventually...

[TennesseeCanyoneer]

My brother and I were in Short Canyon 2 weeks ago and came upon this dead cow. Water was not this color. Brackish and putrid smelling nonetheless.

My brother adds this piece to our encounter with this "obstacle":

[We] "reported" this dead cow directly to the BLM Kane Gulch Rangers on April 1 after encountering that "obstacle". We also told them that while we found NO footprints anywhere in the canyon, the entrance and exit area were full of the same prints (and many). Obviously the "cowboys" looking for their cow. They [the Rangers] agreed cows are not supposed to be run in the area but were reluctant to acknowledge that it was the cowboys' duty to see that the stock didn't get down into White canyon and would not commit to removing the cow or requesting the "cowboys" to do so. However, they said they were sending a "patrolling ranger" to check it out (whatever that means). The whole thing STINKS literally!

[accadacca]

Gangrene

[Don]

I've heard some canyoneers say that if you get out of the watercourse you're not getting the full meal deal.
This bring a whole new meaning to that.


Great TR, thanks for the pic; love the nasty green water!

[rockgremlin]

Great first post. I believe you may be the female analog of Dan what with the epic storytelling and the penchant for photography and canyoneering.

Lucky for you guys there was a traversable ledge around that thing. If dry heaves ensued as a result of being 20 feet away, what reaction would have resulted from swimming right next to it? Ugh....

[Felicia]

Great first post. I believe you may be the female analog of Dan what with the epic storytelling and the penchant for photography and canyoneering.

X2

Welcome to Bogley!

[lisa]

Thanks for the nice comments, all! I'm glad you liked my tr. I'll have to post more on Bogley in the future. We did other canyons during our trip and I will post about them soon. Stay tuned for tales of the "boost button"...

[Randi]

Thanks for the nice comments, all! I'm glad you liked my tr. I'll have to post more on Bogley in the future. We did other canyons during our trip and I will post about them soon. Stay tuned for tales of the "boost button"...

Short Canyon is good. It's a highly hedonistic minislot which serves up plenty of pleasure with little effort. This, I can deal with.

Great TR! Nice descriptive writing!
One of my greatest fears in a canyon are these dead things! GROSS!!!!
But the water sure looks gorgeous aside from the bloated cow!
I love that bold green d

[Cheops]

My wife and I hiked in from the entrance junction with White Canyon last May 2010. We got just beyond this point in the picture and thankfully there was no beef. In that location you could appreciate how a cow might walk up and not be able to turn around or even back up. I think my brother and I are going to try to come down Short Canyon next spring (May). If you have any other details I would like to hear about it.