Subway / Buckskin conditions

[ratagonia]

we're driving down tonight at 4 so should be there before 10. problem is we need to stop by and get the permit tomorrow 7:00 am. we want to get an early start.

I feel your pain... I am previously commited twice for Saturday.

T

[Ryebrye]

Your welcome to come tom. We have spent about five years thinking up ways to safely get through keyhole if the flow is high. We all have helmets now too :)

if the flow is high, the subway is the worlds best water park :)

[moab mark]

I don't know, floating from Orderville to the walkway on your back pack is pretty awes. Make sure you post a TR.

[Ryebrye]

Got done. Flow is high, probably 60% of 2005 and double or triple a normal year at this time. I will post a tr later.

[thecanyonwalker]

thanks for all the awesome input - wasn't able to check this prior to our departure date - we did the route may 4, We checked in with the backcountry desk and they assured us the route was "do-able" but likely higher water flow and very cold. We did have wetsuits, helmets neoprene socks and some had gloves - we definitely found the rappel positions challenging - the water flow made it difficult for a bunch of northern prairie boys to feel very confident - one of our party had a minor epic catching his foot in a rock crevasse on the first rope descent - the keyhole falls had me personally quite spooked as we couldn't tell what was going on around the log jam nor how deep or turbulent the pool below was. Things worked out well though - definitely a solid adventure at our upper limit - I am really curious how much higher that canyon can be descended by moderately competent parties (we climb and pursue a variety of outdoor sports and def had a challenge)

thanks again to everyone on the board - we did buckskin paria the next day and it had some muddy holes but overall was dry and pleasant -

we love Utah and can't wait to return!

[Iceaxe]

[The Good Cop]

Hey, I took 2 noobies down the Russell start plus Subway wearing ZAC drysuits & we were happy to have them on. Solid flow & entertaining but not dangerous flowing water all the way through Russell. Heavier flow in Subway of course, the chockstone rap anchor was nice since I wasn't going to let my noobies get away without swimming but I sure didn't want to downclimb it with the flow. Keyhole scared me at first glance, about 6-12" deep whitewater over the boulders leading to the anchors. As it turned out upon my timid testing, footing was quite secure & I stepped out to the anchor & we did the keyhole rap and had a fine venture the rest of the way.

There was still a bit of snow on the hike in but not a great deal. I'm not sure what that implies as days go by & things warm up, but that's the way it was 7 days ago, enjoy!

Wayne

[smithd557]

Did Subway from Top Down on May 14, 2010, everything is passable. Water flow at the peak was about 800 CFM, dropped to 350 CFM when we did it. Still could not go down Keyhole falls with a web ladder, just used the log down the middle, or just drop down through the Keyhole.

[Ryebrye]

Was there much snow on the approach still? Im not entirely convinced of how strong the correlation between the subway flow and the north fork flow (but it is all we have for hard data)

[smithd557]

Saw one small patch in the meadow on top before you get to the slick rock. At the parking lot, we saw some on the rock mountain, not much. BTW I graduated from SF High. I believe most of all the water comes from Cedar Mountain, so everything would depend on the conditions there.

[jpratt11]

Went top-down this past Sunday, the 25th. The permit desk said there may still be snowpack on the road into the trailhead and on the first mile before the slickrock descent, but this wasn't the case. The road was clear and the trail was mostly dry.

The permit desk also seemed concerned that we were going without drysuits, but the wetsuit was plenty, and a drysuit would have been overkill, I think. The water was a little faster and higher, and probably in the 40's, but nothing that complicated the hike too much. The rap right above the bowling ball was the sportiest given the volume and temperature of the water right there, and a quick release is crucial given the current right there. The keyhole rap had well-placed log going up to it, so we just rigged a rope for a handline and walked off the log.

The last few miles of the exit were slow-going as usual. Saw a few bottom-up hikers but no other top-downs that day.

A group of friends and I went 5/15/10 and no one had wetsuits and we ended up okay. I've done it many times so I knew what I was getting into. The only issue was my buddies wife wore all cotton, not a swimsuit, and she ended up getting too cold for a bit. We got her in a dry sweatshirt though when she started to complain and it all worked out. I thought Keyhole looks crazy but was really easy when it actually came down to getting down it. I had a hand line availiable, but just ended up walking down the log in the your photo and used the right wall for balance. This was the first time I've been in the canyon with that much water and I would love to do it again with that much water. I might leave the girlfriend behind next time, she was scared for her life, but there was never any real danger.