NMB for n00bs?

[Iceaxe]

having done NMB, I considered it a waste of time. I would think that athletic beginners would be disappointed with NMB.

WOW! I really liked NMB... long, deep, pretty slot that visits a remote section of the Roost. I'd easily rank it as good as Larry.

I'm not arguing with your likes and dislikes... I'm just really surprised to hear that remark about NMB from you.

[Scott Card]

Ice, here is my reason or reasons as the case may be. And maybe I was a bit too harsh because the first canyon for someone can be very fun and memorable. When I did NMB I was really heavily into ramping up the canyon resume and gaining experience with progressively harder canyons or at least new challenges. My opinion is also based on my memory and my long term impression of the canyon. It is a very long drive for a short slot -- the interesting, narrow and technical part that, the hike is longish. The exit plain stinks. It was the consensus of the group that the slot did not deliver the goods or at least the bang for the buck. I didn't hate it like I hated Eardley but in looking back it was a very long trip for not much business. Am I glad I did it? Sure, it is off the list. Would I do it again? Maybe but only on a multi day trip to the Roost as a rest day canyon, but I would never do it as "the" canyon or the destination canyon for a day trip or to take noobs. There is just too much and much better stuff out there. I don't forsee any multi day trips to the Roost in the future until I knock off a few other long canyons like Cricket, et al. Also I would much rather go to Escalante every year and do Choprock and Neon rather than spend a few days doing NMB and MB. Still too much fun to be had elsewhere.

[ratagonia]

Ice, here is my reason or reasons as the case may be. And maybe I was a bit too harsh because the first canyon for someone can be very fun and memorable. When I did NMB I was really heavily into ramping up the canyon resume and gaining experience with progressively harder canyons or at least new challenges. My opinion is also based on my memory and my long term impression of the canyon. It is a very long drive for a short slot -- the interesting, narrow and technical part that, the hike is longish. The exit plain stinks. It was the consensus of the group that the slot did not deliver the goods or at least the bang for the buck. I didn't hate it like I hated Eardley but in looking back it was a very long trip for not much business. Am I glad I did it? Sure, it is off the list. Would I do it again? Maybe but only on a multi day trip to the Roost as a rest day canyon, but I would never do it as "the" canyon or the destination canyon for a day trip or to take noobs. There is just too much and much better stuff out there. I don't forsee any multi day trips to the Roost in the future until I knock off a few other long canyons like Cricket, et al. Also I would much rather go to Escalante every year and do Choprock and Neon rather than spend a few days doing NMB and MB. Still too much fun to be had elsewhere.

I think of it kind of like Behunin. In the right conditions, a wonderful day in the wildlands, with friends. Not so much good canyon, but some nice bits. A lot of nice hiking, with nice scenery. It ain't Imlay, it ain't Alcatraz!

Kinda the problem with the other canyons there too - Mindbender, Almost, Sorta and Kinda. Some nice bits, but not much. Hard to build a whole day around.

Tom

[Iceaxe]

It ain't Imlay

I agree!

But then again... not many canyons are....

[Iceaxe]

However.... I do have a fun Not Mindbender story....

When we did Not Mindbender George tagged along with us.... George makes his living as a professional hunting and safari guide in Ghana Africa.... as we were making the exit hike with the lush vegetation towering around us the conversation went something like this.....

George: If we were in Africa we would not being doing this...

Ice: What? you mean canyoneering?

George: No, I mean walking down this stream in the early afternoon.

Ice: What????

George: Yeah... the Lions feed in the afternoon and lie in wait along streams like this ready to kill their dinner....

Needless to say I spent the remainder of the hike out with my butt puckered shut watching for lions in the long grass..... Now I can't hike any of those Roost streams without watching for lions ready to make me their dinner.



Picture of George


What I see when hiking the Roost streams....

[Spidey]

A Noob taking Noobs into any canyon in any conditions is a terrible idea. Especially with the possibility of winter conditions, all be it small. Like Tom said at least SAR knows where the canyon is.

[Iceaxe]

A Noob taking Noobs into any canyon in any conditions is a terrible idea.

I disagree with this.... we were all noob's at one time. Some of the most fun I had canyoneering was as a noob exploring canyons with other noob's.

My advise for noob's is to start small and work you way up. Don't stack the deck against yourself by adding unnecessary difficulty points like... getting a late start, skimping on wetsuits, winter conditions, trying to eat an elephant sandwich, yada, yada….

YMMV

[remoteman45]

I was in the west approach of Blue John Saturday and everything was dry clear to the last rap down into the Horseshoe hike out. There was a frozen pool at the bottom of the rap - see the pic. As we hiked out Horseshoe past the Grand Gallery there was a fair amount of water with some snow and frozen stream beds in the shady areas of the canyon. It was awesome hiking temps with an occasional breeze.
And I liked NotMindbender but I'd be concerned too about the cold (possibly frozen) water conditions and the condition of that last rap after the winter we've had. Will you be able to build an anchor with frozen conditions at that last rap if it's holding water there?