The Blue Pool

[Iceaxe]

I was sorting through some of my canyoneering pictures today and noticed the last drop and pool in Zero-G makes for a pretty great Blue Pool... big drop into a nice swimming hole....

Any others that make for a great Blue Pool?

[jpratt11]

I keep wanting to find a good drop (maybe 50 ft or so) where jump off and land in a pool deep enough to keep it safe. I had the idea of jumping into the pool at the base of the Golden Cathedral in Neon, but when I went last August the water was only chest deep. I think if it were 12 feet I would have jumped it. Would have made for a hell of a video. Do you know of any places where you could do a 40 or 50 ft jump in a canyon?

[Iceaxe]

Just off the top of my head....

Hog Springs is about a 15' jump





I've seen the Cathedral in Pine Creek Jumped when it was full of water.

[CarpeyBiggs]

I've seen the Cathedral in Pine Creek Jumped when it was full of water.

i'd love to hear your rendition of this story...

[Iceaxe]

Not much to tell really.... I was doing Pine Creek with some of the employees of the Zion Ponderosa in the late 90's. The Catheral was really full of water and some of the young guys ran down the curving chute/wall to the right and jumped in. The jump didn't look to bad, provided you don't trip or fall on the run down the chute. They said they did it all the time when it was full of water. I believe this picture was taken on the same trip to give you an idea of the water level....

[Scott Card]

For a little extra fun for the noobies, I have often set the rap rope short at the Cathedral in Pine Creek. But a jump? No thanks. Seems the water right at the bottom of the shoot is not too deep. If I set the rope short, I always instruct those on rappel to push off the wall as they fall so as to avoid the direct fall line. Lately, You actually would seem to have to jump out from the wall and maybe a little left to hit the deep spot. Now some one like Ram who has the proper technique of the "art of the Shallow Jump" could pull that off. And yes, I recognize that conditions change with every flood and the sand levels/ water depth are part of those ever changing conditions.

[Iceaxe]

Things change.... Pine Creek has gone through some big changes since I first did it..... Rappels have come and gone..... There were two rappels after the Cathedral that have washed out since I first did the slot. If you know where to look you can still see the bolts 20' up on the wall as you pass through.

The final rappel (grotto rappel) used to have a walk down that used an old board, and the final rappel has had the rappel anchor relocated to three different places from my first time through. The watercourse anchor, the arch anchor and the Tom anchor (for lack of a better name).

The crowds have come and not gone... in the late 90's Pine Creek might get one group, maybe two groups through every week during peak canyoneering season.

The first couple years I did Pine Creek I think the Cathedral pool was much deeper as it was always a swimmer until you reached the arch. Sometime around early 2000 we had some drought years and it filled in almost completely with sand, I've done Pine Creek without getting my shoes wet a couple of times.

It's been about 4 years since I last did Pine Creek so I'm not up on its lastest variation.

[Scott Card]

Yes sir, the first time I did Pine Creek is was bone dry. Didn't even get my feet wet until the slog out. I didn't even own a wet suit. Oh how time flies and conditions change.

[Krrristi]

The Jug at Salome has a pretty awesome jump into a pool if you go when the water is high enough. The jump is 20' but I think there are ways to scramble higher.

Fossil Springs in Arizona used to have a dam, and an amazing water-park pool below it. The dam is at least 50' high, probably more, and depending on the time of day the water would pour over it at a trickle or a roar. People jumped off all the time but I saw a LOT of back skin shaved off by the concrete, when drunk idiots forgot to jump OUT. Next to the dam was another waterfall with a 20' high rope swing, and there's an underwater arch to swim through into a pothole, with a handline anchored in to climb out. It was my favorite place on earth, but the decommissioned the dam a few years ago, so the water levels are way higher and I'm not sure what that means for the waterpark.

I'm too much of a n00b to post pics or links, but just googling 'fossil springs dam arizona' comes up with some breathtaking pictures.

Speaking of blue pools, I've read that the one in 127 hours is the commercialized crater-turned-scuba training center at Homestead Resort, which kind of makes me sick seeing what they've done to it. What about the slide in though? Is that somewhere different? I have a feeling that doing a slide like that is only that harmless in Hollywood, it seems like it would be painful in real life....

[tylerhirshfeld]

Orderville Gulch has a nice swimming hole in it right now. There is a tree stuck in it but it warms up to pool temps about mid day with the water pouring into it still.

[Krrristi]

I just love the word 'gulch.'

[ratagonia]

Here, fixed that for you...

[Iceaxe]

Here, fixed that for you...

Must be a slow day at the office.

[River]

Last rap Shenany.

[Tucker]

..

[ratagonia]

Speaking of blue pools, I've read that the one in 127 hours is the commercialized crater-turned-scuba training center at Homestead Resort, which kind of makes me sick seeing what they've done to it. What about the slide in though? Is that somewhere different? I have a feeling that doing a slide like that is only that harmless in Hollywood, it seems like it would be painful in real life....

Yah, talked to Dave Black about the shoot.......

The drop is through a slot in Leprechaun. They set up a nice solar-powered Worm Hole underneath it that shot people into the Homestead Crater up in Midway. Very important to keep the arms in... spooky to drop 20 feet into the wormhole - don't hit the edge!!!

'course, they had to have a wormhole back in order to do all those takes.

Tom

[hike2kolob]

Here are my votes for "Blue Pool." All taken in Mexico in May 2007 on the trip Tom organized.

Waterpark canyons.

[rockgremlin]

Wouldn't Kolob qualify in this category?

[Iceaxe]

Wouldn't Kolob qualify in this category?

All except for the part about there is no pool/swimming hole in Kolob to speak of.

[ratagonia]

All except for the part about there is no pool/swimming hole in Kolob to speak of.

Not so much about the POOL, as it is about the PICTURE!