TR - Sandthrax (Insert Clever Subtitle Here)

[xxnitsuaxx]

I'm a climber first, canyoneer second, and very very rarely, a snowmobiler\ATVer\hunter. Being in the first category means that my camping gear tends to be of the "light and fast" variety: light tent, down bag, minimal pad, freeze-dried food cooked over a backpacking stove, etc. I'm only now starting to realize that you people in the second and third categories are the only ones who REALLY know how to camp. I came to this realization when we pulled into the Sandthrax campground a couple weekends ago with the temps hovering around 15. We kept the car running while we pitched our tents so that we could keep ducking inside to regain feeling in our hands. As I watched frost form on my sleeping bag while I was putting it in my tent, I glanced over my shoulder to see the Taj Mahal of tents. Big enough to hold both a Tea Party gathering AND an OWS protest without violence, the occupants of the tent had the audacity to have brought a stove. The tendrils of smoke curling out of the tent almost tempted me to abandon propriety and go cuddle up with whomever happened to be closest to the stove. A cold night later we were eating breakfast burritos with our neighbors while I was sizing up who would have been most comfortable to cuddle with. This is all beside the point. Suffice it to say; I'm converted to comfort camping and I can't believe it took me so long to come around.

In what now seems like a sidenote, we also happened to do Sandthrax while we were down there. I'm still in awe at what a bang that canyon packs into such a short distance. The first bit of stemming was deceptively easy, so when the first elevator section came it seemed especially daunting. The silos weren't bad and we made great time all the way to the crux. Lacking number 6s, we took number 4s and some blocks of wood. It gave us enough width, but was impossible to aid with, requiring at least one of us to free that damned offwidth. I went first, stemming up about 15 feet before launching into the crack. That's likely the most nervewracking move I've ever made (with the possible exception of the Exum Leap on the Grand or that time I skipped a clip at the climbing gym). I cursed and clawed but slid my way back down. Jeff went next, but as he was sliding down he thought he could get the cam in. Chickenwinging desperately, he yelled "CAM CAM!!" to my brother, Creighton, who had the cams. 5 seconds later, Creighton says "Alright man, get ready for your hero shot!" and we turn around to see him aiming the camera at Jeff. "GIVE ME THE DAMNED CAM!!!" Jeff yells. "Ohhh...I thought you said 'camera'; it seemed like a weird time to want a picture". By that time, Jeff had slid back down. Hawaiian Rob gave it a try, I went again and got a little higher, and then Jeff sent it. Lesson learned. #4 + (2x4) DOES NOT = #6.

The rest of the canyon went smoothly. The last section of spooky stemming was a rude shock after being on the ground for a while but it passed quickly. We exited the canyon, grabbed some homemade chili in Hanksville, and jetted back to Provo with high hopes of getting some climbing in when we got back. Fast forward 4 hours to our arrival to find us stumbling out of the car, promising ourselves that we'll never travel farther than 15 minutes from a personal masseuse. The canyon was exactly what I thought it would be; physical, intense, breathtakingly pretty, and awesome. I'll be back.



Belay across the first silo




Yes. My brother is wearing ice climbing pants.




A little breaking and entering. Seriously; that tent was awesome.










Hawaiian Rob met our brown-guy quota.



Social hour at the crux.

[ghawk]

Nice work!

[peakbaggers]

We'll admire from a safe distance.

[CarpeyBiggs]

solid!

[spinesnaper]

Yeah I have been sneered at by certain quarters with all my camping gear but there is no substitute for being comfortable.

Great trip report!!

Ken

[tcott]

Awsome

[jman]

Nice work Holmes

[ilipichicuma]

Awesome! I'm in the "admire from a safe distance" crowd. I'm pretty sure Sandthrax is permanently beyond my skill set.

[Iceaxe]