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Thread: Echo Canyon conditions..

  1. #1

    Echo Canyon conditions..

    Any idea what the conditions of echo canyon are? How much snow, and estimated melt time? June, Julyish? We are planning a trip and a few of us are wanting to hit Echo
    better off outdoors

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  3. #2
    Content Provider Emeritus ratagonia's Avatar
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    My guess is that it is ready now, but it is just a guess. Add another hour or two to your day plan, and hike up the bottom of the canyon to the last rappel, to make sure you can get through, safely.

    Perhaps the two or three "young guns" in your group would go up and do this. Then post a report.

    Tom

  4. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by ratagonia View Post
    My guess is that it is ready now,
    I believe you are correct.... BUT... it is currently closed by the NPS.

    Who knows when they will deem it canyoneer worthy...

  5. #4
    Thanks for the quick responses. We'll be sure to check out the last rap to make sure we can get through, thanks for the tip Tom. Bummer on the closure. Some of us in our group, including myself, are currently in college, so as long as the closure doesn't last more than another month (our expected opportunity to leave due to school) all things should be well. I'll be sure to give a report upon our return.

    Question:
    Tom, you mention in your book that one pothole exit can be difficult without a partner assist. We have never escaped a pothole of any sort before, and though we are quite capable physically and will have partners there I wouldn't want to do anything we wouldn't be sure we could handle. We wanted to do echo because we love water, but also because we wanted to give a pothole a try and based on our reading we felt it would be a good option. Would you agree, or recommend we steer clear for now?
    better off outdoors

  6. #5
    Content Provider Emeritus ratagonia's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cookiecutter View Post
    Question:
    Tom, you mention in your book that one pothole exit can be difficult without a partner assist. We have never escaped a pothole of any sort before, and though we are quite capable physically and will have partners there I wouldn't want to do anything we wouldn't be sure we could handle. We wanted to do echo because we love water, but also because we wanted to give a pothole a try and based on our reading we felt it would be a good option. Would you agree, or recommend we steer clear for now?
    The escape from the pothole does not require anything fancy, just some brute strength. Having an etrier or a couple slings handy helps a lot. You might have to do a quick pack toss. The *warning* is against going solo, and really, against going unprepared. such as:

    {Sarcasm On}
    Heck man, its 100 degrees out. We don't need no wetsuits...
    {Sarcasm Off}

    So, if someone went down there without a wetsuit, solo, by the time they got to that climb-out thing they might be pretty darn cold-challenged, and making the moves might be beyond them. That is really what the warning is about. Otherwise it is an easy canyon.

    Tom

  7. #6
    As of a couple weeks ago there was a light flow coming out the bottom of Middle Echo so the pothole should be topped up right now, hard to say what it will be like in a month. But regardless it isn't difficult to get out as long as you have more than one person.

  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by ratagonia View Post
    The escape from the pothole does not require anything fancy, just some brute strength. Having an etrier or a couple slings handy helps a lot. You might have to do a quick pack toss. The *warning* is against going solo, and really, against going unprepared. such as:

    {Sarcasm On}
    Heck man, its 100 degrees out. We don't need no wetsuits...
    {Sarcasm Off}

    So, if someone went down there without a wetsuit, solo, by the time they got to that climb-out thing they might be pretty darn cold-challenged, and making the moves might be beyond them. That is really what the warning is about. Otherwise it is an easy canyon.

    Tom
    Awesome, thanks. Sounds like exactly what we are looking for.
    better off outdoors

  9. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by tcott View Post
    As of a couple weeks ago there was a light flow coming out the bottom of Middle Echo so the pothole should be topped up right now, hard to say what it will be like in a month. But regardless it isn't difficult to get out as long as you have more than one person.
    Thanks!
    better off outdoors

  10. #9
    Yeah, you can just lift each other out of the pothole, it's not bad. Also, Echo is awesome! One of my favorite canyons in Zion.
    --Cliff

  11. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by cookiecutter View Post
    one pothole exit can be difficult without a partner assist. We have never escaped a pothole of any sort before, and though we are quite capable physically and will have partners there I wouldn't want to do anything we wouldn't be sure we could handle. We wanted to do echo because we love water, but also because we wanted to give a pothole a try and based on our reading we felt it would be a good option.
    There are actually two potholes in Echo that could be problematic for solo canyoneers in certain conditions. The video below shows both potholes, the first is at the beginning of the video and the second is at the 1:50 mark.

    If using what Tom refer's to as the standard route in his book you will miss the first pothole. If using what Tom calls the alternate entry you will hit the first pothole.

    If using my beta you will hit both potholes as I removed the lower entrance last year. Using the upper entrance gets you a lot more canyon for 10 minutes of extra hiking. Using the lower entrance entrance is a waste, particularly after you spend the time to hike up to Echo.

    Echo Canyon Route Description



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