Looking for partners for Quandary Direct

[ewestesen]

Either May 26-27 or June 1-2 I'll be heading out to Quandary to meet up with my dad. He's coming from Western Colorado, I'm coming from Provo, UT.

Dad and I started playing around in canyons in 2004, but didn't get really serious about things until we did a 3 day basic training with ZAC in 2008. Since then we've tried to keep busy with canyons, and we've been soaking up all the knowledge we can.

I worked as a guide with Zion Ponderosa Ranch last summer running Birch Hollow (and would have again this summer, but my wife is having a baby in June... maybe I'm just not dedicated to canyoneering....).

I carry gear for and am comfortable building and rigging multiple types of anchors, ascending, descending, knot passing, contingency anchors, pick-offs, lowers, etc.

On this trip, my weakness is that I have not actually done any pothole escapes in canyons before. I feel comfortable taking myself and dad into the canyon, but if you don't already have experience I don't feel comfortable taking responsibility for you. We're bringing a potshot or two and our packs and hooks. I can scramble and I can/am willing to get creative with partner assists (not a euphemism ).

My dad is a great guy, he can handle himself in the canyon, but he's a slow hiker, especially once he's tired and we're headed back to the car, so you'll have to be willing to mozy a little bit on the return hike.

Also, I've been keeping a list of canyons I've done- here's a link to the list. It's not a wildly exciting list, but I feel pretty good about it. I have friends who have quickly gotten into the big-boy canyons, I have taken my time. I'm cautious (you might call me wimpy) and so I've been taking on more advanced canyons a little bit at a time.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...W4iaRMjSM/edit

Any other information that might be helpful? PM me or shoot me an email at ewestesen at gmail dot com with your experience (unless you're famous, like Tom or Spidey) and let me know what dates would be better for you.

[Scott P]

This is just my opinion, and others may disagree, but south facing Quandary would be a really hot route/unpleasant in June (unless you hit it during a cool period). If there was water and swimming, that would be completely different, but I would guess that it's pretty dry now (just a guess; you should check on this from someone who has been through recently).

Check on current conditions, but if it Quandary is dry, it might not be a good route when it's hot and if you like to go slow and take it easy on the way out.

[ewestesen]

Hum.... good advice! I've got two takers, so maybe we'll have a talk and see what everyone thinks. There are plenty of good canyons in the world!