North Wash and Poison Springs - Seeking Conditions and Group Warning/Invite

[AJ]

Hey all,

Got a group going out to North Wash area this upcoming weekend. We'll be camping at Sandthrax, and I'm thinking of doing Monkey Business, Right Lep, maybe the Blarney's and/or Shillelaghs, and the Poison Springs canyons (Arscenic, Slideanide and/or Constrichnine.) (I checked Candition, and most posts are a bit older...)

Curious if anyone has been in any of these recently, and what conditions they found? (Specifically, how was the road to the Poisons? Passable by passenger cars? What were the water levels like? Wetsuits required? (Usually, none of the canyons I stated require wetsuits, but one time, we found seven swims in just Arscenic. Would have been nice to have wetsuits that day...)

Thanks for any info!

As for the Warning/Invite, we don't really have a huge group, but it's my usual fall beginner-friendly trip; so it's more than I usually have. We currently have 10 people at the max (some folks are coming and going at different times, and we'll likely splitting into at least two groups; so there shouldn't be in-canyon issues...)

Thus, the invite. If you are in the area, come and join us in the evening at Sandthrax. I'll have a dark blue Grand Cherokee with a white rocketbox. Would be great to hang out...


Take care,
A.J.

[AJ]

Oh, and sorry, I didn't even know there was a Bogleyfest planned. Been slammed with work and life stuff, so been off the canyoneering grid for a bit. Would have loved to coordinate efforts, but maybe next time. Hope all the Bogleyfest folks have a fantastic time!

[remoteman45]

Terrific storm in the area of the Swell on Thursday night into Friday - rain and hail. I've never seen it so wet in the washes with some flowing water and lots of mud. It was a big storm so I'm pretty confident that the slots in the surrounding areas probably got pounded too. Go prepared

[plutacratic77]

Did Right Lep and Morocco this weekend. Both were very wet and muddy (not the bad kind of mud though). My third time through Right Lep, never seen it like that. Neck deep pool in one spot, along with several other waist deep wades. Difficult to examine the anchors as a few were underwater. Actually got a little chilly without a suit, but then again, I'm thin and prone to such things. It was my first time through Morocco--wet as well. Can't compare it to other times. Waist to chest deep pools, depending on how good at stemming you are. Was chilly in there, as well. Anchors looked good.

If you do Morocco, be careful at the bottom of the first rap--there was a rattlesnake in there yesterday. I'm guessing it got washed down? Can't imagine it eeking out a living down there. Gave us a good scare though!

[Reverso]

Which day did you go thru Lep? How were the roads out there? Hope some of it drains out by this weekend, but it sounds like things were OK anyway?

[ddavis]

Did Middle Lep on Saturday. It was wet and muddy. Most of the water was shin/knee deep, with some pools that were hip deep, and one that was a swimmer for a few feet (I'm short). No wet suit, but as long as we kept moving I was fine. Some friends did Woody and said the road was ok (they had 4WD vehicles).

[plutacratic77]

Which day did you go thru Lep? How were the roads out there? Hope some of it drains out by this weekend, but it sounds like things were OK anyway?

Oh yeah, still a blast. Went in on Saturday. Just bring an extra layer to throw on in between the wet spots if you're prone to cold. Can't help you with the road situation, we stuck to 95.

[Reverso]

Sweet, we are planning for Arsenic, Slidanide and maybe Adobe Swale in that area this weekend...perhaps a stop in to the festival over in Robbers Roost...

[AJ]

Hey all,

Thanks for the info. Went through some canyons, and here's what we found:

Poisons: Arscenic, Slideanide, and Constrychnine are pretty dry considering the other canyon conditions in the area. Water was completely avoidable with some skills and effort. Those not comfortable with stemming, etc; should still be able to manage to stay waist deep or less; so no wetsuit should be needed unless outdoor temps are cooler/cold. Road to the trailhead should be passable by pretty much any vehicle driven carefully.

Monkey Business: Was moderately wet, with most water being able to be avoided with good skills and effort, but most will get around waist deep in three spots - with one BIG exception, the keeper pothole near the end of the canyon is still a swimmer. I was able to get out of it solo, but definitely got wet, and it's cold water. You make your own choice on whether or not to take wetsuits, but I'd recommend them for bigger groups and those where everyone isn't a strong climber/canyoneer... Road was in good shape, and should be passable by pretty much any vehicle driven carefully.

Death: Super short canyon with pretty views, which allows a bunch of other exploration/wandering above the short slot. Some were able to stay completely dry; those that went into the final pool were wet to upper thigh. Road is on pavement, so any vehicle can access.


Hope it helps,
A.J.

[Reverso]

Right Fork of Lep and the Blarney/Shilleglegh areas were pretty dry also this weekend.

[peakbaggers]

Thanks for the updates!