Goblin Valley (Plan B)

[Kuya]

Even after checking NOAA every hour on Friday and staring at the forecast, we went anyway. Joel and I had grand plans of doing 3 or 4 slot canyons this weekend. The North Wash has a whole slew of "mini" slot canyon that, from the pictures we have seen, look AMZING! SO... we packed up our car Friday evening and headed to the North Wash. The forecast called for 60% chance of rain/snow on Saturday, but we had to try anyway. Yes the drive is 4 hours, and yes it does take money to pay for gas to get there, but our love for the sport and hope for better weather triumphed.

The drive down to the North Wash was good. The weather Friday wasn't to bad and we made good time to our destination. The skys at 11pm looked promising (hey, we could see the moon and some stars at least) but our hopes were put to rest come Saturday, early morning. From our comfy sleeping bags it was hard to ignore the pounding of RAIN on the car that morning. We would not be doing any slot canyons in the North Wash today :(

It didn't take long to stuff our sleeping bags and return our reclined seats/beds for the night, to their upright position and start the trek back home. Additionally, (hehehe) it didn't take to long for us to realize that it wasn't raining at Goblin Valley--just snowing-- and that we could probably hike to the "Chamber of the Basilisk" and rappel down into that!

So... that is what we did. Despite the unplowed snowy roads, we turned to Goblin Valley State Park to hike its canyoneering route. It was Joels first time ever to see the Valley of the Goblins, and I was excited to take him to see that as well.

The valley was BEAUTFIUL! I have never been there in the winter time when all the hoodoo's are covered with snow, so it was incredible to see the park in this state. The blue skys were absent, but the snow covered red rock sure was something to see.

The hike to the top of the chamber is a really unique experience. The trail takes you across the valley to the backside (east) and along the way you feel like you have been transported to a foreign fantasy land. The spires, and hoodoos are kind of surreal and very pretty. Every step and every turn commands the mind and mouth to think and speak awe. Once you get closer to the top of the chamber where you rappel, the canyon gets more "sloty" and canyon-like. There are some fun down-climbs to be enjoyed.

The rappel into the chamber is really something else. From the top all you can see initially is dark hole. It isn't until you are secured to your rope and semi-committed to descend when you can finally see the bottom of what you are descending into. It is always a very thrilling experience to take that first peek into the chamber. It is a far fall from the top! It is so fun to experience visiting this gem from the top-down; only a rappel on a rope can offer this kind of beauty, awe and fun!

Once down, it is inspiring to see the cathedral like chamber! It is a huge cavern. With a few skylights in the ceiling, the light illuminates the red walls. In my mind I think it would be a very worshipful and holy place for all "Goblins" in this beautiful valley!

Not much time was spent admiring the beauty of the chamber (sadly enough). Soon Joel and I had pack up our gear and were heading up and out. The view fromt the exit was stunning! After some last minute pictures were snagged, we headed down the rocky and snowy trails back to our car. It was a quick hike back. Again the beauty of the area was stunning. The towering walls that enclose and home the goblins are large and intimidating. they rise high and are temple-esque. The rock walls conjure up thoughts of strength, beauty, and majesty! The towers aspire toward the heavens and ever protect the valley of the goblins! It is a beautiful sight to see.

After all that, the real adventure lied in our getting to and from the parking lot in my wifes car! We were the only car to visit the park so far that day, and the recently felled snow proved to be a bit of challenge for our car. Right before you get to the parking lot, there is a steep hill to be climbed. It is rarely an obstacle for those traveling in dry conditions, but with the recent snowfall, we almost didn't make it up the hill! Nevertheless, we did make it too and from that parking lot in the car, and we didn't even run ourselves off the side of the road! All in all, this trip ended up being a truly amazing adventure!

Though we did not get to hike the mini slot canyons of the North Wash, we did have fun canyoneering in a winter snow storm in the beautiful Valley of the Goblins!

[penmartens]

Way to rescue a weekend!! There is nothing so beautiful as fresh snow on red rock.
I had plans to go to NW as well but came down sick Fri. With no chance of sunshine and a 60% chance of rain, I decided to spend the weekend in comfort.
Thanks for being the one to venture out and return with a current conditions report.

Penny

[penmartens]

Well heck. I don't usually watch videos on my phone but I'm bored and went back to watch this one.
Wow! Do we have a best trailer category anywhere on Bogley? This was terrific!

Penny

[SRG]

Way to make lemonade, the route sounds spectacularly beautiful in the snow.

[DesertDuke]

I think the riskiest part is that you did the trip in the Chevy Impala or whatever it is. Interesting pics! Gotta hand it to you, that is some dedicated canyoneering!

[Kuya]

I think the riskiest part is that you did the trip in the Chevy Impala or whatever it is. Interesting pics! Gotta hand it to you, that is some dedicated canyoneering!

You are right about that one! The scariest part of our trip was getting up and down that hill to the parking lot of Goblin Valley! My wife's Grand Prix GT did a pretty good job though. I was impressed.

Well heck. I don't usually watch videos on my phone but I'm bored and went back to watch this one.
Wow! Do we have a best trailer category anywhere on Bogley? This was terrific!

Penny

Thanks Penny! The trailers sure are fun to make! Thank you for the kind words.

Way to rescue a weekend!! There is nothing so beautiful as fresh snow on red rock.
I had plans to go to NW as well but came down sick Fri. With no chance of sunshine and a 60% chance of rain, I decided to spend the weekend in comfort.
Thanks for being the one to venture out and return with a current conditions report.

Penny

Hope you get feeling better soon. Next week should be a promising week for the canyons in that area :)

[dweaver2130]

AAAAmazing pics, so jealous!

[Sandstone Addiction]

Loved the trailer and pics! Thanks for sharing.

[Kuya]

Here is the feature film enjoy.

[canyondevil]

Nice film!

Did it snow down in North Wash as well or just rain down there?

[Kuya]

It was raining when we left that morning. There was a bit of slushy snow on the hills, but mostly rain when we were there.

[Rob L]

I was expecting Plan B to be a BASE jump; I was disappointed.

Nice short video!

Rob