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Thread: Upper Black Box - San Rafael Swell

  1. #1

    Upper Black Box - San Rafael Swell

    This canyon has been on my to-do list forever, but for some reason I just never got around to doing it. But last weekend my family teamed up with Mr. and Mrs. Slot Machine and we had a great Saturday. I'd say the canyon is in prime condition right now. The river is warm enough those who can tolorate some cold will not want a wetsuit, and all others will only require a lightweight or shortie wetsuit. There is a reasonable amount of flow through the box right now, but not enough to make it dangerous, just enough to make it fun. The bugs were a non-issue doing the day and only a minor issue in the early morning or late evening (sunrise and sunset).

    Here is the video from our trip. Enjoy the show.



    Here is the route information for those that want it.

    Upper Black Box Route Description

    This canyon will certainly be on my repeat list. It's really good and packs a lot of bang for the buck.

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  2. Likes SRG, Udink, Slot Machine, Scott P liked this post
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  4. #2
    Very nice. Looked like a great day. Are you going to put the details of this trip on your site? I'm too lazy to check right now.

  5. #3
    I LOVE this canyon. This was also the canyon where I experienced my first Epic! (wouldn't have been an Epic if we would have only had our headlamps!) It was also this very canyon that sparked my LOVE for technical canyoneering!

    TRIP REPORT HERE
    CanyoneeringUtah.blogspot.com
    My YouTube Channel

    "As you journey through life, choose your destination well, but do not hurry there. You will arrive soon enough. Wander the back roads and forgotten path[s] ... Such things are riches for the soul. And if upon arrival, you find that your destination is not exactly as you had dreamed, ... know that the true worth of your travels lies not in where you come to be at journey

  6. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by WorkBad View Post
    Are you going to put the details of this trip on your site? I'm too lazy to check right now.
    Already up... Upper Black Box Route Description


  7. #5
    Can an outgoing driver of a non high clearance vehicle make it to the trailhead? Thank you.

  8. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Spiderzak View Post
    Can an outgoing driver of a non high clearance vehicle make it to the trailhead? Thank you.
    yes, the road does get a little rough in some spots. But a good driver can easily navigate a car along those rough sections.
    CanyoneeringUtah.blogspot.com
    My YouTube Channel

    "As you journey through life, choose your destination well, but do not hurry there. You will arrive soon enough. Wander the back roads and forgotten path[s] ... Such things are riches for the soul. And if upon arrival, you find that your destination is not exactly as you had dreamed, ... know that the true worth of your travels lies not in where you come to be at journey

  9. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Spiderzak View Post
    Can an outgoing driver of a non high clearance vehicle make it to the trailhead? Thank you.
    I'd say it depends on the car. The road was recently graded so right now it's in really good condition, but there are still a couple of rough places.

    No way in hell I'm taking MY car down that road, but if I'm driving YOUR car or a RENTAL car I'd give it a go.

    Rental cars can go where Jeeps fear to tread.

  10. #8
    Bogley BigShot oldno7's Avatar
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    Nice Video, Shane
    I'm not Spartacus


    It'll come back.


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  11. #9
    Bogley BigShot oldno7's Avatar
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    am I seeing a boyfriend showing up?

    Have you given the fatherly(I'll kill) you lecture
    I'm not Spartacus


    It'll come back.


    Professional Mangler of Grammar

    Guns don't kill people--Static Ropes Do!!

    Who Is John Galt?

  12. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by oldno7 View Post
    am I seeing a boyfriend showing up?
    The dude in the video? That would be Mrs. Slot Machine's husband. Her dad already gave him that talk.

    Here are a few extra pics from the hike:

    The bolted anchor is down the gulley to the left, hidden from view.
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    Shane on rappel.
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    Looking upcanyon before wading into the water.
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    Shauna, Shane, Sierra and Steph roasting at the top of the rappel.

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    Thank you Shane for inviting us along on this hike! We had a blast with you and your family.
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  13. #11
    Bogley BigShot oldno7's Avatar
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    Well, I guess as long as someone got the fatherly talk, it's all good.
    I'm not Spartacus


    It'll come back.


    Professional Mangler of Grammar

    Guns don't kill people--Static Ropes Do!!

    Who Is John Galt?

  14. #12
    Rap Artist Wanna-be
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    Thanks for the report and the great video. Would love to do a canyon with your "team" some day.

  15. #13
    Fantastic TR! I too love this canyon and enjoyed reminiscing with the video and pics.

    Did you pull your rope or did you come back and retrieve it?

  16. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Sandstone Addiction View Post
    Did you pull your rope or did you come back and retrieve it?
    We pulled our rope.

    We were going to leave a rope but found the beta we were using was poor. It listed the rappel at something like 190' and it's not. The rappel is only 115' so with some webbing we just pulled the rope because none of use wanted to hike back out and climb down and retrieve the rope in the heat of the day. Carrying the rope out is not a big deal, the route is just not that long.

  17. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Iceaxe View Post
    We pulled our rope.

    We were going to leave a rope but found the beta we were using was poor. It listed the rappel at something like 190' and it's not.
    Interesting, when I did that rappel, we found a different set of bolts. We rigged our rappel above those bolts and our rap ended up being 220'. It was awesome!
    CanyoneeringUtah.blogspot.com
    My YouTube Channel

    "As you journey through life, choose your destination well, but do not hurry there. You will arrive soon enough. Wander the back roads and forgotten path[s] ... Such things are riches for the soul. And if upon arrival, you find that your destination is not exactly as you had dreamed, ... know that the true worth of your travels lies not in where you come to be at journey

  18. #16
    There is a set of bolts up top without a chain that looked like a really long and crappy rappel.

    What you want to do is downclimb the wash you were originally hiking in as far as possible. The downclimbing is easy. About halfway down the gully you will encounter a large flat area with bolts and chain on the west wall. That rap is 120'.

    Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

  19. #17
    Has anyone downclimbed the whole gully from top to bottom? We met some guys from Price that claim they had.

  20. #18
    I remember the first time I went there as a young college freshman, thinking that I could downclimb that section. I probably feel differently now, but then it looked possible
    CanyoneeringUtah.blogspot.com
    My YouTube Channel

    "As you journey through life, choose your destination well, but do not hurry there. You will arrive soon enough. Wander the back roads and forgotten path[s] ... Such things are riches for the soul. And if upon arrival, you find that your destination is not exactly as you had dreamed, ... know that the true worth of your travels lies not in where you come to be at journey

  21. #19
    Nice running in to you guys out there, @Slot Machine and @Iceaxe. I talked to the group who hiked out after you and they said they only did an 85' rappel. I'm not sure precisely where they dropped into the canyon, but they parked a Jeep near the head of the side-canyon about 1.6 miles before the end of the road (39
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  22. #20
    There is a longer approach hike that can be done with a shorter rappel.

    We used what some call "the short cut" and it drops you in on top of the rock pile that signals the start of the really good stuff. The short cut provides a big bang for the buck. That is the route detailed on my website.

    There is also two hikers entrance further to the west, you probably saw the TH signs for those driving in. No rope needed when doing the hiker entrance, but it creates a long day. I'm guessing the epic @Kuya described above used one of the hiker entrances.

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