Results 1 to 16 of 16
Thread: Choprock April 5, 2013
-
04-11-2013, 09:11 PM #1
Choprock April 5, 2013
Holy new favorite canyon! Choprock was awesome, and we had an excellent trip. It was Gavin's and my spring break and Anthony and Jayson came with us down to Escalante. We left early Thursday morning and got to the Egypt Trailhead around 9:00 to see about nine other cars there. We were worried that all of the good camping spots would be taken, but we were able to secure a pretty nice one at the mouth of Fence Canyon. We set up camp and then headed downriver for the afternoon. We made a quick stop at the Golden Cathedral and then went down to Ringtail. We just went up from the bottom, but it was pretty awesome. One of the darkest slots I've ever been in. We went up that canyon until we ran into a group of about 12 really loud middle schoolers and then turned around and headed back to camp to relax and turn in early in preparation for our big day.
On Friday we woke up before the sun, and then wasted the fact that we woke up before the sun as we wandered around in the dark trying to find the weakness in the canyon wall that Shane talks about in his Choprock description. Once it started to lighten up outside we found it and headed up. The approach was pretty dang long, and included a fair amount of trudging through sand, but we eventually dropped into the canyon.
Things were just starting to leaf out in the Riparian Ballroom, and all of the poison ivy was dead, though we weren't sure if it was still potent like that or not, so we steered clear of it. Eventually we hit the Happy Section, and about four steps into it I yelled something to the effect of "Holy crap! This is amazing! That whole approach just became worth it!" Seriously, though, the Happy Section of Choprock beats the crap out of the Subway as far as beauty goes, in my opinion. It's amazing.
The Happy Section turned into the Grim Section rather abruptly, I thought, and it did start out pretty grim, with a tall log jam to climb (a big log at the top going lengthwise down the canyon made it a pretty tight squeeze for me) and then a really tight narrow spot. However, after that things were pretty tame. I'm not saying that they always will be, and there was definitely a lot of challenging stuff. Several spots of high stemming, a whole lot of narrow cracks to slide down, and a few spots where we had to swim. Light was excellent down there, and after one swim we got out and stood in the sun and found that we were steaming! I guess we're just that awesome. The Grim Section turned out to be a great time, and I even got to use my strength to break a log jam! All too soon we were hitting the final rappel and leaving the technical section behind. A hike back to camp and a good night's sleep, and we were out of there. Awesome trip! Highly recommended to anyone with the skills! Here's some pictures (We were a little busy in the grim section so we only got a couple in there. We have some video, though. I'll post it once I have it edited. Our photographer, as usual, is the amazing Anthony Dunster.):
--Cliff
-
Post Thanks / Like - 8 Likes
-
04-11-2013 09:11 PM # ADS
-
04-11-2013, 09:26 PM #2
Very cool. Looks well worth the trip. Can't wait to visit.
Thanks for posting!
-
04-11-2013, 09:42 PM #3
Great country back there!!Good job.
Ken
-
04-11-2013, 10:06 PM #4
Very awesome! Thanks for the report! Going there in late May. How much neo did you guys have on?
-
04-12-2013, 04:01 AM #5
We had 7mm but it was a little much at times because the grim section seemed dryer than typical (We awaited the 100 yard swim in vain). However, in a month conditions could change a lot and I could see 7mm being ideal. The best solution would probably be to bring a 3 or 5mm full and then a vest to add on in case things get a little chilly. In my case, all I've got is the 7mm right now, so better safe than sorry. Awesome canyon, though. Super pretty and highly recommended. Though as cliff noted, if you leave so early it's still dark it can be tricky to find the weakness that lets you onto the bench. If you take 15-20 minutes the day before and scout it out when there's light it's pretty clear, so that's what i would recommend doing.
- Gavin
-
04-12-2013, 01:53 PM #6
I enjoyed your TR very much. Beautiful canyon and pics. Thanks Cliff.
-
04-15-2013, 06:14 AM #7
Beautiful!
Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit
http://www.rmru.org/
Personal Website
http://www.DrunkRedDragon.com/adventures.htm
-
04-15-2013, 06:19 AM #8
Gorgeous canyon! Thanks for the report
-
04-15-2013, 10:38 AM #9
-
04-15-2013, 12:45 PM #10
-
04-15-2013, 02:18 PM #11
Thanks for the TR! Can't wait to do this canyon too. (yet another one to add to the ever growing list!)
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
-
04-15-2013, 03:26 PM #12
probably the best will be taking extra sweet time and camp there!!!
i still need to beef up my endurance and the cold water issues, and check on the map for the possible escape route (love to have the piece of mind of an escape route)apparently it is suppose to be one half way ,that is how they guide the canyon to customers.
i will bring tons of bug spray but prefer summer temp at leastreducing a bit the ipothermia deadly danger! and possibly with the lowest water conditions!!!!
looking forward to train in cable, squeeze and witch cauldron and looking for safe/strong people with a good attitude!!!!!
-
04-17-2013, 05:52 AM #13
Got the video edited! I now have much more respect for all you people who do videos for every canyon. We had over an hour of footage and it wasn't particularly easy to trim that down to a video that people might have time to watch. Enjoy!
--Cliff
-
Post Thanks / Like - 2 LikesWorkBad, Sandstone Addiction liked this post
-
04-17-2013, 10:12 PM #14
Awesome video! This canyon looks sweet. Thanks for taking the time to share it.
-
04-18-2013, 04:38 PM #15
Exactly the video I've been trying to find for almost two years! Thanks! Can't wait to see it in person. Wish the water was higher though.
-
04-18-2013, 07:25 PM #16
Outstanding! Choprock has been high on our list for a while now. I guess we better get back down to Escalante soon...
Similar Threads
-
April Fools 2013 Thread
By Sombeech in forum General DiscussionReplies: 9Last Post: 04-12-2013, 01:46 PM -
Orientation to cave rescue in Glenwood Springs Colorado on April 13th and April 14th
By caverdan in forum Climbing, Caving & MountaineeringReplies: 2Last Post: 04-03-2013, 10:26 AM -
April Bogley Nite (dinner) APRIL 3RD 7:00 SLC
By Sombeech in forum Bogley UnpluggedReplies: 68Last Post: 04-05-2008, 11:24 AM -
**APRIL BOGLEY DINNER - APRIL 3RD 7:00 SLC**
By Sombeech in forum General DiscussionReplies: 0Last Post: 03-19-2008, 07:51 PM -
[Trip Report] choprock
By kamfoo in forum CanyoneeringReplies: 11Last Post: 06-08-2006, 07:53 PM
Visitors found this page by searching for:
Outdoor Forum