Little Wild Horse / Goblin's Lair / Goblette's Lair

On November 1, 2020, we made the most of our visit to the Goblin Valley area by visiting Little Wild Horse, Goblin's Lair, and Goblette's Lair.  It was a great way to wrap up our family vacation for 2020.

Steph and I rappelled into Goblin's Lair about 9 years previous.  At the time, almost nobody knew about the chamber, and even fewer had ventured there with a rope.  Back then, there was no real trail into or out of the chamber.  Today, there is a very wide trail to/from the chamber with signage, and a permit is required to go canyoneering there.  It is interesting how times have changed.

Next time, we will bring headlamps and try to make it through the tunnel that goes under the rockfall.

Goblette's Lair Below

Ding and Dang Canyons

 On October 31, 2020, we took a fun lap through Ding and Dang Canyons.  This route seemed easy after doing Middle Leprechaun the day before.  It was an excellent way to social distance on Halloween Day.

High five Mom!!

Middle Leprechaun Canyon

On October 30th, 2020, Steph, John, Drew, and I ventured through the North Wash classic, Middle Leprechaun Canyon.  This was Drew's first real big-boy canyoneering experience, and he did great!

On this day, Drew was 6 years old and John was 9.  John had already been through this canyon when he was 6, almost exactly three years earlier.  It was interesting from a parent's perspective to compare how each boy handled this slot.  It was also interesting to see how contagious their reactions were.  When one boy got scared, the other immediately freaked out as well.

Even though John was much stronger than his 6 year-old self, he seemed to have more difficulty getting through due to his increased size.  He also carried his own pack, which added to the challenge.  He completed his first solo rappels on this day, which made his Mom and Dad very proud.  He was also a tough and helpful teammate, moving packs through tight spaces whenever it was required.