Canyoneering with the Perrys

From November 6th - 13th, 2021, Steph and I enjoyed a week of canyoneering with Cole, Grant, Reid, Court, and Russ.  We have had the pleasure of meeting and canyoneering with all of the Perry boys over the years, so it was a real treat to get out with five of them at the same time.  This was Cole's fifth trip from Texas to canyoneer with us!  I'm amazed every time he makes the journey.

During that week, we completed Constrychnine, Woody, No Kidding, Witch's Cauldron, Boss Hog, Merry Piglet, Horse Play, Foolin' Around, Off the Hook, and Shenanigans.

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.

New Year's Canyoneering 2018 / 2019

On December 28th, 2018 - January 1st, 2019, Steph, Tony, Byron, Nipun, Jared, Molly, and I braved the cold and did a few canyons.  It snowed about 2 inches on the evening of the 27th, making things a bit more treacherous than we had expected.  We were hungry for a challenge because we hadn't been canyoneering in 14 months, so we opted to descend Middle Leprechaun Canyon.

The morning temperature was 5 degrees.  Getting into Middle Lep was dicey because the snow on sandstone was about as grippy as polished ice.  Gusting winds filled the slot with fresh snow which was a foot deep in places.  It wasn't bad until we got to the skinniest sections which were full of slush.  Slush covered boots were very difficult to stem in, so getting up and over pinches was far more difficult than we had expected.

At some point I realized that a broken ankle in the slushy skinnies would have been a disaster.  It was difficult to remain warm when we were working hard.  If someone had been seriously injured, hypothermia/frostbite/death would have been real possibilities in those temperatures while awaiting rescue.  We had a great time, but the risk was extraordinarily high for the reward.  Please don't copy what we did in Middle Leprechaun.

Much of the snow blew off during the following days.  We did Hogwarts, Boss Hog, Razorback and East Blarney.  All were excellent choices given the conditions.

Jared and Molly (who is expecting) joined us on the 31st.  They are both new to canyoneering.  We made an attempt at Slideanide, but the fresh snow made getting in/out far too risky.  We tried to visit Arsenic Arch, but even that was too risky with the snow.  Nevertheless, we had a good hike and enjoyed the views.

On January 1st, we descended East Leprechaun which was a fine choice given the conditions.  It was great to see Jared and Molly experience their first skinny slot.

We ended up doing six canyons in 5 days.  So satisfying!  It was another great adventure with friends new and old.

On our way to Middle Lep it warmed up to 7 degrees.

The highway was covered with ice.

We contemplated postponing the trip until the weather got cold enough to be taken seriously.

This is at the 12 foot rap/downclimb in Middle Leprechaun Canyon. 

Gusts of wind funneled huge amounts of fresh snow down on top of us from the canyon rim above. 

This gust dropped about 1/2 inch of snow in 30 seconds.

Luckily it was dry at the end of the canyon.

On this day going under the rockfall was easy, a first for me.

Three shots of the bridge in Hogwarts... heck, why not?

Boss Hog

Razorback

A nice stroll out of Hog Springs

We seem to always run into Tom Jones in the North Wash.

It was fun to catch up with him.

Skunked at Poison Springs...

... but having a great time anyway.

East Leprechaun