On May 30th, 2016, Aaron, Christian, Cole and I explored Temple of Doom. We did not expect this canyon to hold much water, so we did not bring wetsuits. Unfortunately for us, there was a LOT of water in the canyon, so we turned back once we got cold.
The part we explored was great. We were lucky enough to catch a gorgeous section of slot at high noon, so the lighting was sublime. I'll be back to see the rest soon, wetsuit in tow.
Christian was brave enough to bring his serious camera through the slot. I'm glad he did, the photos turned out great!
The official Oakie Crew group photo.
We were sure glad these guys made the dive out to Utah again!
On May 29th, 2016, Steph, Aaron, Christian, Cole and I hiked over the reef then descended Cottonwood Wash.
I did not pick an ideal approach route, but came close. Even if we did hit it right on the head, this canyon is not worth the hike over the reef. Too much sand slogging, not enough action. *yawn* I look forward to all of the other canyons on this planet that are better than this one.
What really broke our hearts was when we were about an hour into the canyon and we ran into a family hiking up from the bottom, no wetsuits, no harnesses. We were geared to the teeth, so they thought we were having more fun than them -but they were sooo wrong!
Special thanks to Steph and the Oakies for toughing this one out. I'm lucky to canyoneer with such great people.
On May 28th, 2016, Steph, Shane, Shauna, Stormy, Aaron, Christian, Cole and a few more new friends did a lap through the Black Hole.
The weather was great and the trip went smoothly. During our descent Shane rescued a crow from the mud, proving that he does have a heart. It was a great day with a fun team.
On May 21, 2016, John, Meg, Rob and I descended East Shillelagh Canyon.
There are two rappels in East Shill, 40ish feet followed by 90ish feet. John and I simul-rapped the 40 footer, which was his first in-canyon rappel. Then John hung from my harness on the 90 footer -and totally kept his cool. I'm very proud of him. It was a great experience for both of us.
On May 21st, 2016, John and I ventured through East Leprechaun Canyon.
John did fantastic! He downclimbed a couple of the bigger drops without issue (protected by top belay). I am very proud of his effort.
Special thanks to Spidey (Steven Jackson) and his group for providing several partner assists and for letting us play through. When I asked John what his favorite part of the trip was he said, "Making all of those friends in Leprechaun!" You guys are awesome.
John turned five recently, so I felt that it was 'bout damn time he learned how to do some high stemming. So on May 19th, 2016, we did a lap through Horse Play Canyon.
This toddler-friendly canyon contains a few wimpy sections of stemming, each slightly higher than the last. I'm angry at myself for not bringing along the local Kindergarten class. I'll never be the mentor I want to be at this rate! *sigh*
The first section of stemming was slanted, so we couldn't tell how high we were. 10 feet? 50 feet? Meh, whatever. I lowered John, then he told me where Dad won't get stuck, then I downclimbed.
We took a break at the halfway point. There I taught John how to smoke a cigar, and warned him about what kind of women to avoid. You know, any man can be a Father, but it takes someone special to be a Dad.
Soon we headed into an annoyingly tight section. I chose to go high while John stayed low. He soon lost a shoe in the ultra-tight crack below. He is tiny, weighing only 37 pounds, but still couldn't reach retrieve his shoe. I contemplated making him walk back to the truck without it to help him build some character, but figured we wouldn't get back to camp in time to teach him about scotch.
Instead, I removed my helmet, went completely upside-down in the crack and just barely retrieved the shoe with the tip of my middle finger.
With shoes and helmets back in place we stemmed to a properly high spot, where men go to be men, about 25 feet off the deck. We stemmed horizontally to a wider spot. John slipped and swung (on belay) cleanly below me. I pulled him back up. His stemming form instantly improved and much hair grew on both of our chests.
We stemmed out further then I lowered him to the floor. I downclimbed, then we headed into a spectacular subway section followed by a surreal hallway. A fine reward for our efforts.
We hiked back to the trailhead where Child Protective Services was waiting to take him into custody. They said something about his safety and well being. Whatever.
I sure will miss John. That kid (now a man) is rad. Our truck-to-truck time was 5h 45m.
If you look closely, you can see John in the slot below.
