Bluejohn Squeeze Fork

On March 18th, 2015, Mark B, Tony, Micah, Shawn, Andy and I challenged ourselves by heading through the Squeeze Fork of Bluejohn Canyon.

This canyon was very scenic with multiple challenging downclimbs (optional rappels). The third downclimb is about 25 feet and can be done two ways: downclimbing directly, or; stemming over a silo at about 28 feet, then sliding down the hallway on the far side of the silo. I opted to go over the silo and found this to be a rewarding step in my canyoneering skill progression (not bragging, it really was fulfilling). A bit scary, requiring full concentration, but not too difficult.

The crux was challenging, both physically and psychologically. The canyon narrowed to about 12 inches. We stemmed far from the floor, having no idea exactly how high we were. It looked like about 10 feet, but it was actually 30, the bottom 20 feet being pitch black. A fall all the way to the floor was entirely possible. In some spots falling and getting hopelessly stuck was also possible. Flashbacks of my bad day in Trachyotomy surfaced and were suppressed. "Think happy thoughts of Middle Lep", I said to myself.

Tony led the group through the crux. He is the right size and the right skill level to avoid trouble in spots like that. We were all happy hear him descend safely to the pitch-black ground level, completely invisible from above. His coaching from that vantage point helped us all avoid trouble.

We then headed down the fantastic East Fork, Micah and I headed back to the cars while the others climbed Middle Bluejohn. All of us completed our adventures at the same time, 6 hours car-to-car.

It was an outstanding day to conclude a great trip, with friends new and old.

Looking into the silo that some of us chose to stem over.

Mark heading down after crossing the silo.

Heading towards the crux.

Andy reaching the floor of the canyon after completing the crux narrows.

Mark in the East Fork.

Larry Canyon

March 17th, 2015, Mark B, Micah, Tony, Aaron, Perry, Cole, Shawn, Andy and I headed down Larry canyon. This was Cole's first canyoneering experience. Aaron and Perry of the Okie Crew again proved their toughness the day after completing a frantic Lost Park / Smallcatraz combo.

Larry Canyon proved to be a classic, perhaps not as good as neighboring Alcatraz, but very close.

Our car-to-car time was 6 hours with a shuttle (recommended for sane people).

Special thanks to the Okie Crew for carrying extra gear. You guys are tough as hell. We hope to do more canyons with you all sometime soon.

Canyon eye candy below. Special thanks to Micah for sharing his photos. Enjoy!

Lost Park Canyon

On March 16th, 2015, Mark B, Sam, Micah, Aaron, Michael, Cole, Shawn, Andy and I ventured through Lost Park Canyon. Aaron, Michael and Cole drove all the way from Oklahoma to have some fun in the desert during spring break. We deemed them the 'Okie Crew'. They are all great guys. This was their first canyoneering experience.

Lost Park is a good canyon with a lengthy section of tight narrows. Clothes were shredded. Those without armor suffered. Fun was had by all.

Our car-to-car time was a blistering 5.5 hours, mostly due to expert navigation by Mark B. The slog-to-canyon ratio is not very good. I'd recommend doing this canyon once, but most of us probably won't return.

Special thanks to Mark B for his creative and efficient navigation on this convoluted route.

Micah stemming.

 

Cole doing what I am doing.

Sam Goodhue upclimbing.

Andy completed this downclimb unassisted. A stage dive would have been much easier.

Mark B retreats while saying, "Thou shalt not get hurt while avoiding water." Michael below.

Moonshine Wash

On April 16th, 2014, Steph, John, our unborn son and I wrapped up our spring canyon trip with a descent of Moonshine Wash. Our new baby was due 9 days, John's 3rd birthday was 6 days away. Just enough time to squeeze in one more canyon.

We're not really "Everything's Awesome!" kind of people (reference to the recent Lego movie). Most canyons are good. Some are not.

But this one was REALLY good.

Not much of a story, except that there were a couple of committing downclimbs for my wife. Two twenty foot chimneys that would be difficult for her to reverse in her 'delicate' condition.

So, I scouted the entire canyon before she committed. This was a treat, because I got to see the canyon three times. All of the way down, all of the way up, then back down again.

The three beanie makeshift helmet. His beanie, Dad's beanie, and Mom's beanie.

Posing under the sheep bridge, high above.

We used the convenient Escape Route and completed our adventure in a very leisurely 4.5 hours (car-to-car).

Ding & Dang

On Tuesday, April 15th, 2014, Steph, John, our unborn son and I did a lap through Ding & Dang. My son's 3rd birthday was a week away. Our next son was due in 10 days. These facts made this adventure a VERY tall order.

Heading up Ding was easy and fun. The flat sandy floor made me wonder what lurks beneath. The walls allude to something serious. Has anyone ever seen this canyon clean?

Then a quick and scenic walk behind The Swell, and down into Dang. A bolt at the first drop?? Easily walked around by all. We soon arrived at the 40 foot drop. There are at least 4 ways to get down:

1. Traverse around the drop on the RDC side, across a VERY exposed 50 foot ledge. Not an option with a kid on your back. Not an option for a pregnant lady. You fall, you die.

2. Use a handline tied to a crappy ancient bolt. Hold on tight, then step off a smooth ledge, blind, to a larger ledge below. Slip and survive. Probably.

3. Belay from above. Last person assumes all risk.

4. Rappel. Minimal risk, minimal stress.

Needless to say, getting down this drop was a pain in the ass. I belayed Steph down with webbing. I lowered John to Steph. Scary for all. Next time we will all have rope, helmets and harnesses.

That being said, they were a great pair of canyons. Scenic and engaging the whole way. However, helping a small child through those canyons is physically and physiologically taxing. It felt like we had done The Squeeze by the end of the day even though it only took us 5 hours car-to-car.

It was a fun and memorable day that was totally worth the effort.

A very scenic walk behind The Swell.