This last Saturday as we drove by the Sandthrax campsite, we paused with surprise. Where were all the canyoneers? Yeah, it was cold. There are plenty of easy accessible canyons in the winter around the North Wash area. Maybe all the storms had scared us off.
Morocco is a good one to consider for winter canyoneering. Beginner friendly. The trail head is literally right on the road, and the approach is very straightforward. Maybe a section or two you need a little care if there was ice on the rock, but this day we had clear passage.
I was ready to touch and feel sandstone again. Push myself against the elements, and work through the obstacles. It has been my longest period without putting on a pack and harness. Too long!
Oh, and I uploaded the approach track. Probably not very useful (as the approach is super easy to find and figure out), other than for those who have never been there and want to do it in the dark (i.e. – this is for you Kuenn).
We downclimbed many of the drops, and even up climbed the last few before the road to get back up and around to avoid some icy water. Climbing the fluted chute was the most challenging, and we took a few slips/protected falls on that one.
About 2 hours doing the canyon twice. A short one, but convenient and loads of fun. Oh, and there is an arch up near the beginning after the first downclimb (or rap).
Hopefully a bit of eye candy for some of you out there. We all need to live vicariously leveraging each other’s reports when schedules and work prevent us from enjoying the outdoors as much as we’d all like.
Kuenn
Thanks for the shout out/vote of confidence, Mark. Good to see my favorite father and son canyon team out-and-about.