[Disclaimer: This is a large, picture heavy TR. Since I didn’t want to have to do it original twice, I just copied a bunch of it over from “the other” canyoneering site. I know some of you have already seen it; for that I apologize.]
It was a very Smith Fork weekend.
The Premise:
Tooled out to the Henries/Ticaboo area for my bachelor party this past weekend, May 17-18-19. Knocked off eight canyons in three days. Initiated some new blood into the sport, and generally had a real good time. Weather was fairly decent apart from some rain Saturday night. Big thanks to Udink, Matt W, Penny M, Tom J, the BluuGnome, and everyone else for the beta on these!
The Canyons:
“Roadhouse”: Also known as the “Hite Airstrip Slot”, this is a short quickie right off UT-95 between the Colorado River and Dirty Devil Bridges. It is a short romp through the Cedar Mesa, including several short narrows and a couple of bypassable dryfalls. Big thanks to Udink for the beta on this one! He didn’t have a name for it when I asked him, so I hereby submit the name “Roadhouse” to the canyon names judges for consideration. It’s right on the road, and while it’s refreshing, it might also leave you bruised and dirty. We did it Friday night on our way out.
narrows
ben avoiding the HUGE puddles
alex + dryfall
the ricochet chamber
kevin avoiding some potholes
Minor Fork of Smith Fork: Thanks to BluueGnome for the beta on this one, and for the Ticaboo Wormhole as well! This short quickie makes a good warmup for those headed to the Smith Forks. It’s tight, shallow, and short. We stopped about 3/4 of the way up due to an awkward water feature but otherwise enjoyed this one.
group shot
potholes in the Minor Fork
Minor Fork
Minor Fork stemming
Smith Fork: I’m surprised more people don’t come do this easy walk through slot from the top. I realize lot of people do from the lake, but from the top the access is way easier than other canyons of similar difficulty. Kind of an unheralded beginner gem!
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pool where we exited
from above
PO Canyon: This is a blast! The southeastern half of a twin-canyon system, PO is a tight, twisty, obstacle filled beauty of a slot. We did the bottom 1/3rd and then exited. While not technical, the canyon provides lots of easy problems, mild stemming, and water obstacles. Big thanks to Penny M for pointing us this way. What a fun time! I need to come back and do the whole thing now.
all shots in PO Canyon
kris & ben stem over water
jess stemming over the same water
ben in the thick of it
it is nice and tight in there
alex making his way along
ben showing his best stemming face
kevin hiding in the rocks on top
Shuffleboard: We dropped in and did the lower half of this slot, which is nice and tight, although not as tight as PO. The obstacles are also easier to negotiate in this section. Still, it is a beautiful section of sandstone and shouldn’t be missed. Big thanks to the Emperor himself for tipping us off to this nice little crack!
some go high, some go low
more stemming
more stemming
pothole stemming
Ticaboo Wormhole: Half of our party waited in the Smith Fork here, while the other half of us crawled up to check out the bottom of the R/X slot that is the Wormhole. We got a ways up, perhaps 60′-70′ up and about 200′ in before we got to the first (last coming down) of the crux moves and turned around. Still, what a place to get into even a little bit! Spooky!
a nice view down
wormhole
exploring the x section
wormhole
“Itty Bitty Smitty”: About ten minutes down from the Wormhole we came to a dryfall/pool combo in the Smith Fork itself. Based on the time we decided to head out, so we turned and climbed out on the east side of the drainage. We worked our way up a side drainage where we came across a very short, very shallow, and very fun slot that a couple of us stemmed up in about 15 minutes. It was very fun. I hadn’t heard mention of this one before so we called it “Itty Bitty Smitty”. Only got a pic at the bottom because everybody else was waiting on us and we had to hurry.
looking up
South Fork Maidenwater: We did this one on Sunday morning on our way out. We parked on the road, scrambled down the east side of the fill, walked up the tunnel, and then made it maybe a half a mile up the South Fork of Maidenwater before being stopped by an awkward dryfall. Beautiful narrows with the ever-present diorite chunks from the Henries! The “R5” immediately above the road in MRK’s DD/RR/Henries book is apparently gone(?).
the tunnel
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kevin stemming
ben in the sunshine
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jess + SF Maidenwater
The Camping: We were planning on camping somewhere in the Cane Spring Desert/Ticaboo Mesa area but honestly after driving after and looking at spots, we decided they all sucked and headed to Starr Springs. Someone had mentioned somewhere that “it was too far to camp for those doing the Smith Forks”; well, we did and had plenty of time. Just make sure you get an early start. We left camp at 0700 and we’re in the bottom of the Smith Fk by 0830. Starr Springs is like a Hilton compared to camping on the Mesa.
random camp photos
All in all, it was a great trip. Didn’t get to make it into upper Psycho D as planned (had some beginners), but we made the most of it and had a great time. And, it gave me motivation for future trips (Offshore Canyons, Upper Trail, etc…). Go Utah!
yetigonecrazy
Definitely. We only did the lower 1/3rd of PO and the bottom 1/2 of Shuffleboard but both would be great canyons for kids. You might have to help them up onto a chokestone or two but otherwise they will probably really dig it. There is also a nice exit out of PO and a nice entrance into Shuffleboard that are very easy. We found PO to be a touch harder (tighter, with more obstacles) than Shuffleboard but they are both really close. If you have time, don’t miss out on the Minor Fork too, before the narrows on the Smith Fork itself start. It’s super short, but it’s skinny, and would also be a good time for kids!
Also, I know you had mentioned that camping at Starr Springs was a bit far for the Smith Fork, but as long as you get an early start from the camp, it’s not that far and is quite easily manageable. Just food for thought next time you are down there!
John Diener
Nice! Need to do a full checkout of PO/Shuffleboard one of these days… question: are they possibly kid (>10 years) friendly? Thanks.
-john
Ram
Yes Big John. They are on par with some of the fare you have done with the kiddos before.
yetigonecrazy
^ Agreed! A few of us had them, but we figured since the stemming was never more than about 10′ up (outside of the wormhole) that it was an acceptable risk. But, we did espouse the benefits and rewards of helmets to the newbies in our group, and those that will continue the canyoneering have already expressed interest in buying them!
ratagonia
Cool. Awesome. Sounds like a great trip.
Helmets might be a good addition to you and your friends’s canyoneering kits…
Tom