>>complete trip report and photos can be found here http://tinyurl.com/y6rq7t
Day 3 (Saturday, Oct. 6)::
We woke up to a crisp morning with clear blue skies … not a cloud in sight and the large harvest moon was sinking in the sky. It was very reassuring. The water level in Neon had dropped a fair bit, but still had a pretty good flow through it. The sandbar and the cottonwood, in the bend near our camp, were at least completely emerged. Neon would be exciting … full of water and still flowing. As I took my morning ‘hike,’ I had a vantage point of the Escalante which had decreased some, but was still raging strongly. Some of the higher parts of the floodplain were exposed, but the main channel was still quite overflowed and still well overhead. The enormous harvest moon sat right above the morning sunlit western canyon walls. It was a beautiful morning.
We made our way out of camp and traversed the wingate layer rim of the neon slot to its upper reaches. We passed side canyon after sidecanyon, until we reached the divide between the two sidecanyons where we scouted our entrance two days earlier. Nat, once, had descended this canyon from its head and had camped right before the first slot in the main canyon. We found a quick entrance into the very lower section of one of the side canyons that lead into the canyon directly above the slot, requiring no rappel. Dropping into this canyon, we wasted no time and put on our wetsuits and harnesses, got our gear in order, and had a small bit to eat. We quickly reached the main fork of Neon and water was flowing pretty well. Within the beginning of the first slot, there is a rappel off a log which spans a chasm from a drop. The drop was rushing with a waterfall, filling the chamber with sound. The rap off the log was right into a channel with water deep enough requiring one to swim. What we would find today was that the slots in Neon canyon were literally teeming with swimmers. High up in the canyon we encountered one section of thick log soup which had inundated a tight section of slot. After clearing a path into the slot, Nat stemmed over, while I was able to push my way through the debris to the other side. A little taste of what was to come in the infamous grim section of the canyon to the north.
Descending slot canyons is often an experience that is difficult to describe. Here the canyon walls undulate sometimes very narrow, sometimes wider, sometimes rough and rugged, sometimes beautifully sculpted and convoluted. You are locked in a slot of canyon 20-50 feet deep or more. The channel which forms the main floor on average is not a very steep grade, but it locally it fluctuates with basins of rock or sand, short tight slit-like channels with benches on which you can walk, or deep tight narrows which often present instantly, requiring you to slowly downclimb therein, using friction and stemming your body from one wall to the other. Depending upon recent rains, the basins and slots can hold various amounts of water and at times can be bone dry. But today every section of slot was exceedingly full, so that water filled every basin and deep channel, poured down every chute, and passed through the few wonderful natural bridges. The movement and splashing of the water, together on its own volition and by our force, filled the slot chambers, somehow making it feel less lonesome. Swimming or barely touching toes to the sandy/rocky floor seemed to be the norm in many long sections of tight narrows, as well as many wide narrows. It was simply amazing. And although I had a camera (which indicated it had problems reading the battery … possibly low?) the vast stretches of water and swimming caused me to be less inclined to pull my non-waterproof camera out of its waterproof case. More importantly, the days are short in october, the water cold, and starting from upper Neon, the descent is long, especially with all of the swimming.
Late in the day we reached the lower part of the canyon, a wide spot where many folks drop in to do the last slot and the celebrated rappel through the Golden Cathedral. We sat in the last bit of sun, had some water and a little snack before continuing on. The final slot was quite spectacular as it begins with a rappel down a chute which, at the time, was a gushing waterfall. The webbing around the chockstone there was quite thrashed, especially after all the flooding, and needed to be replaced. The rappel was into a swimmer with noticeably cold water, especially late in the day. We continued on through the deep and convoluted narrow slot and arrived at the Golden Cathedral. There was an amazing mess of webbing of at least 5-6 different colors, including a stubby piece of wood. I cut off a large chunck of unnecessary webbing, and Nat added a long sling to extend the present anchor further into the descending chute for an easier rope pull. All the time water and sound rushed around us and down the cathedral falls. I went first, engaged on the rope, and downclimbed the chute to get on rappel. In the middle of the chute water rushed around my feet and I was staring down at the pool, very excited. With my pack dangling from my harness, I slowly descended the 70 ft mostly free rappel, reveling in the marvelous chamber, with water patting down upon my helmet. After Nat rappelled down, we coiled the ropes and walked the water laden narrow canyon back to camp. The vibrant yellow of the tall and abundant poison ivy littered the lower canyon, making choices interesting with the deep water. It was an wonderful day … would we be looked upon favorably with another beautiful day for Choprock Slot (South/East fork of Choprock)? We enjoyed dinner and a beverage and tried to get some sleep before another long day. Of course, for another night, I did not get much sleep. Not sure if it was the moon, the flood, or the excitement …
DAY 4 (Sunday, Oct. 7)::
Another crisp clear morning with blue skies and a large moon welcomed us, and the day was ON! My morning hike revealed that the Escalante had substantially lowered, making our return to the car possible. How much flow would Choprock have, we wondered. After breakfast, we retraced our path for the most part to the drop in point for Choprock, from the top of a tall mesa, with spectacular vistas in all 360 degrees of direction. From this point you realize what an incredibly large area the tributaries of Choprock and Neon alone drain into the Escalante river. This is wild country, with nothing remotely civilized discernibly within sight. We route found down the steep slope of the Kayenta formation into the wingate canyon bottom. We slipped into our wetsuits and harnesses and we were on our way. The canyon was still flowing from our starting point to the end, adding a dynamic element to the canyon, making interesting and slippery the many downclimbs which initially welcome you into the potholes of churning water and unknown depth. After descending the 60 ft rap into a large swimming pool, we began the riparian section which was lush and littered with golden leaves of poison ivy. Fortunately it was very easy to avoid the stuff. It becomes very clear that this section of canyon is the origin of the dreaded logjams which frequently choke the tight slots to come. We moved briskly through this section, as the day was short and we had a long slot ahead. It’s a beautiful section with green grasses, plants and trees covering everything, in contrast to the rock and sandy world of the sections of slot. It was palpable how the flood had ripped through the area, as may of the plants and grasses looked as if they had been combed down stream.
The riparian section transitions back into a first section of slot which has been dubbed the “happy section” in contrast to the section following (which I found far more exciting than grim). The happy section was filled with water and marvelously sculpted subway-like narrows that make you grin from ear to ear. I reveled in them, wishing I could spend hours here, but we had much to go and who knew what difficulties we would find next. The grim section which follows constricts down to very narrow slots in many places, which naturally get chocked with logjams that can present all sorts of obstacles and can be complicated by high water levels. We wondered what new obstacles could have formed during the deluge…
After eating a quick lunch in the last of the sunlight in the happy section, we immediately entered a cold pool, b-b-brrr. Though there seemed to be a lot less swimming in Choprock than in Neon, frequently we oscillated from being in water to our waist to water to our necks and swimming. As we approached our first logjam, we stemmed high in the tight slot, above it. Large thick logs choke the slot from above in a couple of spots, the first of which had water up to the log itself. Just beyond we used a sling on a log, suspended high in the slot, to rappel down about 15 ft into the very dark water narrows. These narrows were superlative, tall and narrow, sculpted, convoluted and sinuous, and swimming through them was intensely exciting. It was almost overwhelming. The slot opened up and formed a curved teardrop shape … I had to pull my camera out and snap at least one or two shots. Out of the water for a bit, but then right back in and swimming again. At one narrow point, a logjam choked a very tight section of narrows. Nat and I stemmed up the tight slot, from a swimming start, which isn’t exactly easy to do, then continued a ways over the series of logjams and dropped back in on the opposite side. Oof, you think to yourself, ‘okay, these have been manageable, but what about the next one?’
On a couple of occasions, the surface foam would start to build up in the dark and narrow sections, and we knew what this meant … a pile of logs in the water, filling a constriction. On a couple of occasions, it was just thick log soup, and with a bit of work, we could haul them back up the slot, while swimming, and open a passage way through. On one particular occasion logs of all sizes had seriously piled up in an flaring section followed by a constriction. We cleared some and Nat tried to climb it first. It was trying as the jam was unstable and his legs would slip through and he’d slide back. Finding the more sturdy sections of the jam, he was ultimately able to climb up over. Watching for these mildly stable when he climbed, I was able to get up and over the log jam too, with a bit of work and patience. More log jams, spectacular narrows, and endless slots of swimming and downclimbing followed … and fortunately everything manageable with a little bit of work. This canyon is truly one of the very great ones. It persists and perseveres through this block of wingate sandstone and leaves you completely satisfied. Even if you move quickly, there is something just as amazing down the way. And water flowed through the entire canyon, enriching the experience with rushing falls and pools filled to the brim.
As the slot neared the end, it was more aligned with the low afternoon sun. The narrows brightened and we swam, climbed out and back into each channel of slot or pool. At one point I looked up ahead and instead of seeing the continuation of canyon, beyond the pool ahead of me was a spacious void. This was the end! I approached the opposite end of the pool … a chambered pool that hangs over 80 foot falls as the canyon opens dramatically in the evening sun. The sun sparkled on the water as it poured from the pool off the spout in freefall to the large pool below. I was beaming with energy. It was a fanastic adventure today, and a trip which exceeded my expectation. Momentarily hanging at the top of these falls, as the leaves of the tall cottonwoods glistened in the sun against the vertical canyon walls … a true moment of contentment and fulfillment. We rappelled 80 ft from the 3 bolts placed away from the slot exit to avoid the ill effect of raging floods, first Nat and then I. There is a nice closure to finishing a slot with a beautiful, tall rappel and water patting on your head along the way.
It was late in the day and only a couple hours of daylight left. We quickly hiked down the remainder of the canyon which was still full of water. We followed the main fork of Choprock down to the cow trail exiting to the south. We followed the kayenta for much of the way towards Neon canyon, unsure if it went the entire way. Although we figured the kayenta layer probably went through, with the sinking sun and short daylight, we decided to drop down to the Escalante for the rest of the way. It would also allow us to assess the river depth which we needed to cross the following morning. We found a nice steep chute allowing us to descend from the wingate bench down to a very old fence/corral. From there we continued down the Escalante floodplain. It looked like a war zone. Everything was bent over and combed downstream by the raging river. Thickets of trees and branches hugged the trees high up showing how deep was the river that we marveled at two days earlier. Everything was muddy and quicksand was abundant. We continued to move quickly as the daylight waned.
Then we reached the first of two river crossings. It wasn’t clear how deep it was, but it was convenient that we were still in our wetsuits. Nat slowly got in and quickly found he was swimming and grabbed onto a branch extending from the river. It was overhead, at least there. He then made his way swimming and getting carried downstream, to find that at least in the middle of the river he could walk across. I followed. Fortunately the next crossing had no swimming. We continued on through the maze of thickets and cottonwoods and found our way back to the mouth of Neon. The area there was supermuddy and saturated with water. But it was clear that we would be able to hike out the next morning. We were sore and tired after the long hike. We enjoyed dinner and talked a while, then went to sleep. The night before and this night I slept outside and it was cool and clear. The late moon allowed for some stargazing, and despite being very tired, I continued to have difficulty sleeping. Instead I sat and thought about the great adventure we had had that day.
and though I find all of the trips Nat and I take are great … this one was simply something else!
Stefanos Folias
thanks, ram!! i can see doing that canyon, like, 18 times
that’s interesting about the see-saw change in water level in those canyons after a flood. the swimming in neon was SOO much fun.
stefan
On Oct 27, 2006, at 2:32 PM, adkramoo wrote:
> — In Yahoo Canyons Group, Stefanos Folias wrote: >>> After eating a quick lunch in the last of the sunlight in the > happy >> section, we immediately entered a cold pool, b-b-brrr. Though there >> seemed to be a lot less swimming in Choprock than in Neon, >> frequently we oscillated from being in water to our waist to water > to >> our necks and swimming.
Great TR Stefan. Really enjoyed it. It is not uncommon to find Neon > with more water than Chop for a few days after a flood. Neon has long > corridors that hold long swimmers and Neon floods more easily than > Chop (Chop has the riparian as an absorbant and Neon is surrounded by > more slickrock), but usually with 3 days, much of Neons water sinks > into the sand, while Chop holds much of what it gets, silt dropping > off and water temps dropping. Under normal conditions and the vast > majority of the time, Chop has more water. > Ram
> When you post, please change the Subject appropriately, to make > reading and searching easier. You can use the following > abbreviations: TRIP = Trip Report; BETA = Canyon Beta; PARTNER = > Partner and/or Rides; ETHICS = Ethics; TECH = Technical Questions > and Tips; BIZ = E Group Business; SALE = Stuff for Sale. Please > use a Tilde ~ after the abbreviation, so we know you are coding for > us, such as:
Subject: BIZ~ New Abbreviation List – working?
To change your delivery options, go to the Canyons Egroup page on > yahoo: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/canyons/
> This will require logging into Yahoo. Click on the > "Edit My > Membership" link, and change your delivery option. > Press "Save > Changes".
DAILY DIGEST OPTION will deliver one email > to you each day summarizing that day’s messages.
WEB ONLY OPTION will not deliver email; you > must visit the web site to view messages. > Groups Links
>
adkramoo
— In Yahoo Canyons Group, Stefanos Folias wrote: >> After eating a quick lunch in the last of the sunlight in the happy > section, we immediately entered a cold pool, b-b-brrr. Though there > seemed to be a lot less swimming in Choprock than in Neon, > frequently we oscillated from being in water to our waist to water to > our necks and swimming.
Great TR Stefan. Really enjoyed it. It is not uncommon to find Neon with more water than Chop for a few days after a flood. Neon has long corridors that hold long swimmers and Neon floods more easily than Chop (Chop has the riparian as an absorbant and Neon is surrounded by more slickrock), but usually with 3 days, much of Neons water sinks into the sand, while Chop holds much of what it gets, silt dropping off and water temps dropping. Under normal conditions and the vast majority of the time, Chop has more water. Ram
Stefanos Folias
thanks Randi,
your comments mean a lot!!
stefan
On Oct 16, 2006, at 12:38 PM, Randi Poer wrote:
> WOW! I was riveted by the first TR…and hoping to see pictures!!! > Then this post came along for part II. Absolutely Wild! Great > photos and an absolutely wonderful description!
I’d feel pretty special being “you” and having been there at this > particular time.
With all the recent “world of water” posts I’m starting to feel > like I need to get out more during inclement weather!
Thanks for the great TR and pictures!
~Randi
Stefanos Folias sf@math.bu.edu> wrote: >>> complete trip report and photos can be found here > http://tinyurl.com/y6rq7t
> Day 3 (Saturday, Oct. 6)::
We woke up to a crisp morning with clear blue skies … not a cloud > in sight and the large harvest moon was sinking in the sky. It was > very reassuring. The water level in Neon had dropped a fair bit, but > still had a pretty good flow through it. The sandbar and the > cottonwood, in the bend near our camp, were at least completely > emerged. Neon would be exciting … full of water and still > flowing. As I took my morning ‘hike,’ I had a vantage point of the > Escalante which had decreased some, but was still raging strongly. > Some of the higher parts of the floodplain were exposed, but the main > channel was still quite overflowed and still well overhead. The > enormous harvest moon sat right above the morning sunlit western > canyon walls. It was a beautiful morning.
We made our way out of camp and traversed the wingate layer rim of > the neon slot to its upper reaches. We passed side canyon after > sidecanyon, until we reached the divide between the two sidecanyons > where we scouted our entrance two days earlier. Nat, once, had > descended this canyon from its head and had camped right before the > first slot in the main canyon. We found a quick entrance into the > very lower section of one of the side canyons that lead into the > canyon directly above the slot, requiring no rappel. Dropping into > this canyon, we wasted no time and put on our wetsuits and harnesses, > got our gear in order, and had a small bit to eat. We quickly > reached the main fork of Neon and water was flowing pretty well. > Within the beginning of the first slot, there is a rappel off a log > which spans a chasm from a drop. The drop was rushing with a > waterfall, filling the chamber with sound. The rap off the log was > right into a channel with water deep enough requiring one to swim. > What we would find today was that the slots in Neon canyon were > literally teeming with swimmers. High up in the canyon we encountered > one section of thick log soup which had inundated a tight section of > slot. After clearing a path into the slot, Nat stemmed over, while I > was able to push my way through the debris to the other side. A > little taste of what was to come in the infamous grim section of the > canyon to the north.
Descending slot canyons is often an experience that is difficult to > describe. Here the canyon walls undulate sometimes very narrow, > sometimes wider, sometimes rough and rugged, sometimes beautifully > sculpted and convoluted. You are locked in a slot of canyon 20-50 > feet deep or more. The channel which forms the main floor on average > is not a very steep grade, but it locally it fluctuates with basins > of rock or sand, short tight slit-like channels with benches on > which you can walk, or deep tight narrows which often present > instantly, requiring you to slowly downclimb therein, using friction > and stemming your body from one wall to the other. Depending upon > recent rains, the basins and slots can hold various amounts of water > and at times can be bone dry. But today every section of slot was > exceedingly full, so that water filled every basin and deep channel, > poured down every chute, and passed through the few wonderful natural > bridges. The movement and splashing of the water, together on its own > volition and by our force, filled the slot chambers, somehow making > it feel less lonesome. Swimming or barely touching toes to the > sandy/rocky floor seemed to be the norm in many long sections of > tight narrows, as well as many wide narrows. It was simply amazing. > And although I had a camera (which indicated it had problems reading > the battery … possibly low?) the vast stretches of water and > swimming caused me to be less inclined to pull my non-waterproof > camera out of its waterproof case. More importantly, the days are > short in october, the water cold, and starting from upper Neon, the > descent is long, especially with all of the swimming.
Late in the day we reached the lower part of the canyon, a wide spot > where many folks drop in to do the last slot and the celebrated > rappel through the Golden Cathedral. We sat in the last bit of sun, > had some water and a little snack before continuing on. The final > slot was quite spectacular as it begins with a rappel down a chute > which, at the time, was a gushing waterfall. The webbing around the > chockstone there was quite thrashed, especially after all the > flooding, and needed to be replaced. The rappel was into a swimmer > with noticeably cold water, especially late in the day. We continued > on through the deep and convoluted narrow slot and arrived at the > Golden Cathedral. There was an amazing mess of webbing of at least > 5-6 different colors, including a stubby piece of wood. I cut off a > large chunck of unnecessary webbing, and Nat added a long sling to > extend the present anchor further into the descending chute for an > easier rope pull. All the time water and sound rushed around us and > down the cathedral falls. I went first, engaged on the rope, and > downclimbed the chute to get on rappel. In the middle of the chute > water rushed around my feet and I was staring down at the pool, very > excited. With my pack dangling from my harness, I slowly descended > the 70 ft mostly free rappel, reveling in the marvelous chamber, with > water patting down upon my helmet. > After Nat rappelled down, we coiled the ropes and walked the water > laden narrow canyon back to camp. The vibrant yellow of the tall > and abundant poison ivy littered the lower canyon, making choices > interesting with the deep water. It was an wonderful day … would > we be looked upon favorably with another beautiful day for Choprock > Slot (South/East fork of Choprock)? We enjoyed dinner and a beverage > and tried to get some sleep before another long day. Of course, for > another night, I did not get much sleep. Not sure if it was the > moon, the flood, or the excitement …
DAY 4 (Sunday, Oct. 7)::
Another crisp clear morning with blue skies and a large moon welcomed > us, and the day was ON! My morning hike revealed that the Escalante > had substantially lowered, making our return to the car possible. > How much flow would Choprock have, we wondered. After breakfast, we > retraced our path for the most part to the drop in point for > Choprock, from the top of a tall mesa, with spectacular vistas in all > 360 degrees of direction. From this point you realize what an > incredibly large area the tributaries of Choprock and Neon alone > drain into the Escalante river. This is wild country, with nothing > remotely civilized discernibly within sight. We route found down the > steep slope of the Kayenta formation into the wingate canyon bottom. > We slipped into our wetsuits and harnesses and we were on our way. > The canyon was still flowing from our starting point to the end, > adding a dynamic element to the canyon, making interesting and > slippery the many downclimbs which initially welcome you into the > potholes of churning water and unknown depth. After descending the 60 > ft rap into a large swimming pool, we began the riparian section > which was lush and littered with golden leaves of poison ivy. > Fortunately it was very easy to avoid the stuff. It becomes very > clear that this section of canyon is the origin of the dreaded > logjams which frequently choke the tight slots to come. We moved > briskly through this section, as the day was short and we had a long > slot ahead. It’s a beautiful section with green grasses, plants and > trees covering everything, in contrast to the rock and sandy world of > the sections of slot. It was palpable how the flood had ripped > through the area, as may of the plants and grasses looked as if they > had been combed down stream.
The riparian section transitions back into a first section of slot > which has been dubbed the “happy section” in contrast to the section > following (which I found far more exciting than grim). The happy > section was filled with water and marvelously sculpted subway-like > narrows that make you grin from ear to ear. I reveled in them, > wishing I could spend hours here, but we had much to go and who knew > what difficulties we would find next. The grim section which follows > constricts down to very narrow slots in many places, which naturally > get chocked with logjams that can present all sorts of obstacles and > can be complicated by high water levels. We wondered what new > obstacles could have formed during the deluge…
After eating a quick lunch in the last of the sunlight in the happy > section, we immediately entered a cold pool, b-b-brrr. Though there > seemed to be a lot less swimming in Choprock than in Neon, > frequently we oscillated from being in water to our waist to water to > our necks and swimming. As we approached our first logjam, we > stemmed high in the tight slot, above it. Large thick logs choke the > slot from above in a couple of spots, the first of which had water up > to the log itself. Just beyond we used a sling on a log, suspended > high in the slot, to rappel down about 15 ft into the very dark water > narrows. These narrows were superlative, tall and narrow, sculpted, > convoluted and sinuous, and swimming through them was intensely > exciting. It was almost overwhelming. The slot opened up and formed > a curved teardrop shape … I had to pull my camera out and snap at > least one or two shots. Out of the water for a bit, but then right > back in and swimming again. At one narrow point, a logjam choked a > very tight section of narrows. Nat and I stemmed up the tight slot, > from a swimming start, which isn’t exactly easy to do, then > continued a ways over the series of logjams and dropped back in on > the opposite side. Oof, you think to yourself, ‘okay, these have > been manageable, but what about the next one?’
On a couple of occasions, the surface foam would start to build up in > the dark and narrow sections, and we knew what this meant … a pile > of logs in the water, filling a constriction. On a couple of > occasions, it was just thick log soup, and with a bit of work, we > could haul them back up the slot, while swimming, and open a passage > way through. On one particular occasion logs of all sizes had > seriously piled up in an flaring section followed by a constriction. > We cleared some and Nat tried to climb it first. It was trying as > the jam was unstable and his legs would slip through and he’d slide > back. Finding the more sturdy sections of the jam, he was ultimately > able to climb up over. Watching for these mildly stable when he > climbed, I was able to get up and over the log jam too, with a bit of > work and patience. More log jams, spectacular narrows, and endless > slots of swimming and downclimbing followed … and fortunately > everything manageable with a little bit of work. This canyon is > truly one of the very great ones. It persists and perseveres > through this block of wingate sandstone and leaves you completely > satisfied. Even if you move quickly, there is something just as > amazing down the way. And water flowed through the entire canyon, > enriching the experience with rushing falls and pools filled to the > brim.
As the slot neared the end, it was more aligned with the low > afternoon sun. The narrows brightened and we swam, climbed out and > back into each channel of slot or pool. At one point I looked up > ahead and instead of seeing the continuation of canyon, beyond the > pool ahead of me was a spacious void. This was the end! I > approached the opposite end of the pool … a chambered pool that > hangs over 80 foot falls as the canyon opens dramatically in the > evening sun. The sun sparkled on the water as it poured from the > pool off the spout in freefall to the large pool below. I was > beaming with energy. It was a fanastic adventure today, and a trip > which exceeded my expectation. Momentarily hanging at the top of > these falls, as the leaves of the tall cottonwoods glistened in the > sun against the vertical canyon walls … a true moment of > contentment and fulfillment. We rappelled 80 ft from the 3 bolts > placed away from the slot exit to avoid the ill effect of raging > floods, first Nat and then I. There is a nice closure to finishing a > slot with a beautiful, tall rappel and water patting on your head > along the way.
It was late in the day and only a couple hours of daylight left. We > quickly hiked down the remainder of the canyon which was still full > of water. We followed the main fork of Choprock down to the cow > trail exiting to the south. We followed the kayenta for much of the > way towards Neon canyon, unsure if it went the entire way. Although > we figured the kayenta layer probably went through, with the sinking > sun and short daylight, we decided to drop down to the Escalante for > the rest of the way. It would also allow us to assess the river > depth which we needed to cross the following morning. We found a > nice steep chute allowing us to descend from the wingate bench down > to a very old fence/corral. From there we continued down the > Escalante floodplain. It looked like a war zone. Everything was > bent over and combed downstream by the raging river. Thickets of > trees and branches hugged the trees high up showing how deep was the > river that we marveled at two days earlier. Everything was muddy and > quicksand was abundant. We continued to move quickly as the daylight > waned.
Then we reached the first of two river crossings. It wasn’t clear > how deep it was, but it was convenient that we were still in our > wetsuits. Nat slowly got in and quickly found he was swimming and > grabbed onto a branch extending from the river. It was overhead, at > least there. He then made his way swimming and getting carried > downstream, to find that at least in the middle of the river he could > walk across. I followed. Fortunately the next crossing had no > swimming. We continued on through the maze of thickets and > cottonwoods and found our way back to the mouth of Neon. The area > there was supermuddy and saturated with water. But it was clear that > we would be able to hike out the next morning. We were sore and > tired after the long hike. We enjoyed dinner and talked a while, then > went to sleep. The night before and this night I slept outside and > it was cool and clear. The late moon allowed for some stargazing, > and despite being very tired, I continued to have difficulty > sleeping. Instead I sat and thought about the great adventure we had > had that day.
and though I find all of the trips Nat and I take are great … this > one was simply something else!
>
When you post, please change the Subject appropriately, to make > reading and searching easier. You can use the following > abbreviations: TRIP = Trip Report; BETA = Canyon Beta; PARTNER = > Partner and/or Rides; ETHICS = Ethics; TECH = Technical Questions > and Tips; BIZ = E Group Business; SALE = Stuff for Sale. Please > use a Tilde ~ after the abbreviation, so we know you are coding for > us, such as:
Subject: BIZ~ New Abbreviation List – working?
To change your delivery options, go to the Canyons Egroup page on > yahoo: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/canyons/
> This will require logging into Yahoo. Click on the > "Edit My > Membership" link, and change your delivery option. > Press "Save > Changes".
DAILY DIGEST OPTION will deliver one email > to you each day summarizing that day’s messages.
WEB ONLY OPTION will not deliver email; you > must visit the web site to view messages. > Groups Links
>
Randi Poer
WOW! I was riveted by the first TR…and hoping to see pictures!!! Then this post came along for part II. Absolutely Wild! Great photos and an absolutely wonderful description!
I’d feel pretty special being “you” and having been there at this particular time.
With all the recent “world of water” posts I’m starting to feel like I need to get out more during inclement weather!
Thanks for the great TR and pictures!
~Randi
Stefanos Folias sf@math.bu.edu> wrote: >>complete trip report and photos can be found here http://tinyurl.com/y6rq7t
Day 3 (Saturday, Oct. 6)::
We woke up to a crisp morning with clear blue skies … not a cloud in sight and the large harvest moon was sinking in the sky. It was very reassuring. The water level in Neon had dropped a fair bit, but still had a pretty good flow through it. The sandbar and the cottonwood, in the bend near our camp, were at least completely emerged. Neon would be exciting … full of water and still flowing. As I took my morning ‘hike,’ I had a vantage point of the Escalante which had decreased some, but was still raging strongly. Some of the higher parts of the floodplain were exposed, but the main channel was still quite overflowed and still well overhead. The enormous harvest moon sat right above the morning sunlit western canyon walls. It was a beautiful morning.
We made our way out of camp and traversed the wingate layer rim of the neon slot to its upper reaches. We passed side canyon after sidecanyon, until we reached the divide between the two sidecanyons where we scouted our entrance two days earlier. Nat, once, had descended this canyon from its head and had camped right before the first slot in the main canyon. We found a quick entrance into the very lower section of one of the side canyons that lead into the canyon directly above the slot, requiring no rappel. Dropping into this canyon, we wasted no time and put on our wetsuits and harnesses, got our gear in order, and had a small bit to eat. We quickly reached the main fork of Neon and water was flowing pretty well. Within the beginning of the first slot, there is a rappel off a log which spans a chasm from a drop. The drop was rushing with a waterfall, filling the chamber with sound. The rap off the log was right into a channel with water deep enough requiring one to swim. What we would find today was that the slots in Neon canyon were literally teeming with swimmers. High up in the canyon we encountered one section of thick log soup which had inundated a tight section of slot. After clearing a path into the slot, Nat stemmed over, while I was able to push my way through the debris to the other side. A little taste of what was to come in the infamous grim section of the canyon to the north.
Descending slot canyons is often an experience that is difficult to describe. Here the canyon walls undulate sometimes very narrow, sometimes wider, sometimes rough and rugged, sometimes beautifully sculpted and convoluted. You are locked in a slot of canyon 20-50 feet deep or more. The channel which forms the main floor on average is not a very steep grade, but it locally it fluctuates with basins of rock or sand, short tight slit-like channels with benches on which you can walk, or deep tight narrows which often present instantly, requiring you to slowly downclimb therein, using friction and stemming your body from one wall to the other. Depending upon recent rains, the basins and slots can hold various amounts of water and at times can be bone dry. But today every section of slot was exceedingly full, so that water filled every basin and deep channel, poured down every chute, and passed through the few wonderful natural bridges. The movement and splashing of the water, together on its own volition and by our force, filled the slot chambers, somehow making it feel less lonesome. Swimming or barely touching toes to the sandy/rocky floor seemed to be the norm in many long sections of tight narrows, as well as many wide narrows. It was simply amazing. And although I had a camera (which indicated it had problems reading the battery … possibly low?) the vast stretches of water and swimming caused me to be less inclined to pull my non-waterproof camera out of its waterproof case. More importantly, the days are short in october, the water cold, and starting from upper Neon, the descent is long, especially with all of the swimming.
Late in the day we reached the lower part of the canyon, a wide spot where many folks drop in to do the last slot and the celebrated rappel through the Golden Cathedral. We sat in the last bit of sun, had some water and a little snack before continuing on. The final slot was quite spectacular as it begins with a rappel down a chute which, at the time, was a gushing waterfall. The webbing around the chockstone there was quite thrashed, especially after all the flooding, and needed to be replaced. The rappel was into a swimmer with noticeably cold water, especially late in the day. We continued on through the deep and convoluted narrow slot and arrived at the Golden Cathedral. There was an amazing mess of webbing of at least 5-6 different colors, including a stubby piece of wood. I cut off a large chunck of unnecessary webbing, and Nat added a long sling to extend the present anchor further into the descending chute for an easier rope pull. All the time water and sound rushed around us and down the cathedral falls. I went first, engaged on the rope, and downclimbed the chute to get on rappel. In the middle of the chute water rushed around my feet and I was staring down at the pool, very excited. With my pack dangling from my harness, I slowly descended the 70 ft mostly free rappel, reveling in the marvelous chamber, with water patting down upon my helmet. After Nat rappelled down, we coiled the ropes and walked the water laden narrow canyon back to camp. The vibrant yellow of the tall and abundant poison ivy littered the lower canyon, making choices interesting with the deep water. It was an wonderful day … would we be looked upon favorably with another beautiful day for Choprock Slot (South/East fork of Choprock)? We enjoyed dinner and a beverage and tried to get some sleep before another long day. Of course, for another night, I did not get much sleep. Not sure if it was the moon, the flood, or the excitement …
DAY 4 (Sunday, Oct. 7)::
Another crisp clear morning with blue skies and a large moon welcomed us, and the day was ON! My morning hike revealed that the Escalante had substantially lowered, making our return to the car possible. How much flow would Choprock have, we wondered. After breakfast, we retraced our path for the most part to the drop in point for Choprock, from the top of a tall mesa, with spectacular vistas in all 360 degrees of direction. From this point you realize what an incredibly large area the tributaries of Choprock and Neon alone drain into the Escalante river. This is wild country, with nothing remotely civilized discernibly within sight. We route found down the steep slope of the Kayenta formation into the wingate canyon bottom. We slipped into our wetsuits and harnesses and we were on our way. The canyon was still flowing from our starting point to the end, adding a dynamic element to the canyon, making interesting and slippery the many downclimbs which initially welcome you into the potholes of churning water and unknown depth. After descending the 60 ft rap into a large swimming pool, we began the riparian section which was lush and littered with golden leaves of poison ivy. Fortunately it was very easy to avoid the stuff. It becomes very clear that this section of canyon is the origin of the dreaded logjams which frequently choke the tight slots to come. We moved briskly through this section, as the day was short and we had a long slot ahead. It’s a beautiful section with green grasses, plants and trees covering everything, in contrast to the rock and sandy world of the sections of slot. It was palpable how the flood had ripped through the area, as may of the plants and grasses looked as if they had been combed down stream.
The riparian section transitions back into a first section of slot which has been dubbed the “happy section” in contrast to the section following (which I found far more exciting than grim). The happy section was filled with water and marvelously sculpted subway-like narrows that make you grin from ear to ear. I reveled in them, wishing I could spend hours here, but we had much to go and who knew what difficulties we would find next. The grim section which follows constricts down to very narrow slots in many places, which naturally get chocked with logjams that can present all sorts of obstacles and can be complicated by high water levels. We wondered what new obstacles could have formed during the deluge…
After eating a quick lunch in the last of the sunlight in the happy section, we immediately entered a cold pool, b-b-brrr. Though there seemed to be a lot less swimming in Choprock than in Neon, frequently we oscillated from being in water to our waist to water to our necks and swimming. As we approached our first logjam, we stemmed high in the tight slot, above it. Large thick logs choke the slot from above in a couple of spots, the first of which had water up to the log itself. Just beyond we used a sling on a log, suspended high in the slot, to rappel down about 15 ft into the very dark water narrows. These narrows were superlative, tall and narrow, sculpted, convoluted and sinuous, and swimming through them was intensely exciting. It was almost overwhelming. The slot opened up and formed a curved teardrop shape … I had to pull my camera out and snap at least one or two shots. Out of the water for a bit, but then right back in and swimming again. At one narrow point, a logjam choked a very tight section of narrows. Nat and I stemmed up the tight slot, from a swimming start, which isn’t exactly easy to do, then continued a ways over the series of logjams and dropped back in on the opposite side. Oof, you think to yourself, ‘okay, these have been manageable, but what about the next one?’
On a couple of occasions, the surface foam would start to build up in the dark and narrow sections, and we knew what this meant … a pile of logs in the water, filling a constriction. On a couple of occasions, it was just thick log soup, and with a bit of work, we could haul them back up the slot, while swimming, and open a passage way through. On one particular occasion logs of all sizes had seriously piled up in an flaring section followed by a constriction. We cleared some and Nat tried to climb it first. It was trying as the jam was unstable and his legs would slip through and he’d slide back. Finding the more sturdy sections of the jam, he was ultimately able to climb up over. Watching for these mildly stable when he climbed, I was able to get up and over the log jam too, with a bit of work and patience. More log jams, spectacular narrows, and endless slots of swimming and downclimbing followed … and fortunately everything manageable with a little bit of work. This canyon is truly one of the very great ones. It persists and perseveres through this block of wingate sandstone and leaves you completely satisfied. Even if you move quickly, there is something just as amazing down the way. And water flowed through the entire canyon, enriching the experience with rushing falls and pools filled to the brim.
As the slot neared the end, it was more aligned with the low afternoon sun. The narrows brightened and we swam, climbed out and back into each channel of slot or pool. At one point I looked up ahead and instead of seeing the continuation of canyon, beyond the pool ahead of me was a spacious void. This was the end! I approached the opposite end of the pool … a chambered pool that hangs over 80 foot falls as the canyon opens dramatically in the evening sun. The sun sparkled on the water as it poured from the pool off the spout in freefall to the large pool below. I was beaming with energy. It was a fanastic adventure today, and a trip which exceeded my expectation. Momentarily hanging at the top of these falls, as the leaves of the tall cottonwoods glistened in the sun against the vertical canyon walls … a true moment of contentment and fulfillment. We rappelled 80 ft from the 3 bolts placed away from the slot exit to avoid the ill effect of raging floods, first Nat and then I. There is a nice closure to finishing a slot with a beautiful, tall rappel and water patting on your head along the way.
It was late in the day and only a couple hours of daylight left. We quickly hiked down the remainder of the canyon which was still full of water. We followed the main fork of Choprock down to the cow trail exiting to the south. We followed the kayenta for much of the way towards Neon canyon, unsure if it went the entire way. Although we figured the kayenta layer probably went through, with the sinking sun and short daylight, we decided to drop down to the Escalante for the rest of the way. It would also allow us to assess the river depth which we needed to cross the following morning. We found a nice steep chute allowing us to descend from the wingate bench down to a very old fence/corral. From there we continued down the Escalante floodplain. It looked like a war zone. Everything was bent over and combed downstream by the raging river. Thickets of trees and branches hugged the trees high up showing how deep was the river that we marveled at two days earlier. Everything was muddy and quicksand was abundant. We continued to move quickly as the daylight waned.
Then we reached the first of two river crossings. It wasn’t clear how deep it was, but it was convenient that we were still in our wetsuits. Nat slowly got in and quickly found he was swimming and grabbed onto a branch extending from the river. It was overhead, at least there. He then made his way swimming and getting carried downstream, to find that at least in the middle of the river he could walk across. I followed. Fortunately the next crossing had no swimming. We continued on through the maze of thickets and cottonwoods and found our way back to the mouth of Neon. The area there was supermuddy and saturated with water. But it was clear that we would be able to hike out the next morning. We were sore and tired after the long hike. We enjoyed dinner and talked a while, then went to sleep. The night before and this night I slept outside and it was cool and clear. The late moon allowed for some stargazing, and despite being very tired, I continued to have difficulty sleeping. Instead I sat and thought about the great adventure we had had that day.
and though I find all of the trips Nat and I take are great … this one was simply something else!