FreezeFest V: Limbo Canyon, Ticaboo Mesa, UT
I dropped in on the night of the 26th, for the next day's exploration - Limbo Canyon. We had explored the slot next door in November, and it was good. So we wanted to get back and see what was next door.
Big Ram and Little Ram hiking down to the top of the canyon. Uh oh, looks like Aaron has learned the “Evil Grin”!
A little scrambling around and we found the top of the canyon. Here Malia, Hank and Aaron struggle through the first difficult narrows of Limbo…
This downclimb gets a handline for all but the last person (ie, Aaron).
El Ramoo, gunning for the cover of Vogue.
This ‘downclimb’ was a little higher. A sandbag anchor was used to slow Aaron down, sliding into the aggressive, braced spot.
We had 4 ‘rappels’ that Aaron was able to downclimb with the help of aggressive spotting.
Malia downclimbing one of the many short obstacles in Limbo…
…and confronting a silo, with scruffy rock.
Tom opts for the straight-on, galumphing approach…
…while Aaron opted for the more tenuous shoulder-toe stretch.
Setting up the last rappel. We buried a rock in the pothole on the left, to keep the sling length short. Malia on rappel.
The last little obstacle in the canyon, or so we thought!
Rappeller’s eye view. Excellent photo Hank. Turns out the pool below is avoidable by a delicate traverse out left. Malia insisted on splashing around in the pool like a mermaid – something about retrieving the rope.
Mr. Ram – the man, the myth, the apparantly homeless person.
Pioneer inscriptions, in the canyon next door, where we climb out.
Then back to the campfire at the Leper Colony. A nice dinner, then a few beers and… well… Let’s just say, what happens at Freezefest, STAYS at Freezefest…….