The Latest Rave is your resource for Utah Canyoneering know-how. From Utah canyon condition reports to narratives of mind-bending epics to wildflower sightings, you will find all the beta you need from Tom and his team on The Rave.
Last canyon of the year. The day before the Black Hole calls for something modest - don't wanna get too worked before A. the big party; B. the big campfire session and C. the BIG DAY. Let's do a HOG, some people said. Hog 2 aka Swine Flue was selected as a good choice - and a bunch of people signed on...
Read MoreFF XIV: After a frosty Inferno, came back to camp to find Alane had arrived from Colorado. Next day we joined Ram and others to do a super-duper, double-cross-your-heart secret canyon, which of course was totally wonderful (400 foot rappels next to hot-water waterfalls, dolphins in the pools, a couple 40 foot jumps... you know, all that secret canyon stuff)...
Read MoreThe name "Epic Blarney" has been thrown around for awhile, origin mysterious. Some said it was because of a canyoneering expedition where an Epic brew (good choice) was to be drunk at each rappel... (hmmm, suspicious). A more likely origin was perhaps a descent during one extremely snowy FreezeFest, when it really was EPIC, just to get down Blarney...
Read MoreI took a tumble that resulted in a very slightly broken wrist, a ‘bruised’ back and a severely bruised ego. Here’s the story:
Read MoreBefore heading into more serious things, a lazy-ish weekend in North Wash was in order. No Kidding provided a good opportunity to test out the new Sand Trap. Dave Buckingham and Anna Rehkopf from ZAC and Springdale drove up for some slot action
Read MoreLooking for a canyon that would be dry, we thought - HEY! How about Hog 2! COULD be the driest canyon around, maybe maybe not. We decided to do the Ridge of Many Huge Holes Ramble to get up there, which would save us a car spot.
Read MoreA great time to be in the wild, but with the wetness and all, not a great time to do canyons. What else was around? How about Ryan's ramble out to the Yellow Brick Road and Tik Tok Bridge?
Read MoreBack to North Wash for another weekend. Thanksgiving brought a whole bunch of rain, but it cleared off quickly. Friday, I rendezvoused with hank and alicia around noon.
Read MoreLooking through Wyoming Dave's recent finds, we chose Morocco as the best venture. A quick trip to Hog Springs (for the usual) and we parked at the 'trench' of Casablanca Canyon and followed Dave's directions up the cliff - and around to the head of the canyon.
Read MoreMy first visit to Mind Bender, in March 2004, was rather disappointing. A nice social canyon, but it really had none of the meat SA described - kinda a dud, actually.
Read MoreLove these beautiful fall mornings - especially since "early" means 9 a.m. Destinations for the day were West Leprechaun Canyon for the Arhart clan, and the Main Fork of Leprechaun Canyon for Dave and me.
Read MoreSunshine, canyons, fun people. Jane, Roger and Deb were down for a weekend of slot-thrashing, and had invited their friends Jane and Steve for their first Sandthrax weekend.
Read MoreWe soon arrive at the head of the canyon, and then figure out a reasonable way in
(as shown - follow left shoulder then downclimb to bench level, then walk bench to place to easily descend slope into canyon bottom).
While searching for petroglyphs in the Hog Springs area of North Wash I noticed a small drainage coming in from the east which looked interesting…
Read MoreSunday morning came too fast. The big group was soon to be many small groups, with everyone going their separate ways, in an attempt to get back home in a reasonable time.
Read MoreAfter returning from Trachyotomy, we settled down at the always familiar Sandthrax site. More folks were set to arrive after sunset, and the party was only just beginning. Joining the group that night were the Arharts, Alicia, Rick, Bette, Joan, Debbie, Tom and Justin.
Read MoreApparently, the canyons were paved of gold, home to munchkins, and even a witches cauldron could be found. In fact, these canyons were said to be among the best in the North Wash area...
Read MoreYes, a couple other canyons were done. But the next BIG EVENT of note was a descent of Sandthrax Canyon by most of the gang on the 30th. Hank got a bunch of great pictures, and Ram wrote a wonderful trip report.
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