Beating the Heat, and the Freakin Biting Gnats!!!

As much as I love being in the Slot Canyons, there comes a point in ones Canyoneering life that the total nature of the desert becomes a bit too much. On this such a day, we had spent the day prior in Capital Reef National Park running some short slot canyons. The canyons were great, the hikes in were a bit more obnoxious and by the end of the day Jeff and I were hammered. Jeff more so and we decided to take a rest day on day 2 instead of hiking. Well, I love the canyons and I love Fishing just as much so we decided that day 2's canyon will be Glen Canyon, Lake Powell to be precise. Keeping some fishing poles in the car for just such an occasion we packed up camp in Capital Reef and loaded up the Hoe (Tahoe) and heading to Bullfrog Marina. Making a stop in Hanksville to top off tanks, drinking water, Fishing Licenses, Red Bulls, and Bait, we hit the lake in style.

#NotSponsored

The wind was pretty rough and we decided to run down to Stanton Creek / Red Canyon area where we had stopped and fished at before and where I've done some decent shore fishing at a couple years ago. We parked on the North Side of the cove and quickly discovered that the wind was hitting us directly in the face and it wasn't playing nice - Well, Ok, it was somewhat nice, but still brutal enough that we had a hard time casting the anchovies into the wind. We were targeting Stripers as we just wanted to make it as easy on us as we could.  Stripers are not a very hard fish to catch (and neither are Catfish). So we loaded up the hooks with Anchovie and lobbed them out just enough for the wind to throw it back in our faces.  It took a little bit to get it dialed in and we ended up putting 1/2 oz. weights on the lines just to get it to land in the water. One fantastic thing about the lake though, is No BUGS!!!  Ok, I did find a spider on my leg at one point, but no biting gnats out there. I've never seen an issue with annoying bugs at all out there. I figure the fish keep the larvae in check and the insects don't get to hatch in that water. Plus the wind on this day would have made the gnats non commital anyway.  It was fantastic.


Once Jeff figured out the right weight to get the bait out into the lake and the right spot to cast to, he started catching some fish. Catfish at first as is expected when bait fishing on the bottom, then a Striper.








We continued to battle the wind here for a couple hrs trying to get it dialed in. I didn't catch anything here. The wind continued to get me hung up in rocks and every time I'd set a hook, they get hung up and break off at either the hook or the weight. We probably lost about 10-15 hooks at this location (Warning anyone going swimming there in the future).   We packed it up and headed to the Marina where we could face the opposite direction, hoped to have a little reprieve from the wind and where I know there is more gravel than rocks at this location.  Problem was.... We had to start all over chumming the water for the Striper to get active. We only had a little less than 1/2 a bag of anchovies left after all our prior issues and they were getting warm and soft.  They didn't want to stay on the hooks now.  Jeff figured out the right spots to hook the anchovies on at to catch some bone and hold better. I lost a few in the process, but hey, chum!

After about an hour of sitting in this spot Jeff pulled in another Catfish:

The wind, well yeah, it wasn't any better here. Somehow it had figured out how to blow in the opposite direction here as it was in our previous location just so that it could blow back in our face again. However, without the rocks and such to get caught on we were feeling a bit more confident and it worked in my favor. After Jeff's catfish, I pulled in 2 Stripers and a Small Mouth that surprised the heck out of me. Jeff asked me earlier if a Small Mouth would eat an Anchovie, I told him no, but I guess if they are hungry, or annoyed enough they will.  The hook was almost bigger than the mouth on this guy.

All total for the Day:
Jeff: 3 Catfish                    1  Striper
Jared: 2 Striper                    1 Small Mouth













We beat the Gnats and our soreness and had a fun day out in a different type of canyon. Some would say that we gave up the canyons and opted for the easy way out, Some would say we just took a different approach to enjoying the canyons in another way.

Living in the South East desert of Utah affords us the opportunity to enjoy nature in so many different ways. From Hiking Slot Canyons, to Fishing Lake Powell or ATV riding through Elk Ridge and High Altitude mountains, there is lots to see and do and enjoy in this area. We aren't done with Slot canyons for the year, but man, the Gnats are out in force now and the lake is calling for now.  We might be on the water a bit more over the next couple months now.

San Juan Wonderland

By Brian Wrabley

Owner - Treks West Tours

A visit to San Juan County, Utah is a fantastic adventure to a land full of the most stunning collection of natural wonders I know of! Other regions to be sure have their own beauty, but I can’t think of one county, by itself, that has more to offer in outdoor recreation than San Juan! I've been aware of the area since I was a little kid, when I’d become enthralled by the landscape of Monument Valley. The western’s directed by John Ford, starring John Wayne had captured my imagination, and came to symbolize the West to me. For the next 30 years I had no idea that Monument Valley was just one small part of this vast and stunning county. I first made it to the area in 2007, and made my pilgrimage to Monument Valley, it was then that I learned about all the other treasures there were here!

In exploring what San Juan County had to offer, I came across a veritable wonderland of natural creations! Fantastically sculpted sandstone, deep canyons carved by a serpentine river, jaw dropping views comparable to any I've ever seen! On top of the natural wonders, there’s a deep, rich human history here as well, to be found in the most amazing locations! The ruins, and rock art of the ancient Puebloans adds texture to this land! The Navajo, Paiute, and Ute people who came later and still reside here, show how life can be sustained, and thrive in this beautiful, but harsh landscape! The Mormon settlers who overcame amazing hardships to settle and carve out a place to live, and practice their faith! All these elements are woven together to create this fabulous tapestry of natural and human history, it enriches anyone who comes into contact with it! It was the inspiration from places like this that lead me to start my own adventure tour company, Treks West Tours www.TREKSWESTTOURS.com.  I knew I wanted a tour to Monument Valley, but the 2007 visit made me understand how many other great places there were to offer on the tour!

The array of places to see and things to do can overwhelm you! It’s good that once you come here you’ll be hooked, so you’ll keep coming back again, and again to experience more of it! The tours I offer are active ones with plenty of hiking, horseback riding, and river rafting in them and San Juan County has all of that and much more! In addition to Monument Valley the list includes Canyonlands National  NP, Natural Bridges NM, Lake Powell/Glen Canyon NRA, Hovenweep NM, Grand Gulch Primitive Area, Valley of the Gods, Moki Dugway, Edge of Cedars State Park, Goosenecks State Park, Cedar Mesa, Manti La Sal National Forest, 3 of the west’s most iconic rivers, the San Juan, the Colorado, and the Green, scenic views like Muley Point, and the Needles Overlook! This isn't everything, I touched on a few, but there are innumerable BLM lands with ruins, and petroglyphs, some of the best in the world! The hiking is phenomenal, with all types of terrain! A horseback riding experience in Monument Valley has no equal on the planet in my opinion! The Colorado is the most renowned river in the west, and runs through many states, but the San Juan is the heart of this region! A rafting trip on the San Juan from one day to a week is a special adventure you’ll never forget! Deep canyons, peace and solitude, ruins, and wildlife along the shore it is a seminal event! In addition to all of this, there’s biking, climbing, ATV touring, fishing, 4x4/jeep tours, hot air ballooning, boating on Lake Powell, and much more!

It was on my visit to the area last Spring that I got to try a new experience that had been on my list for a while, canyoneering! I had a chance to try it up in Moab a few years before, but the trip got canceled do to weather, and I didn't get to make it up. In researching my recent trip I came across North Wash Outfitters, and Jared Hillhouse. My wife and I were going to give it a try, and after telling Jared our particulars, age, experience, fitness level, he decided Blarney Canyon would be the right place to have our first canyoneering experience. Blarney is located in Glen Canyon NRA and take a while to get to, but the drive on its own is stunning! After arriving, and getting our gear on we hike up a steep slick rock slope to the canyon rim, from the top you have amazing views of the Henry Mountains! The rappels on this outing are long in the 25-40 foot range, perfect for a beginner! Jared and crew ensure your safety every step of the way, and instill you with confidence as you try something so new. It’s an amazing experience between the rappelling, and the scrambling and scurrying down through the narrow slot canyons, some that don’t get any sunlight! It’s not easy but it’s invigorating as you prepare for the challenges that await you around every corner. Long story short, our canyoneering experience was awesome, one of the most thrilling of my life! Needless to say canyoneering is now a part of my Monument Valley tour, I can’t recommend it, and North Wash Outfitters enough! In my business I work with a lot of outfitters in a various fields, non are any better than North Wash!

The moral of this story is, if you’re looking for an awesome western experience and don’t want to have to drive hundreds of miles in between, look no further than San Juan County! There is so much to see and do you could spend a lifetime visiting and not do it all!   

The Gear Conundrum!

Jared On Rappel in the Glen
Canyon Recreational Area.
Photo by: Ram

With the weather so warm this year, I am reading more trip reports than normal so early in the season.   We have had nearly 50 degree weather almost all January and that is downright absurd for this time of year.  I am really going to be jonesing to get out onto the lake if this keeps up.

With all this talk there is also talk of gear and equipment.  I have recently heard groups looking for gear they wanted to start to  plan for this year.  While some of us are still anxiously awaiting the return of Imlay Canyon Gear goods to gawk at, I thought this would be a good time to go over my thoughts and ideas on Canyoneering gear and some do’s and don’ts when buying.  These thoughts are geared mostly towards the new Canyoneer.

To participate in any hobby you need to have gear.  Fishing needs a boat and poles, Mountain Biking needs a bike and helmet, jeeping needs a jeep and so on.  With hobbies comes money to be spent or really good friends that have it all and you get to tag-a-long.  With Rock Climbing and Canyoneering there is no difference, you need gear from one source or another and to say the least, some of this gear can mean the difference between life and death.

When I started into Canyoneering I gave up several hobbies to be able to afford more of the gear I would need for this endeavor.  I tagged along with a friend for a little bit until I started procuring my own gear.  I made some mistakes in the beginning with some of my purchases and have gear sitting that is no longer used.  So what does all this banter mean?  Learn from others, and pay attention.  Try out different items before settling.  Take some courses where you can practice different techniques and use different items comparing them side by side.

One of the questions I hear quite often that scares me to death is “Where can I buy some used equipment from?”  Remember, some of this gear is designed to SAVE YOUR LIFE!  Do you really want to trust used equipment?  Per manufactures recommendations, some of it does have expiration dates.  Used ropes should never be trusted for a purchase.  You never know what kind of conditions that previous owner(s) kept them in or used them in etc.  NEVER EVER BUY A USED ROPE!

Other gear is not as hard to question.  You can look at webbing on harnesses and wear on hardware, but still do you really believe you know what kind of condition it is in.  THIS WILL BE YOUR LIFE HANGING ON IT!

So as a help for those looking to get into the Canyoneering Gear buying spirit, here is my personal list on equipment.  In order to help in the selection process I break it up into two categories to give you a priority list to start shopping for.  This list is based on travel through a Technical (class 3 rated) Canyon.  To get through a Technical canyon you have gear that you NEED and gear that is OPTIONAL or as I like to call it – COMFORT GEAR.  Some people are going to disagree with me, by all means, please leave me some comments below and let’s discuss it.  So here we go – 

Needed Items:

Rope: Canyoneering uses a static or low stretch/elongation rope to rappel on.  Any load rated rappelling rope will work, however the Canyoneering ropes do perform better in their respective environment. Canyoneering ropes are made to better withstand the rigors of being drug through sand and water and constant abrasion over rock and edges.  The most common sizes are 8-9mm diameter and lengths are gonna be double the length of the longest rappel in the canyon.  Most generally a 200 ft. rope is a good starter rope that will get you through a lot of really good canyons.  Popular brands include: Imlay Canyon Gear, BlueWater, Sterling and Petzl.

Harness:  You will need a seat harness.  Harnesses must be rated to hold your weight under load and not tear or come apart.  Canyoneering has some specific harnesses made for the sport that have some PVC plastic seat protectors built into it or these are also available as an add on.  You are constantly sliding and scraping your dairy air in the canyon and you will eventually wear out the seat of your harness and pants and everything else back there.  Plan on replacing your harness every so often due to the abuse it gets.  For this reason people often go really cheap to replace often, or really expensive to have them last a little longer.  Popular brands are: Black Diamond, Singing Rock and Petzl.

Locking Carabiner:  Locking carabiners are needed to attach the rope to your harness.  While any brand of climbing rated carabiner will work, I prefer a locking carabiner that is of the twist or screw lock variety.  This requires you to manually lock the carabiner each time you use it.  I recommend staying away from the auto locking carabiners.  In Canyoneering with the sand and grit that we are swimming through, this blocks up your auto lock, and could render it unsafe.  Screw locks are generally easier to keep cleaned out and with the manual function you are forced to check them each time you use it to confirm it is locked.  Popular styles and brands are HMS sized pear shaped carabiners: Petzl, Black Diamond, Rock Exotica, Cypher.

Rappel Device/Descender:  A device to attach to the rope to control your descent speed will be needed.  Generally a rappel/belay device is used for this.  While any device designed for this purpose can be used, there are a couple that are designed specifically for Canyoneering so as to be rigged and de-rigged in a multitude of conditions such as hydraulic water flows.  Popular devices include:  Sterling ATS, Rock Exotica Totem, Petzl Pirana.

Tubular Webbing:  1" Tubular Webbing is used to rig your anchors to attach your rope to.  When purchasing your webbing from a climbing shop, consider purchasing subdued colors so as to keep the aesthetics of the canyon appealing.

Quick Links/Rappel Rings:  Rappel Rings and Quick Links (also called Rapides), are attached to the webbing on the anchor to attach your rope.  We never attach our rope directly to the webbing as the nylon on nylon/polyester combination can create a lot of heat if movement is created and this can melt through the webbing causing anchor failure.  Sizes used for the links are big enough to put your rope through with some room for movement.  Sizes are generally 8mm or 5/16" sizes.  The links should be of a quality make and rating to hold your weight and then some.  Brands include: Maillon, Cypher and Kong

Optional/Comfort Items: Items that make the canyon a lot more fun, enjoyable, and safe.

  

Helmet:  The helmet really isn't necessary to get through a technical slot canyon.  It does make it safer and for this reason I don't ever recommend going into a technical canyon without one.  Helmets protect not only from dropped rocks and debris, but from hitting your head on slips, trips, falls and fumbles.  On many occasions I have stood up in a canyon only to find a rock ledge protruding out just enough for my helmet to smack it.  Helmets are any climbing rated helmet.  Popular brands include: Black Diamond and Petzl.

Shoes: Hiking shoes are decent to carry you many places.  Canyoneering shoes are however phenomenal.  The most popular shoe is the Canyoneer made by 5.10 (Five Ten).  Their sticky rubber soles grip wet rock and canyon walls like no other shoe out there.  They are however known by some to be one of the most uncomfortable shoes to wear and they are a bit pricy for a pair of shoes.  Other brands include:  LaSportiva

Packs:  Backpacks are necessary to carry your equipment in and out of the canyons.  They will get beat up and trashed if they aren't of quality make and let's face it, after so long the good ones will eventually get worn out as well.  Popular brands: Imlay Canyon Gear, Metolius.

Dry Bags and Wetsuits:  If you are going to be in canyons with lots of water and swimming you will need some thermal protection and a way to keep your spare clothes and lunches dry.  I recommend staying away from dry suits.  They are pricy and once they get a whole in them your thermal protection is gone.  A wetsuit continues to provide thermal protection throughout, even after a hole is scraped into it. Popular Wetsuit brands include: Henderson, NeoSport, Body Glove, NRS and Camaro.

Rope Bags Very useful to organize and carry your ropes.  They make packing and stowing the rope simpler and quicker when you are in a canyon. Popular brands include: Imlay Canyon Gear, Metolious, Black Diamond, Canyon Werks.

Cows Tails:  These are made up of webbing and/or material with multiple tie-in points.  These are used to tether yourself to the anchor on a ledge, hook into ascending equipment, or hang your pack from when stemming.  Popular brands include: Black Diamond, CMI, Petzl and Rescue Systems Inc.

Rappelling Gloves along with Knee and Elbow Pads.

Headlamp:  Always good for early starts, late exits, deep dark canyons and emergencies.

First Aid and Emergency Kit along with a Knife and Emergency Satellite Beacons(SPOT).

Ascenders and an Ascending System for Emergencies and Potholes.

GPS, Maps and Compass.

Extra food and water.

In a later edition, maybe we will discuss extra gear above and beyond this list that is needed for more advanced canyon explorations - Class 4 Canyons.

Facebook Drawing Winner

We have reached our 400 fan benchmark on our Facebook Page and have had a drawing for a Rappelling Starter package.  If you are a fan on our page, you were automatically entered into the contest.  Check out our page and "Like" the page to be entered into our next drawing when we hit 800 fan's.  Thanks to all the great clients and customers we have had over the past years.  We are looking forward to meeting many more of you and serving your outdoor recreational needs.

The winner of the contest will have one week to contact me via e-mail to claim his/her prize.  I will need a size of harness and a current shipping address to send the harness to.  Congratulations.  Send your e-mail to JHillhouse@NorthWashOutfitters.com.

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