North Wash Outfitters

Canyoneering The Black Hole

The Black Hole is a fantastic canyon to spend hot summer days in. Lots of swimming, climbing, scrambling, stemming, down climbing, and for those inclined there could be a couple of rappels. The Black Hole is a canyon we have had permits to guide in since the beginning, but one that we don’t advertise other than by word of mouth. The Black Hole is a quirky canyon. It is rated on the low end for its Technical aspects and yet it requires a huge amount of effort to get through. This low rating creates the illusion that it is an easy canyon, this is not the case. It creates the illusion that it is a much safer canyon because the Technical rating is low. This is far from the case. There are more call outs for Search and Rescue to this canyon than any other canyon in the local county. Much of this is due probably from the fact that the rating makes it appear to be much easier than it is and groups go in unprepared for what they actually encounter.

These reasons above are the major determining factors in our decision to not publicly advertise this trip along with our other canyon offerings. The topography of The Black Hole makes it more likely to have problems with flash flooding during rain storms. The drainage system that The Black Hole sits in gathers water from countless numbers of other drainage’s and mesas in the Cedar Mesa area. This creates a time frame of 3+ months that this canyon is not safe to be in. (Monsoon season runs from July – September).   The low Technical rating also creates instances where hikers enter the canyon with nothing more than a bottle of water.  This canyon does require you to be prepared for the elements that Canyoneering may throw at you.  Cold water, drop offs, steep ascents out, Lots and Lots of swimming, low light, long hours, exhaustion etc.

The pay off to being able to mitigate the problems is a gorgeous canyon experience.  The Black Hole is one of the most treasured canyon gems in the are.  The sculpting walls that have been carved out of the sandstone by centuries of water flow are simply breath taking.  The light columns penetrating through the dark canyon walls and bouncing off the water appear to be taken out of a dream like sequence from Hollywood.  This canyon is a gem to behold when it is treated with the respect it garners and precautions are made to get you through it safely.

Contact North Wash Outfitters for information on whether trips may be planned through The Black Hole.  The canyon is a full day trip departing from Blanding Utah.

Cost for participation is $200 per person for 1-2 clients and $175 per person for 3+ clients.

Canyoneering Fry Canyon

Photo Contest Winner(s) Announced!!

We are ready to announce the winner(s) of our August Facebook Photo Contest.  Things kind of took a little change in the original plans.  Once we downloaded all the photos and turned them over to be judged we figured that we would get a winner back.  Well, we did, however with a twist.  During the judging it was determined that since we opened it up this time to all recreational interests and not just Canyoneering, there was some different points of view brought out with the photos.  The judging did reveal an overall winner, but it was also determined that there was some good story lines behind some of the other photos as well that they should be acknowledged also.  So based on the photos that were singled out during judging and were give back to us, not only do we have our overall winner of the SPOT Satellite messenger, but we have some runners up to whom we will give $20 gift certificates for our store.  Thank you to all who participated in this photo contest.  We hope that you will enter again next time for another chance to win.

Overall winner – Walking on water!!! Bald River Falls, TN submitted by Glen Hampton !!  Congratulations Glen!

Our Runners up…….

Causway Campout by Will McFarland

No Title submitted by Crystal Broderick Cressler

A narrow corridor of Ringtail Canyon submitted by Ryan Hooper

No Title submitted by Teresa Jean Frazier

Winners please contact us to claim your prize. jhillhouse at northwashoutfitters dot com.

North Wash Outfitters highlighted in article

Well, I guess we should find out what constitutes plagiarism before posting this, but gonna do it anyway.

We were highlighted in an article this month depicting various activities you can enjoy in  San Juan County while visiting.  I will post the section about us here and then a link at the bottom to the entire article.  It’s been a great year and the canyons this year are really in some of the most perfect conditions we have seen.  Get out and have a good time this summer.  Hope to see you in some of them.

Day three, canyoneering in Fry Canyon.

North Wash Outfitters in Blanding operates guided canyoneering adventures in a section of the great canyon country known as the Colorado Plateau.  One of their best is a day trip into Fry Canyon, a fun and easily accessible technical slot. The route contains two short sections of narrows and a visit to some great Anasazi ruins. The canyon is quite pretty and the second narrows photographs extremely well.  The route is short and is not really committing. There are many opportunities to escape from the canyon bottom if you’re a “never-ever” and begin to feel uncomfortable. The route contains one rappel, several easy downclimbing problems and a short swim.

At the get-go, right off of the highway, you’ll swim and wade through a gallery of light bouncing off of the red rock canyon walls, a wonderful spectacle in the early morning light. After this bit of narrows, the canyon opens up into a broad dry wash which gradually gets deeper with every bend. Soon the wash tightens up again and it is time to break out the ropes. Moving any further down canyon requires going straight down. Waiting at the bottom of this 50′ rappel is a wonderful cavern, usually filled with a cool pool of water! The swim is short but fun and breathtaking as you negotiate between the red rock walls of the canyon.

Soon you’ll emerge from this beautiful pocket of fluted and ornately polished walls of convoluted rock to the warming rays of the sun and view the history above you on the cliff walls. Waiting there at the end is a wonderfully preserved site of Ancient American History. The Anasazi used to inhabit this canyon and used the pools of water as a water source during the long dry summer months. After a short break and change in attire, you’ll continue down the canyon to the confluence of White Canyon. From here you’ll head up the canyon to begin the ascent to the rim and a quick return back to where it all started.

Fry Canyon is great for an introduction to canyoneering. The section that requires ropes contains an exciting and photogenic rappel, breathtaking narrows, and a bit of swimming. One great thing about Fry Canyon is that it lends itself well to an educational experience in both canyoneering skills and Native American History.  North Wash Outfitters is accredited by the American Canyoneering Association.  In addition to guiding services, they provide all the necessary gear and equipment.  NorthWashOutfitters.com

http://outdoorutah.com/adventureguide/blog/127-hours-of-san-juan-county/

4 Canyons, 7 hrs, 12.5 miles!!

Monday May 16th Jared headed to North Wash to do some scouting for a youth group.  The group leader Jeff is planning on bringing a group to the North Wash area for an introduction to Canyoneering.  Jeff wanted to get a good idea of some of the canyons there and what Jared had in mind to take them through as well as put together some videos and pictures to take back and show the group.  The two of them hit the slot canyons hard, fast, and as light as possible that day and did both forks of the Blarney’s and then moved on to both forks of the Shillelagh’s.  12.5 miles of hiking 4 forks of canyons in 7 hours and Jared was back home in time for dinner.  Here is the video that Jeff shot and edited down from 7 hours worth of clips and photos into this little gem.  Enjoy Canyoneering North Wash!

Canyoneering Courses in Southeastern Utah

Well 2011 is here (OK, we’re 2 months behind saying that) and we are pleased – No we’re STOKED – for this years season.  There have been a lot of dramatic movements in the Canyoneering world this year.  Most notable is the Hollywood feature film “127 Hours” highlighting the struggle of Canyoneering Icon Aron Ralston.

There has also been an increase in guide company’s popping up this year.  A result of the expected increase in popularity due to the movie? Who Knows.  We are privileged to be continuing this year with our hugely popular Canyoneering Courses.  We have enjoyed over the years meeting people from all over the lower 48 states and even some from outside the lower 48.  We look forward to making many more friends this year and hope that you will be one of them.  Contact us with any questions you may have regarding any of our Canyoneering options.

Spring 2011 3 Day Technical Canyoneering Courses:

March 17-19, 2011
April 14-16, 2011
April 25-27, 2011*
May 12-14, 2011
June 9-11, 2011

*Our April 25-27 course is set to preceed the North Wash Rendezvous of member of the American Canyoneering Association (ACA).  Participation in these courses include a membership to the ACA and therefore allowing you access to these and other rendezvous at membership rates.

Spring is playing hard to get!!

Well this year spring is certainly playing hard to get.  We have had a banner year as far as snowfall in the Four Corners.  Not the best year ever mind you, but a good one.  The canyons are going to be full and take a long time to dry out.

A couple of weeks ago we drove out through Cedar Mesa up to Hite Marina on Lake Powell and into the North Wash area to check out the snow levels.  Driving from Blanding the snow was thick through Cedar Mesa and didn’t start to taper until we passed the Bears Ears / Natural Bridges National Monument area.  After that most snow was on the north facing slopes only and every where else was heavily saturated with standing water.  White Canyon was flowing approx. 8 inches deep.

Lake Powell area had no snow except for the occasional north facing shaded spot but still had run off coming from the cliffs with small waterfalls hitting the road in places.

North Wash area had  no visible snow, but the wash itself was running which I rarely see.  There is going to be water for a while.

Two weeks ago the weather broke enough for me and a couple of friends to get out and dust some ropes off and teach them a refresher on rappelling and give them their first instruction on how to ascend a fixed rope.  It was a sunny day, the wind was blowing and a bit chilly, but it was nice to get out and play.

We woke Yesterday (April Fools Day) to two inches of snow.  Mostly gone now and we are looking forward to upcoming trips and classes this spring and hope to have the weather warming up after this weekend.   Here are a few pics from our excursion two weeks ago.  You can also follow along more frequently on our Facebook page.  Look forward to seeing you out in the canyons this year.

2010 Canyoneering Courses

2010 is anticipated to be an awesome year.  The ACA is changing some of the Course curriculum’s and we are excited to be a part of this with them.  We have begun to setup our course schedule and they are already getting filled up.  We look forward to meeting some great new friends and Canyoneering partners this year and being able to get out and have more of a presence in the Canyoneering world.  We will be adding to this list as we add more courses.

Technical Canyoneering

March 4-6, 2010
April 15-17, 2010
May 10-12, 2010
June 10-12, 2010

Advanced Canyoneering

Still Pending dates

As always we expect the courses to fill up quickly.  Go to the individual course descriptions (www.northwashoutfitters.com/courses.htm) to see what the courses entail and to click on the registration link and fill out the registration information.  You can e-mail us to check availability or for any questions you may have about the courses.  Courses are capped on size and it is filled on a first come – first registered – first paid basis.

Please join us on Facebook to keep up on events and just to make us feel loved.

Jared Hillhouse
jhillhouse@northwashoutfitters.com
435-678-3255

SPOT LLC Announces Recall!

SPOT LLC has announced a recall of it’s SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger.  This is for the generation 2 model.  This model has only been available since October 2009.  Although North Wash Outfitters has not yet began selling the generation 2, we understand that some of our customers may have purchased this unit elsewhere and therefore encourage you to look up the SPOT website for information on this recall.  The article from their site is posted below along with a link to their website.

Spot LLC is dedicated to providing the highest quality and best performance products to our customers, therefore, Spot LLC will be conducting a voluntary return on any new model SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger™ (SPOT 2) purchased since October 1, 2009. During recent testing, we discovered that some of the new SPOT 2 devices might not meet battery and messaging operating specifications.
Affected Units

To see if your SPOT-2 unit is affected by this issue, please do the following:

• If you have activated your SPOT-2 unit, login to your account at https://login.findmespot.com, click on the My GPS Locations tab and a message will display indicating if you have an affected SPOT-2 unit.
• If you have not activated your SPOT-2 unit, do not activate. We highly recommend you return your product for replacement at your earliest convenience.

The Exchange Process

• Replacement units are anticipated to be available in early 2010. More details to follow.
• If you exchange your eligible unit, you will also receive 1 additional month of your current SPOT service plan and associated services.
• Once exchanged, you will receive a new SPOT-2 unit.
• Please follow this process to receive your return shipping materials. These will be sent you upon completion of the form.
• Ship only your SPOT-2 unit and take out batteries prior to shipping.

Important notes
This does not affect SPOT Satellite Personal Tracker (SPOT-1) nor is it an upgrade program to transition from SPOT Satellite Personal Tracker (SPOT-1) to the SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger (SPOT-2).

SPOT LLC website address:  http://www.findmespot.com/exchange/

Sale on SPOT Satellite Messenger

We are excited not only for the Canyoneering Community but for the outdoor community as a whole.  SPOT Satellite Messenger is having a sale to beat all sales.  I am thrilled because this device is one that should be with anyone who is going to be out of cell phone range.  I have seen some incidents quickly resolved because of this device and I have seen some incidents that would have fared much better had help been summoned much sooner.  SPOT is a great device that is well worth the money.  Most Americans spend much more money a month on their cell phone bills than on what this unit is going to cost you a year, and your cell phones won’t get out in some areas like this will.  Plus your cell phone doesn’t come with an optional $100,000 rescue insurance for $7.95 a year, A YEAR!!

I’m not going to rant about it again, this unit is well worth it and I am not being paid by the company to promote it.  I have seen and used it and have had great success with it as well as peace of mind.  Whether you buy yours from North Wash Outfitters or any other retailer, it is an investment that is worth it.

Right now SPOT is offering the unit for free or at a reduced price through rebates depending on the service contract you sign up for. This offer is valid 6/1/09 through 8/3/09.