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| Canyoneering | 15.50 Miles |
1,700 AEG |
| | Canyoneering | 15.50 Miles | 8 Hrs 15 Mns | | 1.88 mph |
| 1,700 ft AEG | | | | |
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| | Basic Canyoneering - Scrambling; easy climbing/downclimbing; frequent hand use; rope recommended; easy exit | | B - Up to light current; wading/swimming; possible wet/dry suit | | II - Normally requires a half day |
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| no partners | | This middle section of Sabino Canyon has been on my list ever since I read about it on Todd's site and of course was curious about it in the past when looking down into it from the trail. I started before the shuttles start and of course just marched my way up the road, made short work of the Sabino Canyon trail, so I decided to keep on pushing up to Hutch's Pool for an extented Sabino Canyon Loop.  The water was frigid of course and I had made pretty good time, so I took a nap near the roar of the falls  while soaking up some sun & warmth before putting on the wetsuit and jumping in. Ohh boy was that cold, even with a 3mm full!  From there I rock hopped/slipped/swam my way downstream to the confluence with the east fork. The section from Hutch's Pool to the confluence didn't have any features that were too exciting though it was pleasant enough. Near the confluence, it narrows up a bit with some small falls, large boulders, large pools, and slickrock to enjoy. After that it opens up for a stretch before you reach the main narrows, which are very sweet to navigate thru with loads of boulders, pools & falls. A few times it had me thinking I'd be setting up a short rappel, but if you keep on looking you'll find a non-technical way around it. The pools are rather chilly and at one point after a long swim, I just laid out under the sun and let it warm up my mostly black wetsuit.  And if the pools are deep enough, you can just jump the falls.  Unfortunately my camera battery ran out of juice in the beginning of the narrows and I forgot to store my backup in the dry keg... After the narrows, you pop out just up from the side trail that leads back up to the tram road and I just walked that back out.
Next time I'm down in Tucson on a warmer day with a halfday to blow, I'll have to ride the shuttle up, and do the shorter 5 mile loop thru the narrows just to get some more pics and enjoy this beautiful canyon again. |
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| Yea, canyoneering is an extreme sport... EXTREMELY dramatic!!! =p |
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