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| Canyoneering | 8.60 Miles |
2,300 AEG |
| | Canyoneering | 8.60 Miles | | | |
| 2,300 ft AEG | | | | |
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| | Intermediate Canyoneering - Difficult or dangerous; Tech Climb; rope reqd; descent anchor; exit technical; | | B - Up to light current; wading/swimming; possible wet/dry suit | | III - Normally requires most of a day |
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| no partners | | Having hiked to the Subway via the bottom-up route many times over the years, it was very exciting to finally do the entire route through. 
This was a fun canyon with a fairly long, but enjoyable, slickrock approach, and a longish hike out along the Left Fork of North Creek. The technical part of the canyon wasn't all that difficult or long, but the scenic aspects more than made up for that  - this canyon is a photographer's dream come true.
Unseasonably warm temperatures (high of 102F) meant we didn't need to wear wetsuits. The first swim was cold because sun never hits the pool, but there were always patches of sun to warm up in as needed. One interesting thing was that while swimming some sections, you could actually feel where different underwater springs emerged and added their colder or warmer water to the main flow.
There was a small moment of disappointment that the volcanic choke stone I had heard you get the swim under was not the case at this time. So many logs are wedged under the stone there was no way under. Instead, you had to use the logs to climb up onto the rock and carefully come down the other side into a pool (handline helpful). Beware the tilted log on the downstream side - very, very slick!
The hike out after the subway portion was its usual self - long if you're running low on time or energy. We stopped and filtered fresh water right before the steep last push out, and that really lifted everyone's spirits for the accent.
With limited room in our shuttle vehicle, I waited in the lot with the packs as the sun set. A ranger came up and talked with me for a bit, and even checked our permit. She mentioned that in 2 weeks she was doing Subway through for her first time, so wanted details of all the conditions we found.
Final assessment. While this canyon is definitely worth doing again, I probably won't be back soon. Das Boot sounds like it adds to the experience, so maybe try for the combo next time? |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Penstemon flowering on the approach. Columbine and monkeyflower in the canyon. |
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| "Let it ride / Let it roll / Let it go" |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
