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| Canyoneering | 15.00 Miles |
3,000 AEG |
| | Canyoneering | 15.00 Miles | 2 Days | | |
| 3,000 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Upper Salome has a bit of a reputation for having an unfavorable reward-to-effort ratio. Turns out that the rumors were true, but I'm still glad to have experienced this amazingly beautiful place. Our route was Park Creek > Salome Creek > Workman Creek, with dirtbag camping at Hell's Hole and a car shuttle to cut off a few miles on the approach. I give major props to anyone who does this in one day as it is a pretty tough hike!
By far the best part about this trip was the granite arch room and the grotto section, both of which included rappels, swimming, slides, jumps and more slides. Similar to the Jug (same creek, much higher up from the jug), but even more spectacular. The walls here were smooth and rounded with stripes of moss, algae and minerals running down them. Almost unreal how beautiful it is there, but the good stuff is over much too fast.
The beta described the rock-hopping as "obnoxious" for this canyon, but I think "hellish" is a more apt description. Especially the section up workman creek with the flowing water, slippery rocks, mud bogs and abundant poison ivy. We roped up for the waterfall bypass, it's got one semi-sketchy move that would end badly if you were to fall. The boulder hopping stretches on and on; jumping around between rocks for miles (in wetsuits) with wet heavy packs (canyoneering gear + overnight gear) really does a number on your legs and your morale. Eventually we made it to camp at Hell's Hole where were finally able to get some much-deserved relaxation in, and we were up early to continue the hike out the next morning.
Definitely an experience I'll never forget. Despite how astoundingly special that grotto section is, this is a solid one-and-done! I'm putting that in writing because I tend to get adventure amnesia about the unpleasant parts of a trip, especially when I look at photos and remember how amazing the good parts were. 
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