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| | | Right Fork of North Creek Canyon, UT | | | |
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Right Fork of North Creek Canyon, UT
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| Canyoneering | 15.80 Miles |
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| | Canyoneering | 15.80 Miles | 2 Days | | |
| | 32 LBS Pack | | |
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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 | | V - Average one and a half days |
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| no partners | | You know it's been a good adventure when the skin on your hands is so sanded off that afterwards, your iPhone no longer recognizes your thumbprint!
This 2-day canyon was the grand finale of our CO-UT road trip. We did the Hammerhead/Direct approach, which added more rappels and a long, deep, cold section of water-filled narrows. The first day was full of hiking and several drops before we reached the direct route, which takes you through a seemingly endless string of frigid potholes. At first they are super fun and warm, like splashing through bathtubs, but then they get deeper, colder and a bit more difficult. Although this section was pretty amazing, we were all happy when the walls began opening up a bit again.
Soon after, we were upon the obstacle known as the "black pool", a very long swim through a dark and narrow sculpted corridor. Simply beautiful, but pretty cold and tiring even with 2 layers of wetsuits on. More hiking and rappels afterwards... nearing almost 11 hours of non-stop action, we were all running on empty but kept pushing on. Shortly after encountering a serene spotted owl who didn't seem to mind us passing by, we finally arrived at the aptly-named Grand Alcove, our campsite for the night. The views here were out of this world, as we were perched above a long hallway of hanging gardens and pristine pools. I fell asleep staring up at the only slice of stars I could see from below the canyon walls, feeling very satisfied, alive and humbled to be in such a place with some of my favorite people.
Day 2, no rest for the weary. Several rappels and a few incredible waterfalls later, we were back on something that sometimes resemble a trail. After several hours and a hot climb out of the canyon, we were at the cars celebrating the success of another amazing adventure.
This was a remarkable journey indeed, incredibly demanding but also superbly rewarding. The area between the Grand Alcove and Double Falls was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen... it just kept getting better and better. We were all a bit worse for wear when we finally climbed out to the cars as pants were shredded, packs ripped, and camelback bladders broken. A seldom traveled area in Zion National Park, Right Fork of North Creek was a trip I'll never forget! |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
Good times.
We saw a tiny bobcat kitten climbing around as we hiked out which added to the overall awesomeness of the day.
