Eardley - 2/20/2016

TannerT

Hike Hard, Tread Lightly
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You wouldn't have known that we started talking about doing this trip back in the fall by my response to Braden. “Uh, this weekend?…I didn't think we’d decided yet…I think I can switch some stuff around…I’ll get back to you.” All I heard on the other end was imminent disappointment and exhaustion. I couldn't blame him. Last summer we had planned to climb the Grand Teton and potentially the Middle and South Tetons and then I went and re-injured my shoulder which left me apprehensive and unable to climb. The injury was more frustrating because I had put it off for many years. Braden didn’t climb the Grand without me, something that I still owe him for. He could have, and maybe even should have, however the goal to summit the Grand together has been on our list of adventures since we started adventuring more than a decade and a half ago. Needless to say, I’m grateful!

Cutting to the chase, I was able to rearrange my schedule. We left SLC around 5pm Friday and pulled in to the Eardley canyon trailhead around 10 pm. Not bad for heavy traffic and a stop for a burger. We camped in the parking lot, figuring that in mid-February there wasn’t going to be a lot of people as crazy as us. We pseudo-prepared our gear and then got some much needed shut eye. Our plan was to be back home before 11pm on Saturday (which we accomplished). This was one of our ‘bombaneering’ trips. (Bombaneering: the act of stuffing as much adventure into one day as humanly possible. Note, there is no mention of sane, safe, or healthy in this description.)

Waking up with the sun on the horizon was great as it was the first time since early December that I’d slept out. It was in this early morning light that we caught the first glimpses of ice/snow. That’s when it set it that we were about to go canyoneering…in February…into a canyon with known swims. Yes, the excitement level jumped about 3,000 notches. We packed our bags and headed out. The hike up the drainage was easy. We just had to avoid slipping on ice while we enjoyed the beautiful canyon. We took the saddle to bypass the horseshoe in the canyon and quickly found the exit of the technical section of the canyon covered in ice. The approach up the steep, rocky terrain was more brutal than anticipated. It felt good to be challenged that way. Braden has been in training mode for multiple and varied obstacle course runs, and I’ve been in the rehab-post-surgery mode since 8/31/15. We did see one, lone, solitary, big horn sheep while we were out. The sun was wonderful and, when out of the breeze, it was perfect. We reached the entry ravine and it was more treacherous than we had anticipated. Nothing out of our comfort zone, just, as many of you have experienced, a little more sketchy than thought. We descended after a nice break to refuel and dry out our shirts from the sweat. Once in the canyon we started down and didn’t even think about putting our wetsuits on until the first sign of a swim. The canyon itself is pretty, but to this point the beauty was not enough to offset the effort to get here. Yes, we love the challenge and the desert in the winter is awesome, however, there are other areas that require much less effort with a bigger non-technical pay off. All of that just increased the anticipation of the technical section. Based on beta and trip reports we knew the technical section wasn’t long, we just didn’t know what the conditions were going to be like now. Our wait was over…we finally reached the moment of truth. A pool that was not avoidable laid in our path. So we did the only sane thing and suited up! We both had about 5mm of wetsuit on our bodies (I say about because we pieced together neoprene to get to 5mm) and I had 2mm on my feet. Yes, my feet were cold the entire time and it was totally worth it. Braden went first. Mid-chest deep!!! Not a swim, just frigid. I swam the next pool, it was avoidable but I thought, ‘why not, I’m here.’ However, I told Braden to circumvent it because the next obstacle was ice covered. He graciously accepted to go first. He waded in and then spent the next 3 minutes breaking, literally breaking, through ice 3 to 4 inches thick. It was awesome. I went through and the fun had officially started. There were many pools and 4 rappels (should have been 5 but one pothole was so full that we just slithered in), with one rappel necessitating a floating disconnect and swim. It was in that pool that Braden went first and set up a tow-line for me, yet I did not think about the rope bag when I entered the pool and he began pulling me across until he looked up, just as I was about to the end, and said ‘oh no, you need to get the rope bag!’ I whimpered, and with incredulousness, looked up at him as if to say ‘please no!’, and he said, with a flicker in his eye and humor in his tone, ‘you have to. sorry.’ and then we proceeded to laugh hysterically. So, for the record, I swam that pool twice.


We laughed and giggled through the whole canyon and after 2.5 hours of technical and 8 hours total we exited, ate some food to refuel, and hiked back to the trailhead. The day was amazing and totally worth it. I don’t know if I’d go back and do this canyon in the spring, summer, or fall, but in the winter it was perfect! Thanks to Braden for driving and being willing to do crazy things. And maybe more importantly, thanks to our wives who stay back to care for the kids and let us do some adventure all the while not questioning our sanity, just keeping a tab for an adventure debt that must be paid once the kiddo’s are bigger.

Would I do it again? If the condition were the same, and only in February!!

Enjoy the pics taken with my Galaxy S5

20160220_080717.jpg 20160220_085752.jpg 20160220_093947.jpg 20160220_094236.jpg 20160220_103937.jpg 20160220_105310.jpg 20160220_122655.jpg 20160220_125320.jpg 20160220_131122.jpg 20160220_135141.jpg 20160220_135336.jpg 20160220_135442.jpg 20160220_140635.jpg 20160220_141435.jpg 20160220_143809.jpg 20160220_145327.jpg 20160220_151937.jpg 20160220_153901.jpg 20160220_161245.jpg 20160220_171657.jpg 20160220_171712.jpg

If you want to watch us swim, giggle, and laugh, watch this 5 min video Braden put together.

Enjoy and thank for reading!

 
Nice! Looks like a great time. Love the pictures. One day I'll get in this canyon too. After reading this maybe I'll make it happen in the winter too. :)
 
Great report. We did the exact route you did, but in the summer. Fun. Thanks for bringing back memories.
 
Great TR. Don't know how you coped with that cold for 7 hours
 
Great TR. Don't know how you coped with that cold for 7 hours
Thanks. Fortunately the cold was only 2.5 hours making it more than bearable.


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I love that canyon but I don't have the rope skills to explore all of it so I have just explored some of the non-technical parts. That's a really awesome trip report. I have always entered far to the north at the tip of Straight Wash or between Red and Hyde draw, where is that trail head you camped at?

Great post!
 
I love that canyon but I don't have the rope skills to explore all of it so I have just explored some of the non-technical parts. That's a really awesome trip report. I have always entered far to the north at the tip of Straight Wash or between Red and Hyde draw, where is that trail head you camped at?

Great post!
I can't remember what it's called. Maybe Eardley canyon? If heading south on 24 from I70 the turn off (west) is just before mile post 147? The road is pretty hammered...no less than high clearance recommended.
The technical section was fun and the water/ice made the effort worth it.
Salad!


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