West Canyon quicksand (a/one want to go lower West/Face/Labyrinth August?

[Ross]

Hi, anyone have knowledge of hiking West Canyon in LATE AUGUST up to the first Narrows and perhaps 30 minutes further specifically over quicksand difficulty as I've heard very differing reports?

And if anyone wants to hike this and up a shortish east fork that dead ends plus FACE & LABYRINTH & FAT MAN's SQUEEZE nearby, which probably need a good boater/kayaks on board/swimming at the ends of the narrowing channels, please contact me. (we may do the Reflection Canyon viewpoint if any of above is weathered off)
A photographer put this out elsewhere & we got about 8 maybes (2 definite) so when it gets to committals soon I'm not sure how many there would be. We'd be splitting a rental boat (except for any pilot willing to stay on the boat if hikers did Reflection - he/she would probably go free).
(Even better if anyone has a boat, I'm sure the group would pay all the boat provider's costs getting it to the lake, gas, food plus probably a generous tip for a better-than-free trip)

I hiked West all through in Spring & it's marvellous, but had camera disaster issues so as something else on my vacation has fallen through I wouldn't mind returning maybe with my daughter to those very nice Narrows that are only about an hour from the lake & maybe a bit further in a half/three-quarter day hike. The dates would be 2 or 3 days between Aug 21 & 24. If interested best to email me on rosskaniuk at hotmail.com so the same discussion can be shared by those interested. the at being an @ in the email.

 

[Nick]

The quicksand doesn't care if it's late August, spring, or fall. Were the quicksand reports about the transition zone where the lake ends or further up? The conditions at the transition zone are largely dictated by whether the lake is rising or falling and the recent floods that have dropped their silt loads in that zone in the preceding weeks.

 

[Ross]

The quicksand doesn't care if it's late August, spring, or fall. Were the quicksand reports about the transition zone where the lake ends or further up? The conditions at the transition zone are largely dictated by whether the lake is rising or falling and the recent floods that have dropped their silt loads in that zone in the preceding weeks.

Probably the transition zone, although if that wasn’t too far to negotiate before drier land it may not be insurmountable so perhaps they meant beyond.

I’m presuming if the lake is rising it’s ok as you boat over what was quicksand and silt from storms (unless water gets underground and dilutes past the last boating water?). If it’s falling then presume you mean storm silt and storm rainwater or some receding lake water can make bad quicksand


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[Nick]

Yeah, that's about right. Most of the time you can plan on it being pretty rough in the transition zone. Mid-spring to early summer is usually the only time you get to boat right over the nasty. Late summer into fall is usually pretty bad. When we did it we avoided most of it by walking on ledges above it. Sometimes you just have to wallow in it and do your best. It's rarely so bad that you're actually going to get truly stuck, but it can certainly happen. I've been close. And there was this... https://www.outsideonline.com/1916551/surviving-12-hours-quicksand