Where to go...

Where should I go backpacking in mid March?

  • Scorpion Gulch, Escalante

    Votes: 4 66.7%

  • Fifty Mile Creek, Escalante

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Halls Creek Narrows, Capitol Reef

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Other

    Votes: 2 33.3%
  • Total voters
    6
Nick

Nick

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Joined
Aug 9, 2007
Messages
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Reposted with a poll.

I need help. I'm going on a 3-day backpacking trip with my old friend Smokey in a week and a half and I can't make up my mind. We'll be driving down the night before so we'll be able to get a pretty early start the first day. Here are the things I'm considering:

1. Scorpion Gulch, Escalante
Looks pretty awesome, especially the dry camp on the horse trail loop. Long approach and exit hikes so better in cool weather. Would prefer a shorter exit hike the last day (10-11 miles from dry camp).
http://alavigne.net/Outdoors/TripReports/2008/Utah/index.jsp?navpage=story_5

2. Fifty Mile Creek, Escalante
The lake is pretty low right now which should mean exploring the lower narrows on the middle day would be reasonably easy. Awfully far down Hole-in-the-Rock Road though.

3. Halls Creek Narrows
Would this be a good one in cool weather before the leaves have come on? And if we do the sneak route from the air strip, is it still a worthy 2-night trip? Like will there be plenty to occupy that time?

4. Other
Tell me where to go!
 
Nate and I did Halls Creek in two nights from the beginning, and had we an earlier start time, it wouldn't have been necessary at all. If I was taking two days, I'd car camp on the Notom Road one night, get an early start and only spend one night down in Hall's creek.

You could take it slow and spend two days down there. It might be fun to go south at the end of the narrows, and "peak" on the tallest part of the Water Pocket Fold. There isn't much reliable water between the beginning of the hike, and the narrows though.

I'm still on a high from my weekend in GSENM this last weekend, so I'll say #1.
 
Scorpion does look quite appealing. Starting to look like I'll go with other and do some canyoneering that weekend. But, I'd still like to get some more votes on this poll! Come on peeps!
 
Hey Matt - until your awesome trip report arrives, I have a question. Did you explore into any of the canyons on the other side of the Escalante? Did you do the loop route using the horse trail or out and back from scorpion?
 
quite honestly, i have yet to see any TR out there that makes me want to add the Scorpion Gulch/Horsetrail loop to my must see/do out in escalante country. fwiw, (to answer your question) a coworker has explored the area and only recommends the Scorp Gulch/Horsetrail as entry/exit to the "goods" that lay beyond the otherside of the escalante...

i checked other... This one right here looks sweet. http://backcountrypost.com/forum/in...e-spencer-flats-to-just-above-zebra-slot.521/
feedback from others has move this one (or at least variation thereof) up on the to-do list.

...Awfully far down Hole-in-the-Rock Road though.
Click to expand...
now, if you were only willing to extend your parameters beyond Fiftymile, I would most highly recommend backpack-o-neering the "Slickrock Swamps". :thumbsup:
 
Man... my indecision is all over the place. Until moose droppings comes back and tells me about this 'slickrock swamp', I thought I'd post some other ideas and see if anyone knows anything/has suggestions.

I'm back to backpacking for this one. Decided I'd give my knee some good walking before embarking on a weekend of skinny canyons. I'm thinking I'll add a day on so I'll now have 4 full days of backpacking. If I stick with the Scorpio Gulch idea, I'd probably cross the river and explore into and around George's Camp Canyon. It looks amazing on Flash Earth but I can't really find much on it.

The other one I'm thinking of is the loop through Silver Falls Creek, down the Escalante and up the main fork of Choprock. I'm not sure exactly how the loop connects so really open to some info on that.

Time to bust out the Steve Allen books and get to work, but if anyone has any thoughts on those two routes or other suggestions for a 4-day trip. Let me know!
 
Wow. Now that I've bumped this up to a 4-day backpacking trip and the weather is looking divine, my stokeometer is flying off the charts. Seriously as giddy as I could ever be about a trip right now. I think I've settled on the Silver Falls Creek - Choprock loop that Steve Allen details in Canyoneering 3. Seems like it could easily be done as a 3-day but the extra day could come in handy. Anyone done that loop before or hiked in that area? I'd love to get up onto Silver Falls bench on the third day if we can find a way... maybe even connect the loop through there...
 
Nick said:
Ohhhh... please tell.. Lewellyn Gulch?
Click to expand...

okay nickerdiddle... didnt forget about you my man. was just out milkin' the last teet of winter this past weekend.

yeah, the "slickrock swamps" contains lewellyn gulch among others. its roughly the area area between HITRR and 60-mile point. S. Allen described it as "a place holding no secrets". and i agree. the 2x i've wandered (backpacked) around the area, i was continually suprised/amazed. my experience was validated by my two rug rats who never got tired (read: bored) with rambling and exploring the area, hell they even demanded a return trip. slots, narrows, x-country slickrock rambling (constant spectacular views), lake-side bonfire, more slickrock rambling, explore crazy geo features, back below terrafirma to explore more narrows and slots, then the beat it back to the car. the towering navajo mtn adds to the grandeur. you cant go wrong with any particular circut in the area. however, hike #27 is an excellent suggestion. no people, no cows, just you and your crew. hard to beat out there in escalante country.

oh, and to top off your trip, take a quick jaunt through davis gulch slot when your done. where you park your rig for your backpack trip into the swamps, is literally right on top of the davis slot entrance.

that' trip should bury the stoke needle deep into the red.
 
That sounds awesome! I've camped right there where Davis meets Hole in the Rock Road and loved exploring the slickrock that direction. So Steve Allen says there is class 5.4 climbing that requires someone to lead a pitch and belay others but I didn't catch in his description where exactly that is. It sounds like going down Llewellyn is semi-technical but totally doable with a rope or hand line. Then getting back out and heading towards Cottonwood is not at all technical. Then to get out of Cottonwood it's a 15' up climb in a slot? That sounds about right? I'd be stoked to carry my 60' rope and my ultralight harness but not so stoked about having to lead an exposed climb. Climbing up a dryfall in a slot on the other hand not too bad.
 
Okay, so I think I'm understanding the way Steve Allen describes the '5.4 belay' type stuff in Llewellyn Gulch. He's just talking about canyoneering, right? Haha! That route sounds absolutely incredible. I've been known to change my mind a lot but I think I'm like 99% sold on it for Thursday. Thanks for the tip moose!
 
yeah nick.
the description kinda makes it sound harder than it really is. its just your typical semi-tech-casual slot canyon busy work. you got it.
stoked to see the TR for this one.
 
One question - did you actually need to rappel any of those drops or are they all easily down-climbable with a partner and a handline?
 
Nick said:
One question - did you actually need to rappel any of those drops or are they all easily down-climbable with a partner and a handline?
Click to expand...
No raps when we went through. Our group included two adults, two kids, and a dog. At the 15-foot crux. Partner downclimbed, then tossed packs, then we employed a rather unorthodox down-sequencing technique (that we use in all other semi-tech slots quite effectively) in getting kids and dog down passed the obstacle.
Not sure what current conditions are like, could be easier, could be harder. Wouldnt hurt to pack along your handline.
 
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