BLACK HOLE OF WHITE CANYON

June 03, 2020



The day is young as we lift our unusually light backpacks and head down into a canyon where no technical equipment is required. 



 Not all that common for me but I am not the one complaining, the one who left his wetsuit at the car is complaining....






Hiking down and entering into white canyon the varnished walls and cream colored sandstone self characterize this canyoneering region with amazing vibrance and solitude. 

There are some miles that need to be accomplished to get through this morning and an overcast of hazy clouds brings a bit of question to our following pursuit. 

My cautious side decided that we wait on a ledge to observe the cloud cover so we would not be caught in a flash. 

The weather reports said no chance of rain but what was above us had just a couple indicators of another story, and a less favorable one if something were to happen. 


Clouds began to display a proper passage and green lighting is to continue so we kept going and headed for the black hole. 


Along the way the canyon continued to narrow up and showed interested fluted rock features that resembled what I would see in caves with high flow. 

Water cut fins and talon like sculptures stood in the canyons passage showing signs of Very high water, as if the logs keyed into the rock 30 feet above our heads was not
enough. 
Traversing through scenic and extensive narrow canyon, we finally encountered water and water cold enough to freeze the warmest of bodies. 


in between banter, sarcasm, suns out cocks out syndrome, and just living “ the wetsuit free “ life One friend of mine “ forgot “ his wetsuit and laid the price of admission. The canyon turned his skin purple and was beginning to consider taking him down the hypothermia road. 


We would be swimming through very narrow corridors of cavernous passage for some time, up to 20 minutes here and there.
A beam of light would enter on small area of a rock teasing the mind to greener pastures ahead.  Only to find more swimming and wading in water with temps in the high 40s.
Yes it did eventually end and the canyon relented it’s frozen demeanor for dry walking passage. 
Slowly the canyon opened back up and we were warming up quick. 
A straightforward hike out and we were out of white canyon and back on the plateau!!! Such a beautiful region to be hiking around in. 
We had to retrieve the car on the highway so Jamie hiked back to the Prius and picked us back up. 

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