ADAM HAYDOCK

To me, Grand Canyoneering is measured by the time between being over the rim and being under the rim and the wait time can be quite slow. 

reaching back out of the rim, I find a slightly changed demeaner and a fulfillment that reaches deep within my curiosity. . 

A fulfillment that can not only be shared amongst others that very well might have a different experience, but a fulfillment that draws our own state of being from within and evolves our experiential level.  

Heading down flippoff canyon to the bench of the redwall allowed us access to a small yet scenic canyon tucked away in the upper reaches of Kanab Creek, Crackbaby canyon. 

The vibe is casual and the conditions are quite ideal for our timing into Crack baby. 

The raps are in quick succession and the narrows were quite impressive with cavernous chasms and beautiful polished stone. 

The awkward rappels made for spicy teamwork setting but the reflection of a zion canyon in the grand canyon was a nice touch to our visit in crack baby canyon.  

The last rap provided a swimmer that required a wetsuit for our time of year but also provided our only source of water for the duration of our trip. 

Although water was encountered in rattlesnake canyon and in Indian hollow, we created a stash of water and utilized crackbabys water for our life bearing fluid intake. 

The hike out to the confluence of Jump-up and Kanab Creek( where our basecamp would be made) wasn't too far from the exit of Crack baby and the hiking was straightforward, no tedious boulder hopping or clambering around crumbly sandstone.  It was like an apparent highway of sorts. 

I could see people making crackbaby a "day"trip if you don't mind the 2400 feet of non trail descent and ascent but since your down there, grab a permit and stay a while!!! 

The following day we had Rattlesnake on our minds and planned on a early start so with extra time on our hands we checked out the head of rattlesnake and made it back in time for dinner and a early nights sleep with a early start. 

The grand canyon is neither with you or against you, it's just has it's own presence on our planet and the inner moods can be caught with a equation of chance and predictability. a bit more investment in one or the other variables can skew your chances and leave an experience absent or one that will never be forgotten. 

Matkatambia canyon is a remote non-technical canyon located within the vast reaches of the Grand Canyon.

Access is on the river with rafters making a stop right before the rapids of matkat or a technical canyoneering trip down 150 mile canyon and a river crossing to gain a trail leading to matkat.

Our group went from the technical canyon of 150 mile canyon and made the river crossing over to the trail leading to matkat.

The trail is pretty well defined once you are able to locate the trail itself.

Once you hike around to matkat you are greeted with some beautiful narrow canyon that drops into a incredible layer of muav limestone.

Spring water feeds the lower muav of Matkat and creates a beautiful layer of slides that are non technical and eat up hours of time with the fun you can have in the narrows.

Our ambitions were slowed by the amazing lower matkat narrows and ended up spending a day in matkat canyon.

Right from the river the hair combed walls of the muav have a distinctive appeal to them as the weakness within the rock is horizontal in nature and looks like swirling linear patterns.

The slides start a few hundred up the canyon and people can literally slide down the canyon in sections to the river.

There even was a pink flamingo floating around!

After some hours here we hiked up matkat to see the beautiful temple butte formation and made a casual and quite fast trek up to the confluence. 

The hike up did not have any major obstructions until you get just before the confluence. 

This is where you have to go left up canyon to get around the boulders.

A few of us made it to the confluence and headed back to lower matkat and eventually went back to camp.

We had aspirations to go to olo and panameta canyons which turned out to not work out

We headed back down to get some afternoon lighting in the lower section of matkat and made our way back over to the hotel penthouse to prepare for our exit out of the canyon. 

The following day we headed out of 150 mile canyon and made it back to the rim just as the sun was setting.

This is a fantastic canyon to visit and one of my all time favorite grand canyon canyons that I have had a chance to visit.

I am looking forward to next years trip where we will also combine this same trip with panameta and olo canyons. 

This blog is for personal use only and is not to be used for beta

Ashdown gorge is a beautiful one or two day hike that is located just east of Ceder City in the ceder breaks region. 

There are two options for this hike, you can go from the the bottom up and either make it a long day trip or camp at one of the camp spots.

The second option is to set up a car shuttle and start from the top of the canyon and head down at a casual pace.

This will allow for you to camp at the designated areas and enjoy the canyon a bit more.

Ashdown gorge reminded me of the upper section of the Zion Narrows without all the people coming through the canyon.

The sandstone layers made for some beautiful scenery and the river flowing the snow melt out of the canyon was impressive. 

There were some narrow sections in the canyon the provided some cavernous like scenery that added to the character of the canyon.

A day hike through the canyon happened with some good effort and cool temperatures. 

I recommend wearing study boots and trekking poles to work your way through the canyon as it can get quite slippery. 

this was a great canyon and I am looking forward to checking out some of the other canyons in the area in the near future.

Kearsarge pass is a beautiful hike located in the High Sierras within the California Sierra range.  

Kearsarge pass is somewhat of a popular trail and also used as a connection point for JMT and High Sierra trail hikers to replenish resources. 

At camp the night set in and the temps dropped substantially.

The Sierras have such a scenic and beautiful alpine terrain to them.  Being grateful is a understatement for the blessing that we have these beautiful locations within reach of Las Vegas.

now its time to plan a multi week hike on the JMT!