Bogley

[AJ]

We were able to get out and do a bunch of canyons over the Memorial Day weekend. Had to shift a few around due to the weather, but still got a lot in; and many in awesome conditions.

Here they are, in the order we did them:

Friday 5/23:

Fry – two slot sections had lots of water, with one swim. Most were fine with a 2/3 full suit, mostly because the outside temps were in the upper 50’s. In warm weather, this canyon would be easy to do sans wetsuit as there is lots of walking in between the slot sections, which aren’t that long. You park on a highway, so the road was fine.

Left and Right Blarney (Kelsey’s 27.6 canyons) – At the time, there was a light rain, so the floor was muddy in spots. Wasn’t too difficult to avoid any water though; just stemmed over it. Was a little strenuous in spots; but nothing was more than ankle deep that others went through. Likely will dry out quickly. You can park on the highway, so the road was fine.

Saturday 5/24:

Gravel – Perfect conditions with a little flow. All water was nice and clear, a little cold, but I went through with a 2/3 John (but I run a little warm, so YMMV) and was fine. There were several places where there were swims. Some could be avoided, but where would the fun be in that? We did the alternate canyon exit a bit farther down as well, and that had some moving water as well. Very neat exit, would highly recommend for those that can do the big day. The road was a little muddy, and was definitely a high clearance vehicle road. I wouldn’t even take a Subaru down this road; there are spots where good entry/exit angles are needed; or some road construction is necessary. Might need 4wd if the road is muddy.

Sunday 5/25:

Cheesebox – Perfect conditions with a little flow so there were plenty of swims. I wasn’t cold, but I wasn’t warm either, in a 2/3 John (again, I run a little warm so I’d likely recommend thicker and full suit). Would have liked to have at least a 2/3 full suit there, as I did climb up and around a few of the swims so I didn’t get cold. There were only two swims that had some veggie matter in them; so it’s in great condition compared to how Cheesebox sometimes get with lots of nasty pools. The road was a little muddy, and was definitely a high clearance vehicle road. I wouldn’t even take a Subaru down this road; there are spots where good entry/exit angles are needed; or some road construction is necessary. Might need 4wd if the road is muddy.

Monday 5/26:

Black Hole – Perfect conditions. Everything was tippy top full, and we were pushing water down in front of us through the hole. Note, there is one pretty good log soup section now near the beginning. It might be possible to climb around (I didn’t check that though.) I thought the condition of the canyon was as good as it gets with one good log soup section at the beginning, so people get a taste of what things can look like; but not too difficult to get through; followed by nice open swims for the rest of the canyons. You park just off the highway, so the roads were good.

Bottom line, this area got some decent rain and is in prime shape; get there soon if you can!

TR and pics to follow later…

Take care,
A.J.

[dandyj]

We are heading down there at the end of June so hopefully they can still be nifty.