Waterhole Canyon - Page, Arizona
This trip was epic. And stressful. I got up to Page, Arizona the day before we were supposed to descend Waterhole Canyon. And it was raining. It was raining a lot.
Did I mention that Waterhole Canyon is a highly technical slot canyon? It is. It takes most people 6~10 hours to get through Waterhole Canyon, depending on conditions, group size and group ability. So I watched the waterfalls forming around Lee's Ferry and Page and thought to myself 'I don't really want to be in a slot canyon right now.' Even though my friends assured me the weather forecast was clear for the next day, I couldn't help but worry anyway.
It was also around this time that Nick said I should bring my wetsuit since the canyon would be full. This was helpful information since I was about a 5 hour drive from home when I learned this. Nick had previously told me that I shouldn't bring a wetsuit because he's been through Waterhole Canyon twice and knew what it was like. So it's really my fault because I listened to him. I dislike hypothermia, so I went to the great outfitter called Walmart and looked for some neoprene. Lucky for me, they had something called a sauna vest. I really don't know why people would wear a neoprene vest in a sauna, but apparently it's a thing. So now I own a sauna vest, which is good, I suppose. I'll never be cold in a sauna again.
Anyway, the next day the sky (and forecast) was clear and into the canyon we went.
By the way, Waterhole Canyon is on the Navajo Nation and permits are required. We had permits, just in case anyone was wondering. (Seriously, we did. I joke a lot, but I do my best to abide by the rules. And I definitely didn't want to end up in a jail cell, regardless of how sharp I looked in my sauna vest.)
The highlight of the canyon is a staged rappel, with the second part of the stage being a massive, 320' rappel. I only panicked slightly. Actually, I panicked a lot, but there really wasn't much choice by the time I got to the big rappel. I feel I did a great job of controlling that fear, but if I'm honest, it was mainly because I didn't want my canyoneering crew to make fun of me.
Oh, and we got a boat ride down the Colorado River back to Lees Ferry because Waterhole Canyon is absolutely incredible.
So I'm gonna wrap this up because I procrastinated and didn't write this until right before I was supposed to publish the video.
The end.
Our boat ride:
Dave with On the Fly 928-380-4504
(Highly recommended.)
Music by Artlist:
Kids Having Fun - MooveKa
Fur Elise - Brooklyn Classical
Nevada - Dan Zeitune
Wolves - Francesco DAndrea
Martyr - Roniit
Howling at the Moon - D Fine Us
A Moment of Peace - Nobou
I'll be Better -UMLALA
10 сен 2023
