I met up with Brian and his friends/roommates on Saturday night with plans to do two canyons on Sunday: Pottymouth and Sinusitis. As soon as I read the beta, I was less than thrilled; keeper potholes are not my cup of tea.
(Adam is crazy awesome... I will never be this graceful in a canyon.)
(And he and Brian do all that crazy stuff while carrying rope! Not easy.)
(Super skinny)
(I am trying to smile, but I am thinking, "Come on, Brian, I am trying to do work here." That downclimb started back behind Adam, and there was a creepy looking pothole about 20 feet below us.)
Pottymouth and Sinusitis both drain into Warm Springs Canyon. In order to travel up Warm Springs, a rope needs to be set. (Unless you are Adam and have Spider-Man-like climbing abilities.) So, what most people do is descend Pottymouth, set the rope, then hike up and out and back down Sinusitis.
Pottymouth was supposed to be nontechnical, but I needed a handline for one drop and rappelled another. Honestly, I think I was being a bit over-cautious, but in the moment I was nervous and Brian is all about doing whatever you need to feel safe. This is one of the things I love about doing canyons with Brian; he hangs out with the most hardcore people and yet has never rolled his eyes when I've asked for a handline.
Anyway, the canyon was a lot of fun with some really skinny sections we squeezed through on the ground and one where we had to go high (like at least 20 feet high). I was having a great time; this canyon was right at my sweet spot in terms of difficulty.
(Beautifully sculpted section)
And then I came to the section that made me say, "Oh, shit."
Pottymouth lived up to its name.
I had seen the words "high stemming" and "silos" in the beta, but Brian didn't remember reading that and was convinced I'd made it up. But here it was in front of me.
"Brian!!!!" I yelled.
Adam went first and Amanda followed fearlessly. I hesitated because I wanted to hear what was up ahead before I committed.
Brian was not happy. He hates the skinny stuff. "Hey, want to skip it?" he whispered to me.
I was part scandalized, part torn. But Adam reported back that this stemming required moves more difficult than what we'd done in Witch's Cauldron. I know my limits, and I knew I should have had more practice even before I did that canyon. So I guiltily followed Brian up and over the slickrock to the end of the stemming section. It took Adam and Amanda about a half hour to get through 125 feet of canyon, so I have no regrets about that decision.
And that was pretty much it for the canyon. We had reached the junction with Warm Springs, and I decided to bail on Sinusitus. Pottymouth had pools, which meant there was sure to be plenty of water in Sinusitis. I just wasn't in the mood for swimming and cold water. Besides, this was a great opportunity for me to regain some of my confidence, as I'd have to navigate cross-country to get back to Brian's car.
The hike was no problem, and I spent some time sunbathing European-style and just enjoying the quiet. A few hours later, the boys appeared on the horizon. As they got closer, I realized they were missing their pants! In Allison's words, "The canyons giveth, and the canyons taketh away." Apparently it was a rough canyon... Glad I sat that one out!
*Photos courtesy of Brian Bassett
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