A Swell Weekend-A Photo Trip Report

Introduction

This is the story of our weekend in the San Rafael Swell during early April. It was a beautiful weekend with lots of variety since we did much hiking, scrambling, canyoneering and climbed the highest peak in the Swell.

Participants were Fred Genske, Justin Kuhn, Kessler, and me.

The photos will tell most of the story.

April 6: Eagle Canyon/Forgotten (Secret Mesa) Canyon

Fred Genske, Justin Kuhn, Kessler and I went for a big loop between Eagle and Forgotten Canyons. Forgotten has been in the back of my mind for a long time and I hadn’t been there yet.

We started near the bridge and hiked down the wide section of Eagle Canyon to the Kayenta Narrows. Slots in the Kayenta formation are rare, but Eagle Canyon has a pretty good one.



After noticing that the pool at the end was dry except for ice, we dropped into the slot. We traversed the slot with minimal problems. It was a good slot, but it would have been nice if it were a lot longer.















After two rappels and some downclimbs, we headed down canyon. We met another couple at the falls and they were traversing around it. It was the last we saw of them.







Just down canyon was another nice slot. Not far below that, we ascended Forgotten Canyon (a.k.a. Secret Mesa Canyon). It was better than expected and was actually quite nice. There were several nice climbing obstacles to negotiate as well. We also explored several really good side slots with some great 5th class climbing and also found the large arch in a side canyon.



























Interestingly, there was a little snow in the canyon (It was quite warm outside) and the pool in the final slot probably had ice one foot thick.



After doing an exciting ledge traverse on the north side of the slot (later we found that the standard route is on the south side) we reentered the canyon before it faded away onto the mesa. From there it was a nice and scenic walk past some impressive rock buttes and towers back to the trailhead.









It was a pretty long day, but only because we spent much time exploring all the side slots and some other side trips.

April 7: San Rafael Knob

It was a chilly morning and we notice that the waterbottles were partially frozen. I guess that this can be expected in early April at 7200 feet, but once the sun came up, it warmed up quickly.

Fred Genske joined me for a climb of the San Rafael Knob. We didn’t drive all the way to the standard trailhead so road walked to the ATV track which we hiked. We started off on the wrong track, so we had to do some backtracking and traversing, but once on the right track, we quickly made our way to the Knob.





The San Rafael Knob was a beautiful scramble to the top of a spectacular summit. Interestingly, there was still some snow on the north side. I was going to climb the Northeast Ridge directly, but Fred found an easier way up on the south side.






After enjoying the great views, we descended the knob and made our way quickly back to the vehicle. It was a good climb.

Images

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