Black Hole of White Canyon....Revisited

 Back in 2012 ArcFlash and I descended into the Black Hole on what was to be one of our first adventures in the area, kicking off several more tours of canyon country in the years to come...........

Headed down

Suiting Up

 We had so much fun on that outing I was looking forward to a repeat with anyone that was interested. The interested party happened to be my own wife and kids. They didn't really know the extent of what they were in for but were well prepared with new and old gear, many conversations and pictures of what to expect

 Our trip was mid October with the daytime highs in the 70  and lows around 50. This was just right, with the water being cold, but not downright freezing as we would find later in the week, in a canyon in Moab. Bright sun was also a plus, as anytime out in the open, we could warm up a bit by sunning on the rocks like black neoprene covered, lizards. Apparently it had rained quite a bit before we made our descent, not even a quarter mile in we suited up and made our first swim. Swimming was common and frequent the entire route and proved to take it's toll on the spirit of my wife and kids.

   About three quarters of the way through the boys and Lynn were getting cold and tired. As I was getting an ear full I gave the pep talk about the point of no return and highlighted the fact that there is no way out other than your own two feet. Admittedly the Black Hole route was harder than the previous time I went down it, and was quite a feat for my super tough, but young children, as well as my wife who hates cold water and will avoid it at all costs. My previous run had way less water and only required a couple legitimate swims, compared to the 15+ deep water swims we encountered.

Improvised water slide 

We took the log exit

  As for high adventure the Black Hole route did not disappoint, with all the swimming it was an exciting, lengthy challenge. Our outing took approximately eight hours with two lengthy lunch breaks, lots of repeat swims...for fun, and some scouting along the benches near the exit point. Although my family may have been pushed to their fun limit I think they still had fun......I was proud of them for pushing onward even though they didn't really have a choice.                

Almost out of the canyon

It's about a two mile road walk back to the van from here....luckily a group in front of us came back and gave a us a ride ....thanks Boston Grotto 

D Rider.....................................Out