N. Fork Iron Wash | Zero G | Angel Cove | May 2022

Friday May 27

This year’s LaFame crew included Andy, Emma, Brad, Brent and Cristina; our dear John Doug couldn’t make it. At long last, Jan & Jorge returned as our camp hosts and were kind enough to secure our favorite Temple Mountain campsite two nights early and were rewarded with the hottest, windiest days of the trip. Sorry about that.

The rest of us hit the road Friday promptly at 10:00 in two fully-stuffed cars, made a Chomps stop, a knockoff Pugs stop, and were feeling pretty proud of ourselves for not getting stuck in traffic and arriving at camp by 5:00 until Jan told us she’d lost her second $20 bet to Jorge because we were late.

They’d already set up a tent for Emma so she was put to work peeling potatoes and watching water not boil then we all gathered around Andy’s portable campfire within a campfire and enjoyed our first of four fantastic dinners while the bugs enjoyed eating us. Those closest to the campfire woke up to obnoxious late-night ATVs but Brent and I were at the end of the wash and only heard the thunder and the rain and it was so very nice to be back in the desert again.

Saturday May 28

North Fork – Iron Wash

After mountains of whipped cream for breakfast we loaded up in the truck and reached the trailhead within an hour for a 9:00 start. The clouds and weather cooperated nicely and it was a leisurely hour hike into the new for everyone canyon where we reached the first and only rappel that we were happy we didn’t bypass because it turned out to be the crux. The rest was very pretty and offered some nice slots and partner assisted downclimbs but we kept waiting for the difficult part to begin when we realized the canyon had already opened up and were approaching the exit, not another technical section. The beta led us to believe we’d have a few small keepers and one really big one to possibly get stuck in for a bit but the beta must not have been updated recently as we had no trouble at all and the keepers were only keeping sand. This little fork took us an hour to get through, an hour hike back to the car and within another hour, we were at the trailhead of our second canyon for lunch.

3 hours, 5.2 miles total – fun and glad we did it, but we can probably check it off the list as a repeat

Zero Gravity

The “parking lot” was full this time and seeing a Rivian in the wild might’ve been the highlight of the canyon for Andy. We learned all about it while we finished lunch and put our shoes back on for our first ever double header.

A first descent for Emma, the rest of us had several descents between us, sometimes in very wet conditions and sometimes very dry. We passed Rivian guy and another group on their exit who let us know we’d definitely be getting wet and, per usual, Cristina took the easy route that meant wet shoes first while everyone else avoided it as long as possible, or almost entirely if you’re a spider monkey. We downclimbed the entire route with some partner assists then caught up with a group at the exit where we’d gotten Alicia and Jordan stuck on a previous trip. This time a guy was perched on top of the choke stone rap and would not go down. He’d made it this far then froze, poor guy. His brother was the leader of the group (brother leaders!) and talked him down eventually. He avoided the final swim by rapping down the far wall onto the sandy beach and totally blew our minds. I had already fully dunked having taken the low and slow route into the water. The group let us use their rope and waited for us to exit, which was the least they could do considering the 45-minute traffic jam. Emma was the only one to avoid the swim, which makes her the winner of Zero on her first try. Brad not losing skin to a rope burn this time = Redemsh’n

Made it back to camp with lots of daylight left, which was not the least bit wasted. Emma braided Andy and Brent’s pandemic hair and we laughed a lot around the fire.

Sunday May 29

Angel Cove

9:00 Camp Departure
10:25 Canyon Start
12:50 Lunch at the finish. We’re treated to expansive views and see the BASE jumping cliff which seems like a good way to start the canyon. Next time.

An easy up to sit in the dirt at the canyon juncture where play with rocks, watching the clouds for suspicious weather. Emma hikes up the rim in the distance to be closer to any possible lightning and makes her way back down once it’s been determined a flash flood is unlikely and a second fork is reasonable. At 1:45 Cristina, with waypoints in hand, makes her way back to the car alone. Five months post spine surgery, this feels like adequate trauma for one trip.

2:05 Cristina reaches the car and by 3:45 the rest of the group joined, having completed the second fork. Another fun day but no one feels like an Angel Cove repeat is necessary.

The wind leads us into a dust storm and back to camp where we all pile into the trailer, waiting for it to die down long enough to have dinner. Several rounds of “name a Tom Cruise movie” and fruit snacks to pass the time.

Monday May 30

Climbing the Swell

I don’t know how we decided on a climbing day but we did, at least for as long as the weather cooperated. The rain clouds moved in before long so we spent the rest of the afternoon/evening playing the rock game, which was much more entertaining than it sounds. One last night at camp for a Tuesday departure (we’re getting smarter), a Chomps stop on the way home, and getting Emma to the airport on time.

Though none of the canyons on this trip were particularly remarkable, being out in the red dust among the rocks under the stars with the LaFames always is.