Some of us went canyoneering Friday and Saturday. On Friday evening, we explored the Middle Fork of Maidenwater Canyon (https://www.roadtripryan.com/go/t/utah/north-wash/middlemaidenwater). It's in the North Wash area and whatever water might flow in this riverbed drains into Lake Powell. But I've never seen any water in it. They say that this area of Utah has been especially dry this winter.
The approach took us just over an hour, and the canyon itself took another two hours. They say that the entire canyon can be down-climbed -- and we did a lot of down-climbing -- but we enjoyed rappelling a few of the trickier spots.
We started hiking close to 6 pm. Partway through the canyon, the sun set and we finished in the dark. It was a pretty cool experience. The dark tunnel that runs under the Hwy 276 at the end is a highlight.
Saturday morning we were in the Poison Spring area, exploring Slideanide Canyon (https://www.roadtripryan.com/go/t/utah/north-wash/slideanide). This is another canyon that can be down-climbed without any rappelling. In fact, on our way down we met a group that was up-climbing the canyon from the bottom. It is rare for us to encounter anyone in these canyons. Maybe more people were there because it was the beginning of spring break.
The weather was perfect. It was a sunny but not hot, with a clear blue sky. The gale blowing up on the canyon rim was mostly absent in the canyon. On the way out, we saw rain clouds by the Henry Mountains, but it was dry where we were. We encountered colder weather, rain, and hail and snow as we drove farther north.
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