Conditions:Lomatium Canyon-20230313185939

Latest:	11 Mar 2023 (2 yrs, 1 month ago)

Reported by:	Tcarlisle (73 reports)
Quality:	Good
Waterflow:	Dry
Wetsuit:	None
Water temperature:
Difficulty:	Special challenges
Time:	8 hours

Team: 4 people

Trip report URL:

Comments: -

CONDITIONS

Anchors: Both of the anchors in Lomatium are bolted. Drop one has chains and drop two has webbing. Both anchors are in good shape. The water at the bottom of both drops is avoidable. The rappel in Krill into the Belly of the Whale is still off of three pitons that have been there at least 10 years, perhaps much, much longer. They seemed to be in good shape, though, along with the webbing.

Water: A few small ankle-deep pools. All avoidable with skill, but some may have to get feet wet.

Approach & Navigation: While GPS is not great in the Fiery Furnace, it does much better than in years past. If you have good navigation skills and a GPS with a good satellite layer then you can follow a GPX track. Still, it is highly recommended that you do this route with someone who has done it previously.

The approach to Krill has the same awkward spots on the up-climb through the boulder pile. This is best done with team work. We belayed the first person out to the anchor in case it was deceptively slippery, but we found it wasn't necessary.

TRIP REPORT

• Group Size: Group of 4
• Skill Level: experienced canyoneers, including three ACA-trained Canyoneering Chicks. One person with prior experience canyoneering Lomatium and Krill.
• Total Time: About 8 hours car to car with exploring and skills practice on the features included in that time.

WEATHER: The forecast prior to the trip had been very rainy--in fact it had rained nearly all day the day before the trip. The day of the trip the forecast was 20-30 percent chance of light precipitation. With the the Fiery Furnace having a low flash flood risk, and reports of it being ice free, our main concern was with wet sandstone being crumbly or slippery. That and just being miserable and cold if it did rain on us. To our amazement and delight, though, aside from a minute or two of rain drops around 5:00pm--not really even a sprinkle--we had no rain. From morning until about 2:00 pm we had sun and blue skies and from then on it was lightly overcast.

TRACTION ISSUES: Despite raining all day the pervious day, the Furnace had dried out a lot. Still, the rock was a little damp and consequently less strong. There was no ice and only standing water in four places--the places that always hold water. The damp rock combined with a light dusting of sand on surfaces did make it deceptively slippery at times. Those who had pervious experience in the Furnace remarked that certain spots were now much more challenging with the reduction in traction the dampness created.

At the Black Wall a canyoneer free climbed with great difficulty and then belayed up the remaining canyoneers, who all still struggled up. The V-slot change-over just before the Rabbit Hole was also more difficult. At that spot the damp rock reduced the strength of the rock so we couldn't use certain handholds because they would have instantly broken off. The rock was also a little slippery underfoot on the slope making just walk across not possible. The first one over just jumped for it. They then got into the slot to assist with holding up everyone's feet as they crossed while hanging onto a tiny crimp that just managed to be a bit of a handhold.

All condition reports

Date	Quality	Waterflow	Wetsuit	Difficulty	Time	Team	Reported by
11 Mar 2023	Good	Dry	None	Special challenges	8 hours	4 people	Tcarlisle (73 reports)
Comment: - CONDITIONS Anchors: Both of the anchors in Lomatium are bolted. Drop one has chains and drop two has webbing. Both anchors are in good shape. The water at the bottom of both drops is avoidable. The rappel in Krill into the Belly of the Whale is still off of three pitons that have been there at least 10 years, perhaps much, much longer. They seemed to be in good shape, though, along with the webbing. Water: A few small ankle-deep pools. All avoidable with skill, but some may have to get feet wet. Approach & Navigation: While GPS is not great in the Fiery Furnace, it does much better than in years past. If you have good navigation skills and a GPS with a good satellite layer then you can follow a GPX track. Still, it is highly recommended that you do this route with someone who has done it previously. The approach to Krill has the same awkward spots on the up-climb through the boulder pile. This is best done with team work. We belayed the first person out to the anchor in case it was deceptively slippery, but we found it wasn't necessary. TRIP REPORT Group Size: Group of 4 Skill Level: experienced canyoneers, including three ACA-trained Canyoneering Chicks. One person with prior experience canyoneering Lomatium and Krill. Total Time: About 8 hours car to car with exploring and skills practice on the features included in that time. WEATHER: The forecast prior to the trip had been very rainy--in fact it had rained nearly all day the day before the trip. The day of the trip the forecast was 20-30 percent chance of light precipitation. With the the Fiery Furnace having a low flash flood risk, and reports of it being ice free, our main concern was with wet sandstone being crumbly or slippery. That and just being miserable and cold if it did rain on us. To our amazement and delight, though, aside from a minute or two of rain drops around 5:00pm--not really even a sprinkle--we had no rain. From morning until about 2:00 pm we had sun and blue skies and from then on it was lightly overcast. TRACTION ISSUES: Despite raining all day the pervious day, the Furnace had dried out a lot. Still, the rock was a little damp and consequently less strong. There was no ice and only standing water in four places--the places that always hold water. The damp rock combined with a light dusting of sand on surfaces did make it deceptively slippery at times. Those who had pervious experience in the Furnace remarked that certain spots were now much more challenging with the reduction in traction the dampness created. At the Black Wall a canyoneer free climbed with great difficulty and then belayed up the remaining canyoneers, who all still struggled up. The V-slot change-over just before the Rabbit Hole was also more difficult. At that spot the damp rock reduced the strength of the rock so we couldn't use certain handholds because they would have instantly broken off. The rock was also a little slippery underfoot on the slope making just walk across not possible. The first one over just jumped for it. They then got into the slot to assist with holding up everyone's feet as they crossed while hanging onto a tiny crimp that just managed to be a bit of a handhold.
18 May 2017	Amazing				7 hours	6 people Beginner to Expert	Danielson (93 reports)
Comment: The park rangers asked us to ghost the first rappel if there wasn't an anchor already in place. Please check with them when you get your permit as to how they currently want this rappel handled. 7 hours includes Krill, and we used an unorthodox route. Due to construction, parking lot closes at 7pm Sun-Thur