Conditions:Senator Gulch-20220809004733

Latest:	7 Aug 2022 (2 yrs, 10 mos ago)

Reported by:	RFontaine (276 reports)
Quality:	Great
Waterflow:	Moderate
Wetsuit:	Thin wetsuit
Water temperature:
Difficulty:	Special challenges
Time:	8 hours

Team: 1 people with experience level Advanced

Trip report URL:

Comments: This was my first Ouray Canyon and my first solo canyon adventure! Incredible scenery and a beautiful day with a few scattered showers.

I did not have a shuttle so I parked at exit and hiked the road. The trail up through the woods is beautiful and once on the ridge line following down into the basin the views were incredible, as I am sure most Colorado canyons are!

When I got to R1 I rappelled down into the slot and looked for R2’s anchor. I could not find it, nor did I find anything that I felt comfortable building off of that wouldnt make the pull problematic. I only brought a 220’ and 120’ rope so I didn’t have enough rope to combine the 2 raps, so I ascended back up to reassess... I finally decided to down climb the gully on canyon left bypassing these raps.

The rappels were fun enough, flow seemed to be moderate and not at all pushy, beginner friendly, in my opinion. 2nd to last was really fun!

There is ALOT of downclimbing on this route. Some of the downclimbs are fairly spicy, but do-able.

I wore a 4/3 wetsuit and was plenty comfortable, didnt need neoprene gloves.

Total time 8.5hrs which includes a lack of shuttle, problem solving, anchor building, and my casual hiking pace.

Over all it was a really good experience and very enjoyable canyon!

All condition reports

Date	Quality	Waterflow	Wetsuit	Difficulty	Time	Team	Reported by
7 Aug 2022	Great	Moderate	Thin wetsuit	Special challenges	8 hours	1 people Advanced	RFontaine (276 reports)
Comment: This was my first Ouray Canyon and my first solo canyon adventure! Incredible scenery and a beautiful day with a few scattered showers. I did not have a shuttle so I parked at exit and hiked the road. The trail up through the woods is beautiful and once on the ridge line following down into the basin the views were incredible, as I am sure most Colorado canyons are! When I got to R1 I rappelled down into the slot and looked for R2’s anchor. I could not find it, nor did I find anything that I felt comfortable building off of that wouldnt make the pull problematic. I only brought a 220’ and 120’ rope so I didn’t have enough rope to combine the 2 raps, so I ascended back up to reassess... I finally decided to down climb the gully on canyon left bypassing these raps. The rappels were fun enough, flow seemed to be moderate and not at all pushy, beginner friendly, in my opinion. 2nd to last was really fun! There is ALOT of downclimbing on this route. Some of the downclimbs are fairly spicy, but do-able. I wore a 4/3 wetsuit and was plenty comfortable, didnt need neoprene gloves. Total time 8.5hrs which includes a lack of shuttle, problem solving, anchor building, and my casual hiking pace. Over all it was a really good experience and very enjoyable canyon!