Conditions:Wife 1-20250818012122
Latest: |
15 Aug 2025 (2 days ago) |
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| Reported by: | Tcarlisle (80 reports) | |
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| Quality: | Ok |
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| Waterflow: | ||
| Wetsuit: | None |
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| Water temperature: | ||
| Difficulty: | Special challenges |
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| Time: |  3 hours
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Team: 6 people with experience level Beginner to Advanced
Trip report URL:
Comments: After finishing Wife 4, our group decided to head back up and drop into Wife 1. According to Road Trip Ryan, this one isn’t as highly recommended as some of the other drainages in the area, but honestly, we thought it was pretty enjoyable. I don’t quite see why it isn’t rated higher. The main difference is that it has a bit more tricky anchor work than the others, which probably explains its reputation.
Over the weekend we actually ended up doing Wife 1 twice. The plan had been to continue on to Wife 2, but since we were camped nearby and had time, we decided to just repeat this one. This report covers our first descent with the initial group.
The published beta from Road Trip Ryan and BluGnome gave us an idea of what to expect, but once in the canyon things played out a little differently. There were extra intermediate anchors in a couple of places, which changed how the rappels lined up and made the descent feel more involved. Nothing major — just one of those “what you see on the ground doesn’t always match the write-up” situations. (I have made updates to the beta for Wife 1 in RopeWiki)
The canyon itself had a good mix of challenges: exposed starts, awkward rappels, and a few downclimbs that tested everyone’s comfort zones. We spent some extra time looking over anchors and deciding how best to manage rope lengths, but overall the group handled it smoothly. The sequence felt engaging without being overwhelming, and everyone agreed the canyon was more fun than its reputation suggests.
The exit involved some boulder scrambling and a bit of weaving around ledges, but nothing too bad. By the time we popped out, the group was grinning and in good spirits — enough that we came back the next day to run it again.
Overall impression: Wife 1 might not be the star of the series, but it’s a solid, worthwhile canyon with a bit of technical spice. For us, it was definitely worth doing, and even repeating.
All condition reports
| Date | Quality | Waterflow | Wetsuit | Difficulty | Time | Team | Reported by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ok | | None
| Special challenges | 3 hours
| 6 people Beginner to Advanced | Tcarlisle (80 reports) | |
Comment: After finishing Wife 4, our group decided to head back up and drop into Wife 1. According to Road Trip Ryan, this one isn’t as highly recommended as some of the other drainages in the area, but honestly, we thought it was pretty enjoyable. I don’t quite see why it isn’t rated higher. The main difference is that it has a bit more tricky anchor work than the others, which probably explains its reputation.
Over the weekend we actually ended up doing Wife 1 twice. The plan had been to continue on to Wife 2, but since we were camped nearby and had time, we decided to just repeat this one. This report covers our first descent with the initial group. The published beta from Road Trip Ryan and BluGnome gave us an idea of what to expect, but once in the canyon things played out a little differently. There were extra intermediate anchors in a couple of places, which changed how the rappels lined up and made the descent feel more involved. Nothing major — just one of those “what you see on the ground doesn’t always match the write-up” situations. (I have made updates to the beta for Wife 1 in RopeWiki) The canyon itself had a good mix of challenges: exposed starts, awkward rappels, and a few downclimbs that tested everyone’s comfort zones. We spent some extra time looking over anchors and deciding how best to manage rope lengths, but overall the group handled it smoothly. The sequence felt engaging without being overwhelming, and everyone agreed the canyon was more fun than its reputation suggests. The exit involved some boulder scrambling and a bit of weaving around ledges, but nothing too bad. By the time we popped out, the group was grinning and in good spirits — enough that we came back the next day to run it again. Overall impression: Wife 1 might not be the star of the series, but it’s a solid, worthwhile canyon with a bit of technical spice. For us, it was definitely worth doing, and even repeating.
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| Great | Dry
| None
| Normal |  2 hours
| 2 people Beginner to Intermediate | Nolimitfez (10 reports) | |
Comment: Don't trust beta 100% on Rope Wiki. Rappels I assume are slightly longer than reported and there are more than 3 raps although all are relatively short. Rap down to the final as the downclimb is a little spicy. Replaced webbing on the boulder for the first rap. Very easy and short if looking for 1/2 day or combining with fire canyon, etc.
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