Plinian Offline Upload & Sell: Off
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At the risk of hijacking the thread, I wanted to chime in, and thank the FM community in general, and Greg Campbell and JSecord in particular, for their advice, both public and via PM.
Prior to eating turkey with my in-laws last week, I spent a couple days based in Page, and had a terrific visit to both White Pocket and Waterhole. (I skipped the crowds at Antelope but did do the obligatory walk to Horseshoe Bend).
For those who happen across this thread and are interested in similar trips, a few additional comments regarding my experience:
(1) On the way to White Pocket, I stopped off at the Wire Pass trailhead, and walked into that slot part way. Difficult to do a direct comparison because I didn't go all the way to Buckskin Gulch, and because it was overcast, but I found more photographic opportunities at Waterhole than Wire Pass.
(2) I was in a rental GMC Yukon, and the drive to White Pocket was easy. High clearance seemed more important than 4WD. I had originally planned to camp at White Pocket (some advise to avoid driving on deep sand at night), but it was supposed to rain, so I ended up driving out around 8 PM with no problem, especially with the aid of Gaia GPS on my phone.
(3) White Pocket is amazing.
(4) Permits are required to park (and hike) at Waterhole; the LeChee chapter house is almost always closed (and they never answer their phone or email), Upper Antelope doesn't sell them, but they can be purchased from the entry booth for Lower Antelope. While parked at Waterhole, I saw a couple cars with notes on the windshield explaining their unsuccessful attempts to get a permit, and containing an envelope with the fee ($12 per person).
(5) I found the information online about Waterhole slightly confusing, but it's actually very accessible; there is a walk-in entrance in the barbed wire at the parking area north of the bridge, and cairns to follow about 1/4 mile on the north rim that lead to an easy entrance to the canyon, after which one should proceed east. It's possible to hike east through the canyon to where it opens up (about 1.5 mile), but only if you're sufficiently tall or facile to climb up an ~ 10 foot section of ~75 degrees. I was by myself so decided to turn around (but that section comes after the narrows so it was OK).
Greg
Iconic but still impressive
Nice section of Waterhole
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