Trip report with video on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/B2sBqBqF7XG/
Buckskin Gulch WP to WH FKT!
I’ve had my eye on this true adventure run through (likely) the longest slot canyon in the world for almost a year now...and I literally live down the road ???♀️ I dropped my bike at the finish and then set off this morning at 715 MDT/615 MST right before sunrise.
The first 10ish miles were freaking spectacular! Running from huge orange walls of rock that then narrowed into passages no more than 2-3 feet wide. Just WOW!
I was making great time and even thought for a hot second that I could make it in under 3 hours....until I hit the Boulder Jam. The photos online of this crux just don’t do it justice. I tried to find ways to get past the Jam without using the fixed rope but every option ended with me peering over a 15-20 ft drop. The rope was my only option today and it was super sketchy! There are little Moki Steps carved in the rock but “steps” is a misnomer. My shoes were soaking wet from wading through the knee to waist deep “cesspools” and wet shoes + sandstone isn’t the best combo - plus basically only my big toe fit in each “step”. Needless to say when I made it down it was a HUGE relief!
From the confluence to the WH TH I was pretty tired from all the sand and rock running but I saw my FIRST PETROGLYPHS!! Yay!
All in all, a stellar day in one of the most beautiful places in the world ?
Garmin GPS definitely lost signal about half way through the canyon to the confluence then probably once it opened up a bit it regained satellites but the time is accurate as I started and stopped it at the beginning and end of the FKT, elapsed time is 3:29:15. I self shuttled the route - I dropped a bike at the White House TH (finish) then drove to the start (Wire Pass TH) - once I finished I rode my bike back to my car (from WH to WP),