Davis Gulch
Last Candition: February 21, 2021
Several pools knee to thigh deep. Some slippery mud too. Apparently it was dry a week ago, but no more. A pretty fresh dead bighorn is in the slot.
A surprising large rain and snow event hit this area the night of Oct 27, enough to make the slot flow. 10 miles to the north and beyond remained bone dry. We bailed after the upper slot, but expect deep wades and likely swims in near freezing water for the near future.
The canyon was completely dry. It was easy and fun to completely downclimb then upclimb with partner assists. Bring a 40 foot rope to help pull packs up the skinniest upclimb.
Moving quickly due to weather concerns, from car to the end of the slot section took 1.5 hours. The first part of the wash hike was pleasant and with some huge alcoves. From a bit before Bement Arch to the exit point we had tall, thick, relentless and unpleasant brush. I recommend long pants and eye protection. Total trip time was ~8.5 hours.
Because of time constraints, we did the upper slot only. This section had two drops, which two people of our group repelled, the rest downclimbed. The drops were ten and twelve feet. Upper slot was dry. It was a fun for everyone and took an hour car to car.