Ticaboo

Good Day Jim Canyon, Ticaboo, Utah

It was a beautiful sunny morning at the end of May when I found myself standing on the shoulders of two strapping men in a 15-foot-deep pothole, trying somewhat unsuccessfully to get out. It was day two of our Ticaboo adventures and we were planning to descend the wonderfully named “Good Day Jim” canyon, with this pothole being the first obstacle. Our get-together had grown large enough that we decided to split into two groups. The first group consisted of several younger folks, which we decided to call “Team Testosterone”. Our group consisted of some of our more mature folks, aptly named “Team Old Lady” 😉. Team Testosterone went first, wriggling their way out of the pothole in no time. Sadly, in the team shuffles one of the members who we thought was going with us took one of our potshots, leaving us with only one functioning potshot and [...]

Montezuma Canyon, Ticaboo, Utah

Ticaboo is a very remote area in Southeastern Utah, about an hour south of Hanksville. The name comes from a Pauite word meaning “friendly”. This area on the northern reaches of Lake Powell was popular in the 70s due to nearby uranium mines and aquatic tourism to Lake Powell via Bullfrog. These days, Ticaboo offers basic tourist amenities and gas, useful in a place otherwise far from civilization. One thing the area does have in abundance is canyons. In late May, we were invited to join some friends for a get together to explore some of these canyons. The Ticaboo canyons are very technical and not for the beginning canyoneer. There are very tight slots, lots of high stemming, potholes with escapes, sketchy downclimbs, creative anchoring methods and long exit slogs uphill. The concentration of canyons is so high that you can park in one spot and have access [...]