Illiam Canyon - Rappelling into West Fork - Sedona, Arizona
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- Опубліковано 26 лис 2023
- Illiam Canyon - Rappelling into West Fork - Sedona, Arizona
I've been wanting to do this canyon for a while now. You get to see a secret arch, get some big drops and end up in West Fork, my favorite trail in Sedona.
Unfortunately, you start at my least favorite trail in Sedona - The AB Young trail. AB Young is a brutal hike with about 2,000 ft of vertical gain with 31 switchbacks. The icing on the cake is that you can actually drive to where AB young ends, but of course that was too easy for my canyoneering partners, so we hiked it instead. Did I mention that my canyoneering partners are super human and don't really blink at 2,000 ft of elevation gain? They practically run up this sort of trail. I'm not really sure why I hang out with these guys.
Anyway, once we were done with AB Young, we had to head cross country to the start of Illiam itself. There was a lot of fire damage, but it's still pretty. Especially when you crest the final climb. Here you enter a thick forest that avoided the fire. Did I mention it was still prime fall colors up there for some reason? Not sure why, but the leaves were still there, and still colorful. (Everything else around there was about 3 weeks past prime time.)
It was here where Nick started yelling "BEAR!" I'm going to rant for a second. Our conversation went like this:
Nick - "BEAR!"
Me - "Where?"
Nick - "Bear."
Me - "Where?"
Repeat for about 2 minutes until Nick finally offers the helpful "By the tree". We were in a forest, so that was not specific enough. No pointing, no "Over there", just "By the tree." Yeah. So I have a crappy photo of what I think was a bear. I did see it, but just as it walked behind some trees (ah, that's what he meant) and out of sight.
I swear, not 1 minute later and Nick says "Mountain lions!" This time, I actually saw and recorded two mountain lions across the valley from us, running away. Pretty awesome, since I've never seen one before, and this way I got to see two.
Once the wildlife excitment was over, it was time to get into the technical section. I'll let the video do the talking here, except to mention there is an absolutely humongous arch along the route. You even rappel from directly under it. Definitely the highlight of the route. I got really bad footage of it, so you're welcome for that.
Eventually we finished our last rappel and walked out West Fork, which makes this the most epic canyon exit I've ever done. (Except for Waterhole Canyon. You take a frickin' boat down the Colorado River to exit Waterhole Canyon!)
Anyway, I'm tired so I'm gonna stop typing now. Illiam Canyon is awesome. And Nick is in time out until he learns how to use his words.
Music by Epidemic Sound:
Eine Cleine Nachtmusic (that's what it says - Don't ask me.)
Skip Stones - Franz Gordon
Music by Artlist:
Casa Monte Negra - The Whiskey Wasps
Far - The Hunts
Justice for Nick!! WE need the NICK CUT of this footage!!!!
Nick will get nothing and like it.
I love this! The video was beautiful and fun to watch! It's so awesome how much wilderness there is to explore in Arizona!
I'm always amazed at how much is out there. Not even a mile away from this route is one of the most difficult, technical and beautiful slot canyons I've ever been in.....And it's in Sedona. Slot canyons. (There are at least 4 more in the area.) Walked past by 99.9% of the people who go there.
Having done both trails separately, doing both and repelling on the same day is serious badassery. I’d be recovering for a week. Well done
Great scenery, wonderful banter. Not sure why, but Nick seemed to be at a loss for words. Keep the videos coming, a lot of work I’m sure but much appreciated.
Yeah, no idea how I had all those technical issues right when Nick was talking.
Great video as always. Poor Nick.
Boys n I recently did West Fork, absolutely love that area. We’re doing some caving in December, then Beaver Creek in January. Keep the videos coming, we look forward to them!
You guys are just too much Fun !!! 🤗
AB Young is brutal. It looks like you rappelled down to a point very near the West Fork trailhead. I’d imagined you were dropping in much further up the fork. Your angles and shots were enjoyable. Thanks!
Nick was very serious about something. Like he was trying to be the more mature younger sibling to a goofy older brother nudging him on. Beautiful fall colors and awesome banter.
Every chick I meet from Bumble who just moved here from Seattle I tell her about your channel. Learn Arizona from Jerry! Cya at the Xmas party ! Timmy C Arizona
Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh my😂
A solid day of shenanigans🔥
Definitely. Not as much adventure as you and Moonjuice got into. That ML traverse looks insane.
@@JerryArizona Indeed! His video does a great job of capturing the experience. His comments about Sister Peak were well deserved😂
Sweet! Looked like a heck of an adventure.
Not as intense as Mother Lode. When are you making a video on that?
@@JerryArizona ua-cam.com/video/YJhnZjJ7fBk/v-deo.htmlsi=F_wXQoRwMGXfJukY
That looks awesome, I want to do that!!
legend
Always enjoy your content but not long enough Jerry, these vids get much shorter than previously!
I always just edit it to the length that feels right and it ends up what it is. This one didn't take too long, so it's naturally a shorter video. If I'd shot better footage, it would've been longer, but no such luck on this adventure.
my fav part is the food after.
I forgot about dot candies 😂 Man those would get stuck in my teeth like no other candy.
Poor Nick lol
I like switchbacks, easier that straight up or down.
Be careful there is a sasquach family up there.
Hi. Is this for real? Mogollon monster reported East pocket area for years but not recently
@@Philotsofur yes its true. They are pretty aggressive. A friend shot his gun to scare them near the cave. He said they were popping up or in and scared him pretty bad. Another friend confirmed it, that was there.
Sorry, gotta call “bad form” at 4:45…hand on rope above device is useless. Old school says control hand just below device, one hand on rope behind back. Your results may vary.
I dont know! complain about switchbacks. Climb to the top just to rapel back down. Seems like your wife is the smart one, she wasnt there...