Bear Canyon - West Clear Creek Wilderness, Arizona
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- Bear Canyon - West Clear Creek Wilderness, Arizona
This place...This place keeps calling me back, then beating the crap out of me.
So I wanted to try an easy technical canyon as my first one after shoulder surgery (they said it would take a full year to completely heal), so I picked Bear Canyon. This would be my fourth or fifth time through, so I may have gone in pretty confident. I also may not have done anything outside for a few weeks leading up to this. I ALSO may not have paid much attention to the forecast (in regard to temperature; I did check for rain.) Finally, I may have slept in about 3 hours longer than I should have.
That's stupid. This is West Clear Creek. The same West Clear Creek that I've visited dozens of times. The same West Clear Creek that kicks my butt with consistency more than any other wilderness area I visit.
When we headed in, it was surprisingly hot. Like really hot. I think it was about 110 in Phoenix, but this was higher elevation, so I figured it would be cooler. Well, it wasn't high enough. On the way in, the steep approach and slippery pine needles slowed us down a ton. Even though it was a short hike, by the time we got to the canyon, I was over heated. It sucked the energy right out of me and I was actually in trouble. I couldn't go far without having to take a break, and it was hard to cool down. We sat in the shade for about 30 minutes deciding if it would be better to hike back out the way we came (shorter, but hot) or go through the canyon (really cold swims to cool down, but physically harder and a higher climb to exit.) You won't see any footage of that dilemma in this video because it was serious enough that I had a lot more on my mind than filming. I'm fine with that because this was all the fault of my poor decisions and I don't want this to be a 'drama' video, despite how many views that may bring. Just let me be stupid off camera every now and then.
Anyway, surprise, we lived. After resting and cooling down, we decided to continue on. I was seriously concerned about hikng back out the hot and steep approach. I hoped that the cold water would help cool us down and that the excitement of the slot canyon and technical section would get my head in the game enough to mentally power through the fatigue.
And that worked great. That water was freezing. I'm a big wimp when it comes to cold water and I am not ashamed to say that. Which is why I left all that stuff in the video. And it's funny. I usually focus on more cinematic shots, but I wanted a little bit of the reality of canyoneering left in there. Yes, all you seasoned canyoneers can have a laugh at me. I don't mind. I live in the desert and my blood has thinned out considerably.
Bear Canyon is really popular for a reason. I think the video shows why. It's not difficult, it only takes 3~5 hours and it is absolutely beautiful. Not to mention it takes you to an incredible section of West Clear Creek and has a relatively easy exit. Bear Canyon is the first technical canyon a lot of people ever did. And yet Bear Canyon is regularly re-visited by seasoned pros.
Anyway, I'm tired and I need to finish packing for our next trip, so I'm done writing. Hopefully you enjoy the video. And for you long time viewers, you've probably seen this before, but hopefully it's still fun to watch.
Music by Artlist:
Stillness Solace - FableForte
Secret No 3 - DaniHaDani
Along the Way - The Hunts
Love the video, I had just rewatched your four times you almost died, and you do it again. Very fun video, especially love your desperate pleas when you jump in and Tina trying to cross the river swearing like hockey players the entire time. Keep them coming!
I’m not that smart. I think I’ve done this canyon 3 or 4 times since then. I keep going back…
Second video I've watched...I think I'll just have to follow you two 😊.
One of the best channels on YT right now, in the hiking and adventure category. So enjoy watching you two do your thing. Another great video!
I think you invented a new language when you were in the water pools😂. Another great adventure and another great episode.
Lots and lots of bleeps....
Trying to decide if West Clear Creek is just trying to keep you humble or if it's a siren trying to lure you to your death :D
Beautiful as always. Hope your summer's not too brutal out that way.
It's only like 110, so...yeah, that's hot. And I'm pretty sure WCC has it out for me, but I'm too dumb to cut my losses.
Nice job man! Fun to join you. . . And the Tina wink. . . Perfect! All healed up? You looked good, a bit whiny, lol, but good! Cold water Kills me too.
Lots of whining. I was testing the shoulder out to see how it was since this is such a beginner friendly canyon. Definitely not ready for any downclimbs yet.
Wow. What a treat. Just got home from being gone two weeks. It was an 18 hour travel day today, door to door. A new video from Jerry & Tina is exactly what I needed to decompress. As always, thank you both for sharing your adventures with us. It means more than you might think. As you were climbing/hiking out up that very steep slope I was thinking…I hope there’s Mexican food…and there was!
Keep up the great work! Love seeing your adventures.
That is such a fun canyon, thanks for sharing! We’re heading uptown WCC in a couple weeks but we’re dropping in at Tramway cause I’m old. One of these days I’m going to run into you on a trail somewhere! Happy Hiking!
Sometimes it's good to go down there on an easier trail. I need to explore the north end more. Been there a few times and it was just as beautiful but so much mellower.
Another great video. you two. It always makes me happy to see that you have'nt yet tired of making them. I do feel a twinge of guilt that I watch them for free, but on the other hand I'm pretty sure that my small pittance of a contribution would not add much to defray your costs of production. Appreciate your efforts.
Don't feel bad. I love videography and editing about as much as I love adventuring. Got into it just so Tina and I could watch our adventures. I'm just amazed and lucky that it has the added benefit that other people enjoy them too.
Beautiful slot canyon. Thanks for braving the cold!
Wow, that was beautiful but so scary--I would not be that brave. Thank you!!
What a beautiful adventure. I'm glad I found your channel because there is so much more to AZ than the Grand Canyon and Phoenix for sure.
In 2 hours you can drive from the desert landscape of the superstition mountains to the pine forests around Flagstaff. I'm always amazed at how diverse our landscape is.
My wife and I very much appreciate you do not put out content on a schedule for click-bait, but instead provide informative documentaries on the incredible wild places you and your wife visit with a flair for humor and great production with video, narration, and soundtrack. An aside: my wife enjoys TIna's earthy wifely humor after our 30-year marriage. We will be visiting many of these places, inspired by your videos.
Amazing job of capturing how amazing and miserable Bear Canyon can be.
Did Sundance to Bear Canyon a few years back I’ve never been so cold, terrified, exhausted, amazed and excited in one trip.
That perfectly sums it up. Bear is easy and beautiful, Sundance is fun and beautiful....except for that last rappel which I found a little terrifying. Such an amazing place.
I don’t consider myself afraid of heights, but when I came to that last repel, I looked at my friend like this was a joke and would have gone back had it been possible. Only a few times have I ever been colder more terrified. the only thing that got me off that 180’ repel was knowing my two kids had to do it and couldn’t see me crying about it lol
I hope to take two of my daughters to Indian Maiden Falls this weekend. Love Clear Creek! Great job with your videos!
Looks like you guys got pretty dang serious this time!
Great content really enjoyed it!
The soundtracks are killer. Is that somebody you know or are you involved in music or what?
Just curious being a musician
Thanks! No, I just have odd musical tastes. My Pandora stations don't look like they're from a single person. Puscifer, Kishi Bashi, Frank Sinatra, Korn, Radical Face, The Dead South, Beethoven, Portishead....It's eclectic, to say the least.
Looked like a rough trail in and out with a cool (cold) slot canyon in between. Very nice.
But, you must be getting soft Jerry, I didn't see any middle finger from Tina! :)
I think she was just too tired after this one.
Jerry, I was watching this and suspecting you may just be a glutton for punishment. But then as you got a ways into that amazing canyon I realized why the trip is more than worth it. For you...probably not for me at this stage in life. What an incredible place to explore that is. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Jerryee & Tinaee ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ and that place - keeps calling you back - just ignore! Danger!! Only in groups - with the crazies. Still enjoying all of your adventures. Please be safe you two.!! & thanks again for sharing.
W0W, thank you both for the beautiful adventure and sharing with us. Amazing.
One ALWAYS has to respect WCC, Thanks again for letting us visit it - it's truly a amazing place. 😊
One does not simply walk into West Clear Creek....
Another great video. WCC will imprint on your soul once you’ve pushed your limits in its rugged and beautiful landscape. It will forever be my favorite adventure spot. Always love the reality of your adventures, Jerry. Maybe I’ll run into you in WCC one of these days.
I swear I'm never going back. But I always say that.
Fantastic to see you back at it! I ran Bear Canyon for the first time about a month ago and there was still snow on the ground. Truly one of the coldest outings I’ve ever had. Watching you just now makes me wanna go stand outside in the summer heat😂👍
I've seen you're getting into a few canyons. Pretty amazing, huh? Also, no thank you on the snow. Summer is cold enough in those slot canyons.
@@JerryArizona I couldn’t agree more🥶👍
Your editing and videography is just getting better and better!
Good to see you start canyoneering again. I don't recall any videos of rappelling without Nick and crew before. WCC is beautiful. Music choices are awesome as always.
Stunningly gorgeous and beautifully shot. I would surely die.
Yikes 😮, I think I will stick to hiking. Excellent cinematography and music choice.
those ferns are beautiful. last thing i expected to see down there
That canyon is crazy. I went through it one time where the entire slot section was bright lime green from all the moss.
From one challenge to another. Beautiful scenery. Thanks for sharing your video!
That looked like real fun. Wish I'd lived in Arizona and not England !
Jerry and Tina y'all need to imagine you're in a sauna in Finland and doing a cold plunge with the Iceman, problem solved!😅
I do not understand how people can stand those. I wouldn't last two seconds.
Wow! What Tina goes through to get Mexican food! Love your videos!
I'm late to the show because I have shared your videos with my wife. Now I have to wait until she's ready to watch y'all go on your adventures. 🤔 Keep up the great work Y'all we love you and you are an inspiration! 💪🤠👍
thanks for bringing us along
This was awesome, that water sounded cold 🥶 and heat stroke is no joke! Take care and good to see your shoulder is doing better!
I shared your channel with my brother who lives in Phoenix, he mentioned that he had been to some of the places you featured on the videos.
Maybe you were there at the same time, but that's not very likely.
Anyway, glad you survived your ordeal and had fun.
wow this one looks beautiful!
Once again the two of you made tv worth watching!!!!!
Its the Wilderness area loaded with gems much like this one. Awesome video!!
Happy for you guys getting your health back!
Nice! We were there last Saturday. Always a good time! Water was warmer than the last time I did it in June.
I wouldn’t recommend doing that now with the monsoon storms!
Definitely not where you want to be in a monsoon.
Dude, this canyon lured me in! Thank you!
Bear Canyon is a classic!
It's been great seeing you two hiking together again. Thanks for taking us along.
Woot woot!! A new video, and a fine one at that. 85F water in the Caribbean is just warm enough for me - I completely understand the cold water thingy.
Another super cool (and apparently cold) video! However, my barometer has been that if Tina goes along, then the hike is not crazy or dangerous. Now I'm not so sure. Much as I'd like to experience it, I think Bear Canyon on West Clear Creek is outside my safety and skill zone. Thanks for taking me vicariously along! - Steve
Just back from a week beachside camping san diego. The biggest chore daily was deciding what to order at Juanita's taco shop in Leucadia!! Party on Jerry and T. Timmy C Arizona
What a turn of events, Jerry is the one cussing and Tina is over prepared?
I handle cold water as well as I handle sketchy dirt roads. Which is not well....
Thanks for sharing another adventure! Yikes...hopefully that was heat exhaustion and not true heat stroke! 🥵
Loving your channel!
Welcome aboard!
Nice to see you and Tina doing some canyoneering! I'm guessing your shoulder is healing up very nicely.
It's getting there. Really slow going though. The tendon is healed, but I'm still trying to regain full range of motion. Probably will take another 6 months.
Great adventure
these margaritas must have been sooooo cold😉
love it!!!
Maybe it was all the ropes and helmets, but I gotta tell ya this one had it's own kind of beauty. It reminded me of a National Geographic. That could just be me as I was always carrying a Minolta SLR or a Nikon (Back in the day) when I did bouldering and was always looking for that, Shot - but am pretty convinced I would've found it if had been along with you for this one. WTG
Lol you know water is cold when Jerry's voice goes up like 17 octaves higher!
In old Germany würde man sagen: "Wenn du was Fantastisches sehen willst, geh´ zu Jerry!"
Your wetsuit is your best friend at WCC. My partner in crime wears a regular 3mm, but I need to wear a 5mm to be comfortable. I am a huge wimp in cold water, but that 5mm of neoprene is enough to swim when I need to without wasting energy on shivering.
We have maxed out the parts of WCC that we can get to on a regular trail. Definitely need to learn how to rappel.
Just wondering what percentage of footage shot eventually winds up into the Yt videos (on average)?
The video I'm editing right now is an hour and a half of footage and the video is about 15 minutes long. Which seems about right. So like 15~20%?
A choice between watching Jerry and Tina or the 2nd period of the Stanley Cup Final ... I chose this video!😁 Edit: As a former scuba diver, I know what cold water is and what you were going through.
I honestly couldn't talk. But it felt good after being so hot coming in.
I see your shoulder is feeling better. 👍
It's completely healed. Working on range of motion now. Hopefully I'll be able to start some weight training soon.
LOVE IT! ❤
Was the water cold?
I'm not sure how you'd get that impression.
I just got interested in canyoneering and was lucky to find your videos....they are great...!!.....I would really appreciate it if you could share a couple things........what diameter rope do you use and how do you retrieve your top anchors or are those already in place....? Thanks a million I have only just found you and this is my third video.......looking forward to the others....!!!
Thanks, man. Canyoneering is a LOT of fun, but there's a lot to it. I think I have 8mm static ropes (typically). Anchors can be built a bunch of different ways and you need to know whatever way you're using well enough to trust your life to it. Usually a double strange or biner block will do the trick, but the more options you know, the better your odds are of staying out of trouble. Highly recommend classes with someone who knows what they're doing. In the Phoenix area, the best place to go is AZ Rock and Canyon Adventure. Those guys know their stuff. Then you can get plugged into the community and usually find people who are happy to go out adventuring with new people. Some beginner routes here are Bear Canyon, Christopher Creek or the Salome Jug. But you can get into trouble in any canyon, so you don't want to underestimate the easy ones. (Bear almost killed me a few years back; hypothermia.)
@@JerryArizona Thank you.....if you know any good instructional youtube videos it would be great if you could give me the links.......I live on the east coast and go to Red River Gorge ky......I backpack there and would like to use some canyoneering techniques to explore further.......thanks a million I appreciate the advice.....I will continue to watch your videos.....I have learned a lot by watching .....
👍👍
OH Jerry........
"And for you long time viewers, you've probably seen this before, but hopefully it's still fun to watch."
It's always fun to watch. Thanks for taking us along.
This is taking it easy?? 😳
Brings back memories of being rescued by a helicopter crew from wcc while on a boyscout trip when our leader hurt his leg badly.
Oof. It's so slick down there. I've limped out a few times myself.
So, on average, the temperature was about right.
Tina actually got me into canyoneering by suggesting we take a course in Utah. Since then she's decided she doesn't feel that comfortable being on rope, so I usually go with Nick and the Eric's. But every now and then she'll go out and do a canyon. Which is good, because there's no way I could keep up with those guys until my shoulder fully heals.
I cringe watching you guys at times. Hiking washes so risky and my god the pain. I couldn't do it. I love the scenery you guys show. But l worry something might happen to one of you and get in a bad situation you can't get out of. I think some people are addicted to adrenaline rushes and maybe pain. Be careful, you have excellent content. Holding a camera in some of those places seems impossible. Your hikes are like going into battle.
I use the helmet mount on the GoPro for most technical canyons. And don't worry. No adrenaline rush/thrill seeking here. We just like amazing places and cool experiences.
How cold was the water here?
When I was at Indian maiden falls 2 weeks ago it wasn’t very cold but I’m just curious about the water temperature throughout the year
U gonna die?
On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.
@@JerryArizona interesting