Witch's Cauldron - Trachyte - Land of Oz

RATING: 3B III R

LENGTH: 5-7 Hours

GEAR: Raps to 25 m ( 83 ft. ). Wetsuit needed. Keeper pothole gear required.

WATER: Generally a few avoidable pools early in the canyon, and a mandatory swim toward the end.

FLASHFLOOD: Moderate, but you can see the whole drainage and skies on the approach.

SEASON: Spring, Summer, Fall.

Hype

Ah Witch's Cauldron, what a history we have together! I initially explored it with Kent Beverly, Mark McCray, and Penny Martens in about 2004. It was one of our first explorations, and we got shut down at the Cauldron.

A year or so later Kent, Penny and myself gave it another go, getting slightly below the Cauldron before fearing it would get too narrow to pass through and reversing out. Foiled again!

Due to scheduling and partner conflicts, I had given up on finishing the canyon. In the spring of 2007 Mike Kelsey and I planned a trip to a canyon he had wanted to check out. The canyon turned out to be Witch's Cauldron. Better equipped, and way more experienced, we made the full descent easily. The crux for us that day was the cold. We found 4 or so inches of snow after the last down climb. That, coupled with a bitter wind, made for a cold spring day of canyoneering.

This is great canyon, with several unique and amazing features. Enjoy.

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Comments

Take a light pack. Although short, the narrow stemming right after the keeper pothole is tight and will cause problems if your pack pulls you down or gets stuck.

by: mfallentine [Jun 05, 2011]

The road out there is epic right now. 4x4 required. The fall storms have really washed out sections of the road.

by: pothole [Oct 18, 2011]