Witch's Cauldron - Trachyte | Land of Oz

Canyoneering Witch's Cauldron - Trachyte - Land of Oz Canyoneering Witch's Cauldron - Trachyte

Land of Oz

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Overview

Wed Sunny. High near 62, with temperatures falling to around 57 in the afternoon. North wind 5 to 9 mph.
62° | na°
Thu Sunny. High near 60, with temperatures falling to around 55 in the afternoon. North northeast wind around 2 mph.
60° | 41°
Fri A slight chance of rain after 5pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 58. South southwest wind 2 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
58° | 41°
Sat Rain before 11am, then showers and thunderstorms between 11am and 5pm, then a slight chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 53. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
53° | 44°
Sun Mostly sunny, with a high near 53.
53° | 39°
View Full Forecast
RATING: 3B III R
SEASON: Spring, Summer, Fall.
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.
Wed Sunny. High near 62, with temperatures falling to around 57 in the afternoon. North wind 5 to 9 mph.
62° | na°
Thu Sunny. High near 60, with temperatures falling to around 55 in the afternoon. North northeast wind around 2 mph.
60° | 41°
Fri A slight chance of rain after 5pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 58. South southwest wind 2 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
58° | 41°
Sat Rain before 11am, then showers and thunderstorms between 11am and 5pm, then a slight chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 53. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
53° | 44°
Sun Mostly sunny, with a high near 53.
53° | 39°
View Full Forecast
canyonnarrowtechnical potholeshigh stemmingwetsuit neededadvancedcanyon rating raccess: 4x4
MRK in Witch's Cauldron
MRK in Witch's Cauldron
Kent Down climbing
Kent Down climbing

Ah, Witch's Cauldron Canyon, 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 I 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.

Witch's Cauldron Canyon is a great canyon, with several unique and amazing features. Enjoy.

Upper Witch's
Upper Witch's
MRK Stemming
MRK Stemming

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