North Wash Slots and Black Holes
The End and The Beginning, 2003-2004 - Part Three

We had heard a bunch of wood had been washed in, and made the canyon more difficult. What did that mean?

Wood Jam #1. We were able to crawl under this.

Mr. Black brought along some fresh fodder, er, new friends from Blanding.

The actual Black Hole was choked with wood. To the point that the swimming was incredibly difficult and strenuous. We swam through debris, climbed up unstable piles of wood, and ended up rappelling 50 feet at the end of the wood stack. More swimming, etc. Very cold. The Black Hole is no longer a romp. It is now strenuous and dangerous. The wood is very unstable, the swimming demanding. This increases the cold water exposure two to ten times, and will lead to numerous rescues of unprepared parties this next summer. We are hoping that the wood piles will quickly break up and get washed away, but experience would indicate that it will be at least a few years before the Black Hole is a romp again.

Next day, I took the day off while the kids did a local slot. This sign on a county road seems to have less to do with the actual road, and just a bit to do with politics.

And then it snowed, so I went home, over the swell.

Rest Stop just east of the reef.