South Fork Ticaboo Llama Expedition May 4-12, 2013

Trip is full.  Once again we return to the Canyon Country, in what, according to my best reckoning, is my 100th lifetime trip. Our goal is the South Fork of Ticaboo Creek, accessible by trail from its south rim by people and llamas. Our previous trips to this country have targeted the nearby main fork, and we spent little time in the South Fork (see the 2009 trip report). The upstream terrain in the South Fork offers a new range of adventures - we can expect the usual domes, slickrock, and slot canyons. And a hike a couple miles downstream from camp, to the confluence, takes us to the best swimming hole I've ever found in the canyons (photo in the trip report). In the words of an online report written by Backpacker Magazine, "Among the 2,000 miles of winding shoreline and 96 side canyons, nowhere in Glen Canyon are there more hidden treasures than in the Ticaboo Creek-Fourmile Canyon region north of Bullfrog Marina. Here, a web of canyons cuts deeply into Navajo sandstone, creating well-watered gorges, slots, slickrock bowls, and soaring sandstone domes tucked between the Little Rockies and the lake's cliffy rim." Clearly, a return visit to a new corner of this country is in order.
 
We will once again employ the services of our llama packer BJ Orozco, who will provide 8 llamas to ferry our gear to a base camp in the South Fork. We will leave Los Alamos on Saturday, 4 May, overnight at the Recapture Lodge in Bluff, Utah (make your own reservations), arriving early enough for a late afternoon hike. The next day we drive to Bullfrog, where I will arrange lodging in one or two of the family units (translation: house trailers), and on Monday May 6 we will meet the packer and hike into the canyon. We will have 6 nights and 5 days to explore the South Fork and tributaries, and will move out early on Sunday, May 12 to hike out of the canyon, load into cars, catch the ferry across Lake Powell, and return to normal existence.
 
The packer will cost approximately $300 per person plus tip. There are eight places on this trip. In order to secure a spot, please send a $150 deposit to Bill at 380 Rim Road, Los Alamos NM 87544. In case of cancellation, we will attempt to fill your spot, but if this is not possible, your deposit is likely forfeit.