Box Elder Canyon
Better known as SOS or Six Ounce Sack. Zero rappels and still one of the three hardest XX canyons on the plateau: three sections of stemming on flaky, mossy rock.
The crux has a name, the ejector seat. From a wide offwidth move you pop up and stem 20 to 30 feet over a pinch to arrive at the top of a large silo that is smeary, nearly featureless and steadily forces you outward. The safe answer is to elevator down and forward through the opening to the bottom of the silo rather than committing up and over, then physically upclimb back over the next pinch. Rock quality is poor throughout, flaky mixed with mossy and crumbly, which is worth knowing before you trust a foot. Section 1 runs X to X plus with several 15 to 20 foot downclimbs and squeezes that pinch a 185 pound body; section 2 is the XX business with Pintac style upclimbs over eye level pinches; section 3 is 30 to 45 minutes of more of the same. Approach from Red Well trailhead north and northeast down toward Dry Fork, then climb the south side to the top; exit retraces your steps. Spring is the listed window. Seven to 8.5 hours.
Logistics
| Manager | BLM Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument |
|---|---|
| Permit | No permit required. |
| Technical | 0 rappels |
| Season | Spring |
| Coordinates | 37.466, -111.147 |