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Author Topic: The Wave in December  (Read 3668 times)

Khurram

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The Wave in December
« on: September 03, 2007, 06:38:57 pm »

A couple of friends of mine have got passes for the wave for December (start and end).  I just wanted to find out what the conditions are like either at the start of December or at the end.  Is that a good time to go???  

I have been to the wave three times (May and twice in October), but don't know what to expect in December.   I'd appreciate if someone who as gone at the start of December or during the christmas period, on whether or not that is a good time to go.   I;ve got the option of going with them  either on Chrismtas eve or at the start of December.
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alainbriot

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The Wave in December
« Reply #1 on: September 03, 2007, 10:28:19 pm »

Do it. The wave is always beautiful.  The only thing is that it will be colder, though only in the morning-days will still be nice and relatively warm.

There is no bad light or bad times of the year. There are only different lighting situations and different seasons.
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Khurram

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The Wave in December
« Reply #2 on: September 04, 2007, 08:56:03 am »

Quote
Do it. The wave is always beautiful.  The only thing is that it will be colder, though only in the morning-days will still be nice and relatively warm.

There is no bad light or bad times of the year. There are only different lighting situations and different seasons.
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thanks for the advice Alain.  My main concern was flying down to the states and finding that i wouldn't be able to due the hike bcoz of flooding.  I'm not what to expect weather wise.  It seemed to easy to get the passes for December, so i thought there might be a reason for that.
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Camboman

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The Wave in December
« Reply #3 on: September 04, 2007, 01:26:37 pm »

There is always the possibility that Rock House road is flooded at Buckin Gulch. This is the case just after a big rain. If that happens, you can hike from where the road is closed at Buckskin (adds 4 miles each way), or you can drive 100+ miles around to the other end of House Rock rd.

This happened to me in September.
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alainbriot

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The Wave in December
« Reply #4 on: September 04, 2007, 02:09:16 pm »

Yes, flooding can happen but also in December Snow can be a problem. In that case the whole road turns to mush and it becomes impassable.  I have had this happen to me several times.  The solution, go to another location.  There's no shortage of them around here.

To avoid snow I'd definitely recommend going in early December.  While the chance of getting snow is still there, the risk is a lot lower than in late December.
« Last Edit: September 04, 2007, 02:42:03 pm by alainbriot »
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Curt

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The Wave in December
« Reply #5 on: September 04, 2007, 03:46:36 pm »

I went to the Wave last year in late November, not December but close. Beautiful place, however the lower sun caused shadows in locations that may have been sunllit nearer mid-summer. The upside was that temps were pleasant.
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Don't be discouraged, but let us know what conditions you encounter.
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azmike

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The Wave in December
« Reply #6 on: September 04, 2007, 04:21:04 pm »

I'd pick the early December.  Nominal December weather should be brisk but sunny. The risk is not rain, but snow turning to ice on that long slickrock traverse. A good friend who is a world-known hiker and guide, hiked to the Wave in January after a good snow (the sun-warmed rocks melt most snows quickly....then night time or in-the-shade cold turns it all to ice.  He said it was treacherous. Just monitor the weather reports and avoid joining or following a winter storm.  You might also have a look at my recent post about "survival preparation", or how to not get lost on the Paria Plateau.

We don't see very many snow laced crossbedded sandstone photographs so you may have a lovely opportunity.

Mike Coffey
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Khurram

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The Wave in December
« Reply #7 on: September 04, 2007, 05:18:16 pm »

I appreciate all of the feedback. Late december is definately easier to go (will have holidays anyways between Dec 22 to Jan 1), in which case i wanted to combine the wave with Havasu.   I already booked Sept 23 to Oct 9 for Yellowstone and the Tetons, so i've got very limited holiday days left, so going during the xmas break would make it work from a work perspective.

i may have a conferance in vegas from Nov 26-29, which is why we tried for the dec 1 date as well.  If the conferance is a go, i'll definately do the wave on Dec 1.

We've got until Sept 15 to finalize our permits, so we may just book both days anyways, coz, i won't know about my conferance until the second week of October.
« Last Edit: September 04, 2007, 05:25:44 pm by Khurram »
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