Canyoneering The Wives
Capitol Reef
Overview
The Wives are a total of 7 short canyons in Capitol Reef that are side drainages of Cohab Canyon. The canyons are all very short, so only take an hour or so once the approach is made. A competent group can do 2-3 of them easily in a day.
That being said, if you are OCD, such as myself, you will undoubtedly do all 7. For those more quality oriented, Wife 5 is head and shoulders above the rest. Wife 3 is also fairly good. Beyond that, I would not highly recommend the others. Wife 4 and 1 are OK, next I would put Wife 2, and TOTGA. I would not recommend Wife 6, it is brushy and not particularly interesting.
Note: Wife 5 is sometimes rated as harder because the 4th rappel was originally done from a small rock wedged in a solution pocket that is difficult to inspect/replace the webbing on. While this is true, look around at the rap, and there are a couple of solution pockets that go all the way through creating an easy thread. These make for better anchors; they are up out of the watercourse and easy to inspect.
All of these canyons are fault canyons, and contain a lot of fragile, crumbly rock. Helmets recommended and be sure to evaluate anchors carefully.
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