A note on beta
Information on canyons is a precious thing in our sport. With Laura and I having been very busy with other things in the last month or so and a subsequent dry spell in canyoneering descents, I wanted to take the time to thank those that shared this information. Thus far this blog consists of no first descents or even anticipated first descents. Therefore, the information for our canyoneering adventures has been shared from a variety of other sources. Nearly half of the posts on this blog are with information from the book “Arizona: Technical Canyoneering” by Tood Martin. You can probably tell from the photograph I shot of my copy of the book how worn it is. There is also great canyoneering and hiking information from Todd’s website, “Todd’s Desert Hiking Guide”.
Other sources of beta for descents shared on this blog are “Zion: Canyoneering” by Tom Jones, “Canyoneering Arizona” by Tyler Williams, and the website, “Adventure Hikes and Canyoneering in the Southwest” by Christopher Brennen.
-David
Night in Bear Canyon
Bear Canyon, 3BII
2.8 miles
Coconino National Forest, tributary of West Clear Creek
10/10/09
Normally when driving on a bumpy, dirt road along the rim of a canyon in the darkness of night we are heading home after a long day of canyoneering. Not on this night. On this night our legs were fresh and our wetsuits dry as we headed towards and not away from our adventure. With no moon and the tree canopy blocking the little bit of ambient light from the heavens our visual world was limited to the narrow channel of illumination created from the bouncing headlights. Some sort of cat, presumably a bobcat sprinted across that channel of light and then we saw a magnificent herd of elk including the bull with its giant antler rack. “This is going to be an exciting night,” I thought. As we parked at the head of the canyon, the thermometer in the car read 45 degrees. Headlights were replaced by headlamps as we got our gear situated. At 7:30 pm we began weaving through the forest and into Bear Canyon.
All three of us had descended Bear Canyon before and the consensus was that even though Bear Canyon contains a beautiful section of short Coconino sandstone narrows, it just doesn’t possess enough challenges to make it a truly classic canyoneering descent. As pools and down climbs began to present themselves what I remembered as being unchallenging took on a whole new light in the darkness of night.
As those narrows encapsulated us we took the opportunity to shut off our headlamps and briefly let our eyes adjust. Our pupils could not compensate. Only a thin sliver of stars could be seen overhead and everything else was a complete and total absence of light. The narrows were filled high with unquestionably cold water making for several longer than remembered swims. During night just like day those wonderful narrows ended far too soon, the canyon widened and after another half hour of careful maneuvering we made our way into West Clear Creek. As we passed a vacant campsite we took advantage of a fire pit and pile of wood and made a quick campfire. The fire was nourishing and stimulating both to the body and the eyes. It also made the transition from wetsuits to clothes all the more pleasant. John doused the fire with several helmet-fulls of water from West Clear and we raced up the trail and out of the canyon.
-David
Cheery-Oh El Capitan Canyon
El Capitan Canyon, 3AI
3 miles
South of Globe, Arizona
12/14/08
Cold and clouds made for a Cheery-Oh day of canyoneering. Chris, Jessica, David and I descended El Capitan Canyon which parallels Highway 77 south of Globe last winter. For some reason, that is beyond me, David and Jessica decided to talk in British accents for the entire trip. Maybe it was the dreary weather.
El Capitan Canyon has a few rappels a short section of narrows and a really cool rock tunnel that you have to walk through after the second rappel. Once the technical section is over it is an easy hike out on a dirt road back to the car.
-Laura
Style in Imlay Canyon
Imlay Canyon, 4BVR (Potato Hollow entrance)
15 miles (approximate)
Zion National Park
09/26/09 – 09/27/09
I would be lying to you if I told you that I did not have butterflies in my stomach as Laura, Eric and myself started the 7 hour drive up to Zion National Park to attempt a descent of Imlay Canyon. Like a “tell-tale heart” Laura could not mask her nerves if her innocence depended on it. Even Eric who is cooler than Eli Manning on Sundays talked about his very healthy respect for this one. Our group of three were all first timers for Imlay, a canyon that is so challenging it shares its own chapter in Mr. Jones’ guide book with none other than Heaps (another canyon which none of us have descended). What we did have was fitness, know how, the necessary gear and humble respect, all the ingredients necessary for a safe and successful descent. Regardless, we talked about how most likely everything would not go 100 percent without a hitch and we would deal with situations as they occur, just as we always have.
After getting our permit the following morning behind a man who had been waiting at the backcountry office since midnight, we hopped on the shuttle and began hiking up the West Rim trail from the Grottoes. The strenuousness of the approach of nearly 10 miles and 3,000 feet of elevation gain with heavy packs was matched by the intensity of its beauty. Five hours in and we reached Potato Hollow. Before beginning the descent we pumped iron-flavored water out of the nearly dry pond at Potato Hollow sharing it with dozens of thirsty but non-threatening bees.
Initially having trouble finding the anchor for the first rappel, Laura quickly got us on track. As we rigged the rope we all seemed to get a second wind. Rappels 4-6 consisted of a spicy and unexpected multi-pitch including a not quite hanging bolt station into a 170-foot rappel down a beautiful sheer wall baking in the afternoon sun. We handled the multi-pitch with precision, parched throats and hot feet. Once in the cool shadows of Imlay proper a sense of calm and serenity filled the air. Nearly a dozen rappels, a number of down climbs and a great section of really narrow canyon brought us to a flat, sandy spot alongside a water filled pothole. The water in the pothole looked relatively clear and darkness was setting in so we decided to camp for the night even though we had not yet reached the Crossroads.
A night of sipping filtered pothole water, whiskey and rum, filling our bellies with dehydrated pasta, chicken and rice, sharing in good conversation in such a unique setting could not have been a better way for Laura and I celebrate 10 years as a couple (the last four as husband and wife). Getting a relatively decent night’s sleep, we woke at first light. Suiting up in our armor of 7mm wetsuits we headed down canyon. By the time we reached the Crossroads we were warmed up and really finding our rhythm.
Using short ropes Eric and I would leap frog Laura. Any especially difficult obstacles the leader would wait and we would tackle together. Any sequences that consisted of multiple drops consecutively we would make sure to locate the next anchor before pulling the rope. This rule saved our butts several times as we had initially rigged too short a rope to complete a second part of a double drop rappel. About an hour from the Crossroads the canyon got narrow, very dark and keepers emerged. Despite the frigid water our protection of thick neoprene kept us comfortable, allowing us to focus on the obstacles and really absorb just how much fun we were having. At the first big pothole (15 feet from the surface of the water to the lip) instead of hooking we repositioned a log jammed in the canyon bottom. Eric climbed the log and then on to my shoulders. Eric was able to gain some position with his hands on the wall as I shoulder pressed his feet and he clambered atop the lip. We waded through a hallway of wood soup, crawled through a tunnel under a logjam and worked together on down climbs and keepers. We were sweaty and grimy as we reached the end of the first section of extreme narrows in great time and style.
The second section of extreme narrows began right away as the rappels and the keepers returned with ferocity. By now we were pretty aware that water levels were extremely low (although we can’t say for sure as we were all Imlay first timers). Even though the apparent low water levels left for a number of deep keepers, because of these conditions we were able to stand in all of the potholes. This factor combined with my large size and Eric’s light body weight and climbing ability allowed us to boost out of all keepers but one that we had to hook out of. I also wonder if the potholes have recently been filled with sediment. Evidence of this was a number of holes drilled into the pothole walls that seemed ludicrously low to the ground. The canyon ended with a dramatic 130-foot free hanging rappel into the Virgin Narrows. Touching down into the Narrows the unexpected problems we figured we were bound to encounter never came and it felt pretty darn good.
-David
Lemonade in Lemon Canyon
Lemonade in Lemon Canyon, 2BIII, (not to be confused w/ Lemmon Canyon in Southern Arizona)
6 miles
Coconino National Forest
09/21/09
It is early in the morning and I am driving up to the rim to meet my good buddy. Earlier in the season he had been scouting out a canyon and was stopped at a 100-foot fall. He was pretty certain this was not the only drop. There were no signs of bolts, webbing or any kind of anchor set up; a possible un-descended canyon. With 400 feet of rope and lots of hardware we were going to see what we would find. About 30 minutes from our rendezvous point I took a glance at my cell phone and saw I had an unread text message. I opened and it read, “Dude I am sick as shit, something I ate. Not going to make it, dammit.” It was sent hours earlier. Already over an hour from home my mind began racing to come up with an alternative. There was no way I was going to do a potential first descent solo, particularly when I had not done the original recon.
This same good buddy had also told me about another nearby canyon that he had descended sans rope with some exposed down climbs. I decided to go for it. The canyon was not particularly spectacular: a few shallow pools, some pseudo-narrows and two not very difficult but rather exposed down climbs. You know the saying, “When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade,” so for the purposes of this blog let’s call this unnamed canyon “Lemon Canyon” not to be confused with Lemmon Canyon in the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson. That lemonade was actually pretty tasty as I was treated to observing two owls (I believe spotted owls) in the canyon. I spent about 15 minutes with the owls as we studied each other. The lemonade continued its sweet refreshment on an exciting and somewhat sketchy climb out of the canyon. Near the top of the hike out I was treated to a large mushroom shaped rock that loomed over the canyon.
-David
Elk-Hunting and Monsoon Season in Flintstone Canyon
Flintstone Canyon, 3BIV
10.5 miles
Coconino National Forest – Tributary of West Fork of Oak Creek
09/13/09
The monsoons were late to the party, but they have showed up. Flash flooding, lightning, and towering clouds that were almost non-existent in July and August have made an appearance in September. Last weekend Laura and I cancelled our canyoneering plans because of the inclement weather. A week later the forecast though slightly better still left plenty to consider. We decided to continue with our plans to descend Flintstone Canyon into the West Fork of Oak Creek despite the 30 percent chance of thunderstorms in the late afternoon and early evening for the area. The nearby town of Sedona had violently flash flooded just a few days earlier sweeping away vehicles like matchbox cars. I insisted on as early a start as possible to finish before the potential deluge.
As John locked up his truck at the head of the canyon, Laura, Ron and myself walked into the forest shortly after sunrise. We heard John shout, “Hold up a second guys.” As we turned around we saw a camouflaged clad man approach John from his nearby camp along the forest service road. “It is elk hunting season,” said the hunter. “There are hunters in there, you might get shot with an arrow or scare away the elk and they might not come back.” They briefly exchanged words and then John caught up to us and the hunter returned to his camp. As we continued into the forest John said the man was neither pleasant nor appeared pleased with the direction of our travels. I guess they didn’t realize that elk-hunting season does not mean that hunters have exclusive rights to a national forest. I commented that if we scared away all the elk they could take consolation by shooting up the tires of John’s truck. To myself I wished John’s truck the best of luck as we quickly and quietly descended into the safety of the canyon to avoid any errant arrows.
Once in the drainage we made our way down the canyon choked with both living and dead vegetation as the walls slowly got higher and narrower. Logs became bridges and ladders for down climbs. At times the entire floor was covered in a carpet of dry twisted wood. John commented it was like the scene from Star Wars when Luke, Princess Leia and Han Solo were in the trash compactor of the Death Star. Those dead trees in the bottom of the canyon are the ancestors of an abundance of living trees growing right out of the rim high above us. After a first section of narrows the canyon briefly opened up and then dramatically dropped into a dark abyss. A tree served as our anchor for this spectacular rappel. No doubt this tree will one day die, violently fall and come to rest in the bottom of these narrows. The next generation will rise in its place.
We passed by ferns growing straight out of sandstone walls its roots clinging to soil hidden in the tiniest of cracks, wild grapes that were prettier than they tasted and moss covered walls that put a green hue into the narrow channel of open air. The canyon was relaxing and exciting, pleasant and challenging.
The monsoons barely showed up on this day. Nothing but some late afternoon grey pluming clouds, thunder in the distance and a light sprinkle in the final miles of the West Fork before reaching pavement.
-David
Inky pools in Horsetank Canyon
Horsetank Wash/ Sandrock Canyon Loop, 3BIVR
6 miles
Coconino National Forest- Upper Tributary of the Sandrock Canyon
08/24/09
Our trip down Horsetank canyon was wonderfully uneventful on a quiet Monday. Even though the canyon was exciting and quite technical there were no close calls and we didn’t even get lost once!
We were prepared for a canyon filled with cold water and though we weren’t disappointed the water levels appeared to be lower than normal. The water throughout the canyon was so black, it appeared you could dip your hands into the inky blackness and finger paint on the sandstone walls. The complete opaqueness of every pool in the canyon made it so you never knew if you would be swimming or simply wading through the water. One of the most interesting sections of the canyon consisted of a 35- foot free hanging rappel off of a huge logjam that filled the canyon from wall to wall. From below the logjam looked like an intricate web of roots.
After some tight narrows, numerous wades and swims, several rappels and a lot of down climbing the canyon opened up and we reached the confluence with Sandrock Canyon. As we started to hike up Sandrock, David let out a yelp as he came dangerously close to stepping on a rattlesnake curled up under the vegetation in the canyon bottom. Even though we did not see the rattles since the tail was curled up under itself the snake appeared to have the unmistakable head of a viper. The strange thing was the snake did not move an inch, appear to be at all disturbed, or rattle despite how close David had gotten. We carefully moved past the motionless snake and walked a little ways up canyon for lunch. As we sat for lunch a storm moved in overhead, the skies opened up and we were hit with a steady rain. With little shelter to keep dry we quickly ate our lunch and continued the hike up Sandrock Canyon.
As noted in Todd’s book this canyon should not be attempted unless you have good rock climbing skills or someone in your party is comfortable climbing an exposed face up to 60 feet without protection. Lucky for us Mike and Courtney are excellent climbers, in fact David is not so bad himself…..OK, honestly everyone in the group was a competent rock climber except for me. With a belay I cursed my way up the couple of walls that we had to climb to get out of the canyon.
-Laura
President Obama, the Taylor Fire and solo in James Canyon
James Canyon, 3BIII
5.75 miles
Coconino National Forest
08/16/09
Air Force One, the enormous Boeing 747-200B jet that transports the President of the United States landed on the runway of the Grand Canyon National Park Airport. President Obama, the First Lady and their two daughters walked down the retractable stairway and into their Black SUV. From a riser 50 yards from where Air Force One came to a stop I took as many photographs as possible from the instant Air Force One came into view in the horizon to when the Presidential motorcade went out of view on it’s way to the Grand Canyon. After the motorcade was out of sight, a secret service agent and press liaison informed us that the President would be leaving the Grand Canyon to return to Phoenix several hours before the scheduled 4 pm departure. One reporter said he had heard Sasha Obama, 7, and Malia Obama, 10, were tired and just wanted to hang out by the pool at their hotel in Phoenix. I have no idea if this is in fact the reason, but I do know that none of the members of the press were going to complain.
By 2 pm Air Force One was gone, all of my photographs had been filed and sent back to the Arizona Republic photo desk. “Interesting, I have some time to myself,” I thought. “Maybe I can squeeze in a solo descent of James Canyon, which is just south of Flagstaff.” As I headed down to Flagstaff a giant plume of smoke rose vertically southwest of Flagstaff high into the air and turned horizontal in a northeasterly direction. The plume from the wildfire was visible as far north as the town of Valle. After communicating with another Arizona Republic photographer who was already covering the wildfire, I decided to continue with my plan to descend James. By 4pm I was hiking into the canyon.
This was my first solo descent of a technical canyon. Solo canyoneering can be dangerous. Many have heard the story of Aron Ralston’s daring tale of survival in Bluejohn Canyon after a boulder pinned down his arm.
Though somewhat risky I felt well within my range of comfort and safety; I had previously descended James Canyon, the rappels are straightforward, it has no difficult water or pothole obstacles, there are a number of places where escape from the canyon appears possible and my wife was aware of what I was doing. I do have to admit that the solitude and the eerie light from a combination of the late day and smoke from the wildfire many miles away, added a spicy intensity as I rigged my rope for the first rappel.
I flew through the canyon out of necessity and ability. I reached the confluence with Kelly Canyon and Pumphouse Wash in two hours. Opting to climb up to the rim from the confluence as opposed to ascending Kelly Canyon I returned to my vehicle in just over an hour. I had 20 minutes of light to spare.
The following morning I spoke with an employee of the Coconino National Forrest. The fire dubbed, “The Taylor Fire” originated near Turkey Butte in the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Area on the east rim of Sycamore Canyon. My thoughts immediately turned to the many wonderful canyons that exist in this area. As I publish this blog post (08/22/09) the Taylor Fire is 90% contained but unfortunately has burned over 3500 acres.
-David
History in Canyon de Chelly National Monument
Within these canyon walls is the longest continuously inhabited landscape in North America. Beginning with the ancient Basket Makers dating back to over 1,500 years ago to the modern Navajo who still farm and herd sheep in the canyon bottoms in the summer months, Canyon de Chelly has housed generations upon generations upon generations. These walls have seen birth, death, love, family, murder, brutality, spirituality and tradition. They have been the building materials for homes and villages. They have been the canvas for works of art. They have been the arenas for hunting, gathering, herding and farming. A full history within sandstone chasms.
Canyon de Chelly National Monument consists entirely of Navajo Tribal Trust Land that works in partnership with the National Park Service. The majority of the 84,000 acres within the park boundary is off limits to non-resident Navajo without the company of a designated Navajo guide.
After pressing play on video, press pause & allow a minute for video to load & buffer before viewing. Thanks!
done©Arizona Republic 2009
In April of 2009 I was on a travel assignment for the Arizona Republic covering the national parks, monuments and historical sites on the Navajo reservation. While at Canyon de Chelly National Monument I hired hiking guide Ben Henry Jr. to not only see more of the park, but to hear first hand of this history. Ben grew up in the canyon and still farms the bottom. Ben took me down an informal trail across shelves and down sandstone walls as he told me about being a child growing up in the canyon. In the steeper sections we used hand holds and footholds carved out by earlier generations of Navajo. We walked along the canyon bottom as Ben talked about a mixture of the ancient past and his own personal experiences. We stopped to look at ancient Anasazi ruins, Navajo petrolglyphs from hundreds of years ago and a piece of land where Ben’s family still farms. Before we parted ways Ben invited me to meet his family during the farming season.
As I said goodbye to Ben and left Canyon de Chelly National Monument I felt a deep sense of peace. To hear the stories first hand, to walk on that earth and to share the company with someone from this history was a rejuvenating experience.
-David
A Das Boot(in)’ good time!
Das Boot/ Subway, 3BIII
10.8 miles
Zion National Park
07/26/09
Das Boot, a canyon as fun to descend as it is to say.
Mike, David and I drove up to Zion late Saturday after work to meet Eric, Eric and Chris for a few days of canyoneering. Bright and early Sunday morning we headed to Das Boot. Our only real trouble of the day was finding the Das Boot entrance point after crossing Russell Gulch. David and Mike went one direction, Chris and Flagstaff Eric another while Phoenix Eric and myself found our own path to the bottom of the canyon. Arriving at the head of the narrows we were excited for a deep, dark and cold day. With full body wetsuits on, although not fully zipped up, we made our way into the slot. The narrows were beautiful and deep, reminiscent of Buckskin Gulch, surrounded by a symphony of sandstone fins. I had read that Das Boot is a good precursor to canyons such as Heaps and Imlay so I was prepared for a mini adventure filled with cold swims, potholes and tough down climbs. As it turned out we had an extremely hot day and very low water levels in the canyon. This made for easier going than any of us expected. The few pot holes we encountered were easily escapable. I am glad I had the wetsuit to cover my legs and for a couple swims although Flagstaff Eric went with no wetsuit at all as he has an unusually high tolerance to the cold.
After eating lunch at the junction with Russell Gulch we continued down the canyon. Having descended the Subway last October in abnormally cold weather, going back and doing it again in the middle of the summer was a real treat. The swims that had sent a shiver to my core and made my fingers tingle were pleasant and inviting in July. The warm water, intense sunlight, sublime beauty, great company and technical ease made the Subway feel like one big canyoneering playground as we took time to crawl through small tunnels in the rock, soak in pools and slide down natural water slides.
-Laura
