Bailey Canyon & Beach, in the same day

Bailey Canyon, 3AIII
3 miles
Angeles National Forest – San Gabriel Mountains
09/26/12

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Like many Arizonians, every year Laura and I make an annual summer trip to San Diego. It is not only a chance to escape the heat and soak in the beautiful southern California coast, but an opportunity to spend quality time with one of my closest childhood friends, Tanner, who has made San Diego home. Tanner has made a number of trips to Arizona, during which time I have introduced him to canyoneering and we have shared in several descents. During this San Diego vacay I thought it would be fun to take a day off from the beach and drive up to the San Gabriel Mountains for some southern California canyoneering.

We leave early to beat the LA rush and arrive in the front rage of the San Gabriels entirely shrouded in fog. As we climb up into the mountains and the sun rises higher into the sky, the fog burns off making for some dramatic views. By the time we reach the start of the canyon, the fog is long gone, the sun is out in full force and we are excited to escape into the shadows of the canyon walls and begin the descent.

The canyon is bone dry and chock full of vegetation. Fortunately we are wearing long pants and these southern California plants are far more friendly than those in Arizona. Despite the canyon’s mellow attitude, it features a number of down climbs and up to a dozen rappels, including a long 110- foot drop, giving Tanner lots of opportunity to practice his canyoneering skills.

The day is light and fun with lots of humor, the kind of laughter you can only share with someone that you grew up with. The only tense moments come from a swarm of bees hanging out at the bottom of a drop searching for water and a rattlesnake soaking in the sun on a ledge part way down a rappel. Fortunately for us, the bees and the rattlesnake mean us no harm and allow us safe passage. We finish the adventure and return to our car early in the day allowing us to once again avoid rush hour. Arriving back in San Diego I Immediately walk out to the beach to join Laura and Wyatt already playing in the sand and ocean. You can’t do that after a day of canyoneering in Arizona.

- David

Tanner hikes through the fog on the Bailey Canyon Trail during the ascent.

The fog begins to clear.

Tanner on the 110 – foot rappel.

Tanner about to rappel.

Tanner down climbs in a nice section of narrows.

Tanner rappels.

Tanner rappels.

Later that day David and Wyatt have fun in the ocean at Solano Beach.

Cali Canyoneering – Lower Eaton Canyon

Lower Eaton Canyon, 3BIV
8 miles
Angeles National Forest – San Gabriel Mountains
05/30/10

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The hike up the popular Mount Wilson Toll Road trail to get to Eaton Canyon was sizzling in the mid-morning southern California sun. With frequent breaks in scarce shade we were treated to a panoramic view of Los Angeles and if it weren’t for the typical heavy haze of smog we could have seen the ocean from the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.

Eaton canyon is a natural wonderland on the outskirts of Los Angeles with warm water flowing down a steep canyon filled with trees and other beautiful vegetation. The canyon also features many natural water slides (although after the devastating Station Fire of last year, many of the drops that were once water slides into deep pools are now rappels because the canyon has been filled with much sand and debris).

I was still rappelling lefty after injuring my hand in Sunburst the week before but that was not going to keep me from going down Eaton. It was great to get out in a canyon with Chris who I had not descended a canyon with in nearly a year. After numerous rappels and down climbs through the considerable flow we began noticing graffiti on the canyon walls. The spray paint on the walls definitely took away from the gorgeous natural setting.

The final two rappels in Eaton are through slippery waterfalls directly down the watercourse. If rappelling while being pummeled by water is not enough you are greeted with the added pressure of a considerable audience from below, as the final two waterfalls are popular hiking spots reached from walking up the canyon. I have never seen such a crowd at the bottom of a rappel! Both Mystery and Imlay canyons in Zion National Park have final rappels into the Narrows, which can give you an audience of a few hikers but they don’t hold a candle to an Eaton rappel on a Sunday afternoon. Chris was the first to go down and he got cheers from over 50 people hanging out at the base of the waterfall. After our group of six made it safely through the final rap without embarrassing ourselves we hiked out of the canyon passing quite literally a hundred people.

-Laura

Rapping in Lower Eaton

Getting pounded on rap.

Beauty of a rappel.

With an audience below.

Don’t mess up here.

Bagging the rope.

Cali canyoneering – Rubio & LSA Canyons

For Memorial Day weekend, Laura and I drove across the desert to Los Angeles to see our good buddy Chris, get a little beach in and get a taste for some Cali canyoneering in the San Gabriel Mountains. The plan for the first day was to do the East Fork of Rubio into Rubio Canyon, a long and challenging day. After dropping off one of our shuttle vehicles at the bottom of Rubio in a residential neighborhood, which was in stark contrast to the canyoneering I am used to in wilderness far removed from civilization, we attempted to drive up into the Front Range via the Angeles Crest Highway to the upper trailhead for the East Fork of Rubio. A road closure on the Angeles Crest Highway from last year’s Station Fire and the heavy rains over the winter turned us around and we were forced to change our plans.

Rubio Canyon, 3BII
5.5 miles
Angeles National Forest – San Gabriel Mountains
05/29/10

Still nursing her bruised hand from Sunburst, Laura dropped us off at the trailhead for Rubio and wasted no time heading directly to the beach. For Chris and I, the hike up into the Front Range was a on a popular trail to say the least. We passed dozens of hikers as we switched back and forth up into the hills with views of the entire metropolitan area below us. Even through the smog, downtown Los Angeles did not look too far away.

Breaking off the trail we made our way into the canyon, which had a slight flow down the drainage. As we followed rusted pipes down the canyon, we made our way to the first rappel, an 80- drop down Thalehaha Falls. The descent was followed by several more rappels none of which were as interesting as the first. One of the rappels was down the remnants of an old dam. At the start of another rappel, the skyline of downtown LA was clearly visible. We quickly reached the end of the canyon and walked passed homes with manicured lawns back to our car.

Little Santa Anita Canyon, 3CII
4 miles
Angeles National Forest – San Gabriel Mountains
05/29/10

With still a lot of light left in the day, Chris and I hopped on the freeway, sat in a little bit of traffic and drove to the trailhead of Little Santa Anita Canyon (LSA). Another switchback hike under a blazing mid-afternoon sun brought us to the canyon that had a lot more flow than Rubio. LSA was a blast with close to ten continuous waterfall rappels through delightfully warm water or at least warm compared to what we are used to. Like Rubio, the canyon is way over bolted.  With the abundance of natural anchors the bolts are unnecessary but makes descent of the canyon quick and easy despite the concentration of rappels. At the end of the canyon, another hike through a residential neighborhood brought us back to out car.

-David

The metropolitan Los Angeles Area including the downtown skyline is seen beyond Echo Mountain on the approach hike to Rubio.

Chris rappels down Thalehaha Falls in Rubio Canyon.

Chris hikes along the creek at the start of LSA.

Chris rappels in LSA.

Chris pulls the rope in LSA.

Chris in LSA.

Chris rappels in LSA.

Chris hikes in a narrower section of LSA.

Chris walks through a residential neighborhood on the exit hike from LSA.