spinesnaper
11-08-2010, 08:12 AM
Neon/Ringtail TR
November 4, my canyoneering partner, Jasper, and I drove from Los Angeles to Escalante and stayed at the Circle D Motel. We got a predawn start and drove out to the Egypt Trailhead and hit the trail at 9AM.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39010&stc=1&d=1289230794
The weather was about perfect for late Fall. It was cold predawn in the mid 30’s but it rapidly warmed with the Sun and the high was in the high sixties.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39011&stc=1&d=1289230794
We made a beeline for Neon Canyon and nabbed the campsite at the mouth of the Canyon, dropped our backpacks, grabbed the wetsuits and gear and headed up canyon to do Neon.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39013&stc=1&d=1289230868
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39012&stc=1&d=1289230794
Ram had indicated in a post in the Yahoo Canyoneering Group that the keepers in Neon might be filled but we planned on keeping an eye on our descent and to retreat up canyon if the final hole was in keeper mode.
Somehow I forgot bring my 8.3mm-60m Canyon Fire rope from home. However, we had a 100-foot, 8mm static rope and more than enough pull cord for the final rappel in the Golden Cathedral. My partner wanted to use the higher alternate start for Neon that Tom Jones describes on his website. However, I was concerned about our time so we did the standard start for the Canyon. As it was, we rolled back into camp at 5PM so I think that was a good choice. However, the upper portion of the canyon definitely looked interesting.
The canyon went by quickly and before we knew it we were deposited at the up canyon side of the final keeper pothole. It was so filled with water that we almost did not recognize it: Definitely in swimmer mode not in keeper mode.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39014&stc=1&d=1289230868
The rappel out of the Golden Cathedral was amazing.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39015&stc=1&d=1289230868
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39016&stc=1&d=1289230923
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39017&stc=1&d=1289230923
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39018&stc=1&d=1289230923
The next morning we planned on doing Ringtail and return to the car the same day. We got a slow start mostly because of the cold morning temperature. However, finally we pulled on our cold wetsuits, packed up the gear for the canyon and headed over to Ringtail. We were concerned about the two keepers in Ringtail and we discussed what condition we might find them in. We made our way into the canyon and headed down canyon to the technical start of Ringtail.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39020&stc=1&d=1289230976
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39021&stc=1&d=1289230976
The entrance is an awkward down climb that is either a slightly flared body jam or an off width circular chimney depending on which way you do it and then into a swimmer pothole.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39022&stc=1&d=1289231747
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39023&stc=1&d=1289231747
From there, down canyon, is a small down climb chimney around a couple of large chock stones. Then immediately one is staring down on the first of the keeper potholes. It has to be entered with a short 10 foot rappel from a heavy snag lodged in the canyon, although the route descriptions suggest it can be down climbed. Even if you are a strong climber, this should not be done unless the rest of your party has surmounted the keeper pothole you are entering.
Looking down, the pothole definitely looked like a keeper. We discussed pack tossing from our elevated position. However, we both decided it would be educational to go into the pothole and see what it would be like to work our way out from the hole. We retrievably blocked one side of the rope and both rappelled into it. We preset ascenders on the blocked side of the rope. I looked at my watch just before we entered the pothole. It was 1PM.
The pothole was waist deep on the up canyon side. The way out was blocked by a slick, nearly featureless, steep ramp leading to the lip, which was 4 feet about the water surface. The surface was greased with wet mud. Below the water’s surface the pothole was under cut with no features to use to support one’s body weight. I could not reach the bottom there, nor could my partner and he is 6’3”. We immediately went to work on a pack toss. With great effort, my partner managed to get both packs over the lip. Unfortunately the mud that greased our side of the hole must have also lubricated the other side as well. As we put our weight on the cords that held the packs, they began to pull over the lip. We tried various permutations of this including partner assisting. Jasper submerged to find the bottom of the hole. He went about a foot under water and did not find the bottom. At this point, I looked at my watched and it was now 2:15. Somehow we managed to use up an hour an fifteen minutes and accomplished nothing and I was getting cold. We also needed to break camp and get back to the car before nightfall. We looked at each other and immediately agreed it was time to retreat. We ascended out of the keeper pothole. It was an enlightening experience. We will be back in the future to try it again.
Now I would like to say that we had the foresight to leave a line hanging at the awkward start of the technical entrance to Ringtail but we didn’t. Fortunately my partner is a strong climber and did a lie-back into the circular chimney to get out of the depth of the canyon. This saved us from doing a 5.10 plus friction climb out of the canyon. He fixed a two to one pulley for me and assisted me out of the there as well.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39024&stc=1&d=1289231833
We warmed up in the afternoon sun and had lunch before making our way back to the mouth of Neon.
We packed up and broke camp at 5PM.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39019&stc=1&d=1289230976
We beat a hasty retreat back in the direction of the trailhead. We got to the base of the final escarpment just as it got dark and reached the car at 7:30PM with headlamps. A fantastic trip and important lessons were learned: don’t loose your height advantage on your keeper pothole, among others.
Sorry about the goofy thread title.:oops:
Ken Steinsapir
November 4, my canyoneering partner, Jasper, and I drove from Los Angeles to Escalante and stayed at the Circle D Motel. We got a predawn start and drove out to the Egypt Trailhead and hit the trail at 9AM.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39010&stc=1&d=1289230794
The weather was about perfect for late Fall. It was cold predawn in the mid 30’s but it rapidly warmed with the Sun and the high was in the high sixties.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39011&stc=1&d=1289230794
We made a beeline for Neon Canyon and nabbed the campsite at the mouth of the Canyon, dropped our backpacks, grabbed the wetsuits and gear and headed up canyon to do Neon.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39013&stc=1&d=1289230868
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39012&stc=1&d=1289230794
Ram had indicated in a post in the Yahoo Canyoneering Group that the keepers in Neon might be filled but we planned on keeping an eye on our descent and to retreat up canyon if the final hole was in keeper mode.
Somehow I forgot bring my 8.3mm-60m Canyon Fire rope from home. However, we had a 100-foot, 8mm static rope and more than enough pull cord for the final rappel in the Golden Cathedral. My partner wanted to use the higher alternate start for Neon that Tom Jones describes on his website. However, I was concerned about our time so we did the standard start for the Canyon. As it was, we rolled back into camp at 5PM so I think that was a good choice. However, the upper portion of the canyon definitely looked interesting.
The canyon went by quickly and before we knew it we were deposited at the up canyon side of the final keeper pothole. It was so filled with water that we almost did not recognize it: Definitely in swimmer mode not in keeper mode.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39014&stc=1&d=1289230868
The rappel out of the Golden Cathedral was amazing.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39015&stc=1&d=1289230868
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39016&stc=1&d=1289230923
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39017&stc=1&d=1289230923
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39018&stc=1&d=1289230923
The next morning we planned on doing Ringtail and return to the car the same day. We got a slow start mostly because of the cold morning temperature. However, finally we pulled on our cold wetsuits, packed up the gear for the canyon and headed over to Ringtail. We were concerned about the two keepers in Ringtail and we discussed what condition we might find them in. We made our way into the canyon and headed down canyon to the technical start of Ringtail.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39020&stc=1&d=1289230976
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39021&stc=1&d=1289230976
The entrance is an awkward down climb that is either a slightly flared body jam or an off width circular chimney depending on which way you do it and then into a swimmer pothole.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39022&stc=1&d=1289231747
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39023&stc=1&d=1289231747
From there, down canyon, is a small down climb chimney around a couple of large chock stones. Then immediately one is staring down on the first of the keeper potholes. It has to be entered with a short 10 foot rappel from a heavy snag lodged in the canyon, although the route descriptions suggest it can be down climbed. Even if you are a strong climber, this should not be done unless the rest of your party has surmounted the keeper pothole you are entering.
Looking down, the pothole definitely looked like a keeper. We discussed pack tossing from our elevated position. However, we both decided it would be educational to go into the pothole and see what it would be like to work our way out from the hole. We retrievably blocked one side of the rope and both rappelled into it. We preset ascenders on the blocked side of the rope. I looked at my watch just before we entered the pothole. It was 1PM.
The pothole was waist deep on the up canyon side. The way out was blocked by a slick, nearly featureless, steep ramp leading to the lip, which was 4 feet about the water surface. The surface was greased with wet mud. Below the water’s surface the pothole was under cut with no features to use to support one’s body weight. I could not reach the bottom there, nor could my partner and he is 6’3”. We immediately went to work on a pack toss. With great effort, my partner managed to get both packs over the lip. Unfortunately the mud that greased our side of the hole must have also lubricated the other side as well. As we put our weight on the cords that held the packs, they began to pull over the lip. We tried various permutations of this including partner assisting. Jasper submerged to find the bottom of the hole. He went about a foot under water and did not find the bottom. At this point, I looked at my watched and it was now 2:15. Somehow we managed to use up an hour an fifteen minutes and accomplished nothing and I was getting cold. We also needed to break camp and get back to the car before nightfall. We looked at each other and immediately agreed it was time to retreat. We ascended out of the keeper pothole. It was an enlightening experience. We will be back in the future to try it again.
Now I would like to say that we had the foresight to leave a line hanging at the awkward start of the technical entrance to Ringtail but we didn’t. Fortunately my partner is a strong climber and did a lie-back into the circular chimney to get out of the depth of the canyon. This saved us from doing a 5.10 plus friction climb out of the canyon. He fixed a two to one pulley for me and assisted me out of the there as well.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39024&stc=1&d=1289231833
We warmed up in the afternoon sun and had lunch before making our way back to the mouth of Neon.
We packed up and broke camp at 5PM.
http://www.bogley.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39019&stc=1&d=1289230976
We beat a hasty retreat back in the direction of the trailhead. We got to the base of the final escarpment just as it got dark and reached the car at 7:30PM with headlamps. A fantastic trip and important lessons were learned: don’t loose your height advantage on your keeper pothole, among others.
Sorry about the goofy thread title.:oops:
Ken Steinsapir