driftwood
05-13-2013, 05:07 AM
Sunday, April 21st Joe M. and I put together a new canyoneering route. The most bang for your buck, according to Joe, and I have to agree. He went on to declare it even better than Bonas Defeat which is a bold statement but if anyone would know it would be him. No doubt about it this made for an excellent east coast canyoneering/cascading route. With multiple rappels, stunningly beautiful scenery and easy access this creek has great potential for our brand of canyoneering. Be warned that the entry and exit of this canyon are in very heavily used areas of the forest and most forest users have no clue what canyoneering is so be prepared for lots of questions. Move quickly, use the anchors we built and left, and during warm months lower your ropes instead of throwing them as the swimming holes at the bottom of the waterfalls are popular with day users.
It was an easy walk to the entry: a short walk on a well maintained trail and then into the creek.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8123/8672166422_7b35e03fb2_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8672166422/)
Then we immediately right into it with a 60' waterfall that required some technical down climbing before we reached the main drop.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8125/8671062311_6b28a632c5_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8671062311/)
There was a deep pool at the bottom we could barely see and Joe was hopeful that he could down climb and then jump into the water. But before he could use such a technique he had to know that it was clear at the bottom. So, I went down on rappel with Joe providing a meat anchor. At the bottom I found the landing zone to be very shallow so Joe had to build another anchor and then rappel down himself.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8379/8672162378_9e267df841_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8672162378/)
Even though it was shallow a swim was still required.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8529/8672160436_f5788e3e62_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8672160436/)
From there we had a lot of rock hopping and whatnot before the walls starting to close in as the creek fell off the mountain. Like Joe said, It was now on.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8527/8671056219_b7493b9fa6_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8671056219/)
We were on top of a 150' waterfall and faced with technical cascade scrambling and multiple rappels. This was exactly what we came looking for.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8261/8672156316_ac00673578_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8672156316/)
The rock in this part of the canyon was very banded and simply stunning. The perspective provided by descending these mountain creeks shows a whole other side to natures beauty and splendor.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8113/8672154394_14373ea6e1_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8672154394/)
We probably could have down climbed this little section of the waterfall. We also probably could have slipped and fallen. So, we rapped it.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8393/8672152374_2695333d40_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8672152374/)
A short, but sketchy traverse across the creek over some amazing rock and then another rappel deeper down into the canyon. Joe was really stoked about what he saw below us.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8395/8671047985_0eb1ee33d3_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8671047985/)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8256/8671045927_79cd6bf804_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8671045927/)
Enormous boulders, tight walls, never ending problems and unflinching concentration. It was around here better than Bonas Defeat was declared.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8121/8671043759_27f21c7fa1_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8671043759/)
Swift water. Joe is actually accredited in this stuff.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8381/8672144038_f0f72fc012_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8672144038/)
A big part of it is picking the right line.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8117/8672141960_dd45422076_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8672141960/)
Much like Grassy it was just never ending splendor.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8114/8672140068_853811233b_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8672140068/)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8527/8671035793_0df30c54df_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8671035793/)
It ended with a double waterfall into two pristine swimming holes and then a fun little exit traverse.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8396/8671033921_9e6f637f13_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8671033921/)
Pictures from Joe's perspective can be found on his Pura Vida Adventures facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151626040125856.1073741850.77844500855&type=1).
It was an easy walk to the entry: a short walk on a well maintained trail and then into the creek.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8123/8672166422_7b35e03fb2_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8672166422/)
Then we immediately right into it with a 60' waterfall that required some technical down climbing before we reached the main drop.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8125/8671062311_6b28a632c5_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8671062311/)
There was a deep pool at the bottom we could barely see and Joe was hopeful that he could down climb and then jump into the water. But before he could use such a technique he had to know that it was clear at the bottom. So, I went down on rappel with Joe providing a meat anchor. At the bottom I found the landing zone to be very shallow so Joe had to build another anchor and then rappel down himself.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8379/8672162378_9e267df841_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8672162378/)
Even though it was shallow a swim was still required.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8529/8672160436_f5788e3e62_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8672160436/)
From there we had a lot of rock hopping and whatnot before the walls starting to close in as the creek fell off the mountain. Like Joe said, It was now on.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8527/8671056219_b7493b9fa6_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8671056219/)
We were on top of a 150' waterfall and faced with technical cascade scrambling and multiple rappels. This was exactly what we came looking for.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8261/8672156316_ac00673578_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8672156316/)
The rock in this part of the canyon was very banded and simply stunning. The perspective provided by descending these mountain creeks shows a whole other side to natures beauty and splendor.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8113/8672154394_14373ea6e1_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8672154394/)
We probably could have down climbed this little section of the waterfall. We also probably could have slipped and fallen. So, we rapped it.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8393/8672152374_2695333d40_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8672152374/)
A short, but sketchy traverse across the creek over some amazing rock and then another rappel deeper down into the canyon. Joe was really stoked about what he saw below us.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8395/8671047985_0eb1ee33d3_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8671047985/)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8256/8671045927_79cd6bf804_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8671045927/)
Enormous boulders, tight walls, never ending problems and unflinching concentration. It was around here better than Bonas Defeat was declared.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8121/8671043759_27f21c7fa1_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8671043759/)
Swift water. Joe is actually accredited in this stuff.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8381/8672144038_f0f72fc012_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8672144038/)
A big part of it is picking the right line.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8117/8672141960_dd45422076_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8672141960/)
Much like Grassy it was just never ending splendor.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8114/8672140068_853811233b_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8672140068/)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8527/8671035793_0df30c54df_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8671035793/)
It ended with a double waterfall into two pristine swimming holes and then a fun little exit traverse.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8396/8671033921_9e6f637f13_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/clayscustomcarpentry/8671033921/)
Pictures from Joe's perspective can be found on his Pura Vida Adventures facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151626040125856.1073741850.77844500855&type=1).