french_de
09-11-2013, 03:00 PM
Triple Bypass in Upper Ticaboo Canyon.
Bypass No. 1
This was our second attempt of this canyon. Our first time out here two years ago ended with my “Off Road” Nissan Xterra high centered on a boulder in a wash as we tried for the higher Upper Ticaboo road. The roads out there in the Upper Ticaboo area have some rough stuff. We didn’t take the high road in Upper Ticaboo this time and opted for the lower, right hand road access. There is more of a hike up to the top this way but the vehicles were happier.
Bypass No. 2
When we first scouted this canyon a couple of years ago we discovered that the first two rappels at the top of this amazingly sculpted canyon are optional because there is a scramble route around the drops on a ridge high on the left (LDC). . So our approach this weekend landed us on a ridge on the right side looking down canyon just below the second optional rappel. To get into the canyon here requires a rappel and we anchored off a Navajo sandstone double hueco and with a 200 foot rope descended 175 feet to the canyon floor. Specifically we dropped in here
12 S 535644.26 m E, 4174833.54 m N
Bypass No. 3
Below the 175 foot drop and around the corner is a series of 9 water filled potholes ending with a 197 foot drop into a chamber. This chamber contains some more pools, a shaded alcove and walls sprinkled with hanging plant life. The 9-series potholes’ water was blackish, had thick algal surface scum, was teeming with a multitude of insects and swimming larvae and had an inner city gutter drain like odor. Our thoughts were immediate….. We did not want to disturb this rare, precious and sensitive mini ecosystem with our thrashing and a possible contamination by some of our own foreign microbes. Besides, there was a really cool bypass rappel on right that put us into the same wonderful chamber just below the 9-series potholes. We used a 200 foot rope for that bypass rappel and used the anchor off of a big white choke stone that we slid/down climbed to. To reach that bypass rappel point we backtracked a couple hundred yards up canyon and climbed up the ridge on the right and slid down to the big stone.
Now you would think with these bypasses - what fun is that!?
Well, there is so much more to this canyon.. There are a couple of cleaner, cool water potholes to swim thru. There is natural bridge to rappel thru with a swimming pool at its base. There is big, amazing, twisted and sculpted scenery at every turn. There is more hanging plant life to admire. There are two scenic rappels at the end of the canyon. The final one has a lot of free hang to it. And, to top it off, a great climb out up an old cowboy trail back up to shelf spring. At this point the thought of what we missed with the bypasses became just a distant memory.
This is an amazing canyon and an amazing place.
Thanks - Doug French
I’d like to thank Ryan at Average Joe Road Trips for providing beta on this route.
I also would like to thank all my canyoneering partners Carl, Kai, Kari, Mark, Monica, Dave and Paul who made this trip so much fun.
More pictures and video can be found at Paul French’s site
https://picasaweb.google.com/116140885698375242336/UpperTicabooCanyon
My pothole movie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siwjMy36nMo
Pictures from the trip
The Gang
69317
Xterra on the Rocks - Pic from 2 years ago. Scoping the upper upper road
69318
Hike up
6931969320
Bypassing the top optional rappels
69321693226932369324
Heading to the Potholes Nine
6932569326
Big Decision - Bypass rappel or Potholes Nine Uuummm....
6932769328693296933069331
ByPass Entry to the right of Potholes Nine
69332
Down the slide
693336933469335
The Bypass rappel
693366933769338
Cool stuff down canyon
69339693406934269343693446934569346693486934969350 693516935269354693556935669357693586935969361
Some more pictures from the Ticaboo area
693626936369364
Bypass No. 1
This was our second attempt of this canyon. Our first time out here two years ago ended with my “Off Road” Nissan Xterra high centered on a boulder in a wash as we tried for the higher Upper Ticaboo road. The roads out there in the Upper Ticaboo area have some rough stuff. We didn’t take the high road in Upper Ticaboo this time and opted for the lower, right hand road access. There is more of a hike up to the top this way but the vehicles were happier.
Bypass No. 2
When we first scouted this canyon a couple of years ago we discovered that the first two rappels at the top of this amazingly sculpted canyon are optional because there is a scramble route around the drops on a ridge high on the left (LDC). . So our approach this weekend landed us on a ridge on the right side looking down canyon just below the second optional rappel. To get into the canyon here requires a rappel and we anchored off a Navajo sandstone double hueco and with a 200 foot rope descended 175 feet to the canyon floor. Specifically we dropped in here
12 S 535644.26 m E, 4174833.54 m N
Bypass No. 3
Below the 175 foot drop and around the corner is a series of 9 water filled potholes ending with a 197 foot drop into a chamber. This chamber contains some more pools, a shaded alcove and walls sprinkled with hanging plant life. The 9-series potholes’ water was blackish, had thick algal surface scum, was teeming with a multitude of insects and swimming larvae and had an inner city gutter drain like odor. Our thoughts were immediate….. We did not want to disturb this rare, precious and sensitive mini ecosystem with our thrashing and a possible contamination by some of our own foreign microbes. Besides, there was a really cool bypass rappel on right that put us into the same wonderful chamber just below the 9-series potholes. We used a 200 foot rope for that bypass rappel and used the anchor off of a big white choke stone that we slid/down climbed to. To reach that bypass rappel point we backtracked a couple hundred yards up canyon and climbed up the ridge on the right and slid down to the big stone.
Now you would think with these bypasses - what fun is that!?
Well, there is so much more to this canyon.. There are a couple of cleaner, cool water potholes to swim thru. There is natural bridge to rappel thru with a swimming pool at its base. There is big, amazing, twisted and sculpted scenery at every turn. There is more hanging plant life to admire. There are two scenic rappels at the end of the canyon. The final one has a lot of free hang to it. And, to top it off, a great climb out up an old cowboy trail back up to shelf spring. At this point the thought of what we missed with the bypasses became just a distant memory.
This is an amazing canyon and an amazing place.
Thanks - Doug French
I’d like to thank Ryan at Average Joe Road Trips for providing beta on this route.
I also would like to thank all my canyoneering partners Carl, Kai, Kari, Mark, Monica, Dave and Paul who made this trip so much fun.
More pictures and video can be found at Paul French’s site
https://picasaweb.google.com/116140885698375242336/UpperTicabooCanyon
My pothole movie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siwjMy36nMo
Pictures from the trip
The Gang
69317
Xterra on the Rocks - Pic from 2 years ago. Scoping the upper upper road
69318
Hike up
6931969320
Bypassing the top optional rappels
69321693226932369324
Heading to the Potholes Nine
6932569326
Big Decision - Bypass rappel or Potholes Nine Uuummm....
6932769328693296933069331
ByPass Entry to the right of Potholes Nine
69332
Down the slide
693336933469335
The Bypass rappel
693366933769338
Cool stuff down canyon
69339693406934269343693446934569346693486934969350 693516935269354693556935669357693586935969361
Some more pictures from the Ticaboo area
693626936369364