This one has been on my hit-list for the last two years. Finally got up the cohones to do it. From the recent reports of the canyon being tip-top full of water, we decided to git er done when it was the most easy. The plan was to start at the Grotto on Friday afternoon and hike in to Phantom Valley to set up camp. We secured our permits and with the weather report coming in callin for a 20% chance of precip, we assumed we were golden. :nono: We started at 4pm with somewhat overcast skies which made for a relative decent hike up the West Rim trail. Wiht no one in the group ever having done Heaps before, the anticipation ran high. I had studied the maps enough that I knew where to drop in. The fins of death was the worst part of the trip mentally for me. Exposure without being roped in is not my forte`. The flat rock in the middle was loose, so you had to scoot around it, which made it all the worse. The rap into Phantom Valley was uneventful except our 200 footer didn't quite reach. We had to rap far to the right to reach the high ground whioch made for a crappy pull. We got luck and did not stick the rope. By that time it was getting dark, so we found the first stretch of sand and set up camp. The night was warm, but the nats and mosquitoes were horrid.
Day 2.
We woke up at 6:30 and were on the trail by 7:00. In a half hour the romp began. The first wet section is encountered by climbing down a log jam and lowering yourself into the frigid pool and swimming to the other side. Man that first dunk is cold! After a couple of raps, you come to a pothole with a rap station that the rest of the group stemmed across. I guess I am getting over cautious as I get older, because I opted to rap across it. Sure enough, my footing slipped and I am in the pothole treading water. Out come the etriers, and I somehow manage to drag myself out with the help of Devin. We continue down canyon and I am falling way behind because I am snapping pics like mad. I seemed after the crossroads, the water just didn't feel cold anymore except when my head went under. About four hours into the canyon it starts to rain on us and we are in the terminal narrows. The romp turned into a mad dash through potholes, swimming corridors, and over raps to get to some sort of high ground. When we finally did, the rain had stopped. We stopped and ate lunch above a ledge with a 40 rap not knowing the end was just around the corner. The final rappel was not the freak-out show I thought it was going to be. The first one down to the big pine was uneventful. The 2nd one was a little nerve racking because we had no idea where the bird perch was, nor could you really see it from our advantage point. We ended up deploying the 300 foot rope with the 200 as the pull cord to make sure we got to the perch. The funny part was a lady started screaming up at us when the first guy started down the second rap yelling "you guys don't have enough rope, it's too short!" The brought out an eruption of laughter from all of us. That rap scared me more than the final because I was the last man down and "bird perch my ass" turned into the quote of the day. It was a cluster if I ever saw one. I rapped down to the lowest point below everyone right before the big drop and tied into the anchor. It took us a good half hour to rig the final which included puling a 300 foot rope up through the anchor at the 2nd rap. My leg fell asleep pinched at that tight spot. We finally got it set and I was off. The carpet is no more, so watch rope placement. I ran the rope through 2 biners and the friction mode on the ATC and I had way too much friction. I had to feed rope the entire way down whcih resulted in a few bounces that turned my stomach inside out. We all landed with an applause from the spectators and numerous questions about how we got up there and why we had such huge bags for climbing. All in all it was a good time and definitely one of my favorite canyons now. Pictures aren't the greatest quality, but I tried.
