Bighorn

[jumar]

Bighorn Canyon was a nice little fall route. It was very windy, but we didn't get any rain. The weekend storm came after we'd completed the canyon.

[Iceaxe]

Looks like the final over hang rappel has changed some. It used to be anchored to the left (LDC) from a big rock. The big rock had a skull form a big horn sheep sitting on top of it.

It looks like the new anchors are better then our crappy big rock, which was only a fair anchor.

Are the horns still sitting above the last rappel?

Picture of what used to be the final anchor with the horns.

[Jaxx]

I have had this on my list for a little while. It looks like a good time. How long did it take you to finish? Thanks for the pics they're awesome.

[jumar]

It looks like the new anchors are better then our crappy big rock, which was only a fair anchor.

Are the horns still sitting above the last rappel?

Your anchor was still there, as well as the horns. The group before us used this other anchor. Looking at the two options, this one seemed like a good one.

I have had this on my list for a little while. It looks like a good time. How long did it take you to finish?

I very much liked how scenic this route was. I'd say that's the main appeal for this canyon. We were taking a very leisurely pace, taking pics of the scenery and it took us right around 4 hours.

[Jaxx]

That's how I like to do the canyons, nice and easy. Thanks for the info.

[Iceaxe]

Big Horn can also easily be combined with Dragonfly to create a full day combo meal.

I'd say one of the best parts of Big Horn is it works great as a winter route when most other things are shut down.

What is the first rappel like these days? Still a long piece of webbing from the cedar tree that allows your 200' rope to deposit you in the hanging alcove? The cedar tree to the hanging alcove still done as one long rappel? Just curious since I figured the route would get refined after we first did it and posted.

It's cool that the skull is still there. We orginally found it buried in the sand of the hanging alcove. Looked like a big horn got into the hanging alcove and could not escape.

[sparker1]

Thanks for the pix, looks like a good time out there.

[jumar]

I'd say one of the best parts of Big Horn is it works great as a winter route when most other things are shut down.

Yeah, that's why we picked it. Storm was coming in sometime over the weekend, and in case it came early we wanted a quick route where it wouldn't matter much if we got rained on.

What is the first rappel like these days? Still a long piece of webbing from the cedar tree that allows your 200' rope to deposit you in the hanging alcove?

Yeah we used long webbing and our 200 foot ropes just barely reached with some rope stretch.

After the one mandatory rappel there's a place you can downclimb (Left LDC), or rappel less than 10 feet off an old stake someone hammered into the sandstone.
Some tourists had climbed up this, and chose to downclimb a section that was much more exposed. One of them almost slipped off a cliff.

[jumar]

Uploaded one vid from the trip

[Iceaxe]

I've found a couple of stakes pounded in along that little barrier type bench at the bottom. We also found where someone had hammered some big nails in so he could get a hand and foot hold to climb up.

[rockgremlin]

Glad you had fun. This is a sweet autumn/winter route. That revised anchor through the tiny arches looks interesting...

I agree that this route offers some pretty unique views of Arches.