Help Preserve Technical Canyoneering in Grand Canyon

[hank moon]

Posted on behalf of Rich Rudow


Hi everyone, I need some help in getting the word out to the greater canyoneering community about an issue in Grand Canyon. There is a rope hanging down Deer Creek Falls and another rope hanging down from Thunder River Cave. These are very visible places and people are pretty upset about it. I'm upset about it too. I volunteered to go in and remove the ropes and was asked to post up this friendly reminder about canyoning etiquette. Unfortunately, the North Rim roads won't be passable until April or so depending on the snow pack and downed tree situation. If anyone is going to be on a Grand Canyon river trip soon, and is technically capable of removing the offending eye sores, I would greatly appreciate it. I can provide detailed beta to enter both places to remove the ropes. In the case of Deer Creek Falls, a full class C technical descent will be required in extremely cold water. The longest rappel is 180'. You must carefully assess the flow rate before entering. It's probably fine now, but once the snow melt starts it's usually unsafe until the end of May. In the case of Thunder River Falls, there are two low class 5 moves/climbs required to get to the opening of the cave. There is a single bolt at the cave opening that someone placed a while ago. The bolt was unnecessary, but whoever placed it did a good job. The fixed rope is probably safe to use for a self belay with a mini-traction or similar device, but the final class 5 climb is pretty easy and I've free climbed it. A rope is more helpful for the down climb. You'll need a 60' rope to allow a pull after the down climb or rappel.

Todd Martin and I are working with the NPS to educate the GCNP rangers about technical canyoneering and pack raft exits. We would like to avoid a blanket ban on technical canyoneering in the new Backcountry Management plan. Please get the word out about etiquette in Grand Canyon. Bolts are rarely, if ever, required and there are relatively few bolts there. Neutral color webbing, especially where an anchor might be visible to others, is encouraged. Don't leave more than one strand of webbing on a anchor. Please pack out the old stuff that you replaced. And if you stick a rope, notify a ranger, and tell them when you're going to promptly go back and get it. Of course, a backcountry permit is required for all overnight use in GCNP.

I'm fairly certain that this latest incident involved people outside of the technical canyoneering community, but in the end it doesn't matter who did it. A rope was left hanging down Deer Creek Falls in 2006 and a technical canyoneer graciously removed it on his way through. Unfortunately, these two places attract a lot of amateurs and are currently at risk of closure. Please help me get the word out.

Thanks,

Rich

BTW