Cypress Creek - BC Canyoneering - August 23, 2010

[Cirrus2000]

Where: Cypress Creek - West Vancouver, BC
When: August 23rd, 2010
Who: Cirrus2000 (me) and carverbc (Jenny)

In the report below, I've included photos of mine and of Jenny's. Thanks, Jenny, for letting me share your photos!

After descending Last Exit for the Lost with Chris last month, I've been dying to get out and do another local canyon around Vancouver. In particular, I wanted to get into Cypress Creek, subject of an amazing collection of Dan Ransom photos in one of Tom's Canyon Raves. I'd heard a lot of good things.

I did the math on the time required, and realized that it would be possible to reach and descend the canyon in the morning, and still make it to work by 2:30 in the afternoon, for an evening shift! I had a free morning on Monday the 23rd, and started looking for a partner. A couple of locals were unable to make it, but Jenny was interested in going and trying it out. There was a chance that a couple people who had done it before might come along, but that didn't work out, so the two of us decided to do it on our own.

We met up at the parking lot at 8:00, and, having only exchanged a couple of emails in the past, chattered away about people and places that we knew in common, folks that we wanted to meet, places we wanted to go, and so on. As we chattered, we packed up our gear. Finally, we hit the trail around 8:30.

It was a short walk through the park, past a viewpoint overlooking the lower falls. Jenny was tempted to disobey the signage:




After about 20 minutes, we dropped down beside a bridge into the gorge, and began walking up canyon.






After seeing some beautiful narrows, we turned around, put on our helmets, and headed back to the bridge and the top of the first rappel.

The beta told us that there was lots of anchor material on a landing between the first and second rappels, including wedged logs, but they had all washed away. I was not impressed by the available boulders, so I ascended the first rap, and re-rigged it with a longer rope to descend both waterfalls in two stages. That went very smoothly.

Me on the lower part of the rappel:




After some more boulder hopping and wading, we reached the "Upper Falls". This was a rappel down a beautiful cascade, about 60 feet tall.






Further along, a huge dam, formed from some old growth trees.




Tough to get just how large the dam is, until you get a little perspective:




More boulders, swims and wades:






A little further along, we reach the Lower Falls, and the overlook where we'd posed earlier. We rigged the rappel off the fence, and, with a small audience, rapped down this incredible waterfall.


Jenny on rappel:








Video of me on the rappel:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Jenny.ca...88983668018018

After the rap, the high five:



After this, some more beautiful wading and scrambling down the creek.




Eventually, I noticed the time was getting close to when I had to leave for work. We climbed up and out a little side trail. Jenny ran back and grabbed the webbing at the top of the final rappel, and we were back to the cars and on our way only 15 minutes after leaving the creek bed!

All in all, a beautiful canyon, and a great team! It was terrific getting a chance to meet and do a canyon with Jenny, and nice to get into Cypress Creek before the rains hit!


And finally, some video I took on the trip:

[ratagonia]

Awesome!!! Hey Kev, you're supposed to look up while she's shooting video of you!!! ha ha.

What a fun one.

Tom

[CarpeyBiggs]

freakin' awesome kev. thanks for the photos.

[bretoyce]

I love the sign in the background of the first pic!

[denaliguide]

that looked like a lot of fun!

[Pelon1]

Great looking canyon, looks more slippery than sandstone, love how that water launches on the video link in your TR.

[oldno7]

very cool, thanks for sharing. Kev.

[DSTRBD]

Man, you gotta love the PNW, We used to own a condo in Victoria, I have always wanted to go do some serious exploring up there.. jealous!! Awesome pics and report!

[blueeyes]

Love the high five pic!

Great report.

[Scott Card]

Well, you went and did it. You went beyond the fence. Awesome!

I think the thing that distinguishes us on these outdoor forums from the rest of the people on the planet is when we see signs like this it is like moths to a flame. My first thoughts are generally "Really, it is dangerous???? Cool, when do we go? Who has beta on this place?"

Great stuff Kev.

[ibenick]

Wow.

[Don]

Nice pics! Impressive place. That damn was huge! Thanks for the TR!

[Iceaxe]

[carverbc]

Kevin,
'Great to see it through your perspective. Wonderful!
Thanks!!!!

[EvergreenDean]

[Cirrus2000]

Glad you all enjoyed it!

Tom, I tried looking up now & then, but my contacts kept trying to rip out of my eyes!

Thane, definitely slippery, which made it treacherous on rappels and boulder hopping. Always good to have at least 3 points of contact!

Scott, well, we didn't so much go past the fence as we snuck up on it from the other side...

Need to start working on that CanCanFest (Canadian Canyon Fest)!

[Udink]

There you go, posting photos of you in the shower again! Nice report, Kev. I am really liking these out-of-Utah trip reports lately.

[accadacca]

Just awesome!