Neon Canyon

[Slot Machine]

On April 13, 2013, Mark, Colleen, Tony, Tyler, Steph and I finally had the opportunity to descend Neon canyon. Neon had been a project in the works for nearly a year. This was Colleen's first technical canyon, and she did great! Good thing, because she is one of my bosses.

Neon was not that great until you got to the end. I'm not sure if I'd go through twice because the approach is so long. The big pothole was simple to defeat because the sand was so deep.

Photos below. Enjoy!

-Bob

[Aj84737]

Great pictures. Man that cathedral rappel looks amazing everytime.

[Absolute Gravity]

I didn’t think the rest of the technical section was all that great...
...That being said, the Cathedral was fantastic!

X2​

[french_de]

Nice TR . Those are some nice shots of the last rappel.

[peakbaggers]

Nice report, Bob. Good pics! Gotta go see that place some time.

[oldno7]

Fun canyon, your pics are great.

[Brian in SLC]

Sweet!

[WorkBad]

Very cool! awesome pics! Your write-ups are always fun to read.

[Sombeech]

Excellent report!

[Eric Holden]

Beautiful pictures and trip report.... Also... Tyler is friggin' ripped.

[WorkBad]

What camera you using there Mr Slot Machine?

[Slot Machine]

Thanks for the kind words everyone!

Beautiful pictures and trip report.... Also... Tyler is friggin' ripped.

Thanks Eric! Yeah, Tyler is a beast; lead climbing 5.12 makes him a great canyoneering partner. As a brother-in-law, he's great because he helps me move furniture when needed.

I should have titled the trip report "Neon / Tyler's Personal Ad". He's hoping that one of the 6 ladies that cruise this forum will ask him on a date.

What camera you using there Mr Slot Machine?

We use a Canon Powershot D10. It's about 3 years old and we've beat the living crap out of it. I think we might have damaged it in Sad Cow the other day though, it might be time for a new one. That being said, it's faaaar surpased our expectations!

I'm thinking about trying the Lumix TS20 for our next camera. But it's hard to say 'no' to the Canon D20, since we are so happy with the D10.

Bob

[Mountaineer]

So, if that log wasn't there how would you get out of the keeper? Hook it? The other side looks really flat for a pack toss.

It looks like if it is full, you could do a beach whale move. If not, maybe worst case hold your breath and your partner climbs up and over you?

Love the pics coming out of the cathedral Bob, nicely done!

[Slot Machine]

So, if that log wasn't there how would you get out of the keeper? Hook it? The other side looks really flat for a pack toss.

It looks like if it is full, you could do a beach whale move. If not, maybe worst case hold your breath and your partner climbs up and over you?

Love the pics coming out of the cathedral Bob, nicely done!

Good questions Mark! I should have included those details in my trip report. Below is a shot that shows a little extra detail of the exit lip. (Photoshopped to heck)



Mark, on the log, is about 6'3". Colleen below is about 5'2". I'm 5'9" and remember the sharp edge of the exit lip being eye-level. Right now escaping that pothole with a partner assist is VERY easy. That log isn't needed at all IMO.

Since that pothole was cleaned out a couple of years ago, it appears that a significant amount of sand has been washed back in. The floor of the pothole must be 18-24 inches higher than it used to be (based on older photos that are floating around).

That being said, a pack/potshot toss onto the far beach is a bad strategy if the pothole is clean. The beach is steeper than it looks in the photo. Hooking is also not a good way to go, because there are no features to hook from.

Everyone in our group was prepared to do a midget toss, then our midget would do a beach whale move to get out. We had 2 midgets that could climb and 3 guys at least 6 feet tall to boost them. We also could have thrown Tyler up there, and he would have figured it out. That's his job.

[Absolute Gravity]

So, if that log wasn't there how would you get out of the keeper? Hook it? The other side looks really flat for a pack toss.

The other side is worse than flat, it actually slopes down towards you so a pack toss would be tough if it were in keeper conditions.

It had quite a bit of sand in the bottom when we were there and wasn't much of a keeper. It would have been pretty easy to escape even without the log.

-Tony

[Iceaxe]

Nice!

Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

[oldno7]

Good questions Mark! I should have included those details in my trip report. Below is a shot that shows a little extra detail of the exit lip. (Photoshopped to heck)



Mark, on the log, is about 6'3". Colleen below is about 5'2". I'm 5'9" and remember the sharp edge of the exit lip being eye-level. Right now escaping that pothole with a partner assist is VERY easy. That log isn't needed at all IMO.

Since that pothole was cleaned out a couple of years ago, it appears that a significant amount of sand has been washed back in. The floor of the pothole must be 18-24 inches higher than it used to be (based on older photos that are floating around).

That being said, a pack/potshot toss onto the far beach is a bad strategy if the pothole is clean. The beach is steeper than it looks in the photo. Hooking is also not a good way to go, because there are no features to hook from.

Everyone in our group was prepared to do a midget toss, then our midget would do a beach whale move to get out. We had 2 midgets that could climb and 3 guys at least 6 feet tall to boost them. We also could have thrown Tyler up there, and he would have figured it out. That's his job.

FYI--This pothole can be a swimmer at this level, deep enough that you can't swim down and find a bottom. That, is what is considered full on keeper mode.

[Slot Machine]

FYI--This pothole can be a swimmer at this level, deep enough that you can't swim down and find a bottom. That, is what is considered full on keeper mode.

With the current amount of sand in the pothole, I'm pretty sure most people could find the bottom even if it was tippy-top full. It just isn't the ferocious beast that I've seen in some older pictures.

If you couldn't find the bottom, then it would be an easy swim out of the pothole. Looking at the markings on the wall, it appears that the water is never higher than 8-9 feet (from the current bottom).

[oldno7]

With the current amount of sand in the pothole, I'm pretty sure most people could find the bottom even if it was tippy-top full. It just isn't the ferocious beast that I've seen in some older pictures.

If you couldn't find the bottom, then it would be an easy swim out of the pothole. Looking at the markings on the wall, it appears that the water is never higher than 8-9 feet (from the current bottom).

How do you swim out at the water level in your picture?

Like I said--with water levels at where you encountered them, now imagine the bottom is unreachable.

Your stick wouldn't be close to the bottom, one person standing on another's shoulders could not reach bottom.

What I'm telling you, is the current level of the sand floor is not indicative of the pothole in full keeper mode.

[Slot Machine]

FYI--This pothole can be a swimmer at this level, deep enough that you can't swim down and find a bottom. That, is what is considered full on keeper mode.

Oh! When you said "this level", I thought you were talking sand level in the pothole, not water level. A simple misunderstanding on my part.

If the pothole were a swimmer with this level of sand, then you could simply swim across the pothole.

How do you swim out at the water level in your picture?
Like I said--with water levels at where you encountered them, now imagine the bottom is unreachable.
Your stick wouldn't be close to the bottom, one person standing on another's shoulders could not reach bottom.
What I'm telling you, is the current level of the sand floor is not indicative of the pothole in full keeper mode.

Photo Credit : Jim Clery

The above is considered "keeper mode", correct? Is it actually deeper than the above photo shows?

Or should I say, has anyone ever been through Neon when the floor is lower?