Advice on Echo Canyon

[Brit Beermonster]

Hi all, I need some advice on one of the raps on Echo which I completed today.

I entered via Alt Upper Entry and had completed rap 1, an anchor of blue webbing and a circular aluminium link, if I remember correctly when things went wrong.

I believe I missed the anchor for rap 2 (2 of 7 that is), is that likely? I was faced with a fluted channel about 8 feet long and 20 inches wide, 20 degrees inclined. Entered it to peer down into the pool below and.....Woops! Slipped and slid to the end of the flute to be faced by drop of about 12 feet. Another steeper flute lay on the left but the ridge between the flutes meant getting over was going to be v difficult. Tried to slide back up flute but slipped down again and was now close to falling but managed to manoeuvre half way into the flute on the left. A few hours, sorry minutes later, and had almost made it into the left flute when....kersplosh, in I went. Luckily it was deep enough, no harm done but feeling shaken up.

WTF, how did I miss the anchor?
Was I even in the right place?
How lucky was I?

So the questions for you guys out there:
Does the description above match rap 2?
Is it possible to miss the anchor? (Described on Bluugnome as a 'choke stone'.)
Has anyone done it recently and could the anchor have been washed away?

Thanks in advance,
Matt.

[Deathcricket]

Ahhh! Keep in ind it's been a year since I did Echo and it was chuck full of water when I did it. For us there was the crappiest pile of rocks with a piece of (I think) red webbing coming out of it. so we rapped to the first pool, then just swam across cause it was full of water. But I seriously seriously hope that someone bolted it some place because that was literally the scariest POS anchor I have ever rapped off of. Well... ok we rapped our lightest chick off it, then she scouted and the water was deep so we all just jumped into the 2nd pool. So technically I didn't rap off it. So make that the scariest POS I ever watched someone else rap, haha. Honestly though I think I would rather have tried to downclimb it than trust that crappy anchor. It wasn't far and has some decent hand holds, just so muddy and slippery would be the problem.

Edit; I do have a video. But this is what we ran into when we did it last. Did you take a vid perhaps? we should compare notes :)



Edit 2: I see we rapped 150lb Rick off it and he scouted, not our chick... Memory is jacked sorry....

[Brit Beermonster]

I was going to take pikkies but the unplanned slip and plunge meant the camera was still in my pack. I should have taken some looking back but was counting my blessings.

However, the rap I'm talking about doesn't match your vid. It was more like large pothole into large pothole both about 15x10 feet ovals connected by 2 flutes.

[Brit Beermonster]

Bingo, found it. Its at 2-12 seconds on this video (I think)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=r95ceHXuXS8

They are definitely rapping off something so I either missed it or its gone. Thanks to Climb-Utah.com for the video.

[ilipichicuma]

I think I remember this rappel you're talking about. I'm pretty sure that after I rapped it, everyone else jumped it in our group, and I think we went off a deadman that was in the preceding pothole. It's entirely possible that there wasn't an anchor there at all, because it go washed out before you went down the canyon.

[ghawk]

When in doubt... build an anchor

[Iceaxe]

I believe there are two bolts on the north wall at the 2:12 rappal.

Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

[skiclimb3287]

When I did it a few years ago, there was definitely a bomber cairn anchor for that rappel. Huge pile of rock with webbing tired around a rather larger rock in the center.

I don't remember all anchor opportunities there (and I certainly know more now than I did then), but I think the best archives for that rappel are either a cairn anchor or deadman.

Glad you are ok! Must have been a scary slide.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2

[hank moon]

WTF, how did I miss the anchor?
Was I even in the right place?
How lucky was I?

So the questions for you guys out there:
Does the description above match rap 2?
Is it possible to miss the anchor? (Described on Bluugnome as a 'choke stone'.)
Has anyone done it recently and could the anchor have been washed away?

It sounds like you were solo in the canyon - true?


I'd say, yeah, if you were alone especially, you were extremely lucky (level 10 luck); if not alone, maybe level 9? I'm guessing your rap spot is the one DC ID'd in his video. The extreme rains in recent weeks could easily have vanished that wobbly cairn. Lucky guy. Glad you can still hold a beer!

[Brit Beermonster]

Thanks all, and yes I was alone and do realise how lucky I was, perhaps 11!

I had read that there was a tricky exit from one of the pools but thought I'd cope with that ok - I did, but the mishap reminded me of the potential dangers.

That is one of the reasons for this post, the situation I found myself in could have been easily avoided with a little more care, so I think no more solo for me.

[Canyonater]

Hi all, I need some advice on one of the raps on Echo which I completed today.

I entered via Alt Upper Entry and had completed rap 1, an anchor of blue webbing and a circular aluminium link, if I remember correctly when things went wrong.

I believe I missed the anchor for rap 2 (2 of 7 that is), is that likely? I was faced with a fluted channel about 8 feet long and 20 inches wide, 20 degrees inclined. Entered it to peer down into the pool below and.....Woops! Slipped and slid to the end of the flute to be faced by drop of about 12 feet. Another steeper flute lay on the left but the ridge between the flutes meant getting over was going to be v difficult. Tried to slide back up flute but slipped down again and was now close to falling but managed to manoeuvre half way into the flute on the left. A few hours, sorry minutes later, and had almost made it into the left flute when....kersplosh, in I went. Luckily it was deep enough, no harm done but feeling shaken up.

WTF, how did I miss the anchor?
Was I even in the right place?
How lucky was I?

So the questions for you guys out there:
Does the description above match rap 2?
Is it possible to miss the anchor? (Described on Bluugnome as a 'choke stone'.)
Has anyone done it recently and could the anchor have been washed away?

Thanks in advance,
Matt.

Why didn't you have someone in your group just drop a line down to you?

[hank moon]

Why didn't you have someone in your group just drop a line down to you?

...I was alone...

....

[Chanobelli]

Bingo, found it. Its at 2-12 seconds on this video (I think)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=r95ceHXuXS8

They are definitely rapping off something so I either missed it or its gone. Thanks to Climb-Utah.com for the video.

If by 2-12 you mean between 2sec and 12Sec into the movie there was a Bowling ball sized Bolder that had some webbing on it I'll post a pic of it later. It was a sketchy anchor when i went through 2 months ago. We added sand and and used a dead man to get everyone down until the last guy (Me) i had to gingerly rappel. When i went through the pot hole at the bottom was totally dry and with all the recent rain i'm sure that bowling ball was washed down canyon. Glad you made it out safely.
The anchor is above his head in the pic.

Edit #2 Pic looking up from down canyon side of that pothole.

[Eric Holden]

....

Hey this guy went canyoneering alone too, and he is ok.

[Brit Beermonster]

Thanks Chanobelli, that's definitely the one and the pothole is now full of water which saved me. And lesson learned, I'll be over from the UK again in October but won't be solo (EVER AGAIN).

[Chanobelli]

Thanks Chanobelli, that's definitely the one and the pothole is now full of water which saved me. And lesson learned, I'll be over from the UK again in October but won't be solo (EVER AGAIN).

great lesson learned. Glad everything worked out for you.

[ratagonia]

Thanks Chanobelli, that's definitely the one and the pothole is now full of water which saved me. And lesson learned, I'll be over from the UK again in October but won't be solo (EVER AGAIN).

A good lesson learned with minimal pain, but...

Perhaps the lesson to learn is that canyons do not come with all the anchors all set up. You might have to THINK and build anchors.

Having a partner helps with both of those tasks.

Tom

[Brit Beermonster]

Yes indeed. I would have built an anchor but the slip put an end to that plan. Lesson learned.