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Secret Place #16 (Vitamin-C Canyon*)
*
Alias, not found on any map.
| Summary: |
A technical canyoneering trip through a pretty boulder
filled canyon that requires a considerable amount of down climbing on
slippery water polished rocks. Gear required:
helmet, webbing, harness, descender
and 2x100' ropes (though 2x150' ropes will provide more choices for rappel
anchors). A wet suit may also be desirable during cooler weather. This trip
requires a car shuttle.
Note: The author completed this hike with one other person in a single long
day. It would be prudent for larger groups or slower hikers to bring enough
equipment to do an overnight bivouac. |
| Road
Conditions: |
Passenger Car |
| Navigation: |
Moderate |
| Length: |
16 miles |
| Date
Hiked: |
June 2005 |
| Weather
Conditions: |
Warm and sunny |
|
Required Skills: |
 |
| Hike
Description: |
From the car park, walk through the forest for a couple
of hours to the start of the canyon. Walk down the drainage and you'll
immediately encounter a series of large boulders that will require a
considerable amount of climbing and scrambling to negotiate. Boulders make
up the bulk of the hike, so if you don't like what you see it's best to turn
back now. It should also be mentioned that the rock is extremely slick where
it has been polished smooth by water, and is made even more so when wet.
Extra care must be taken when walking and climbing throughout the canyon, it
also helps to have a pair of shoes that provide good traction in wet
conditions. After a bit of scrambling and boulder hopping you'll come to a
junction with another upper fork of the drainage. There are some nice
cascades and small pools in the area. Not far beyond is the first technical
section. Rappel #1 is 30' from a chock stone in the middle of the stream.
Once down, climb down into a pool to rappel #2, a 60 footer from a pinch
point up on a shelf, just out of the water course on the right. Since much
of the canyon is similar in nature, I'll compress the trip description into
a few key details. In the upper part of the drainage you'll encounter many
large boulders which must be negotiated by down climbing or route finding
around on one side or the other. There are also a few rappels, the exact
number of rappels will depend on the water level and the parties climbing
ability. The author performed a total of 5 raps as follows:
Rappel #3 - a 35' rappel using a large tree as the anchor.
Rappel #4 - down climb to a tree on the left and rappel 100' down a
waterfall to the canyon floor (note: with a longer rope, perhaps a 50m, it
might be preferable to rappel directly down the falls from the top using
another tree as the anchor).
Rappel #4 - a 15' rappel down a stone block from a tree 10' back from the
edge.
In the lower part of the canyon the boulders become smaller and the drainage
less steep. In this section you'll find many pretty grottos, pools and
falls, as well as a few fun slides. Typically you'll hop some rocks, arrive
at a down climb and pool, rappel or down climb, swim to the other side and
repeat. It took the author 7 hours to negotiate this section of canyon.
Eventually you will arrive at a trail that you can follow, though it'll take
another 8 miles of hiking to arrive at the car you spotted earlier. |
| Rating
(1-5 stars): |
The author and a friend completed this hike at a quick pace in 12 hours. |
| Photos: |
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