modio
07-30-2009, 07:29 AM
This is a Canyon that you run in the middle of thick rainforest, from Rancho Margot, located in the town of El Castillo, near La Fortuna and Arenal Volcano. All this information by Jeremy Sostheim:
Note I: The first descent was done on the 22nd of April, 2007 by Jeremy Sostheim (Rancho Margot) at the start of the dry season so any mention of the rainy season is an educated guess on the basis of water shed, natural water level lines and organic debri in the canyon.
Note II: He'll offer the complete guide service including rappelling gear and food, but I can only do it saturaday-sunday as a two day expedition with a three week in advance reservation.
Rating: 3B R IV dry season, 3C X V rainy season
Time Required: ~ Hours
Longest Rappel: ~ 150 Feet - Meters
Number of Rappels: 7 rappels with the potential for 2 (the down climbs) more during the rainy season.
Permit Information
Not required
Camping/Lodging
The best camping site is on the town soccer field in El Castillo or by the lake in Pueblo Nuevo (El Fosforo). The best places to stay in the area are Rancho Margot and the Hummingbird’s Nest B&B. Rancho Margot can organize horses to take you all the way up to the river. Both places have very nice accommodations.
Preferred Season
During the dry season.
Water Concerns
Rain in the tropics and specially in Costa Rica could be really strong, and flash floods are possible everywhere around the country. Always check the weather conditions, water shed, and talk with the locals to see the recent weather conditions.
Safety Concerns:
If you were taking it easy and reached the point between waterfall 3 and waterfall 4 past 1:30 pm, start looking for a place to stay for the night. There are 4 more waterfalls after number 4 and the places to stay are limited, dangerous in case of rain, and not to mention uncomfortable. Best is to stop early and make yourself comfortable on relatively higher ground.
If it starts to pour hard, find yourself some nice high ground and plant your bivy. Chances are the rocks on the last waterfall are flooded anyway and you'll be stuck spending the night on the ledge between the last two waterfalls. It's a high ledge, but something must have carved it out. That something is most probably water, but it's hard to say whether the waterfall configuration was the same then as it is now. It looks pretty safe for a last ditch camping site in case you can't see the anchor rocks of the last waterfall. Besides, at that point, you don't really have much of a choice.
There is no cell-phone signal in the entire canyon and even with a powerful walkie-talkie on the same frequency as Rancho Margot, it’s hard to make contact once past the first drop until the end of the canyon.
During the rainy season, it usually rains in the afternoon. Keep this in mind not only for water levels, but also for overall comfort. It gets chilly and the water is not particularly warm. On the 8th of June we encountered temperatures in the upper 50s, lower 60s mid afternoon. It's fine as long as you're moving, but setting up rappels gets cold.
Snakes are a threat so be very cautious because help is really far away. Other wildlife is not really a concern, you’re in a canyon that is impossible to get in or out without ropes. Animals that you should be afraid of abide by those same rules, and they usually don’t carry ropes.
Still, that panther might get in and probably can't get out. If you meet him, you know he's hungry!
You can’t drink the river water because of the cow field at the top, but feel free to drink whatever water you come across that comes from side streams or crack trickles along the way. Bring a gallon a person to make sure you get to that point. We used one liter a person before we got to those points so a gallon should be plenty and gives you something to drink until help arrives if you never make it down to the drinking water replenishment point.
Equipment Suggestions
350ft of rope, slings and rapides to make anchors, gear for a possible, and if it’s your first canyon in the area, also probable bivy. Machete (with scabbard!!!). First-aid. Smoke flares.
Topographic Maps
IGN-CR 1:50.000
(JSostheim: sorry guys, the only maps of the area are almost 30 years old and show no trails in the area)
Directions to Trailhead
Unfortunately, a GPS won't help you find it. We had a GPS that could pick up 18 different satellites while on the highway to the area, but once in the jungle, coverage is inconsistent and insufficient to navigate by.
The trail starts at Rancho Margot. It goes up to the ranch’s lookout point and then south up the mountain crest for a good 3-4 miles. The trail gets to a property. The public road continues through the property towards the right and crosses the river. That’s the river you go down. The best way to get there is by horse that can be organized at Rancho Margot for about $45 to $55 per horse depending on the season.
ALWAYS let someone you can trust know where you are going and that you might be gone for 2 days, but if you’re not back by day 3, something’s happened and you can’t get out.
Trailhead UTM Grid Coordinate
Approach
It’s a good half hour of walking through the river before getting to the first down climb.
Canyon Entry UTM Grid Coordinate
Description:
There are two down climbs, the second of which can easily turn into a rappel after a little rain. Shortly thereafter comes the first of two successive vertical 150ft rappels. After that come two successive 150ft rappels on an incline. On the next waterfall of about 60ft, if it has rained and you're a lightweight, stay on the right where it's dryer, as the power of the waterfall can easily make you lose control over your descent. Then comes a slot waterfall on an incline of 75ft. On this one, the water makes a sort of tunnel on the rappeller's right side. If it has rained, get in the tunnel!! Otherwise you'll smash against the wall. Then comes the last waterfall of 75ft. We left a knot chock on the left. Be careful if it has rained at all cause if the water level goes up at all, as you approach the waterfall you could easily get sucked in if you don't stay close to the left.
The walks in between each waterfall are short, but could be slowed down by a lot of vegetation in the way.
Exit
After the last waterfall it’s another 2hours of walking through rivers and trails before popping out of the forest on the far southern corner of Rancho Margot.
Canyon Exit UTM Grid Coordinate
Original Thread: Costa Rica Canyon Beta (http://www.canyoneering.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1503) by JSostheim.
Note I: The first descent was done on the 22nd of April, 2007 by Jeremy Sostheim (Rancho Margot) at the start of the dry season so any mention of the rainy season is an educated guess on the basis of water shed, natural water level lines and organic debri in the canyon.
Note II: He'll offer the complete guide service including rappelling gear and food, but I can only do it saturaday-sunday as a two day expedition with a three week in advance reservation.
Rating: 3B R IV dry season, 3C X V rainy season
Time Required: ~ Hours
Longest Rappel: ~ 150 Feet - Meters
Number of Rappels: 7 rappels with the potential for 2 (the down climbs) more during the rainy season.
Permit Information
Not required
Camping/Lodging
The best camping site is on the town soccer field in El Castillo or by the lake in Pueblo Nuevo (El Fosforo). The best places to stay in the area are Rancho Margot and the Hummingbird’s Nest B&B. Rancho Margot can organize horses to take you all the way up to the river. Both places have very nice accommodations.
Preferred Season
During the dry season.
Water Concerns
Rain in the tropics and specially in Costa Rica could be really strong, and flash floods are possible everywhere around the country. Always check the weather conditions, water shed, and talk with the locals to see the recent weather conditions.
Safety Concerns:
If you were taking it easy and reached the point between waterfall 3 and waterfall 4 past 1:30 pm, start looking for a place to stay for the night. There are 4 more waterfalls after number 4 and the places to stay are limited, dangerous in case of rain, and not to mention uncomfortable. Best is to stop early and make yourself comfortable on relatively higher ground.
If it starts to pour hard, find yourself some nice high ground and plant your bivy. Chances are the rocks on the last waterfall are flooded anyway and you'll be stuck spending the night on the ledge between the last two waterfalls. It's a high ledge, but something must have carved it out. That something is most probably water, but it's hard to say whether the waterfall configuration was the same then as it is now. It looks pretty safe for a last ditch camping site in case you can't see the anchor rocks of the last waterfall. Besides, at that point, you don't really have much of a choice.
There is no cell-phone signal in the entire canyon and even with a powerful walkie-talkie on the same frequency as Rancho Margot, it’s hard to make contact once past the first drop until the end of the canyon.
During the rainy season, it usually rains in the afternoon. Keep this in mind not only for water levels, but also for overall comfort. It gets chilly and the water is not particularly warm. On the 8th of June we encountered temperatures in the upper 50s, lower 60s mid afternoon. It's fine as long as you're moving, but setting up rappels gets cold.
Snakes are a threat so be very cautious because help is really far away. Other wildlife is not really a concern, you’re in a canyon that is impossible to get in or out without ropes. Animals that you should be afraid of abide by those same rules, and they usually don’t carry ropes.
Still, that panther might get in and probably can't get out. If you meet him, you know he's hungry!
You can’t drink the river water because of the cow field at the top, but feel free to drink whatever water you come across that comes from side streams or crack trickles along the way. Bring a gallon a person to make sure you get to that point. We used one liter a person before we got to those points so a gallon should be plenty and gives you something to drink until help arrives if you never make it down to the drinking water replenishment point.
Equipment Suggestions
350ft of rope, slings and rapides to make anchors, gear for a possible, and if it’s your first canyon in the area, also probable bivy. Machete (with scabbard!!!). First-aid. Smoke flares.
Topographic Maps
IGN-CR 1:50.000
(JSostheim: sorry guys, the only maps of the area are almost 30 years old and show no trails in the area)
Directions to Trailhead
Unfortunately, a GPS won't help you find it. We had a GPS that could pick up 18 different satellites while on the highway to the area, but once in the jungle, coverage is inconsistent and insufficient to navigate by.
The trail starts at Rancho Margot. It goes up to the ranch’s lookout point and then south up the mountain crest for a good 3-4 miles. The trail gets to a property. The public road continues through the property towards the right and crosses the river. That’s the river you go down. The best way to get there is by horse that can be organized at Rancho Margot for about $45 to $55 per horse depending on the season.
ALWAYS let someone you can trust know where you are going and that you might be gone for 2 days, but if you’re not back by day 3, something’s happened and you can’t get out.
Trailhead UTM Grid Coordinate
Approach
It’s a good half hour of walking through the river before getting to the first down climb.
Canyon Entry UTM Grid Coordinate
Description:
There are two down climbs, the second of which can easily turn into a rappel after a little rain. Shortly thereafter comes the first of two successive vertical 150ft rappels. After that come two successive 150ft rappels on an incline. On the next waterfall of about 60ft, if it has rained and you're a lightweight, stay on the right where it's dryer, as the power of the waterfall can easily make you lose control over your descent. Then comes a slot waterfall on an incline of 75ft. On this one, the water makes a sort of tunnel on the rappeller's right side. If it has rained, get in the tunnel!! Otherwise you'll smash against the wall. Then comes the last waterfall of 75ft. We left a knot chock on the left. Be careful if it has rained at all cause if the water level goes up at all, as you approach the waterfall you could easily get sucked in if you don't stay close to the left.
The walks in between each waterfall are short, but could be slowed down by a lot of vegetation in the way.
Exit
After the last waterfall it’s another 2hours of walking through rivers and trails before popping out of the forest on the far southern corner of Rancho Margot.
Canyon Exit UTM Grid Coordinate
Original Thread: Costa Rica Canyon Beta (http://www.canyoneering.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1503) by JSostheim.