Canyon Kelp
11-07-2009, 06:30 PM
ACA Rating: 3AIV
Our Hiking Time: 10 hours
Our Hiking Distance: 8 miles
Elevation Gain:
Elevation Loss:
Our Rope: 1 350ft 11mm, 1 223ft 8mm, 1 200ft 8mm, 1 160ft 5mm pull cord
Other Gear: 60 ft 1" tubular webbing, 11 quicklinks
Rappels: 9-11, 180-190 ft largest
Hazards: Auto burglaries
Permits: none
USGS TOPO map(s): Reyes Peak, CA, Wheeler Springs, CA
General Description:
This sandstone canyon is within the rugged and remote Sespe Wilderness, it drops precipitously off the south side of Pine Mountain, west of Reyes Peak into an unnamed finger of Potrero John Creek from the Reyes Peak trail a total of 2400 feet in 3.8 miles to the Potrero John Trail
Trailhead:
Lower trailhead: Highway 33 mile marker 32.10 (N34.58501°, W119.2687°, 3676ft)
Upper Trailhead: End of Forest route 6N06, 7 miles from Highway 33 roughly mile marker 42.2 (N34.63498°, W119.29774, 6979ft)
The Trip:
We met at the lower trailhead on the evening before and left a vehicle there, drove to the wind swept Reyes Peak Campground (primitive) and spent a chilly night with sweeping vistas of the Gold Coast. We got to the trailhead the following morning and where headed down the trail by 6:30am (0 miles, 0hr 0min, 6979ft)
At the saddle about 0.14 miles (N34.63539°, N119.2905, 6994ft) you have three choices, Reyes Peak Trail, use trail to Reyes Peak summit and continuing on the old road grade, Reyes peak Trail continues west here (level or down slightly) on the north side of Reyes Peak. The views here of Piedra Blanca and Cyuma River Valley where inspiring in the early morning light, we stopped at an overview of the named finger of Potrero John Creek and remove some layers (1.8 miles, 6943ft). A bit further on @ 2.1 miles, 6993 we left the trail and headed for our drop-in @ N34.63207° W119.2652° 7014 ft (2.2 miles 1hr 5min)
There seemed to be some bear activity but not much else. We started down after a few minutes @ 7:40am switchbacking through the moderate brush until we got to a drainage @ N34.62993° W119.26709° 6455ft (2.3 miles 1hr 52min). Looking at the drop-in from this perspective it would likely be better to stay on the ridge canyon left and descend when this point is in sight.
Further on another drainage merges and some rappel opportunities into the canyon might be possible, it appears more open here too but is quite steep. R1 (N34.62967° W119.26789° 6335ft 2hrs 2min 2.55 miles) is just below this junction it is about 40ft and we anchored canyon left, one in our group downclimbed this but most wou;ld likely want the security of a rope.
A bit further on brought us to R2 (N34.62815° W119.26815° 6110ft, 2hrs 35min 2.9miles) this drop might be bypassable canyon right we rappelled the 40-60 ft off a solid tree canyon left.
Continuing down canyon the first drop we identified with maps was ahead. R3 (N34.62701° W119.26817° 5983ft 2hrs 53min 3.05 miles) gives that exciting feeling as you approach with nothing but blue sky ahead!. The top of this drop is a tangle of a down oak tree with two shorter drops until the main event. We anchored on two solid branches of this tree with some old climbing rope about 10ft long getting on rope after down climbing the first stage of the rappel. We estimated the length of this drop at 160-170ft lots of free hanging here give a Zion-like feel to this drop
R4 came in to view 211 vertical feet down canyon @ N34.62636° W119.26800° 5772ft (4hrs 20min 3.43 miles) We anchored high canyon right on a solid Mtn Mahogany shrub. 60ft of rope will get you down here on this interesting rappel.
0.03 miles (170 feet) down canyon brings you to R5 (N34.62593° W119.26824° 5730ft) This drops sharply 40 feet or so, be sure to change the friction point here. The start is awkward. We anchored canyon left.
Just up canyon of the junction with the named Potrero John Crk another rappel R6 greets our small group. We anchored canyon right on a solid oak tree. This is 0.018 miles (100 feet from R4) This fine little rappel drops about 30 feet (N34.62563° W119.26822°, 5744ft 4hrs 54min)
I grabbed another rope and headed down canyon expecting another drop, wanting to pick up the pace as these small drop where consuming lots of time. Yeah I came to a drop all right! R7 is our main event YEEE HA! (N34.62388° W119.26813° 5592ft 5hrs 11min)
The canyon drops off here into a long crack extending east and west for some distance in either direction. Estimates from below had put this drop in the 300ft range, hence our 350ft 11mm rope. Anchor opportunities are few near the edge and after much searching a multi-point anchor around some smallish oaks was selected though it promised a difficult pull. With the 350ft rope deployed and the 223ft as the pull rope I descended first.
Over the edge I could see the 223ft rope bag on a wide ledge below and a good amount of the 11mm rope coiled near it, that aside this appeared to be in the 200ft range. About 30 feet down you greeted with air, free hanging of about 160-170ft of fun!
After getting off rope and stowing my smoking hot Pirana an inspection of the rope bag reveled almost no rope in the bag! HA. Though it maybe possible to do this with a TRUE 200ft rope a longer rope is recommended. As expected the test pull was difficult and required my ropeman ascender and tether to get the rope to move. Ug! but this is what we got. It required 2 canyoneers and the ascender to pull the rope 4 feet at a time for about 200ft of rope.
Another drop of 100ft is right below here R8, we anchored high canyon right on a solid tree. We paused for a lunch break here and checked out some other possible drops.
The canyon become wet here though it is easy to keep your feet dry if you're so inclined and not a klutz there are 2 falls below here some may want to rappel, we downclimbed them all except one where I used a handline / butt belay on. The final rappel is what most would call Potrero John Falls but we know better ;)... Again you could do an exposed downclimb canyon right we did not R9 is in the 80-90 ft range anchored mid-canyon on a bomber tree (N34.61601° W119.26974° 4755ft 8hrs 11m)
Below here is a relatively well traveled use trail that eventually becomes more and more used and maintained until you reach Potrero John camp were it becomes a real honest to goodness trail, we high tailed it and made it to our vehicle on highway 33
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_s0YL_2bmmCo/SvS_ylSAW1I/AAAAAAAAFak/YtLZluzTbVc/s800/pano%2001%20Ron%20and%20Aysel%20stowing%20rope%20a fter%20big%20rap.jpg
Our Hiking Time: 10 hours
Our Hiking Distance: 8 miles
Elevation Gain:
Elevation Loss:
Our Rope: 1 350ft 11mm, 1 223ft 8mm, 1 200ft 8mm, 1 160ft 5mm pull cord
Other Gear: 60 ft 1" tubular webbing, 11 quicklinks
Rappels: 9-11, 180-190 ft largest
Hazards: Auto burglaries
Permits: none
USGS TOPO map(s): Reyes Peak, CA, Wheeler Springs, CA
General Description:
This sandstone canyon is within the rugged and remote Sespe Wilderness, it drops precipitously off the south side of Pine Mountain, west of Reyes Peak into an unnamed finger of Potrero John Creek from the Reyes Peak trail a total of 2400 feet in 3.8 miles to the Potrero John Trail
Trailhead:
Lower trailhead: Highway 33 mile marker 32.10 (N34.58501°, W119.2687°, 3676ft)
Upper Trailhead: End of Forest route 6N06, 7 miles from Highway 33 roughly mile marker 42.2 (N34.63498°, W119.29774, 6979ft)
The Trip:
We met at the lower trailhead on the evening before and left a vehicle there, drove to the wind swept Reyes Peak Campground (primitive) and spent a chilly night with sweeping vistas of the Gold Coast. We got to the trailhead the following morning and where headed down the trail by 6:30am (0 miles, 0hr 0min, 6979ft)
At the saddle about 0.14 miles (N34.63539°, N119.2905, 6994ft) you have three choices, Reyes Peak Trail, use trail to Reyes Peak summit and continuing on the old road grade, Reyes peak Trail continues west here (level or down slightly) on the north side of Reyes Peak. The views here of Piedra Blanca and Cyuma River Valley where inspiring in the early morning light, we stopped at an overview of the named finger of Potrero John Creek and remove some layers (1.8 miles, 6943ft). A bit further on @ 2.1 miles, 6993 we left the trail and headed for our drop-in @ N34.63207° W119.2652° 7014 ft (2.2 miles 1hr 5min)
There seemed to be some bear activity but not much else. We started down after a few minutes @ 7:40am switchbacking through the moderate brush until we got to a drainage @ N34.62993° W119.26709° 6455ft (2.3 miles 1hr 52min). Looking at the drop-in from this perspective it would likely be better to stay on the ridge canyon left and descend when this point is in sight.
Further on another drainage merges and some rappel opportunities into the canyon might be possible, it appears more open here too but is quite steep. R1 (N34.62967° W119.26789° 6335ft 2hrs 2min 2.55 miles) is just below this junction it is about 40ft and we anchored canyon left, one in our group downclimbed this but most wou;ld likely want the security of a rope.
A bit further on brought us to R2 (N34.62815° W119.26815° 6110ft, 2hrs 35min 2.9miles) this drop might be bypassable canyon right we rappelled the 40-60 ft off a solid tree canyon left.
Continuing down canyon the first drop we identified with maps was ahead. R3 (N34.62701° W119.26817° 5983ft 2hrs 53min 3.05 miles) gives that exciting feeling as you approach with nothing but blue sky ahead!. The top of this drop is a tangle of a down oak tree with two shorter drops until the main event. We anchored on two solid branches of this tree with some old climbing rope about 10ft long getting on rope after down climbing the first stage of the rappel. We estimated the length of this drop at 160-170ft lots of free hanging here give a Zion-like feel to this drop
R4 came in to view 211 vertical feet down canyon @ N34.62636° W119.26800° 5772ft (4hrs 20min 3.43 miles) We anchored high canyon right on a solid Mtn Mahogany shrub. 60ft of rope will get you down here on this interesting rappel.
0.03 miles (170 feet) down canyon brings you to R5 (N34.62593° W119.26824° 5730ft) This drops sharply 40 feet or so, be sure to change the friction point here. The start is awkward. We anchored canyon left.
Just up canyon of the junction with the named Potrero John Crk another rappel R6 greets our small group. We anchored canyon right on a solid oak tree. This is 0.018 miles (100 feet from R4) This fine little rappel drops about 30 feet (N34.62563° W119.26822°, 5744ft 4hrs 54min)
I grabbed another rope and headed down canyon expecting another drop, wanting to pick up the pace as these small drop where consuming lots of time. Yeah I came to a drop all right! R7 is our main event YEEE HA! (N34.62388° W119.26813° 5592ft 5hrs 11min)
The canyon drops off here into a long crack extending east and west for some distance in either direction. Estimates from below had put this drop in the 300ft range, hence our 350ft 11mm rope. Anchor opportunities are few near the edge and after much searching a multi-point anchor around some smallish oaks was selected though it promised a difficult pull. With the 350ft rope deployed and the 223ft as the pull rope I descended first.
Over the edge I could see the 223ft rope bag on a wide ledge below and a good amount of the 11mm rope coiled near it, that aside this appeared to be in the 200ft range. About 30 feet down you greeted with air, free hanging of about 160-170ft of fun!
After getting off rope and stowing my smoking hot Pirana an inspection of the rope bag reveled almost no rope in the bag! HA. Though it maybe possible to do this with a TRUE 200ft rope a longer rope is recommended. As expected the test pull was difficult and required my ropeman ascender and tether to get the rope to move. Ug! but this is what we got. It required 2 canyoneers and the ascender to pull the rope 4 feet at a time for about 200ft of rope.
Another drop of 100ft is right below here R8, we anchored high canyon right on a solid tree. We paused for a lunch break here and checked out some other possible drops.
The canyon become wet here though it is easy to keep your feet dry if you're so inclined and not a klutz there are 2 falls below here some may want to rappel, we downclimbed them all except one where I used a handline / butt belay on. The final rappel is what most would call Potrero John Falls but we know better ;)... Again you could do an exposed downclimb canyon right we did not R9 is in the 80-90 ft range anchored mid-canyon on a bomber tree (N34.61601° W119.26974° 4755ft 8hrs 11m)
Below here is a relatively well traveled use trail that eventually becomes more and more used and maintained until you reach Potrero John camp were it becomes a real honest to goodness trail, we high tailed it and made it to our vehicle on highway 33
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_s0YL_2bmmCo/SvS_ylSAW1I/AAAAAAAAFak/YtLZluzTbVc/s800/pano%2001%20Ron%20and%20Aysel%20stowing%20rope%20a fter%20big%20rap.jpg