Allison Mine - Allison Gulch

Elwood · Post by **Elwood** » Sun Apr 25, 2010 11:13 am

Turtle and I hiked up to Allison Mine yesterday, then made our way down Allison Gulch back to the East Fork. We were on the hoof around 0630 and back at the Heaton Flat parking area just about 1600. Weather was perfect and we didn't see another soul on trail until reaching the East Fork near Swan Rock. Now that the fog had burned out of the fork, it was quite toasty for the hike back to the car. The fork is flowing very vigorously and even the shallow crossings can be tricky.

Morning fog hadn't yet dissipated from the East Fork.

Sorry Iron, we won't be visiting your summit today.

Rattlesnake Peak and the tempting ridge to the Hawkins'.

Morning view towards Mt. Wilson.

Recursive photography.

Turtle taking some waterfall pictures just below Allison Mine.

A view down the watercourse in Allison Gulch.

Turtle rappelling down one of the shorter falls.

View encompassing some of the geology of the gulch.

The tallest drop in this stretch of Allison Gulch.

GPS track and elevation profile. The receiver was dithering a lot in and around the mine.

Ze Hiker · Post by **Ze Hiker** » Sun Apr 25, 2010 5:07 pm

very cool. love this hike.

how far did you enter the mines?

Dave G · Post by **Dave G** » Sun Apr 25, 2010 5:26 pm

Very nice!
I'm curious about what appears to be a waterproof rucksack--is that de rigueur among the canyoneering crowd?

turtle · Post by **turtle** » Sun Apr 25, 2010 10:05 pm

Dave G wrote:I'm curious about what appears to be a waterproof rucksack--is that de rigueur among the canyoneering crowd?

Not quite de rigueur, but very common, yes.

It's actually not waterproof, but rather just designed to shed water efficiently. (Things that need to stay dry are typically enclosed in a dry sack or "canyon keg" inside the pack.) It drains very quickly, and is made from materials (Hypalon body, minimal foam and fabric elsewhere) that do not absorb water. Carries wet much like it carries dry -- much nicer if you're hauling yourself through and out of pools of water all day long.

The construction is also very abrasion resistant. Canyons (especially sandstone ones) are incredibly hard on packs.

turtle · Post by **turtle** » Sun Apr 25, 2010 10:22 pm

Thanks for the trip report and pictures Elwood! I've also put an

Allison Gulch Slideshow

up on Flickr.

This was my first time through Allison Gulch. It's a bit off the beaten path for most local canyoneers, but should not be overlooked, IMHO, especially if you can catch it while it's flowing nicely.

Elwood · Post by **Elwood** » Mon Apr 26, 2010 7:55 am

We explored the extents of the upper entrance (just above the trail), as far as we could go without climbing, also both the left and right tunnels of the next level down. These were all easily walkable. There's an amazing amount of trash and stuff seemingly left by visitors.

Post by **Hikin_Jim** » Mon Apr 26, 2010 1:43 pm

Nice.

I've been up to the base of the falls in Allison Gulch but never down from the mine.

How was the trail from Heaton Saddle to the mine? It was pretty followable but very brushy last time I was out that way.

HJ

turtle · Post by **turtle** » Tue Apr 27, 2010 11:25 am

Hikin_Jim wrote: How was the trail from Heaton Saddle to the mine?

It was in pretty good shape, with a little brush in a few places and an eroded trailbed in a few others. But easy going the whole way. Elwood was kind enough to clip back some yucca to make it easier for the next guy.