So, Islip Canyon is a 2 mile or so long canyon up R39 north of Azusa. My brotha-from-anotha-motha Chris and I hiked up it to the first waterfall last year or so, and it looked nice so I put it on the long list of things to do. I found no info online regarding previous descents.
Ty and I started hiking up the ridge to the north of the canyon today at 0800. We dropped in at 1100 and got back to the truck at 1800 or so for 10hrs car to car. There is a lot of tubing and trash in the canyon from a grow operation that appears to have ended a couple years ago. We encountered 13 rappels or so, 2 of which we didn't do but would do if we went down this canyon again. The last rappel is the longest and best looking. A 200ft rope was perfect for this last rapp. We left nothing behind: no webbing, no links, no nothing. We used all natural anchors obviously, simply wrapping the rope around trees where convenient or using the retrievable setup I put together along with a pull cord (we used my 70m dynamic as a pull).
A lot of the pics came out real blurry for whatever reason, dunno why.
Cheers all
Ty the Annihilator on the approach. Note sweet rope bucket made by someone... I'd tell you but then I'd have to kill you, and that just involves too much paperwork and I'm scared of blood anyway.
Here be Islip Canyon from above.
This is upper Roberts Canyon, with Pine Mtn 4539 on the right. It appears to be a realm of impenetrable brush and pure hatred.
Ty after dropping in, avoiding the thickest brush in the bottom.
Whose idea was this?!
First rapp
5.10 bushwhacking was encountered
Yay, nice clear part!
Shmokey shmoke
Another rapp
Wee
Ty and the top secret anchor and about a billion other things going on. Yup, we are that cool.
Nice spot
Orange
Ty on the last rapp. We started it just as darkness fell, and fall it did... or fell it did? Anyway, it got dark fast, and we boogied out on a well-used trail from this point out, getting to R39 in no time.
Bam! Ty's first canyon!
Have a good week, errbody!
Islip Canyon First-Descent-That-I-Know-Of-Or-So (FDTIKOOS)
I will not tell anybody but Taco popped Ty's Cherrie in the canyon side of things
Great job guys maybe next time I'll join you for that repeat of that one, as long as the Poison Oak can be kept at a distance it get's me everytime I get near water sources
Great job guys maybe next time I'll join you for that repeat of that one, as long as the Poison Oak can be kept at a distance it get's me everytime I get near water sources
- 666-The Beast
- Posts: 124
- Joined: Wed Jun 15, 2011 8:08 pm
Been to East Fork many times for the mountains, the river, the gold mines, but the canyons were always quickly glanced as I drove by on the 39. Always, I wondered what magic hides in these rarely traveled places.
Taco and company, thank you for giving us a glimpse in that special place and I hope you continue to explore the rest of them! 666
Taco and company, thank you for giving us a glimpse in that special place and I hope you continue to explore the rest of them! 666
- cougarmagic
- Posts: 1409
- Joined: Wed May 07, 2008 5:21 pm
Looks like a nice canyon - just needs a good flood to clean all that debris out. Must have felt kinda like the trash compactor scene in Star Wars!
Good job on the first descent.
Good job on the first descent.
- tpfishnfool
- Posts: 62
- Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2011 10:50 am
My Kitty ROCKS ! Any fishy looking pools up there ?