20140719 Monkeyface Falls Canyoneering
Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2014 3:33 pm
Aysel had been looking at Monkeyface Falls/Canyon for a while, and we didn't know anyone who had descended it, nor could we find any information online about it. We had both talked about climbing those small walls up on San Bernardino Peak overlooking Forest Falls. They require a crummy approach, and I didn't think the rock would be all that great.
SB Peak Walls by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
Aysel put together this trip to go scout out the rocks and then head home via the canyon. Aysel, Ania, Carole and myself headed out real early in the morning with inadequate rest and not enough coffee to go figure out all the question marks on the map. The approach involved hiking up a small draw and onto a ridge, with some decent bushwhacking. The fingers started to bleed early on whilst chopping a trail through the dense brush with my trusty machete of yore.
We eventually hit a nice climber's trail to the crags which sped up progress tenfold. So nice following other's trails!
Up we went to the scree and talus fields below the crags with rain occasionally falling. We checked out the leftmost crag and hiked up around it to reach the ridge the crags end on. The rock was pretty good, similar to some stuff in the Crystal Lake area. Not much loose rock on the steep climby bits by my standards (sport climbers would vomit endlessly at the though of such loose rock as well as no Starbucks within sight etc etc). Doubt I'll come back as I'm not too enthused about hiking for that long up that hill to go climb a few pitches of moderate ground. Woulda been stoked 10 years ago but I'm spoiled now.
Leftmost Crag by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
DSC01861 by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
DSC01862 by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
Forest Falls by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
We hiked up the ridge a bit through some thick foliage, taking a break on some rocks and talus overlooking the canyon where we plotted our next move. We decided to descend down the draw/feeder canyon into Monkeyface Canyon. The descent went fairly easily with only a few machete chops needed here and there. Some real easy and fun runs down pine needles, plant litter, and scree. We eventually found ourselves in the canyon, and took a nice break in the dry riverbed.
Descent by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
Ladies by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
The canyon was very quiet and pretty and didn't require any bushwhacking. Where there is enough flow annually, there often isn't much brush. Old growth also keeps much sunlight from reaching the ground, keeping less-desirable foliage from growing and stabbing you or causing itching. Thankfully, I was able to find plenty of Stinging Nettle to rub on my arms and legs. What would a trip be without fun, right?
DSC01865 by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
DSC01866 by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
DSC01867 by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
Water appeared above the ground after a short bit, and we found our first rappel. There was a small bush with webbing and a steel ring for the first rappel, answering our questions regarding previous passage. Tested the anchor and headed down.
Carole on R1 by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
R1 by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
The next rappel was off a large log stuck in the canyon. I set a very simple retrievable anchor I built the day before. I also was able to use my new Amsteel Blue 7/64ths (tiny) dyneema pullcord, which performed well despite being of such small diameter that it's hard to pull on long rapps as well as being too small to grab with any ascenders. I clove hitched it to the nose of a locker for hard pulls.
Hasty Retrievable Anchor by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
DSC01873 by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
Ania descending
The further down we went, the more anchors there were. Often times there was simply too much webbing on the anchor points, so we cleaned it up.
Aysel on R3 by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
Adios! by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
R3 by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
DSC01882 by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
Here Aysel is descending an awkward 2 stage rappel.
DSC01884 by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
Mr. Coolguy setup right there.
The next few rappels were really beautiful and made all the work worthwhile. Long rappels over chockstones down steep waterfalls with moss and ferns and really slick rock.
Ania Dancing by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
DSC01889 by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
DSC01890 by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
Garbage! by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
The 180ft rappel had a ton of old webbing and rope for anchors. I'm not perfect by any means but as canyoneers/adventure types, we need to make sure we keep it clean and don't leave tons of trash behind. Anything more than the required anchor is overkill and becomes trash. I've seen so much on anchors everywhere and when folks are new to all this, they're not sure what's good. From an evolutionary standpoint, it weakens us. That single piece of webbing and that link are strong enough for this rappel whether it's 10ft down or 200ft.
I've been on climbs in Yosemite for example where there's just this huge rat's nest of webbing. Where do you clip in? Maybe someone's injured or you're running from a storm and your mind is flooded. Do you really need all that clutter? Keep anchors clean, simple, and safe. Replace bad stuff and leave a good anchor behind, something that's painfully simple to understand. I'm not suggesting everyone ghost canyons and leave nothing behind (though that is the future), but we need to be sensible. I normally don't care for bolts but if there was a bolted station here, there would be far less trash. That said, there are so many good natural anchors that bolting would just help mold the next generation of roped adventurers into less thoughtful ones. *steps off soapbox*
Now for more pretty waterfall pics!
Stage 1 by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
Looking down stage 2 by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
Aysel by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
DSC01897 by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
DSC01898 by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
Short rapp to the end of the canyon. by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
That last photo shows our last rappel to the trail home. Carole picked up a ton of garbage left by those who don't understand. Hopefully everyone who is a parent right now is educating their kids that one must respect nature. Education is the key to making the human race smarter and safer. It beats the current trend of just making everything illegal, which IMHO retards growth.
Going home by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
Trash! by TacoDelRio, on Flickr
Here is all the extra anchor crap left by others. The black assault line/static was left fixed on the second stage of the 180ft rappel. The Homie Depot red white and blue rope was fixed on the last rappel. The green and yellow one was in between the two. Some of the green webbing was reusable. The rest is garbage.
For anyone who wishes to descend this canyon, a probable easier approach could be along the ridge immediately east/right of the canyon mouth. I would suggest a 200ft rope, 200ft pullcord, and enough webbing and links for 8-10 rappels. One can use a retrievable on most drops.
Thank you guys for the fun trip! Thanks for organizing this, Aysel. I appreciate it.
SB Peak Walls by TacoDelRio, on FlickrAysel put together this trip to go scout out the rocks and then head home via the canyon. Aysel, Ania, Carole and myself headed out real early in the morning with inadequate rest and not enough coffee to go figure out all the question marks on the map. The approach involved hiking up a small draw and onto a ridge, with some decent bushwhacking. The fingers started to bleed early on whilst chopping a trail through the dense brush with my trusty machete of yore.
We eventually hit a nice climber's trail to the crags which sped up progress tenfold. So nice following other's trails!
Up we went to the scree and talus fields below the crags with rain occasionally falling. We checked out the leftmost crag and hiked up around it to reach the ridge the crags end on. The rock was pretty good, similar to some stuff in the Crystal Lake area. Not much loose rock on the steep climby bits by my standards (sport climbers would vomit endlessly at the though of such loose rock as well as no Starbucks within sight etc etc). Doubt I'll come back as I'm not too enthused about hiking for that long up that hill to go climb a few pitches of moderate ground. Woulda been stoked 10 years ago but I'm spoiled now.Leftmost Crag by TacoDelRio, on FlickrDSC01861 by TacoDelRio, on FlickrDSC01862 by TacoDelRio, on FlickrForest Falls by TacoDelRio, on FlickrWe hiked up the ridge a bit through some thick foliage, taking a break on some rocks and talus overlooking the canyon where we plotted our next move. We decided to descend down the draw/feeder canyon into Monkeyface Canyon. The descent went fairly easily with only a few machete chops needed here and there. Some real easy and fun runs down pine needles, plant litter, and scree. We eventually found ourselves in the canyon, and took a nice break in the dry riverbed.
Descent by TacoDelRio, on FlickrLadies by TacoDelRio, on FlickrThe canyon was very quiet and pretty and didn't require any bushwhacking. Where there is enough flow annually, there often isn't much brush. Old growth also keeps much sunlight from reaching the ground, keeping less-desirable foliage from growing and stabbing you or causing itching. Thankfully, I was able to find plenty of Stinging Nettle to rub on my arms and legs. What would a trip be without fun, right?
DSC01865 by TacoDelRio, on FlickrDSC01866 by TacoDelRio, on FlickrDSC01867 by TacoDelRio, on FlickrWater appeared above the ground after a short bit, and we found our first rappel. There was a small bush with webbing and a steel ring for the first rappel, answering our questions regarding previous passage. Tested the anchor and headed down.
Carole on R1 by TacoDelRio, on FlickrR1 by TacoDelRio, on FlickrThe next rappel was off a large log stuck in the canyon. I set a very simple retrievable anchor I built the day before. I also was able to use my new Amsteel Blue 7/64ths (tiny) dyneema pullcord, which performed well despite being of such small diameter that it's hard to pull on long rapps as well as being too small to grab with any ascenders. I clove hitched it to the nose of a locker for hard pulls.
Hasty Retrievable Anchor by TacoDelRio, on FlickrDSC01873 by TacoDelRio, on FlickrAnia descending
The further down we went, the more anchors there were. Often times there was simply too much webbing on the anchor points, so we cleaned it up.
Aysel on R3 by TacoDelRio, on FlickrAdios! by TacoDelRio, on FlickrR3 by TacoDelRio, on FlickrDSC01882 by TacoDelRio, on FlickrHere Aysel is descending an awkward 2 stage rappel.
DSC01884 by TacoDelRio, on FlickrMr. Coolguy setup right there.
The next few rappels were really beautiful and made all the work worthwhile. Long rappels over chockstones down steep waterfalls with moss and ferns and really slick rock.
Ania Dancing by TacoDelRio, on FlickrDSC01889 by TacoDelRio, on FlickrDSC01890 by TacoDelRio, on FlickrGarbage! by TacoDelRio, on FlickrThe 180ft rappel had a ton of old webbing and rope for anchors. I'm not perfect by any means but as canyoneers/adventure types, we need to make sure we keep it clean and don't leave tons of trash behind. Anything more than the required anchor is overkill and becomes trash. I've seen so much on anchors everywhere and when folks are new to all this, they're not sure what's good. From an evolutionary standpoint, it weakens us. That single piece of webbing and that link are strong enough for this rappel whether it's 10ft down or 200ft.
I've been on climbs in Yosemite for example where there's just this huge rat's nest of webbing. Where do you clip in? Maybe someone's injured or you're running from a storm and your mind is flooded. Do you really need all that clutter? Keep anchors clean, simple, and safe. Replace bad stuff and leave a good anchor behind, something that's painfully simple to understand. I'm not suggesting everyone ghost canyons and leave nothing behind (though that is the future), but we need to be sensible. I normally don't care for bolts but if there was a bolted station here, there would be far less trash. That said, there are so many good natural anchors that bolting would just help mold the next generation of roped adventurers into less thoughtful ones. *steps off soapbox*
Now for more pretty waterfall pics!
Stage 1 by TacoDelRio, on FlickrLooking down stage 2 by TacoDelRio, on FlickrAysel by TacoDelRio, on FlickrDSC01897 by TacoDelRio, on FlickrDSC01898 by TacoDelRio, on FlickrShort rapp to the end of the canyon. by TacoDelRio, on FlickrThat last photo shows our last rappel to the trail home. Carole picked up a ton of garbage left by those who don't understand. Hopefully everyone who is a parent right now is educating their kids that one must respect nature. Education is the key to making the human race smarter and safer. It beats the current trend of just making everything illegal, which IMHO retards growth.
Going home by TacoDelRio, on FlickrTrash! by TacoDelRio, on FlickrHere is all the extra anchor crap left by others. The black assault line/static was left fixed on the second stage of the 180ft rappel. The Homie Depot red white and blue rope was fixed on the last rappel. The green and yellow one was in between the two. Some of the green webbing was reusable. The rest is garbage.
For anyone who wishes to descend this canyon, a probable easier approach could be along the ridge immediately east/right of the canyon mouth. I would suggest a 200ft rope, 200ft pullcord, and enough webbing and links for 8-10 rappels. One can use a retrievable on most drops.
Thank you guys for the fun trip! Thanks for organizing this, Aysel. I appreciate it.
--- so here we go - when I think of you Hikin_Jim - I think of stoves - and now that you mentioned 'big chicken' and this thread was started by Taco - my mind and stomach have just sorted out what's for dinner 
