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| Canyoneering | 10.00 Miles |
1,000 AEG |
| | Canyoneering | 10.00 Miles | 6 Hrs 50 Mns | | 1.46 mph |
| 1,000 ft AEG | | | | |
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| | Basic Canyoneering - Scrambling; easy climbing/downclimbing; frequent hand use; rope recommended; easy exit | | A - Dry or little water; shallow or avoidable water; no wet/dry suit | | II - Normally requires a half day |
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| no partners | | This one turned out to be quite the adventure. I got an early start at 6am and needed every minute. This starts out very innocently going down the wash. As the canyon deepens, you have to make your way down some steep drop-offs. Nothing too bad in the way of exposure to falls. Then the wash junctions with the South Fork of Soap Creek. At this point you turn left and continue downstream. Not long after, the obstacles become much more formidable.
All thru this canyon are rockfalls, and even huge sections of the canyon walls that have eroded and collapsed across the creek bed. At just one of these sections, you have to boulder your way across the huge rocks. Not long after, look to your right for cairns that will guide your way up a huge rockslide. It was a little unnerving in some sections to make my way up and down this rockslide, seeing as some of the rocks/boulders weren't completely stable.
Once I got past the rockslide, a few hundred feet more downstream is the mega drop-off. I started out trying to make my way down this, since it was basically a series of smaller drop-offs. Finally, at the last one, I saw that it was a good 6-8 feet down, too much to risk an injury, especially hiking alone. I looked to my right again and saw one of the few sections of an actual trail for this hike, which very conveniently guides you past this mess. I made my way back up and to this trail, which gained even more elevation as it skirted the deep canyon below. The exposure on this section of trail is considerable, and the trail is very narrow, and loose in spots. Be very careful where you step and don't gawk too much at the scenery here.
The trail fades away at another rockslide that is also very well cairned. At the bottom of this rockslide, there is some more bouldering that includes a rope strung around a boulder to help you lower yourself. After this, the creek finally levels out, allowing for some more normal hiking. At one point during this last bit of bouldering, I made the mistake of allowing my feet to get into one of the mud puddles. The mud in this creek is very slippery, hence the name Soap Creek.
At the junction of the North and South Forks of Soap Creek, North Creek had a trickle of water, which was just enough to make the rest of the hike an exercise in trying to keep the mud off my boots. At some points it seemed almost inevitable, probably mainly due to how tired I was getting. By the time I reached the Colorado, I had drank my entire Camelback bladder, 3L.
At the river, I ate lunch, drank another liter of water, and filled up with 3 more liters. The forecasted temperature for Marble Canyon today was 100 degrees. Down at the Colorado, it was easily 110. Making my way back up Soap Creek was somewhat difficult in the unrelenting sun. The first milestone for me to reach was to get past the junction of the north and south forks, so I didn't have to keep dodging the mud.
Getting back up the big dropoff and rockslides turned out not to be as bad as I was afraid off. Some shade had crept in at that point, and as my elevation increased, so did the temps drop just enough. It also helped immensely that some clouds had drifted by just in time as I started to ascend.
At the rope, I discovered that it was great for lowering yourself, but not so good for pulling yourself up and out. I actually backed down and tried to find another way, only to find that any other route was impossible. I managed to make it up on the 2nd try, using a belly flop move to anchor my center of gravity on the upper level area, thereby preventing my falling. This resulted in my being covered in the fine dirt powder, which subsequently turned into mud as it made contact with my sweat soaked clothes and became worked into the fabric. My new white longsleeve summer hiking shirt is no longer white, and probably never will be again. [Update note: The rope ladder that is shown in older picture sets is gone now. There is only one rope that is badly placed. Be prepared for a challenge to get yourself out of this canyon, or else bring an extra rope to leave on your way down.]
Once I finished, I had a nice 5 hour drive back to Mesa, fighting winding roads, traffic, and monsoons.
My GPS lost the signal a few times in the narrow portions of the canyon, resulting in the GPS locating me at a wrong area and then back again, adding to the total mileage. Upon inspection of the route on my computer, I would guess that the total round trip mileage for this is about 10 miles.
As a sidenote, I went thru 9 liters of water on this hike, which I believe is a personal record for me. |
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