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| Hiking | 12.18 Miles |
853 AEG |
| | Hiking | 12.18 Miles | 3 Hrs 28 Mns | | 3.51 mph |
| 853 ft AEG | | 43 LBS Pack | | |
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| partners | | We had been talking about doing Lemmon Canyon for some time. We had heard some abbreviated stories and read Todd Martin's description and we still underestimated this canyon.
There were four of us on the trip. The regular crew: Joel, Josh, and myself. Plus Carole, who was new to canyoneering but we figured we could help her with the technical stuff and go slow on the rock hops. Patience is always a good skill to practice, right?
We did the trip as a 2.5 day backpack, spending the first night right above Lemmon Pools which is on the East Fork of Lemmon Canyon. That afternoon, Joel and I scouted down canyon a bit and decided we could do the East Fork. Note: Todd Martin recommends the West Fork as it is easier.
Joel and I brought our tarp and planned to sleep under the stars. The last forecast I had seen was 10% chance of rain. At some point in the night I awoke to some sprinkles so I woke up Joel and we put up the tarp. We didn't do a great job and the noise of it blowing in the wind kept me awake. I finally just knocked it down and let the tarp settled over us like a blanket. It sprinkled off and on through the night until about 5 AM when we should have been getting up. Then it decided to rain a bit more. I swore at myself for not fixing the tarp but in the end it was all good; our stuff was dry under our 'blanket'. We finally emerged and discussed our situation. We didn't know if it was going to rain more. So,we listened to a weather report which just said there was still a chance of rain. We discussed many things including the fact that Lemmon doesn't drain a huge area. We also talked about the fact that we could just backpack to Hutch's Pool and not do the canyon. One of our concerns was that one of us didn't have a wetsuit and it could be cold in the canyon when wet. Finally, the sky started to show blue, the clouds rolled away, and the sun came out to play. So we proceeded on our planned journey, albeit later than planned.
The East Fork is beautiful and rugged. We found ourselves crawling under huge boulders, on top of rocks the size of large vehicles, and jumping across pools of water. Boulder hopping was the norm, there was no easy way of travel. Friction moves were abound. We'd slide down to the next level of rocks by attempting to maximize friction to slow the descent and to allow a smooth dismount. Keep in mind we had large backpacks with overnight gear which at times made us feel like we'd be thrown from the rocks as we scooted down them. We were able to navigate everything the east fork threw at us without having to whip out technical gear. The East Fork seemed to be a never ending adventure around and through pools. Finally we saw the West Fork joining our route and took a break. Looking at the GPS, I would say we had been traveling about a quarter of a mile an hour!
Not long after we joined the West Fork in what is the main Lemmon canyon the technical fun began. From our reading we knew that we had to descend then swim through a pool and then descend some more. None of us knew what the pool was like. It was decided that I would scope out the rappel since I am probably the most comfortable in water. Joel rigged a releasable anchor so that if I needed more rope then what was fed out initially I could request it. I rappelled down to the pool. I could stand up at times in the pool which made it bearable. I went to the end to try to get out. Nope, I couldn't get out. I regrouped back where I could stand. Then I went at it again with a heel hook and fought my way out with my big backpack. Yes, I made it! From there I rappelled down a ways until I saw another anchor off to the side. I yelled up (and radio'd) and asked if I could keep going or if I should transition to that anchor. I'm not it was understood that there was an anchor there but I was told that there was plenty of rope for me to keep going so I did. I was able to do the first two rappels described in Todd Martin's book as one. There were a couple more smaller pools but they were not nearly as hard to get out of. I radio'd my beta back up to the team. They decided to don their wetsuits. Then Josh rappelled into the first pool and planned to stay there to help the other two out of pool. When he finally went to pull himself out he didn't think he'd have a problem and was surprised he had to take a second try. While waiting for the others I put on my wetsuit to warm up and then coached the others. I wasn't always able to do a fireman's because the rope would get pulled up out of my grasp as people negotiated the lips of the pools. Our newbie didn't like being in the water as her pack was trying to push her under. We assured her that was normal and try to explain some techniques to help. I'm sure thatn ith more time in water she'll adjust.
From there we negotiated the boulder field known as Lemmon Canyon. We'd basically zigzagged back and forth along the canyon walls to find the easiest down climbs. Some of them were absolutely terrifying but surprisingly my big pack would get caught in just the right places to gently drop me onto the next rock. Except the time in which my pack got caught and I was hanging by my chin strap, err chest strap. When I finally managed to wriggle out of my pack I dropped a foot or so to the ground. Wow! The rock hopping started to wear on our newbie but she tried to keep a smiling face. She is a fighter!
Finally we reached our second rappel. We climbed up on a large rock positioned right up against a gigantic Sycamore tree. The tree was the anchor. It was a pretty awkward start. You sit on the rock and then launch yourself forward until your feet hit the solid trunk of the Sycamore. Definitely one of the strangest starts I've done. From there I ducked between the two large arms and started a free hang rappel off a tree! Awesome! It was starting to get late in the day and we knew we'd have to find a camp soon. We pressed on because all we had found so far was small spots of flat for tents. We managed to reach another rappel and it looked like a great campsite was below! We rappelled down the falls to a beach. We used more than the 100ft that was mentioned but our anchor was pretty far back from the nearly vertical descent. As the rest of the group finished rappelling the sun was preparing to set and it was starting to get a bit dark in the canyon.
Our camp was great! We settled in for the night after 12 hours of full on adventure. We evaluated our gear condition and found that many things were in a state of disrepair. Bottoms of packs were ripped, pants were buttless in some cases and at least one shoe had started to talk (flap, flap). We enjoyed our food as darkness came upon on. Surprisingly, Carole was positive even though she had to be absolutely exhausted. Her attitude was amazing! Many people would have retreated in exhaustion and pouted in their tent.
In the morning, I awoke to buzzing! Oh no, bees! Im scared of bees adter being chased by one on Blackett's and stung. I finally peaked out of my bag and saw a few carpenter bees buzzing near our colorful water bottles. Whew!
We got a pretty early start due to the fact we still had half the canyon to do plus a longish, hike out. We decided that it wasn't prudent to go out to Prison Camp where we had left a car. We knew one of us was exhausted and 4 extra miles of hiking in 90 degree heat wasn't prudent. We were, instead, going to push to catch the last tram in Sabino canyon and then call a cab.
We hit the next rappel close to camp. Then a challenging down climb. Then we continued our rock hopping, sliding, down climbing just like it went the day before. Luckily the canyon is beautiful as to not become tedious!
As we zigged and zagged we hit some patches of poison ivy. Lots and lots of poison ivy. We all just took a breath and hoped for the best.
Shortly after we found a spot in which we were stuck. None of our options looked to good so we stared to look for any anchor we could find. I brushed away some leaves and dirt away and found a pinch point and we were off. The start was crappy and I knew that Carole couldn't take much more craziness so I put on a smile and acted like it wasn't too big if a deal. I had to start with slack in the line and kinda drop over a rock into a crack between big rocks. Then I worked my way down the crack until there was a hole then more crack. I stepped over the hole and then got to the end if the crack. I was worried about sharp edges and the rope getting stuck so I mentioned to the guys that someone should bring a rock to try to fill the gap. After that I dropped myself down for a quick little free hang into a little grotto under the rocks. It was beautiful and a bit slick. Before we were all down, we figured out that the pull should be OK. Then Carole started down. She saw the hole and thought she was to go down it. By the time I figured out what she was talking about she was almost stuck. It took a lot out of her to work her way out. I've never heard such noises out of a girl before  . When she got down she thought she should keep going but I recommended a rest in the cool shade first to recover.
As we approached Sabino Canyon things started to widen a bit. It obviously was a place to be enjoyed. No time to look around since we had a deadline. So we continued on...
We reached a rap that we could see went into a big pool. Not knowing the depth I decided to blow up the pool float i bring just in case of emergencies. Then I went first to be able to help people when they got In the pool. Luckily there was a shelf right at the bottom so you could stand and disconnect then start the swim. I floated and belayed. I kept my pool float blown up for a few pools which was nice as I could use my bicycle feet to propel me along while I floated. After the pools, I attached it to the back of my pack with a stick in the valve so it could deflate while we hiked.
We knew we were approaching the end of the canyon experience and we were stunned to find another rappel. Joel decided that we didn't have time for it and we should bushwhack up high and around that rappel and the pools that continued. We found ourselves on an old route or game trail. It was steep but doable. We bushwhacked up and then back down. Finally we knew we were done with the technical bits so we took off our gear. I also took the opportunity to change my pants as they were definitely not fit for the civilization of Hutch's Pool or the Sabino Canyon tram. We ate, drank, and enjoyed our rest. We knew the heat was upon us now.
After nearly 8 hours of boulder hopping and technical travel, we were finally at Hutch's Pool. We grabbed a few liters of water and treated it with our drops. Then I plowed into the pool with my pack to drench my clothes for the hot hike out.
The trail miles were quick considering our fatigue. Caffeinated jelly beans fueled us a few more steps. I kept an eye on Carole and Josh in case she needed help. At some point, as we neared the switchbacks going down to the road I saw Josh carrying two packs. What a gentleman! Carole was stumbling a bit so I took over and let Josh continue to the road. She was feeling the heat. Only a couple weeks ago she had lived in Montana and now here she was in the desert with temperatures souring. She was getting nauseous and was close to collapse. She paused and I poured cool water down the back of her neck. It was enough to revive her for a bit. We saw the tram approaching but I coached her not to hurry. The boys would delay it so we could get on. She needed to make sure she got down the switchbacks safely! Finally, we made it! The tram was a heavenly sight! We had to pile ourselves and our packs into one row. But at this point we didn't care, we had successfully completed Lemmon Canyon. We were exhausted, thirsty, and hot. But we were all alive and survivors of one of the tough canyon experiences in the Catalina's! |
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