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| Canyoneering | 3.00 Miles |
1,100 AEG |
| | Canyoneering | 3.00 Miles | 4 Hrs | | 0.75 mph |
| 1,100 ft AEG | | | | |
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| partners | | Nice short canyon I was able to get my not so active buddy out on today. The drive in is rocky and there are a few areas that climb up where you will need 4 wheel drive to make it up without trouble. Towards the end of the road is a nice staircase climb where you will want to have high clearance to make it up without hitting the bottom of your vehicle too much. Once at the end of the road simply drop into the canyon and the fun comes quickly. A nice down climb that puts you right into a pool, today it was only knee high but could easily be higher after our wet season. Right after the pool is the first rappel, 80 feet or so and if you turn to your left while on rappel you will get a pretty awesome view. This rappel also puts you into some water knee high. Not long after that is the next rappel, either 50ft total or you can set up 2 short rappels so you can see where your rope is at all times. The technical section of this canyon is pretty nice, it is short but offers some good views and down climbs in some amazing sculpted rock. The bottom of this canyon gets brushy and annoying. Once you get into crucifix turn left and you will find some nice spots with pretty clear water in it. The first section the canyon opens up on the left could be your exit but gets technical, just go around the next rock outcropping and you will see the canyon open up again, this is your easier exit. You will know this is the one if you look up to the right side of crucifix and see a large cave opening. I don't know if it was this time of year or what, but it was once again brushy and annoying. Head up and then you will be able to see the road again, simply head down the ridge and it take you right back to the road where it ends. If you didn't park there, simply follow the road back to where you were. Nice to see this canyon, but it certainly is one you feel you don't need to do again. I was just glad to have gotten my buddy outside once again.  |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
Without a supped up 4x4, we were hiking the 2 mile road in and when we got to the canyon I was slightly surprised to find it flowing decent with a large swimmer at the beginning of the technical section. 
Hmm, it's really tough to judge pools lie this when it's completely dry. 
So we geared up while on of the gals sat it out and waited for us. The cold pool wasn't too bag and we were soon working our way down the sweet 80ft drop. The narrows below was lush & flowing as well and a previous down climb needed to be rappelled due to it being slippery. We found another 100ft of hose to cut up and haul out but we didn't have room for all that dang chicken wire. 
Another buddy ended up coming thru the canyon a few days later and hauled it a mile closer to the exit. 
After getting our Christmas photos, we did the final 50ft rappel and we already break out the headlamps since the daylight was quickly leaving us. Overcast afternoons can make you loose track of time and time flies when you're having fun. 
We hit the two confluences with the south fork and then the main fork of Crucifix and by then we all had the headlamps fired up. A quarter mile or so downstream and I declared that that dark saddle on the south would be our exit. They respond 'All the WAY up there?!?' 
We scrambled up the ridge back to the dirt road and the 2 mile road walk back out was fairly tame compared to that tricky exit hike... We were all glad to be back to the vehicle along the highway and Susan surprised us with some HOT chocolate that REALLY hit the spot. 
On Turkey Day morning, he took us out in his rock crawler and drove that gnarly road to its end which put us right at the edge of this cool canyon. 
Most peeps will need to road walk north from Mesquite Flat along AZ88. We dropped into the canyon and soon enough we were gearing for an 80ft from a tree. There's a yucky pool below but thankfully we were able to bypass it and stay dry. 
