Grand Canyon Sufferfest: Whispering Falls Canyon
Rich Rudow and Todd Martin have been spending a bit of time in the mighty canyon of the Colorado River, as it crosses from Lee's Ferry to Lake Mead. Exploring every little nook and cranny? Well, that's the game. Once in a while they invite along lesser beings (ie, non-Grand-Canyon-Hikers) such as Ram and I to share in the "fun" - if you call carrying a heavy pack up and down monstrous slopes, in and out of pools, across terrible blackbrush wastelands "fun", which, uh, I guess I do... Out this month for a little fun, Ram and I pay a visit to the big ditch, along with Rich and Todd, Sonny Lawrence and Dean Kurtz. And we suffer...
This is Whispering Falls Canyon, approached via Indian Hollow, exited via Kanab Creek to Jumpup Canyon to Indian Hollow, found in Todd Martin's Grand Canyoneering Guidebook - around page 400. I did not get any good shots of Whispering Falls, because it was getting DARK when we got there.
Ramoo negotiating a boulder in a jungle, on the way to our basecamp.
Sonny and Rich lowering packs at one of the fifth-class steps on the approach.
Home Sweet Home - our basecamp alcove for the week.
Sonny being the meat backup for the a chockstone anchor, for our first rap into the canyon du jour.
Rich Rudow—the man, the myth.
Ram rapping one of dem raps in the Canyon du Jour.
A lot of the canyon is like this.
Stairstep drops, eventually we'll have to rappel, right?
We hoped that this obscure canyon would offer a first descent... but alas, a bolt was found at this rap - entirely unnecessary, as natural anchors were abundant. The ethic of the pioneers seems to have been to bolt everything with bolts in the watercourse, and back aways from the edge, so they require substantial pieces of brightly colored webbing...
Another short rappel in the Redwall.
After a bivy on stone, starting out the next morning, for the return to basecamp.
After some time, we come to a nice, watery spot for a break.
Rich Rudow enjoying a classic Grand Canyon Breakfast. They do NOT serve THIS at Denny's.
Water is a precious thing, here in the desert...
Some kinda Yucca, unlike the two species we have in Zion.
Waterfall and rock walls.
Towering limestone and sandstone walls.
Swirls in the stone.
Waterfall, white stone, green ferns.
As we head upcanyon, the canyon narrows. Sonny in the narrows, as we get 'close' (by local standards) to our basecamp.
The next day... the gang heads out for another canyon, while I, having suffered enough, head back to Mount Carmel.