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| Canyoneering | 7.13 Miles |
1,133 AEG |
| | Canyoneering | 7.13 Miles | 7 Hrs 49 Mns | | 1.45 mph |
| 1,133 ft AEG | 2 Hrs 53 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Got a call from a friend on Friday, asking if I was interested in joining him and a few others for a trip to the 5 pools the following morning. I think what he really wanted was some additional rappelling expertise, but having discovered this gem of a hike last year, I jumped at the chance for another visit.
The drive in remains a 4x4 only adventure, and the road was even worse than last year. As we went down one of the steep, eroded hills, we wondered if we would make it back up. And on the way out, we did stop at one point and do a little road building, filling in holes to avoid getting nigh centered.
Upon reaching the “trailhead,” we met a group of three climbers who were camping out and hitting up some of the plentiful climbing destinations in the area. The leader was from out of state, and the other two from South America. They had no idea about the 5 pools, but decided to postpone their climbing plans to join us.
The hike in is still a scrambling, bushwhacking experience. This is a hike where you definitely have to earn the destination. Once in Devils Canyon proper, the poison ivy was plentiful. And a day or two later, I’m pretty sure I had a little too close encounter with it. Not a big deal, though.
After 2 hours of hiking, we arrived at the top of the pools. Pool one had a fixed rope. There was also a fixed rope that could be used for pools 2 and 3. And another coiled rope was just lying there on the top of pool 2. We didn’t use these ropes. My friend had brought a rope ladder, which we secured above pool 3 with some webbing. It worked great, and we avoided the near disaster we had last time, trying to get back up from pool 3.
The slide into pool 2 was running well, and all pools were full.
The webbing on the anchor above pool 4 is getting a little worn. Also, no rope there. We used our own slings to set the anchor point.
The waterfall into pool 4 was a little more anemic than last year, but still fun to rappel beside and climb behind.
The sling anchor above the final pool is still usable, but will need a replacement in the not too distant future.
The final jump into pool 5 is a highlight. From there, it was mostly work, with the steep scramble back up to the rope of pool 4, and then retracing our steps.
Lots of fish in the creek, and decent sizes, too.
An awesome place, and still a relatively inaccessible, hidden gem. |
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