Howdy folks! First trip report posted here. Did the name of this canyon catch your attention? GOOD!

Canyoneers who explore new canyons often focus on one place. They learn the rules of that place over a long period of time. They get comfortable with the place and learn to equip themselves uniquely to play there. My place has always been Grand Canyon. Every exploration trip starts with the same routine. Pick an interesting target slot off the infamous ‘list,’ study the slot carefully on a topo map. Look at the satellite imagery for any hints of big drops. Figure out how to get to the rim, how to get off the rim, and how to climb back out. Select gear accordingly. Assemble a skilled group and GO FOR IT!!! Over the years Todd Martin and I got in a few pickles from this approach, but they were relatively few given the number of slots we explored.

And so it began with the West Fork of Separation Canyon. I called Dave Nally in St. George and convinced him to join me on this trip. Dave had been on prior adventures in the area when a few real gems were discovered. The entry was relatively easy by Grand Canyon standards and the exit was easier. Armed with those recent memories, Dave signed on without hesitation. I wonder if he’ll take my next call.

I rarely do exploration trips with people who haven’t hiked extensively in remote parts of Grand Canyon. It’s too big, too hard, and too dangerous otherwise. Having good technical canyoning skills is only part of the adventure. Getting to the slot and back can often be a bigger adventure. Dave has been a Grand Canyon hiker, boater, and canyoneer for a long time and he’s been on many exploration trips in the ditch. It’s always nice to have a few other people along to help spread the gear around, but it was short notice and the other friends with experience on these trips were scattered about on other adventures. In hindsight, it was lucky for them! Since there were only two of us I skimped as much as possible on gear. We had a 250′ 8mm canyon pro rope, a 100′ 8mm rope, a 100′ Imlay 6mm pull cord, and 50′ of webbing. After some hesitation, I handed Dave the Acme bag of anchor courage after we were nearly packed. It’s 3 pounds and it’s very rarely useful. Of course, all of this canyoning gear was added to our bulging packs with camping gear and two days of food.

Dave and I headed out to Kelly Point 100 miles south of St. George towing the ‘Shivwitzer,’ my Polaris Ranger aptly named by Dan Ransom. Kelly Point is on the Shivwits Plateau and it juts south into Grand Canyon for 25 miles causing the mighty Colorado River to make a gigantic detour to get around it. The road on Kelly Pt defies description, but ‘tank trap’ gets close. Before buying the Polaris I was ejected from Kelly Pt several times due to the road conditions and it inspired my Ranger purchase. Fellow Grand Canyon enthusiast Ned Bryant and his merry crew followed us south out of St. George in a rented Wrangler. They were doing an 8–day trip off Kelly Pt. down Surprise Canyon and up Separation. I worried about the rental vehicle, and before long Ned had flat number one. Another 10 miles later he had flat number two! Flat one destroyed the tire, but flat two was plugged sufficiently to hold air. The Wrangler made it 70 miles to Oak Grove before ditching it as the roads got worse.

Separation Canyon is famous in Grand Canyon lore. Three men on John Wesley Powell’s first expedition down the Colorado River used it to exit to Kelly Pt when they became discouraged by the ferocity of Separation Rapid. They were promptly killed by Indians, and Powell, after running the rapid, made it out of Grand Canyon safely a few days later. Many people have tried to retrace the exit used by Powell’s men. The only way out of Separation is the up the big eastern arm. So we knew the West Fork would be technical. But according to the map, not too technical.

The slot was really pretty. The upper part of the Redwall had nice features and pools to swim.

When we entered the Temple Butte limestone layer we discovered a really tortured and narrow slot by Grand Canyon standards. It was quite unusual.

After 8 rappels we were deep in the Temple Butte limestone. We were 3 hours behind schedule from the stack up of events with Ned’s rental car the day before and I was hoping we had hit the last rap to make progress on the exit. All seemed to be going according to plan until we suddenly encountered what appeared to be a rappel with a HUGE exit!

My first thought was it couldn’t be that big because there was nothing more than 80′ on the topo. But when we hit the edge it looked REALLY BIG! We only had about a hour of daylight left so we hurriedly found a nice pinch point about 5′ off the exit lip that would afford a nice pull. I clipped in and tossed the rope. F*ck!!! No sound! We couldn’t quite see the bag so we pulled the rope up, stuffed it, and tossed the bag again a little to the left where we would have a better view. This time our fate was clear. The rope clearly didn’t reach. In fact, it wasn’t even close! It wasn’t the first time that I had been reminded about the scale of Grand Canyon, but it had certainly been a few years. Perhaps I was just too complacent—too sure I knew the local rules. We began to assess our situation. There was 12′ of webbing left and if we tied the 100′ rope and 100′ pull cord together the best we could do was pull a 200′ rope, even though our longest line was 250′. We briefly considered tying the 250′ and 100′ ropes together and passing the knot on the way down, but it was just too risky. Anyway, it just wasn’t clear that 350′ of rope would even reach and we didn’t know what obstacles might be encountered further downcanyon.

Dave grabbed the Acme bag of anchor courage from his pack and I did an inventory to be sure we had all of the components. It had been a while since I placed a bolt, and frankly, I didn’t even check before the trip to be sure all of the pieces were in the bag. Thank goodness the kit was complete! More importantly, the drop wasn’t completely overhanging like so many big drops are in Grand Canyon. I rappelled down 70′ to a tiny shelf just large enough for me to stand. Any further and I would have been free hanging and unable to get to the wall. Thirty minutes later the dirty deed was done. As darkness fell I jugged back up to make camp high above on some fabulous Temple Butte Ledges.

We were well behind schedule now and not only had to figure how to get down the headwall, but also had to exit back to the rim to stay on permit. At dawn Dave rigged the 100′ rope and 100′ pull cord and I rapped down to the bolt station and clipped in. I rigged the 250′ rope and gave it a toss. It at least reached a shelf above the drainage floor! Whew!!! Dave rapped down to the midwall bolt station, still 300′ off the deck, and clipped in with me. I joked that it was like the birds perch at Heaps but wayyyyy thinner!

Dave switched over to the 250′ line and started to rap down with his pack hanging below him while I prepared to pull the 100′ rope above. I waited for Dave to hit the shelf below and assess the next drop before pulling the upper rope.

I was able to pull about 50′ of the rappel strand up to reset the block. Fortunately, the next shelf was only 200′ down because we didn’t have enough pull strand for much more. Dave had a good perch for the next anchor and I pulled the upper 100′ rope and rigged the pull. After rapping down the pull went very smooth and we built a cairn anchor on the shelf for the final 100′ rap to the floor below. In all, the drop was a vertical 370′! Again, where is this feature on the topo?

We had two conclusions from this exercise: 1) Powell’s men certainly didn’t get out this way, 2) the map makers got very lazy. I wonder if they ever ventured up to the drop from below? As a penalty box for the map makers, Dave and I decide to unofficially revoke their name for this canyon. We called it Killer Canyon and hope that the next sorry soul to visit will have the benefit of our beta!

The exit out of Separation was long, but we had been out the ‘standard’ exit before so there was no uncertainty. Fortunately, there were no more drops and the exit hike was quite beautiful!

We finally topped out on the rim, exhausted, after gaining 4,400 vertical feet at 4 PM and walked another few miles to the Polaris. The trip was memorable, and it’s always helpful to get that ‘friendly’ reminder that this place is BIG. REALLY BIG. Complacency can kill you here. Assuming that you ‘know’ the rules, even in your local playground, is unwise.

No word yet from the NPS on whether we’ll need to go in with the BIG rope to remove the bolt. Bolts are not allowed in Grand Canyon, but frankly, doing exploration trips without a bolt kit would be suicide. I’m glad we had it, but not glad that we had to use it. The Acme bag of anchor courage has accompanied us on more than 100 trips. We always argue about who has to carry the ‘dead’ weight. A wrong topo map was strike one. I nearly committed us to the unthinkable by leaving Acme behind to save some weight. Sometimes you’re just lucky when you should have been good!


Rich

© 2013 Rich Rudow