Hello All,
This past weekend, I met up with some friends and spent the weekend
canyoneering at Marble Canyon, Arizona. This was my first time to the
area. I’d been told that the wind can howl out there; we did not get any
wind until Sunday morning – then it blew!
Using Todd Martin’s book, Grand Canyoneering, we descended the North Fork
of Soap Creek (pg 157) and returned to the road via the South Fork (pg
158). Because of our late start, we did not go to the river. Saturday we descended the South Fork of Badger Canyon and hiked to the river. To
return to the road, we walked down the river and used Exit Option 2 (pg
150). Yes, that is my son rappelling on page 150. On Sunday, the
rest of the group did Sevenmile Draw (pg 145) and reversed the canyon on
the way out which required ascending the rappel with the rope that they
left earlier in the day. They went to the river and back. The weather
was awesome all three days. The wind did pick-up Sunday afternoon and they got
pretty sandblasted on the walk back to the road.
I was impressed with the area. I liked being able to go to the river.
The hike back up was a bear!!!!! I will definitely go back to that area
again. One of the nice things about the trip was how short the travel
time was – it is a little over 120 miles. I encourage you to explore the
area. Todd’s book is a great resource.
Felicia
ps – No pictures because my camera got busted a couple of weeks ago.
Mountaineer
Awesome! Sand goggles can certainly help sometimes. The wind can be brutal.
Just kindly checking, was it 120 miles over 3 days or maybe just a typo?
Nic Barth
FYI that one rappel in Sevenmile Draw: It is possible to rock climb back up it on top rope. I remember it being surprisingly fun and ~5.7-5.8max. Footing was no problem in canyoneers or hiking boots. Be sure you have your anchor/rope sorted for top roping and probably bring at least one set of ascenders just in case.
trackrunner
“My task, which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel–it is, before all, to make you see.”
— Joseph Conrad
Mike Zampino
Felicia,
A trip report without pictures is like a Playboy magazine without pictures. You don’t really expect us to read the articles do you?
Lisa
Thanks for posting this, Felicia! It was a good weekend. This would be a good Grand Canyon itinerary for a canyoneer wanting to taste the goodies of the Grand Canyon without suffering too much. I also enjoyed getting to go to the river without too much elevation loss.