It was interesting to me how different the three canyons we did on this trip were. Usually canyons in the same area, while different, will still have a similar feel to them. Poe was full of pothole after pothole, Happy Dog had lots of tight stemming, and Rusty Anchor was not as deeply incised into the sandstone and had an open airy feel to it (at least until the very end). Eric had to head home and left before anyone else woke up (he had wanted to hike out the night before, but we didn’t even get back to camp until 2045 and would have been navigating the cliff in the dark so we talked him out of that). Guy also had to head back after injuring his hand in Poe.
Poe was rough so we didn’t exactly clean up the night before
The cloud cover was nice for the approach
The approach go Happy Dog was more varied than the approach to Poe
A cool little alcove at the head of the canyon where we stopped for lunch
Other side of the alcove
Photo courtesy of Micah
I hate stemming in a wetuit
Probably a great canyon, I certainly had a lot of fun in the upper part, but in one of the tight stemming sections the rope I had in my pack fell out and I didn’t notice until I got to the end of that section. Not that it was very long, but I had to go back about 30-40′ up canyon and then drop down about 10′ in a spot that was just barely wide enough for me to fit down and then climb back up and proceed. About 5′ up after getting the bag I got my hips wedged a little and couldn’t go up, but I was reluctant to drop down and lose what I had gained. It was a sobering position to be in since even if someone came back they would be very little help, fortunately after resting in that spot for about 2-3 minutes I had enough steam to force myself out, but there were at least 3-4 more tight stemming spots after this one and by the end of the canyon I was just ready for it to be over.
Tom Collins
We went up the south side and while it was hard, I thought the approach was very scenic in and of itself. I’m sure after a while I will be ready to go back since it was a very pretty canyon. I don’t remember any potholes so it must have been filled.
Ram
The pothole is 1:08-1:12 in this video of Poe that has a bit of Dog thrown in. Awkward exit and can be stemmed over as shown by Spidey 0:55-0:58
http://www.danransom.com/2009/10/smiling-cricket/
Ram
[QUOTE
Probably a great canyon, I certainly had a lot of fun in the upper part, but in one of the tight stemming sections the rope I had in my pack fell out and I didn’t notice until I got to the end of that section. Not that it was very long, but I had to go back about 30-40′ up canyon and then drop down about 10′ in a spot that was just barely wide enough for me to fit down and then climb back up and proceed. About 5′ up after getting the bag I got my hips wedged a little and couldn’t go up, but I was reluctant to drop down and lose what I had gained. It was a sobering position to be in since even if someone came back they would be very little help, fortunately after resting in that spot for about 2-3 minutes I had enough steam to force myself out, but there were at least 3-4 more tight stemming spots after this one and by the end of the canyon I was just ready for it to be over.[/QUOTE]
Whoever gets the big rope in this canyon suffers. And most everyone else loves it. Our rule is…”if you carried it once…you don’t have to ever again”
I so often hear how the physical nature of this canyon surprises folks. The stemming is without friendly angles. Sorry the “stuck” moments robbed you of some of the joy of this classic. “Stuck” is bad news. Was the one tough pothole filled with water? That arch and geometry up top is worth the trip by itself! You go up the north or south rim to access?
Ram