Canyoneering at Little Santa Anita

This week I did NOT go climbing, but instead went to Little Santa Anita Canyon to try a canyon run for the first time! Although a number of technical challenges are the same as climbing, it had a very different feeling and pacing to sport climbing. Canyoning is a lot more of constant action to climbing hurry up and wait. But let me get onto our journey…

At the start of the trail: Jenny, Justin, and Alex.

My brother Alex has been trying to get me to go with him for months now, ever since he went to Zion National Park. One of Alex’s climbing buddies, Justin, said that he had run Little Santa Anita before and really enjoyed it in the spring time.

I should also mention that some people are keeping up this area, all of the webbing that we used was brand spanking new! All of the bolts and closures worked and looked really nice too. It is always a good thing when you can trust all of the equipment that is supplied. That is one thing about climbing and rappelling I always love and appreciate is that this is all done by people that love the sport, with very little praise or reward. Most of the people that set routes don’t get paid for it, or even to climb professionally. It is simply done out of love.

Now, usually Alex likes to climb at the very crack of dawn. I’m saying that usually when Alex plans a climb, we get to the crag at 6 am. So when Alex told me we were leaving his place at 12:45 pm from his place, to drive to his friend Justin’s place, meet up with them and then drive to the trail, I was a little shocked. Actually very shocked. But as it meant that I got to sleep in a little, I was ok with it.

At the head of the Mt. Wilson trail is a cute little fake old timey diner, tucked next to a playground in a neighborhood. The trail itself is pretty steep, like doing a  light stair master. I am really glad I have been working on getting stronger, because this trail still kicked my butt! It’s about 2 miles to the side trail that takes you to the beginning of the Little Santa Anita Canyon. I have to describe to you now what our expectation was of this canyon: mild hike into the canyon that was nice and cool and dry, 4 or 5 rappels, a total trip of about 4 hours. This did not turn out to be true. But at the beginning we were unaware of this.

After walking up the two steep miles in the glaring sun, down in the dell of the canyon was amazing. It is so green and beautiful, even without much water. We stopped and put on our harnesses, then we were ready!

Glaring sun of the hike ^

Cool valley:

Here is Alex modeling his new Eldrid Men’s harness. So stylish!

The beginning of the canyon had only one big puddle, and the rest was just swampy. I loved finally getting to see some fall colors!

The first rappel is nice, pretty long, and you could see all the way to the bottom. Really easy to follow the line of the rope, and during this trip it was all dry rappels. I learned a new word for rappelling by the way: to abseil.

A picture of me abseiling.

This is looking down the first rappel.

There was some water on the rocks, enough to keep some moss and lichen alive. And enough to attract some bees! I love bees! These poor little guys were so thirsty, and the water was just right for them.

The third rappel was interesting because you had to make a choice: The hard way- Fancy footwork and maybe losing your balance, or the easy way- looking goofy and sinking into the crack in the rocks. I chose the easier, if goofier, way.

Fourth and Fifth rappels were all nice and pretty, we were really getting into our stride and feeling good. We were all thinking “ok, we hiked for a half hour or maybe more, we have been in the canyon a couple hours, we must be about done! This might be our last rappel!”  We were all incorrect. It was so pretty though, we did not mind. Also, Alex started using a trick with his figure 8 device (a rappelling mechanism like an ATC) with a clove hitch that allowed us to do a single line abseil. This technique allowed us to only use half the rope, and keep the other half coiled and ready- a huge time saver! Please note that this is an entertainment blog, not a teaching or technical blog. Canyoneering is very dangerous, be careful!

The sun was setting and everything was starting to get a little dark and we were happy to think we were almost done with our trip. We had done our five descents and were ready to hike out.

But we had several more rappels to go.

So

Many

Rappels

Some of these were really short, and most of them had just enough of a hike between them that we really really believed “this is the last one”. NOPE! We really liked them, we were having a good time, but it was dark by this time, and we only had Alex’s one headlamp, so things were starting to get a little sketchy. Even if you aren’t descending very far, it is way better to be able to see where you are going.  Also being able to see where you are hiking is helpful.

The picture is a little weird, but it was dark.

There are two ways to get out of the canyon, one is that you see one cairn and hike up a really crappy dirt-fall and get back onto the mail trail and out you go. A dirt-fall is like a waterfall, but with dirt. They are absolute crap to try and move up, the dirt is so loose it falls in your shoes, and there is no traction so every foot up slides back. I am not fond of dirt-falls.

The other way out is through three more rappels to the dam. This is way is illegal though, so be warned. After you jump the fence of the dam, you have to have a very good sense of direction to find your way through the winding streets of a neighborhood to get back to the start of the trail, and your car.

So we got back to our car in the dark after an extra long hike and fun canyoneering! It was a super fun day. While I liked it, I am definitely still a climber first. And I can’t wait for the weekend, because we are going to Red Rocks! Let me know your favorites at Red Rocks, ok?

Riverside Quarry

This week we went out to the Riverside Quarry, a new place for me. Driving out there was sort of nostalgic for me, I used to live in Riverside, and I learned to love the high desert. As for the crag itself … I did not entirely know what to expect. My older brother loves this spot, loves the climbs, and talked us into trying it. Unfortunately I just don’t think this was the right time.

To begin with, we did not get to Riverside until about 10:30 in the morning, which means that the sun was already out warming things up.  The weather channel had said it would be about 80 degrees, but I’ve been spoiled by an 80 degrees in Malibu Creek, or Echo. The Quarry is right next to a neighborhood, and you park on a street next to some houses. It is really easy to spot this area approaching, the hill has been split down to get at the granite, exposing the climbs. So the approach is really very simple, just follow up the dirt road.

This place has a very Mad Max sort of feel. There is rubbish laying around- old tires, sofas, broken glass, graffiti on the rocks, and people doing motocross. I thought about what a Bartertown would look like if they had set up in this area, and tried to hear the sax player before he got shot. Tina Turner would definitely class the place up some. There is no shade really in the whole area, and no where to relieve yourself, so be ready for that.

There were already a couple of groups on the crag, but they all seemed fairly well spaced apart, there was no clump of people standing all on one route, so I’m guessing that there are plenty of good climbs along the main part of the crag. However, we had a very hard time discerning where exactly we wanted to climb. We were looking for some pretty easy, accessible climbs, because I am still learning to lead climb. Our goal was actually the Schoolhouse Rock face which was described as pretty easy, but we met a couple of guys who had been there before, and were going to Fun City, just around the corner from the main part of the crag. So we decided to start there and come back to find Schoolhouse Rock.

I liked the climbs at Fun City that we did- Mass Production and Made to Order. But the thing is this, a lot of the holds were drilled and chipped into the rock, and then glued to stick like that. I have never seen anything like that anywhere else. It was weird for someone who is used to either natural rock or gym climbs, as this was both. On real rock, but designed by a person.

Ken Lee borrowed a guide book from some fellow climbers, (the ones we followed to the wall) and the book listed Mass Production as a 5.10b, but on Mountain project it is listed as 5.9. The moves are not that hard, and since they are glued they are all very obvious… but it is very pumpy and very very steep. This place is freaking  perfectly 90 degrees! And it’s so sheer. It made it really scary to clip because you can’t lean into the rock. You have to really trust your stance and be really clean. I was really proud that I lead this one.

The next climb I tried to lead, Made to Order 5.8, but got stuck after the first stinking bolt!

Because I could not find a stance that I could trust to stay on the wall. So Mattieu lead it and I top-roped it up to clean it. It was a very dirty route to clean (badum ching!)

(Thats the only thing I don’t like about outdoor climbing)

But there was this cool hawk nest! I have to assume that it was a hawk nest because we saw hawks flying around and there were rabbit pelts on the twigs.

I personally would consider this a little harder than the 5.8 its listed, but not by much. There is such a difference between climbs though, not only from different rocks to different grades, different kinds of holds. This had little ledges that were marked by the cement glue, but again, it is such a straight climb it feels very exposed. The granite that made up these climbs was friendly on your hands; it doesn’t cut into your hand like some of the sharp rocks at Texas Canyon, but I found it hard to make my shoes stick to it. It was a lot smoother than I was expecting. Still fun, but an added challenge.  Both of these climbs were amazingly well protected though! Someone put some love into making these climbs possible. There was seriously a bolt every couple of feet. I watched another climber go up Worker Bee (5.10a) and there was literally a bolt every 2 feet. So nice, it makes you feel so safe!

#selfie #top of the route #baking hot # pink cheeks #hashtag

By this point we were baking in the sun (see previous picture), the rocks were hot to the touch, so we went and tried to find Schoolhouse Rock, to see if maybe we could get some more breeze. Unfortunately we went too far to the left and almost got onto a different face. But after very close inspection, and wandering around for a bit, we did find it, it is the very last block of rock on the farthest right. We did not think it was going to be in any way difficult because of the low grades of the rock. The angle, especially after the near perfect vertical of Fun House, just seemed sad. Also, Schoolhouse Rock is all very short routes, only 40 feet maybe, whereas the next face climbs over would take the entire rope. Those to the right were easily 80/90 foot routes.

Oh, a note about crags, faces and routes: I consider the crag to be the over all location of the climbs, so all of the climbs fall under one crag. Faces are a group of specific climbs, or a wall of individual rock that has routes. Faces do not have to be connected or touching to be at the same crag. Individual routes are just that, a single climb. So you have route A on face/wall blah at the crag triangle. Or at Riverside Quarry on Schoolhouse Rock wall I tried the classic climb Schoolhouse Rock, and completed on top rope Tyrannosaurus Debt.

Schoolhouse Rock (5.8) is, unfortunately, the kind of climb that I have a really hard time with. It is low grade to a sheer bump, so if you got on top of the bump, you have to walk to the next one and clip there, but if you fall, you roll really bad or you could drop onto the rock you just climbed! I know it might be silly, but this kind of climb really scares me.

So, I climbed up to the first bolt and called it. Sadness was mine, and Ken Lee cleaned the route.

Tyrannosaurus Debt (5.9) was much more my alley! Although, I did again get stuck at the first bolt while trying to lead it. There is so little to hold onto after that first bolt! Nothing and more nothing, except one little foot hold under a lip of rock. Everything else was a smear, where you just put your foot on the rock and hope. It is all about the balance, which normally I can rock, but for whatever reason, I just couldn’t stick this move. I sat on the rope for a long time and tried this and tried that, and finally got frustrated and let Mattieu finish it. I did complete it on top rope, but I just feel like a 5.9 should be obvious enough to be pretty easy to climb (maybe that is just my ego speaking). All three of us had to sit and try several different moves and holds to get something to stick. It felt weird to project a freaking 5.9! But for all that it was a pretty interesting climb, really really good for learning and practicing balance moves, with one big move up over a boulder. There is a two or three bald patches on this climb though, where you just sit and think “WTF! There is nothing here to hold on to, nothing to put my feet on, where can I move?!” But, inevitably, there is something there, you just have to keep trying. One example being a really solid ledge half way up said boulder, you have to put your hand in just the right spot as you can’t see it at all. The end of the climb you just walk up to the anchors, but there are a lot of pebbles, so keep moving slowly so that you don’t kick them onto your belayer.

By this time the sun was about to set, and I could not believe how much time we spent out there! I think we spent too much time trying to find the right face. We headed out, but went on the wrong road (who was leading the group? I was. I lead us in the wrong direction) So we had to track back over the prickly brush, which is everyone’s favorite.

I think Riverside Quarry might be better for more intense climbers. Personally, I think it is sort of funny to have a man made face, with man made climbs that are chipped, etched, and glued into the rock. I want to come back to this place someday, when I am a stronger climber, and try some of the other places in the quarry.

Reasons I will go back:

1 Sheerness of the rock

2 Quality of the rock is unlike anything else

3 Length of the rest of the climbs is intense

Reasons I am not in a rush:

1 Ugly location

2 It is enough of a drive to Riverside that I want to be really excited to be there.

Is there anyone whose favorite place is Riverside Quarry? Did I miss the perfect climb on one of the faces that we went to? Most importantly- where should I go next?

Echo Cliffs

I love Echo Cliffs! It is one of my favorite places to climb, and has my favorite outdoor climb that I have completed. … It’s just, getting there is kind of intense. It’s located out in the middle of the Santa Monica Mountains, not an easy drive in to mountains, like Malibu Creek State Park, but way out into the mountains proper. Part of the drive is on really really old road that has a million switchbacks and long curves. Everyone always has fun driving it! Just, please watch out for the millions of bikers that also use the roads.

Once you park, you hike up the Mishe Mokwa Trail which is beautiful, but really long and fairly demanding. Be ready to work those glutes! The trail is always obvious though, you never have to really worry about getting off trail or lost. One of my favorite things is that there is fair shade for the hike, and this might sound weird, but it always smells so good! And the views are knock out for rolling California countryside. The trail is fairly well peopled by other climbers, and hikers just out to enjoy the views (mentioned previously).

After about 30 minutes of hiking, there is a split in the trail, with the main trail heading to some picnic tables and more views. I have never actually taken this trail, but instead follow a creek or natural spillway straight down the side of the mountain. This is extremely taxing both physically and mentally, because if you fall on this bit, you will roll down the mountain. I have never actually heard of this happening, it is just what it feels like. I once saw some climbers attempt to take some dogs on this part of the trail, and the dogs could not climb down it. Oh! that also reminds me, these dogs also accidentally got overheated, please be sure to bring lots of water for yourself and animal companions!

Once you get down the dry waterfall, you are basically at the Grotto, the first climbing area of Echo Cliffs. This area is one of the best, but it’s also the most used. And everyone uses it because:

1 You just hiked 45 minutes and you’re a little tired, and the next wall is another hike away

2 It is almost always hot out and the area is shaded by big trees

3 Most of the rocks are also shaded

4 More shade

(relaxing in the shade)

Shade is so important because Echo is big and beautiful, but a lot of it is north facing, so there is not always shade to relax in. Many of the climbs are right in the sun and bake all day long, so most people chase the shade throughout the day. In the Grotto you have to be careful though, the rocks on the left of the area are off limits! But there are plenty of fun climbs on the right side. We completed 2 in the Grotto- Superfly, and Lowrider.

SuperFly 5.10a is amazing… to follow. First you scramble up a big flake of rock, which is the best area to belay from (especially if you’re using a grigri) then just jump onto the rock. To start out with, I was not leading this route.

Ken Lee was, but for reasons, he had hurt his back… and it spasmed and he fell, right on the third bolt, before he clipped in. The third bolt is really run out; that from the second clip, you match your feet to the second bolt, then take another big step up, then you can almost reach the third bolt.

(Shout out to my buddy Dennis for catching Ken Lee falling!)

So Ken fell like 25 feet! It was really scary! I think that makes it a factor two fall, because we basically equalized. NO GOOD! NO ME GUSTA! Then it was up to me to lead this route.

I have actually climbed at Echo Cliffs before, and done this climb before, without falling… on top rope. After watching Ken fall, I was pretty nervous myself, but the climb is actually really really fun- all the holds are pretty obvious, good crimps and plenty of little feet ledges. One of the things I like about the Grotto area is that the rock is a lot more compact than other areas, which are more conglomerate. Superfly offers a lot of flakes and finger holds, with a couple of friendly jugs here and there. There is one area — right before that third clip — that only has flat finger ledges (less than two knuckles deep, flat) but if you have some guts, you can pick up your left foot and put it in a really good pocket- previously a really good hold. Then you can stand up and try and reach for other holds. Once my brother told me “you just have to turn your fingers to stone and trust them”, and I think that this climb is a good place to learn that. It’s really about confidence.

Lowrider (5.10b) was to the left of this, just behind one of the trees. It was only maybe 45 ft tall, up to a ledge then two open shuts. It’s just to the right of Stinger, and three bolts to two open-shuts. The way that I climbed it made it seem easy, almost too easy, except for one move that is a spread between two finger pockets. Maybe I used to wrong beta though -I went up the crack of Stinger to the first bolt, then traversed to the right. You grab the two finger pockets, move up your feet, grab the ledge, and the climb is over! By finger pockets I mean two little holes that you can really only use two fingers on, and for this you were spreading your arms out so they are clinging to the sides of the holds. This is the only crux of the climb though, just one move, and it’s a really short climb. Not my favorite.

After we finished these two, our group split up and half the group decided that was it for the day, and headed out. But the rest of us decided to go check out Guillotine on the Alcove wall, and the Easy Street face.

The hike around to the Alcove is also challenging, another place that it would be hard to bring dogs or very small children. Although, once when we were at Guillotine, there were some people hiking around, one group with a smallish woman with a gigantic backpack. I looked at her and thought “What, is she camping here? Did she bring a tent or something? What is going on?!” I did not say these sentiments outloud, that would be rude. But we waved as the group passed us by, and out of the back of the backpack were two little dogs! Tiny little things! So cute! Right after the belay area, the woman took off the backpack and was like “ok you two, you are too heavy!” and the little dogs crouched down in the backpack like “No! We don’t want to walk! It’s hot!” I about died trying to hold in laughter, and I still laugh whenever I think about it. Spoiled little doggies!

Unfortunately though, this trip we did not climb on the Alcove, I was not confident enough to lead my favorite climb — Guillotine (5.10b) without having someone be able to go get a quick draw if I could not finish the climb. In their defence, Ken Lee’s back was all screwed up, plus monster fall, and Mattieu had just run a trail race before coming climbing! So onward to Easy Street.

I like Easy Street because all the climbs are super long. As the name suggests all the routes are pretty easy, but it’s cool because they’re still worth the effort. The bolts are a little run out again, but the climb we did on this day was only a little harder than climbing a ladder, if the ladder was 80 feet tall and had really weird handles. The only problem is that this is the crumbliest part of Echo Cliffs, so wearing a helmet is a good idea, and be sure to watch out for pebbles and rocks coming down.

(Dennis grabbed this of Matthieu as they were hiking out, Matthieu is being lowered from leading the climb)

We did the first pitch of Head Wound (5.7), it used up almost all of our 60m rope. There are parts that are interesting, tons of good holds all over the place, you can get creative if you want. I went for speed and completed it in maybe 5 or 7 minutes. There is one part that you are basically scrambling forward, this is a big area for loose rocks though, so be careful! Also, there is a lot of drag on the rope, but I don’t think it is too big of a risk… just because I don’t think there are many places to fall. Fun, good exercise, and a hell of a view makes this climb totally worth it.

After that we were all pretty tired, and had to hike ALL THE WAY BACK!! The distance from The Grotto to Easy Street is in and of itself maybe 20 or 30 minutes of scrambles and hills for hiking, then back up the waterfall, then back up the Mishe Mokwa trail. … but all that and this place is still one of my favorites. There are just so many climbs! And not too many people, just enough to feel like if you fell to your death someone would notice. Plus the view is really really something else.

Horse Flats!

I’ve been gone! I went home for two weekends so no new outdoor climbing adventures, so I will take you back to a couple of weeks ago…

My buddy Ken Lee and I wanted to climb during the Los Angeles heat wave. But we KNEW that Malibu Creek state park, and Point Dume were going to be swamped with people who also wanted a cool place to climb. So we looked up the next coolest (literally chilly) place. We landed on Horse Flats, which we had never been to before! So we tip toed away to have a super *cool* adventure! (see what I did there? cool? and cool routes? ok.) Most of Horse Flats is known for Trad routes and boulder, but there is the Top Rope Wall, which has a good spread of easy to moderate climbs. But before we could do any of that, we had to freaking get there!

Ken Lee and I stopped for a photo!

Actually it wasn’t that hard to drive there, we just went to the Horse Flats campground. You drive up to Angeles National park, which is only a hop skip and a jump from Los Angeles — 30 or 40 miles plus traffic —  then keep going on windy mountain roads for another hour or so! It might only be about 30 miles, but it is so windy and bumpy that it will take you a long while. So, being real, that place is way the heck up in the mountains. I think it would be easier if you stayed at the campground, for the night, but we were there for a day trip, plus I forgot some cash so we had to park at a lot a mile away. The day was so beautiful that we did not even care. Seriously, as advertised by the weather channel, it was 70* and a little cloudy. A perfect climbing day!

From the campground, we set off from campsite #1, one of  the two possible trails out to the crag. The other possibility is across from campsite #5. Ok, now this is important: the trail starts off easy to follow, you stand with your back to campsite #1, and you can see the trail. I thought it was little demanding physically, but c’mon, we’re climbers, so what? BUT there are places where the trail freaking disappears… it’s gone! There are a lot of game trails to get a little lost on, and a couple of places where it goes through rock beds that are really easy to get turned around with. We almost got lost a couple of times… But Cairns  — little piles of stacked rocks — saved our freaking lives, another climbing friend, Tim, told me about these while we were hiking in Echo Cliffs.  Seriously, it is important to keep an eye out for these guys to keep you on track. Please do not set up ones off trail or knock any down!

(See the cairn? They’re not always easy to see!)

Finally though, we did make it to Top Rope Wall, and climbed around back to enjoy the view and start setting up our top rope. It looked like there had once been a couple of bolt anchors, but someone had taken them down.

All that’s left is the tree, lonely, at the top of the rocks and a boulder to tie on to.

On the tree was a couple of… well we call them cow tails, but I think they’re really nylon loops.

Ken Lee used them to tie into while he was setting up our anchor, we made a dedicated anchor — a quad anchor, which is really bomber–  that is already equalized, using an X pattern. I will have to take some pictures of this some time to show you all what I’m talking about, and get Ken to explain it.

It looks like this one, plus two opposing locking carabiners

ANYWAY we finally got the rope up and us down, and ready to start climbing. We only tried two climbs on Top Rope Wall: Horse Play (5.8) and Ant Line (5.11c)

Horse Play was just that! Super fun crack climb, a tiny bit tricky first step, then up and away until you have to leave the crack, then it gets balance-y. I really liked this one. Usually Crack climbs are not my favorite, because they scratch up the back of your hands, and hurt your feet (yea,I am a bit of a baby.) This one had holds on the inside of the crack in places, so you didn’t have to use so much of your body to make the holds.

Like on some cracks where you have to make a fist and use your fist as a hold. This was a lot kinder than that, plus there was a bit where you could put your back against the rock and chimney up. The second half was, as mentioned a little balance-y. What I mean by balance-y is that while there is not big jugs coming out of the rock, there are little pieces that you can put your feet on and lean into the rock and balance on the smallest bit. There were a couple big friendly jugs though, jugs as in big holds. I felt like it was a really solid 5.8, not too hard, but still fun.

(That’s me looking at Ant Line, wistfully)

I’ll be honest, I did not finish Ant Line. I plan on going back and finishing it, but that day, with one thing and another, I just didn’t want to push myself so terribly hard. I did make it to the crux though, and the under-cling bit is really fun. You start off almost in a dihedral with some cool body positions, pushing against the rock with a drop knee move. Then around a tricky bump from having your feet in the dihedral to real face of the climb and your hands to the under-cling.

Footing was a little tricky, but if you trust it, it’s there. I really like under-cling climbs generally, they’re like doing a lie-back, where you hold on and put your feet against the rock and move up that way– I pretend I am like batman doing a lie-back, that’s how my brother taught me. Under-clings work the same way but you’re upright with your feet under you, your palms up. I think if I had continued in that vein maybe I could have finished, but I’ll have to get back to it. If you have a cool beta, please leave it in the comments!

Showing off my hands after a day climbing around!

Then the sun was starting to dip, and we certainly did not feel comfortable trying to hike out after dark. Part of safety is knowing your own limits! So we packed up and wound down the trail… I was proud of myself as I set up a bunch more cairns coming down the trail. I knew it was the right way because we had already made it up. Next time you climb there and see some of the cairns, maybe some will be mine! Oh! ALSO I should mention; we had not seen ANYONE during this whole time.

The whole freaking day we were 100% alone. Look at the picture, you can hear the wind whistling right? Nothing else. It was pretty nice, but sometimes it would have helped us to be able to ask someone where we were and stuff. Being ALL ALONE is nice and a little scary at the same time.

We made it back to the Horse Flats campground only to remember that we had parked a mile away at the parking lot! We kept trying to convince each other to hike up to the car and come back to us. We were so pissed to forget about that last hike! But we both made it back to the car fine, and drove back to hot hot HOT Los Angeles.