Lynx

This canyon has a mellow personality and a consistent friendly geometry. The first part of the canyon is full of easy downclimbs and most of the water can be stemmed over. No keeper potholes exist in this canyon. Just before the final sequence there is a slide into a chest deep pothole that is unavoidable. The penultimate drop is a 50 foot rappel or a hard downclimb. The final rappel is about 150 feet tall, but requires 180 feet of rope travel because there is a shelf halfway down. The top of the 180 foot rappel might require you to stand in water for some time while you work on the anchoring situation. If the canyon is full of water, be sure to put your wetsuit on before going down the 50 foot drop. The 180 foot rappel is difficult to ghost, and even more difficult to leave groove free. The geometry is bad for a water anchor, a SandTrap, or a Fiddlestick. There are chokestones on the way down that lend themselves to sticking a rope. There are bends in the drop that are vulnerable to rope grooves. Don’t get frustrated and lose focus of your priorities at this drop: Priority #1: Do not leave any rope grooves. Priority #2: Do not stick a rope. Priority #3: Ghost, if you can. We spent 2.5 hours trying to ghost the final drop and did not succeed. We left an extended sling to prevent grooving. Under dry conditions a SandTrap would probably work well. There is a flake near the top of the 180 foot drop that might work for a Fiddlestick. You get one million bonus points if you can ghost this drop without leaving a mark. Stand back away from the drop when you pull your rope so that you do not leave any rope grooves. Time: We completed this loop in 6.5 hours after a long wandering approach and a heroic effort at the final drop. I would expect this loop to take 4.5 hours during our next visit. Rappels: 50 feet, 180 feet. Mandatory Equipment: SandTrap, Fiddlestick, 200 foot rope, 200 foot pullcord, 50 feet of webbing, standard rappelling equipment. Bring an extra 100 foot rope to speed up the final sequence if you have a larger group. Neoprene: Bring a wetsuit and neoprene booties. You might not need them, but Lynx holds a lot of water and the final sequence takes some time. This route is easy to conquer with webbing, so please play fair and do not add bolts to this route.