Upper Drybone Canyon

CHECKED THIS CANYON OUT FOR A 1ST DESCENT, BUT FOUND AN ILLEGAL BOLT AT THE BIG RAPPEL. CANYON HAD VERY NICE PETROGYTHS AT THE TOP. ALSO, FOUND A DEAD RADIO COLLARED COUGAR AT THE BASE OF THE BIG DROP, AND RETURNED IT TO THE PEOPLE TACKING IT - THEY WERE VERY PLEASED TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED TO IT. VERY NICE SHORT CANYON, BUT WORTHY OF SEEING IT Here is an email response from the scientist we returned the mountain lion's radio collar to (written May 2012):

4x4 high clearance vehicle needed. Approach is from White Top Mountain Road. Walk down the wash until it becomes the canyon.

R1 (20 feet) from piton LDC. Can be bypassed LDC with a scramble. R2 (15 feet) from piton at ground level RDC. Could be climbed LDC. Next rappel is immediately after. R3 (30 feet plus distance to anchor) anchored from two pitons a foot above ground level on LDC side. Turn corner and next rappel is immediately after. R4 (197 feet) anchored from single bolt RDC, down vertical wall. There should be a mountain lion skeleton at the bottom of this drop. We found it in May 2012. It had a radio collar, which I turned in to DVNP biologist, who returned it to the researcher who had collared it on the Nevada Test Site. The lion died in autumn 2011. R5 (120 feet) two-stage rappel anchored from a single piton RDC. R6 (20 feet) anchored from single knot chock on LDC. A small cairn anchor could be built with available material. Rappel over a chockstone. R7 (20 feet). We used a fiddlestick anchored from a small shrub. You think you're done. Downclimb