Willow Creek Dec 13

We set off as early as we could. It would be a long day with potentially over six hours of canyoning, several hours of car shuttling, and a long drove back towards southern California. The canyon began at an elevation of 2600ft. The car at the bottom was at -220ft.

The beginning of the hike was very reminiscent of the start of Darwin Falls canyon, with springs and thickets between segments of dry wash. Steadily the canyon walls built momentum, the alluvium displaced by bedrock floors and the small creek became a permanent fixture. There were over 20 waterfalls in this canyon, a good portion of them enjoyable downclimbs, the rest rappels.





This canyon delivered what Darwin Falls only hinted at. Deep, narrow, dark, committing. All up, we did about 8 rappels to 170ft and numerous downclimbs. Each waterfall was unique and the character of the canyon changed around each bend. In the darker corners of the canyon I felt a long way away from anywhere. At two points, back-to-back rappels gave a good feeling of adventure as the canyon dropped away out of sight below. At one turn, looking out gave fantastic views of Telescope Peak on the distant skyline. Many of the falls had pools at their bases, but with care we were able to stay more or less dry. We dropped the last waterfall, then followed footprints down the fading slot canyon into the bright expanse of the alluvial fan. We made good time, reaching the car a touch over four hours from when we started.




Photo by Ryan









On the drive back we spotted a couple curious (hungry?) coyotes. We retrieved Ryan's car and parted at sunset. Despite a brutal car shuttle, the canyon was amazing and well worth the effort. Thanks to Ryan for a great few days of adventures.