Vivian Creek Aug 30

In dire danger of being the first month since mid-2008 I did not find something to write up, I snuck in a quick solo getaway to Vivian Creek near Forest Falls before the calendar struck September. I had been curious about this one for its relative proximity to Riverside but expectations were suitably low. I left the parking lot at 7:40am. Things were quiet apart from squirrels and the air was pleasantly clean. Mill Creek was running at a trickle and I was expecting similarly low flows in Vivian. Despite the elevation and early hour things got sweaty on the switchback climb to the lip of the Vivian Creek hanging valley (a tectonic hanging valley, not glacial). In about 50 minutes I reached the obvious pourover at the start of the canyon.

Mill Creek boulder field

Top of the canyon

After a little exploring I found the most obvious way down to be a slung tree upslope about 15ft to the left of the first falls. I rapped about 80ft over the cliff face down to a prominent tree on a hanging ledge, which as I guessed, had webbing slung as an anchor. The pull was frictiony but easy enough and I smoothly rethreaded the rope through this next drop. The second stage down this first 180ft falls was a clean 90ft. Awkward scrambling over angular boulders and thick leaf litter was next. I downclimbed canyon right of a falls that in hindsight was supposed to be a rappel (oops). 

The third rappel was also pretty clean, 80ft off a tree on the left. The fourth had two bolts just right of the watercourse for a 50ft rappel. A great mess of logs jammed the top of the final rappel but eventually I found the anchor far down at canyon right for a clean and wet 95ft rappel (best of the canyon) with a short overhang section. More thick leaf litter covering angular boulders awaited until I reached Mill Creek, then a short stroll back to the car. Car-to-car was 2hrs 15min, certainly a quick blitz despite no specific intention of speeding through. It's probably the least interesting canyon I've been in, which probably says how spoiled I've been. It has been quite a while since I have done a canyon solo; the photos suck but it was nice to just enjoy the quiet. It was still a worthwhile escape, which particularly hit home when I drove out of the San Bernardinos and into a thick smog+smoke layer filling the Inland Empire. It was nice to enjoy a little mountain air and some splashes in the water.