Rattle King
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| | Difficulty:3A I (v3a1 I) Raps:4, max ↨56ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle: | |||
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37.9261, -111.2423
37.9121, -111.2491
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Introduction[edit]
Rattle King is the best slot draining this mesa and the only one I revisit. It is nicely sculpted and interesting throughout. All natural anchors or ghostable with a Sand Trap and fiddle stick. The Wingate sandstone here is soft, so keep in mind that sometimes, leaving webbing can be preferable to leaving scars from fiddling.
Approach[edit]
From the Burr Trail walk north into upper Long Canyon. You'll want to get yourself to here, 37.928278, -111.240333, and then make your way WSW up, down and across the Wingate. It's a bit complicated and navigating the first time will likely take a while. The easiest route will have 4th or easy 5th class scrambling but isn't exposed. From here on, tread with consideration for the fragile ecology. Walk on established paths, stone or in water courses where possible. In the absence of those, it's better to step on comparatively hardier plants than crypto soil crust.
Descent[edit]
The head of the canyon has three possible entry forks. I prefer the middle one because it doesn't have any brush in it. There are a couple of large boulders or a small natural arch for an anchor. The second rappel is from a small natural bridge partway down a chute. A while ago some large boulders fell into this part of the canyon making it trickier to access the bridge. A sand trap works well at the third rappel. Below that the canyon slots up nicely and includes downclimbs a couple more small natural bridges. The last drop to the ground has a large, nasty bush blocking the stream course. Either anchor off the bush or climb up to the right and rappel over the cleaner wall from another anchor.
Exit[edit]
Red tape[edit]
Beta sites[edit]
Trip reports and media[edit]
Background[edit]
While I've never seen signs of other people having descended this mesa, like the nearby slots on King Bench, these are obvious from below and so they likely attracted inquiry decades ago.