Upper Drybone Canyon
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| | Difficulty:3A III (v3a1 III) Raps:5-7, max ↨200ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:None Vehicle:4WD - High Clearance Rock type:Limestone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Best season: | Spring or fall
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36.7593, -117.4266
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Introduction
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):
- That is incredible that you found the lion and collar! I didn't think we would ever see it again. I am curious to see where you guys found it in relation to where we looked back in September [2011]. As far as our study goes, we are trying to learn all we can about mountain lions on the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) with primary focus on home range, movement patterns, diet, and potential risk to site workers. We learned a lot from this cat. It was a healthy, 5-6 year old male caught on the west side of NNSS (Timber Mountain). Within a week he was on the west side of Death Valley and spent most of his time in the Cottonwood and Grapevine Mountains. He went as far as Gold Mountain and returned to NNSS for two weeks in July. Then he went back to Death Valley. I am attaching a map of his movements. He was captured on April 19, 2011 and we estimate he died late August to early September. Estimated home range is about 1,484 square miles which may be the largest documented home range of a mountain lion. I look forward to seeing the pictures and appreciate your description of the site. After hiking to the bottom of Dry Bone Canyon I can see how easy it would be for a lion to fall, especially since they move through these habitats at night a lot of the time. I will let you know about visiting the site after I look at the pictures. Thanks again for retrieving the collar and getting the information to Linda and myself!!!!!
Approach
4x4 high clearance vehicle needed.
Approach is from White Top Mountain Road. Walk down the wash until it becomes the canyon.
Descent
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
Exit
The canyon widens and turns to the right. Hike up LDC. From the bottom, start out on the left of the drainage as you look up. Then cut back into the drainage following cairns above dry falls.
Eventually you need to leave the drainage and pop out over the ridge on the left.
Once you get to the ridge, the GPS track shows you contouring around drainages. We did that for a while, and wished we didn't. Recommend just going back down to the wash and then hiking up that to your vehicle.
Red tape
Beta sites
Super Amazing Map : Upper Drybone Canyon
Trip reports and media
FIRST DOCUMENTED DESCENT:
Background
Originally explored by Scott Swaney & team (Abby Wines & Jeff) on 5-5-12 . See more details above in Trip Report