Arm and Hammer, Bells Canyon

Heading out to do arm and hammer in the morning and have heard that rapping the route is better than the walk off. Anyone that has done this, can it be done with a single 70M rope? Most of the comments say double rope rappels but they are a few years old and if I can avoid bringing a second rope it would be nice
Also how is the trail in Bells Canyon right now? Icy? Muddy?

It's the rap from the top of the 5th to the 4th of Butcher Knife that's the long one. Not sure a 70m would make it. I spied the canyon from I-15 the other day, and it looks like snow from a few hundred feet below the waterfall on up. Have fun, and give us some feedback after your trip up there!

Nothing has changed double ropes.

Conditions report when you get back please

I Googled around late last night and found some pictures from a hiker posting a recent trip up Bells to about the waterfall from a week ago. It sounded like the trail was pretty slick and I didn't feel like slipping and post holing so I ended up climbing at Gate Buttress instead. I know I'm weak. We ended up doing Beckys Wall --> Date with Fate --> Orange Sling. The crack pitch on orange sling was pretty fun, but there were sections on the upper gate area that still have some seepage so I'm thinking A&H would be about the same. I'm going to give it another month to dry out before heading up. If you head up bells take some pictures and post back here!

Any seepage will be on Ellsworth/McQuarrie mostly on the roof, usually it can be climbed around with a bit of finesse.

Skied upper Bells last weekend 3/7 and all the Bell towers looked dry. We thought it looked pretty good up there. The trail was a full on bobsled of ice though. Recommend some microspikes. We didn't hit skinable terrain(snow) till right across from middle bell turnoff. Those towers just bake in the south sun and get dry as quick as the lower LCC stuff.

No way you can rap that route with one 70m, nor would I want to rap it with two ropes. The walkoff is fairly horrible honestly, lots of loose dirt, downclimbing 5th class choss, route finding problems, a bit long with some shwaking back to your packs but I'll take that anyday over bringing two ropes and the possibility of stuck ropes, etc. Thats just me though.

Fantastic route. 2nd best multipitch in the wasatch behind triple O that I've done.

In my opinion the only pitch to really worry about a stuck rope is P5 (which is hardly worth doing as it is very decomposed granite, but a top out is always nice on climbs.) as the rope drag is horrendous.

The other 4 pitches can quite easily be rapped with 2 60s and little worry.