Black Canyon

Slogging back up gullies to the rim after retreating from one of these climbs is not recommended, as I discovered on my last trip. Or another way to put it would be to say that it is heartily recommended. Especially if you decide to hike around the bottom of the canyon for a while, because, heck, you're down there and you might as well make the best of it-- and run out of water before you even start back up.

That said, hiking from SOB draw down to the Painted Wall is definitely worth it--or it least it seemed like it--I was more focused on keeping the oppressive pink, white, and black miasma, the blazing sun, the thundering headache at bay...

Looking for some off-the-beaten-path adventure? Try getting upstream from SOB draw to the Cruise gully. We tried...

The new guidebook by Robbie Williams is packed full of history, interesting anecdotes, and good essays, and some of the routes included have good descriptions. I enjoy the book very much; but I have to say that the topos are pretty poor in a lot of cases, and REALLY bad in others. For the routes that aren't heavily travelled, make sure you get as much beta from someone that's done the route for the route-finding challenges. If you're faced with a decision on the route between trusting the topo, or trusting your instinct, DEFINITELY go with your instinct. Perhaps this is a "given" anywhere, but my point is that the topos in this book are particularly bad.

RE: Topos in Robbie's book. Agreed. Schematic topos are not the best for the complex routefinding in the Black. None-the-less, a good first round effort on the part of the guidebook author and publisher. One way to look at it is people who rely exclusively on these topos will get a good feeling for the Black's reputation.

Good first round effort my ass! I know for a fact how long Robbie spent talking to people to see what the real deal with Black Canyon history is. Talking to MANY old-timers, and rooking Achey in finishing the project. His dedication to the project not only resulted in an excellent and informative resource on the Black for those of you that require such a thing to descend into such an indecent place, but also legitimized our hobby to the suits at the newly (couple seasons now) BCNP (it used to be a monument) as they looked at backcountry management plans.

Yeah some of the topos bite ass. You should have seen the first draft. But thanks to Robbies love of this place at least we have something to read as we crap and slag off about on the web.

For those of you who think we should string Robbie up for creating a guidebook, if he didn't someone else would, and at least Mr. Green didn't get a chance to create an unabridged verson of his Black Canyon effort.

Throw beer on Robbie if you want, but I think it is better policy to buy him one.

I'd buy him a beer but I think he may have had enough. His photo-diagrams apparently were drawn in a drunken stupor and then escaped correction in the "editing" phase. If he had spent a little time comparing his worthless topos to his worthless photo-diagrams, he would have realized they have serious discrepancies. This time I'm ranting specifically about No Pig Left. The line drawn on the photo of North Chasm View Wall for No Pig Left follows the route for about half a pitch, then takes a random line way to its left all the way to the rim. Again I feel like I'm comlaining about a meaningless subject, but at the same time it pisses me off that someone felt the need to publish a guidebook to the Black but didn't take the time to get it right. A "first round effort" implies that he put.......well, EFFORT into it, and that doesn't seem to be the case to me.

Just a reminder that you must sign out for ALL inner-canyon travel. It only takes a minute to go down to the North Rim ranger station and fill out a "Wilderness Use Permit" located in a box outside the building and available 24 hours a day (on the South Rim, the permit box is located outside the Visitor Center). Also, fill out the white board outside the building with your name, date and climb- this helps inform others where you will be, and allows fellow climbers to see where heavy traffic might be and choose another climb. I recommend taking a stroll down there the evening before your climb.

Contrary to what it would seem, it is very easy for the rangers to inventory climbers in the Canyon. Part of their daily rounds is to scope the walls for climbers, and to check their tally against climbers who have signed out. I have some friends who didn't sign out, went to try a new route, and later had the rangers meet them on the rim when they topped out. They were cited for not signing out, then asking what they were trying since it wasn't an established route.

As an aside, please be EXTREMELY careful not to dislodge rocks while descending the Cruise Gully. Rocks that are accidently knocked off from the the loose area above the first rap could easily make it down the vertical stretch, and potentially take someone out.

Echoing on Jason's comment, wouldn't the info Steve has posted regarding climber registration been extremely useful to print in the guidebook? If there was one bit of essential information that should have been included in the introduction, I would think this would be it, especially if we could get cited for not doing so. Personally, I have yet to register when climbing in the Black mainly out of ignorance. I have always assumed that the statement, "A permit is required for all inner canyon travel" on the signs at the Cruise and SOB gullies, means that I have to go see a ranger, tell him where I'm climbing, hear his spiel, get a permit that I have to carry, etc. Given that I've typically arrived at the NRCG at midnight and started my approach at 5am, such face-time with a ranger is impossible. Now I hear that all I need to do is go sign my name on a list?

Besides that, I've found that the guidebook is just fine. For an adventure area like the Black, I think the minimalist nature of the topos is perfect and in the tradition of the understated topos in D. Reid's Yosemite guide. I basically expect to have route-finding/locating issues when I climb there. A Rossiter-style guidebook, I think, would be overkill and detract from the Black experience.

Using data from the Wilderness Use Permits the NPS tracks statistics for all inner canyon use (hiking, fishing, climbing, failing to climb). Besides being the law, filling out these permits allows the NPS to accurately count climber use in the inner canyon (we are by far the heaviest user group) which in turn helps our voice be heard by the Park managers.

I suspect climbers who protest the system are lazy, or consider it some vague affront to the "wild and free" Black Canyon experience of yesteryear. Having counted 17 climbers on-route, starting, or exiting the Checkerboard Wall/Maiden Voyage area one fine Sunday this year, perhaps those days are gone for good...at least on weekends at high season.

Due to a recent accident where a non-climber fell from the overlook atop N.Chasm View Wall, several routes in the vicinity of the Hallucinogen Wall (apparently a number of routes cross over each other here) will be closed until next spring. I talked to a ranger who made it sound like only the Hallucinogen and a few of the aid routes right next to it will be closed, implying that the free routes to the left and right (perhaps excepting the Diagonal??) are still open, although I didn't specifically ask him about that. He also said that the talus itself below the wall is basically open, e.g. if you wanted to reach the tyrolean to access S.Chasm View Wall, but it is recommended that you not walk close to the water to reach it. Anyhow, if you are planning a trip there and are interested in these routes, check with the rangers before you go!

The days are getting cooler and the temps on the big walls are once again becoming bearable. The rangers at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park are looking forward to seeing everyone back for a safe and enjoyable fall season. If you plan a climbing trip to the Black please give the following some thought:

The Black Canyon has a unique situation when it comes to rescue. At most climbing areas your partner or a small rescue team can climb or rappel to an injured party, lower the injured party to the ground and carry them to a road and awaiting ambulance. This is not the case at the Black. Rescues at the Black all involve uphaul, large numbers of personnel and above average risk to all involved.

Know your partner well before committing to a large multi-pitch route with him or her.

Be realistic when it comes to your physical and climbing ability. No one knows you better than yourself. The Black is not a place for a 5.9 leader to attempt their first 5.10 route. Climb something challenging but stay within your ability level and remember a lot can happen on a big route. You could be forced to become the leader at any point.

Be prepared. Gather as much beta as possible on the route you plan on doing and the gear that you will need for it. In addition to climbing gear remember that thunderstorms and epics are commonplace at the Black. Give some thought to a light rain jacket.

Don't be afraid to bail. The route will still be there a week from now or next year, you may not if you push it too far.

Follow the rules. There aren't many, it makes you look good and makes for a much more enjoyable experience for all involved. Get your permit, they're free.

Have fun and be safe.

If you go to the Black- please stop and talk to the present ranger there, whose name is Brent. He is very interrested in getting feed back from climbers on how the park should be managered in the future. The Black is only going to become more and more cowarded and without climbers' input the park system will simple ruber stamp their policies that exist at other parks- which are sometimes less than ideal.Here is your chance to not just simply bitch and moan (which i find myself doing way to often), but affect some change or hopefully no change- whatever you would like to see happen please give Brent your input.

Good suggestion. Brent is a nice guy, and a climber, and is very interested in what's going on in the park and ways to streamline things (like the tyrolean across the river, the Cruise Gully raps, etc.). He has some funny stories, too--ask him about the guys who forgot to put their parking brake on at one of the overlooks and had their brand new truck roll 200 feet into the canyon.

Temperatures in late May and early June can be just fine in the Black. As an added benefit, the poison ivy is really starting to leaf out, and the ticks are in full bloom.

If it is really stinking hot, many routes don't go into the sun until late morning / early afternoon (for example Checkerboard Wall, Comic Relief area, Great White Wall area, etc.), so you can hop on these very early in the morning, and by the time the sun hits you will be too committed to do anything about it other than continue climbing (or if you climb fast you will be off them). The shorter climbs at mid-point down the Cruise Gully (er, sorry, "Gulley") like Leisure, Midsummer Nights, etc. will go into shade early afternoon with enough time for the intrepid to complete them before dark (bring a headlamp if you are concerned), although the rock does retain heat pretty well. I know of several energetic civilian climbers who have done link-ups of routes like Comic Relief (early a.m.) with Journey Home (afternoon). Although far from "Hot Flashes" material, this is a classic volume day.

Although considered the "shady side", the bulk of the South Chasm View Wall gets morning sun and on a stinker-hot day can heat up enough to shut you down- that dark rock can get searingly hot. Considering the difficulty "retreating" to the South Rim from a SCVW bailout, you may want to plan car logisitics such that exiting to the North Rim across the tyrolean is an option. Still, SCVW routes may be climbable even in midsummer by heat-tolerant folks who don't realize how much nicer alpine granite is this time of year. There is also well-shaded climbing on the Mirror Wall side of Chillumstone, the Dragon Point Gully, and the few climbs (notably Crystalvision) out of SOFB.

Then again, it could snow in late May / early June!

Heard the rumor of a new guide by Steve Levin. What's the deal? (and, if true, why a new guide steve, if you think the Williams book is so great)

I'm glad Alan and I could provide a little motivation for some real speed climbers. Jared and Ryan went back and did it 8h59m!!!

_a href="http://www.wwwright.com/climbing/speed/"_http://www.www>>>>>

Hey folks-

I'd like to put in a plug here for being cool in the N. Rim campground. A recent conversation with folks who oughta know suggests that the climber population has been...taking liberties...with the generally good-natured vibe provided by the powers that be.

To wit:

• Dogs left tied up and unattended all day to bark and annoy while their owners are livin' the dream downstairs. This is so irresponsible and lame that I have trouble believing it, but apparently it became quite an issue this spring. Further redlining my dis-belief-o-meter, a couple of offenders apparently had the nerve to respond to some pretty low-key admonishment with attitude, as if this behavior represented anything other than craven selfishness.

• Climbers cleaning out the firewood stash without kicking in to the suggested 'donation' box. Low.

• Unsurprisingly, Brent from time to time has to chase people down to secure the campground fees. Yeah, it sucks, it used to be free, and it went up this year. Suck it up anyhow. Here's why:

I just wanted to Thank Rob Dillon for his comments. I agree with all these points. Especially the dogs. They don't climb, why have one? They just eat up your climbing funds and other peoples food etc....
The Climbing Ranger, Brent is an extremly valuable asset to the Black Canyon. I hope he's around for a while. He gave me and my friend Erik some great route beta.
Thank Brent!
CP

October is great time in the Black...cooler temps and the poison ivy is dying off.

You should be fine on the shorter routes (Journey Home etc..)just don't caught on the walls at night. It gets quite cold.