Salome Creek May 10-11, 2003 Announcement

If you are interested in this trip, please contact Rogil and Kathy, and let us know which day you would prefer if we have openings both days.

Each trip is limited to 15 people (Salome Wilderness rules). We will be doing trips on Saturday and Sunday, combining our group with VOA volunteers, who may not have rappelling experience. The VOA volunteers will be working on the trail we will use to exit Salome Creek.

Saturday participants, including Rogil and Kathy, will drive from Scottsdale to the trailhead together.

Sunday participants will use the directions below to get to the trailhead themselves.

From the trailhead, we will hike to the creek (an hour or two?), meet up with the VOA participants, and then swim, wade, climb, slide, and rappel down the creek. Plan to be in cold water a long time. Then we'll hike back to the cars.

The VOA volunteers, including Rogil and Kathy, will be camping Saturday night at a group site reserved for VOA volunteers.

Supplies

Here is the required supplies list for our group:

• drybag
• life vest
• 20-foot sling (for a harness)
• locking biner
• rappel device
• prusiks

(Michael, Kathy, and Rogil will bring some extra slings, biners, and rappel devices in case the VOA volunteers need to borrow.)

And here is a list of optional or recommended supplies:

• helmet (since we will be rappelling)
• wetsuit
• wading shoes with excellent traction when wet

Of course, you'll need hiking necessities, including lunch in your drybag. Go to the hiking club checklists link for our full hiking and canyoneering supply checklists.

Most of us put our drybags inside our packs to prevent abrading holes in the drybags. You can put grommet holes in the bottom of the pack to let water drain out so that water doesn't make your pack weigh a ton.

The May water temperature is unpredictable. Even when the air temperature is hot, the water can be very cold. Many people bring a cheap shorty wetsuit, knowing that it will get damaged on trips like these. We recommend bringing at least a life vest to help keep you warm.

You can wear cotton for the dry hiking on this trip, but do NOT wear cotton clothing in the creek. Most of us wear CoolMax, nylon, and polypropylene for canyoneering. For this trip, you can bring both hiking and wading shoes if you want. (We can hike to close to the creek, cache some stuff, then do the creek, hike back to the cache, and then hike back to the cars.)

Weather

A rain forecast anywhere that drains into Salome Creek--and flash flood danger--would cancel this trip, of course.

We will have to cross Tonto Creek to get to the trailhead. Check Real-Time Data for Arizona Streamflow.

Saturday Meeting Place

• Get off Loop-101 at Shea.
• Go east 1 block to light at 90 St.
• Turn south (right) for 1/2 a block.
• Turn right before the IHOP and park north of the IHOP.

Trailhead

Take highway 188 south from Punkin Center about 8 miles. Near milepost 255, take road #60 (also known as A Cross Road) to the east for 10.1 miles. Park at "The Jug" trailhead.

New to This?

This trip is absolutely great fun if you're ready for it! But, unfortunately, we discovered in the past that these kinds of trips can be absolute torture for someone who's not ready, and the resulting debacle can ruin the trip for everyone.

If you're new to this kind of trip, here are some things to consider.

• The hike up and out of the canyon is significant (an hour or two?) and may be hot, so you'll need to have done some uphill hike training in the heat.
• Some unroped rock climbing may be required. Usually the multitudes of little down climbs are not too difficult, and everyone spots each other, but an inexperienced climber or someone too afraid of heights might have no fun.
• Depending on the water level, to get to the rappel station, you may be required to walk across a wet, narrow, water polished, slippery ledge that slopes toward a big drop. Last year the water was really low and we were able to bypass that ledge by rappelling right in the waterfall. (It was a trickle.) However, we're expecting the water to be high this year.
• On a past trip to a different canyon, we had one person with us who had never rappelled, but he promised he'd do it. However, he could not make himself step off the edge of the cliff. In that canyon, there was another way down. At Salome the only option to rappelling is walking the narrow ledge and jumping off a high cliff into the water. By the time you're at the Salome rappel station, it's very unlikely that you can go back the way you came, unless you can climb up smooth, overhung walls.
• People in our canyoneering group have seen serious injuries from slipping while simply walking on deceptively slimy surfaces, a fall requiring stitches from stepping off a rock and a shoe catching on a bush, and a near drowning from falling underwater and getting stuck.
• Canyoneering is dangerous. As always, you participate at your own risk.