Canyon... of the Dammed Introduction

Introduction:

Canyon… of the Dammed is an exciting canyoneering adventure that delivers a lot of bang for your buck. The water in Canyon… of the Dammed flows through a beautiful granite gorge full of large and spectacular waterfalls and flanked by granite domes in classic Sierra style. The technical section in Canyon… of the Dammed is long and covers a lot of vertical relief. This makes for great fun for the experienced and well prepared. However, be warned the length of time that the canyoneer will be exposed to cold water and required to make decisions in technical terrain is long. Go prepared and with a strong team.

The water that flows through Canyon… of the Dammed is dam release from the lake immediately above the canyon. Southern California Edison controls the release of water from the lake. During the summer Edison is required to maintain a small flow in the canyon as a “fish release” to preserve habitat for the canyon’s flora and fauna. During these fish releases is when you want to make your descent. Higher flows are not common in Canyon… of the Dammed during the summer months. However, it is possible to verify that no major release is scheduled by calling the So. Cal. Edison office or by stopping by. Entering Canyon… of the Dammed under high flow conditions would be very dangerous.

During our descent in 2007 we found signs of previous passage in the canyon. Unfortunately most of what we found was single zinc plated bolts. While some of the bolts in the canyon were necessary and adequately placed many were not. The worst example was a single bolt 4 feet below a massive tree that you could probably safely hang a pick-up truck off of. The bolt offered zero advantage over the tree. Please consider using natural anchors whenever possible in this and other canyons that you descend. If you must bolt, please use 3/8” or larger stainless steel hardware and place 2 bolts per anchor. Bolt anchors in canyons are subject to far too much moisture to not be stainless and redundant. Before placing any bolts, canyoneers should learn proper technique and practice in a controlled area. In Canyon… of the Dammed we removed webbing from unnecessary bolts, rigged natural anchors and added a second stainless bolt to all necessary bolt anchors. We hope you will descend Canyon… of the Dammed using natural anchors wherever possible. We think you will find it more enjoyable and it will contribute greatly to the long-term preservation of this wonderful canyon.

Full route descriptions with driving directions, canyon play-by-plays and more are available to Sierra Canyons members. Membership to the site is by invitation. Sierra Canyons members can invite new members or from time to time you may request an invitation from the site adminstrators. You may ask members for an invitation on the forums or check the sidebar for invitation requests.