Sikati Cave

Last day climbing in Kalymnos! What to do to make it memorable? Sikati Cave!

What to say? Epic crag. Huge hole in the ground, 100m deep at the lowest point, covered in stalactites. My first trip here in 2008 I did the runout classic Lolita 7a. This time I had to step it up and onsighted the long Mort Aux Chevres 7b and also Morgan and its extension Adam, given 8a in the guidebook(!)

The first pitch (given 7c) is mostly very steep 6c-7a climbing to an admittedly hard section. It probably is 7c. Then the extension is only another 8m of climbing and you can start it fresh because there's a great bridging rest at the first anchor. I won't spoil it for you, but it's definitely worth having a try for the extension. I was happy I did.


Me on Morgan, still a ways to go. T-shirt carried as sweat towel.
© Mark Kochanek 2010


I was so zorched after that effort I bit the dust.

And then it was time to say farewell to Kalymnos and hello to Turkey. Thanks Kaly, see you next year!

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Tehipite trip (contd)

The Kings Canyon drains to the west and the valley has about 3000-4000ft of elevation change. The native americans used to winter at the bottom due to the warmer temperatures and good fishing.
From camp we had to hike to the wall and this is just a piece of the 1300ft top half of the wall. As far as I know, no one has climbed the dihedral in this photo.
Mike and Ari setting up our line to hang the food. We had two haul bags of food for our ten days of camping. One was filled with meals and the other with breakfast and snacks. We saw bear tracks and scat while on the trip but no bears and pretty much nothing but birds. The area was burned by fire two years ago and there is very little food for anything to eat. Plus the fire must have killed many of the animals. At the beginning of the trip it took all three of us to hang the food (because it was so heavy) and by the last day or two it could be done by just one.
Our first recon on the first day to get to the wall. You can see the upper part of the dome (Tehipite Dome) that is over 1000ft of rock you are looking at. Plus notice the burn damage and the grasses coming back into the environment very slowly. We needed to use surveying tape (bright orange) to mark our path from camp to the wall because it took over an hour to get there hiking in the mornings and at night. It was too easy to get lost (as we did once) with out marking the trail. In the end, we removed all the tape and found the path of least resistance. The hike wasn't too bad, it was the mosquitoes that were no fun and the 1000ft gulley that we had to descend and hike out everyday.
Me at the last major river crossing. I chose to wear that long sleeved hoody on the horse because the bugs were so bad on the ride in and out of the base camp.
Have a great day!
piz : )
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Maple Canyon Climbing: The Beta Page

Planning a trip to Maple? Here's our thoughts from spending two weeks in this cobble-filled canyon...

Camping
  • You can book online and pay $8 a night. The benefit of this is you reserve your campsite (most are booked solid on the weekends). You also get one of the 12 "nice" campsites that have firepits, several flat tent spots each, big table and shade. It's also possible to just turn up, and if one of the $8 sites is free, you can book and pay, but more interestingly for dirtbags are the $3 per night campsites. These are a first come first served basis and are great for long termers. They're not reservable.  They are less deluxe, not having a table, and might be a big hike to the nearest toilet.
Amenities
  • There are several pit toilets located within the campground. They are kept in quite good order.
  • There are no showers.
  • There is no water. Bring your own.
  • You'll get no phone reception anywhere in the canyon.
Laundry
  • Nearest and best is the coin laundry behind the Fast Trax service station in Mt Pleasant.
Food and water
  • In Ephraim, you can buy groceries at either Kent's Market (very cheap specials for dirtbags) or Wal-mart. Nephi and Mt Pleasant also have supermarkets.
  • For rest day meals, there is a Subway and McDonalds in Ephraim. Nephi also has a Wendy's. I recommend Roy's Pizza (formerly known as Fat Jack's) in Ephraim or Cavalier Pizza in Mt Pleasant. And for something sweet, you can't go past Ephraim's Malt Shop for great shakes and slushes.
  • Water is easily obtainable at the service station adjacent to Ephraim's Wal-mart (near the air hose).

Wifi
  • Various unsecured home routers on main street of Manti, good for picking up emails on the move, or updating your scorecard ;)

    For longer stints you have two options: 
  1. McDonalds in Ephraim has power, free wifi and endless soda. Use the ice machine to top up your esky on the way out.
  2. Computer lab in the Snow College in Ephraim. Drive around Snow College until you spot a bell tower. Park there. The building left of the bell tower is the computer lab and has free Internet access on very fast computers.
Showers
  • There are $2 hot showers and an indoor pool in the Gymnasium/Recreation centre at Snow College in Ephraim.
Guidebook
  • There is an online guide available (link) for $12. It is not a new guide. It is over 10 years old but is the best that is on offer currently. Supplement this with the online information on Mountain Project. Ask around for info on new sectors if you're interested.
Climbing
  • Routes tend to be endurance affairs. Holds tend to be open grips, but there is some crimping to be found where cobbles have fallen out. A 60m rope is fine. There is enough to occupy the 5.10 climber (unlike Rifle), and plenty if you climb harder than this. Because of rockfall, helmets are good. Especially for belaying. And for routes 5.12 and above, you're going to want your kneebar pads.
Grades
  • Grades of routes are all over the shop at Maple. For example, routes at the great cliff "The Minimum" are so ridiculously soft I'm surprised the bolts don't fall out. And yet, routes in Box Canyon are often quite stout. The best thing to do is take the grades with a large pinch of salt, and if you want to see what consensus is saying about a route, check it out on 8a.nu's Maple ticklist. And if it's obviously soft, don't take the higher grade ;)

If stuff changes, email me and I'll keep this post updated.
READ MORE - Maple Canyon Climbing: The Beta Page