Lytle Creek: redemption run

A redemption run of Lytle Creek. Our first run had someone tie a stopper knot in the rope and forget to tell the people in the back — me, Chris, and another. Lytle can get deceptively cold. This run went without a hitch. We wore wetsuits and were thankful, even late in the summer. The road leading in was a bit more rutted but still passable, ever so slightly spicy in a Subaru, and the main wash seemed more trenched than I remember.

It was insane how crowded the paid parking lot was — a ton of summer visitors off the main road. We found some interesting lost items, including a pair of sunglasses that became a fashion icon and a harness with a Petzl knife off the main trail. The flow was relatively low. The crux was near the end, where there had been an incident of someone going off the edge in the waterworks transitioning between rappels (a podcast has the first-hand account — highly recommend it). We had a game plan; with the flow and lack of super-slick material, we sent the first person down with a stopper knot but removed it immediately, used our personal safeties, stayed diligent, and had a great day.

If you go

This is technical canyoneering in the Lytle Creek drainage of the San Bernardino National Forest — rope, rappels, and cold water, not a hike. Even in late summer the water is cold enough to want a wetsuit, and there’s a known fatality history at one of the rappel transitions, which is exactly why the rope management and personal-safety discipline matter. Go with experienced people, check the flow, and treat the transitions as the dangerous part.