Canyoneering Route Description

Redemption Canyon - 4B IV or V
Swett Creek area, Utah

Quick Facts

09-19-15, 5 people, 1 Day (Travel time in route 12 hours) Pictures Icon Time is camp to camp at Hoskinnini Monument and for a side trip.

Time Required - 8 to 10 hours round trip from Hoskinnini Monument. 
Add 5 hours each way for the backpack to and from Hoskinnini.
Distance for canyon route - 4.2 miles Total, 2.3 miles Technical
Distance for hike in from highway -  5.9 miles
Rappels - 8 Rappels, Longest Rappel 70 feet.  But ropes up to 100 feet will be needed due to anchor placements.
Elevation Range for canyon route - 3800 - 5200 Feet for the canyon route itself.
Elevation Range for hike in from highway - 4800 to 3800 Feet.
Shuttle Required - No Vehicle - Passenger Permit Required - No

Gear Used for Canyon

Rappelling and anchor gear for rappels up to 100 feet.  Max rap is only 70 feet but due to some anchor placements you will need ropes up to 100 feet long.  30 feet of webbing just in case you need it, but try to leave no trace if possible.  Smooth Operator or other retrievable anchor.  Sandtrap and or watertrap will be needed in a couple places depending on conditions.  If you have a JellyFish anchor it can save some time and hassle at rap 2 but you can also do this with a watertrap or pack drag anchor.  A couple potshots should be on hand just incase the need arises but you likely will not need them.

 Wet suits may not be needed in warm and hot weather but should be along for cooler days or if you get cold easily.

General Comments

Looking over maps and Google Earth in early 2012 I had my eye on a canyon by Hoskinnini Monument and later found out a few others were wanting to go to the same place.  Some groups have been doing this canyon by using a boat and hiking up to it from Lake Powell.  Using a boat to get to canyons is a little out of my budget, so getting there on my own two feet was the ticket.  We went in by land setting up a basecamp, since it is such a long way out there.  A fast efficient group could likely day trip Redemption Canyon via land but it would be an extremely long day and is likely best done by making a back pack trip out of it.

There is a spring in Swett Creek about 3 miles upstream of Redemption and another spring that is about 800 feet up from Swett Creek in the bottom of the Redemption drainage.  Both appear to be year round.  With the spring in the bottom of redemption being an easy walk up from Swett Creek it makes it easy to set a base camp in Swett Creek near the end of Redemption by Hoskinnini Monument.

The general character of Redemption is a mix of short slots and open vegetated sections of canyon to walk.  There are a few alcove hanging garden like rappels at the end of a few of the slot sections.  Since so many canyons seem to end with this style of alcove hanging garden rappel, it is easy to keep thinking you are almost done with Redemption when you get to one of these rappels.  There are also some sections of deep feeling slot with some potholes to play through in the mid to lower portions of the canyon.

There is one spot in the canyon (wRedempRP-20) where you will downclimb about 15 feet to a pothole below.  The narrow slot exit of the pothole is too narrow for a person and is easy to get over with a partner assist if the pool is sand filled and shallow.  However if the pothole has the sand washed out and becomes a swimmer this may be work to get out of and you will need to get creative to figure out how to get out.  The exit slot is too narrow for a person to fit in near the bottom so you have to go up about 3 feet to get over the narrow spot but the narrow spot is severely overhung so climbing up a rope on a potshot would not allow a climb out since you would be pulled into a crack you do not fit in.  Generally this should not be an issue with a partner assist but this can change and if it does it will be difficult.

Below rap 3 we have called it the poison alcove due to mass quantities of poison ivy growing well over 5 feet tall.  This is the most poison ivy I have seen in one spot and it is all VERY healthy and everywhere.  If you use the first large boulder on the RDC ledge you can avoid it.  If you use other anchors you will very likely rappel down into thick patches of poison ivy...... You Have Been Warned!

Redemption Canyon has traditionally been done as a ghosted canyon.  Please try to maintain the local ethic and leave no trace if possible.  Even though Redemption has traditionally ghosted the final rap has had webbing left at it since it is difficult to ghost.  The choke stone anchor at the final rap creates a V shaped groove that will stick a rope when pulled through it.  On our visit we were able to cut the webbing out and use the Smooth Operator V Groove Technique to overcome this obstacle and ghost the final rappel.  Depending on the skill set of the previous party you may or may not fine webbing left on the choke stone of the final rap.

Redemption Canyon is one of those places that has a little bit of everything and I do mean a little bit.  Downclimbs, potholes, stemming, elevators, swims, awkward starts, and a few large patches of poison ivy.  Since Redemption has only a little bit of each thing and is so far out, I would not put it high on my list of places to get to by land.  However it is worth doing at least once just to see this place as it does have some pretty cool and unique spots.

Driving Directions

To get to the Trailhead

From the Junction of highway 95 and highway 276 (about 26 miles south of Hanksville Utah) drive south on highway 276 for 13 miles to a turn out on the right (west) side of the road with a large sign titled Mount Hillers where you will start the route (pkMountHillers).

To leave the Exit Vehicle / Escape Pod

No exit vehicle is needed.  This is done as an out and back trip.

Maps

GPS coordinate information listed at the bottom.  For information about waypoint naming and map symbols, refer to the Glossary page.

Map Link Icon
Click the links for maps of the route. Map of the entire route.
Map of route up from Swett Creek and down Redemption.

Details

The Approach:
From the parking area (pkMountHillers) walk across the highway and continue east into the desert.  Walk across the desert and route find your way east for about 0.6 miles to a gently sloped rim (wWoodyRP-01) with a view east over a small valley like area full of light colored sandstone.

From the rim continue east down into the light colored sandstone about 800 feet to where a shallow drainage starts running down (wRedempRP-01) to the south east down into Swett Creek.  Follow the shallow drainage southeast about 900 feet down into Swett Creek.  Just as you get to Swett Creek (wRedempRP-02) you will need to downclimb about 15 feet down a steep portion of slickrock to get to the floor of Swett.

Turn left to walk east down Swett Creek.  About 1.4 miles down Swett Creek will be a small canyon / drainage dropping in from the RDC side (wRedempRP-03) with a boulder debris field about 500 feet before getting there.

About 0.4 miles farther is a very large side canyon / drainage (wRedempRP-04) dropping in from the RDC side. This is just before getting to a spring fed section of Swett Creek.

A couple hundred feet farther is a spring fed area of Swett Creek (SwettSpng1).  This appears to be a year round spring and is a good source of water but it does smell and taste like sulfur.

About 1 mile farther down canyon (wRedempRP-05) a short section of canyon with downclimb of about 6 feet  over some boulders then a little farther down canyon is a larger drop of about 10 feet with a pool at the bottom that can be waist to chest deep if full.  We have been able to downclimb then bridge over the pool but this is tricky and you may be wet anyway.  On the way up this would be a difficult spot to climb back up if you were solo but would not be much of an issue with a partner assist to help each other up.

About 1 mile farther is a large side drainage (wRedempRP-06) coming in on the RDC (south) side.

About 0.7 miles farther is another side drainage (wRedempRP-07) coming in on the RDC (south) side.  Another possible approach up to Redemption would be to travel up the ridge on the RUC (west) side of this drainage and see if you can find a way up to the rim or it may be possible to go right up the drainage to the rim.  These thoughts are from looking at Google Earth and may not prove to be accurate.

About 0.31 miles farther is where you will begin your ascent (jRedempSwett) up out of Swett Creek to go up to Redemption.  From the bottom of the ascent route work your way up the lighter colored scree pile on the up canyon side.  From the top of the scree pile traverse left working your way under a small wall then over to a ramp like area to scramble up through some rocky stuff.  Follow the ledge and a couple easy scrambles to the right over to the bottom of the crux upclimb of the ascent, then route find your way up to the mesa top.  The crux upclimb is about 12 feet in a crack like portion of a hueco like feature.   The total elevation gain of the ascent to the mesa top is about 750 feet.

Note:
The ascent up out of Swett Creek is about 0.7 miles west / upstream of where the bottom of Redemption drops into Swett Creek by Hoskinnini Monument and is not super obvious unless you know what to look for.  If you are hiking in by land it is easy to miss the start of the ascent route since you get to it before reaching Hoskinnini Monument.  If you are hiking up from Lake Powell it is easier to find since Hoskinnini Monument is prominent landmark and you know to start looking for the ascent route about 0.7 miles up Swett Creek.

Example Pic. A GPS may be helpful for getting you to the correct spot to begin the ascent out of Swett since there is no prominent landmark.  Use this picture to identify the ascent route which also indicates the route up.

Example Pic. The crux upclimb of the ascent out of Swett Creek.

From where the ascent route gets up to the mesa top (wRedempRP-08) route find your way southwest about 0.2 miles until you get to the rim of a side fork of Redemption (wRedempRP-09).

When you hit the rim of the side fork (wRedempRP-09) veer right to follow the rim up to the west for about 0.3 miles to where you can go around the head of the side drainage where a ridge is running up to the southwest (wRedempRP-10).

Follow the ridge up to the southwest for about 0.35 miles to where you are on a rim (wRedempRP-11) looking down into the upper portions of Redemption Canyon.  Veer right and follow the rim up to the west / southwest.

About 0.15 miles farther along the rim contour around the head (wRedempRP-12) of a small side drainage.

About 800 feet farther along the rim is a boulder area where you will need to scramble up and over to continue up along the rim (wRedempRP-13).

About 800 feet farther the slopes down into Redemption get more gentle (wRedempRP-14).  Route find your way down into Redemption in a wide open gently sloped slickrock drainage (yRedempTp).

The Canyoneering / Technical Section:
From the head of Redemption (yRedempTp) Between here and rap 1 are a few small potholes and a couple short drops you can easily walk around bypassing on the sides.  Rap 1 is about 0.3 miles down canyon with a few small drops along the way that can be easily bypassed.

Rap 1 (dRedempR1) drops about 45 feet, is anchored using a sandtrap, has an awkward start at the top due to a small overhang and has a pot hole mid way down you can step over.  Optionally you could farm rocks to make a cairn or dead man anchor.

Just down canyon of rap 1 is a thigh deep pool to scramble a few feet down to which can be avoided if you have the skill to traverse the LDC side with very few features.  After the pool is open vegetated wash to walk for about  350 feet to a drop 6 feet to a pool that can easily be bypassed on the RDC side (wRedempRP-15).

About 275 feet down canyon are two drops to downclimb (wRedempRP-16).  The first one is about 6 feet and is a moderate downclimb.  The second one is about 50 feet down canyon and drops about 10 feet and will likely need a good partner assist to get down.  This second drop has the features that will allow a good climber to downclimb it but the holds are difficult to see and a spotter from the bottom is very helpful.  Rap 2 is about 400 feet down canyon of here.

Rap 2 (dRedempR2) drops about 45 feet with a pothole near the top to step over and can be anchored using a JellyFish anchor or a choke stone anchor set at the top in a crack about 10 feet back from the drop.  Optionally you can use a water trap or do a pack drag anchor from a pothole just down from the top of the drop but this may be awkward.

About 200 feet down canyon of rap 2 is boulder debris to climb over or down under (wRedempRP-17).  Down canyon of here is some light galumphing and a couple pools to wade across for about 350 feet to where you start walking in open wash again.

Shortly down canyon is a scramble down sloped slick rock about 15 feet down to a drop of about 9 feet (wRedempRP-18) that will require an aggressive partner assist as you downclimb over a fin.  If you are very tall this may be a moderately easy downclimb.  Just below this downclimb is large boulder and some rock fall debris with wide open easy wash to walk down canyon.

About 0.15 miles down canyon the slot gets deeper where you lose access to the ledges on the RDC side (wRedempRP-19).  Over the next 0.2 miles is are multiple short downclimbs up to 6 feet into pot holes with easy exits if full and may need a potshot tossed to assist out if water is low.  There are a few couple potholes with narrow slot like exits too small to pas through where stemming over the pothole and narrow exit is needed.  Along the way are also a couple large patio / open chamber like spots.  About 0.2 miles down canyon of hear is a downclimb of about 15 feet down into a pothole in a deep narrow slot.

When you get to the downclimb of about 15 feet (wRedempRP-20) downclimb into the pothole below and be prepared for a little challenge to get out.  If the pool below is shallow with the bottom full of sand a partner assist will easily get you out the other side.  If the pool has the sand flushed out and the pool is a swimmer this spot may be very difficult to get out of.  The exit slot is too narrow for a person to fit in near the bottom so you have to go up about 3 feet to get over the narrow spot but the narrow spot is severely overhung so climbing up a rope on a potshot would not allow a climb out since you would be pulled into a crack you do not fit in.  If the pool washes out you will need to get creative to figure out how to get over this spot.

Over the next 350 feet is one silo like spot where you could go down in but it is easier to stem over it about 12 feet off the deck and may be hard to do for short people followed by multiple potholes that are easy to swim across and exit.  Just before getting to the start of (wRedempRP-21) a short vegetated section of canyon to walk is a downclimb of about 12 feet in a crack to a pool to swim across.

The 500 foot section of canyon down from here to rap 3 has a few potholes and a couple downclimbs of about 6 to 8 feet, then another patio like spot followed by a set of massive potholes that you can play through or easily walk around on the RDC side.

Rap 3 (dRedempR3) uses about 100 feet of rope to get around the boulder on the ledge down to the ground but the actual drop is about 70 feet.  This rap is anchored using a Smooth Operator or other retrievable anchor from a large boulder up on the ledge on the RDC side to avoid the poison ivy at the bottom of the rappel.  This rap drops down into what we called the poison alcove since it has massive quantities of poison ivy that are growing well over 5 feet tall!  Rappelling from the first large boulder you get to on the RDC ledge will drop you down in a spot where you can avoid the poison ivy below.

Down canyon of here is walking in a wide section of canyon for about 0.2 miles to a pothole you can easily walk around on the RDC side (wRedempRP-22).  Continue walking down the wash a little over 300 feet to where another narrow section starts.  Stem and galumph a short distance through the slot to get to rap 4.

Rap 4 (dRedempR4) anchored from a large arch on the RDC side using a Smooth Operator or other retrievable anchor and drops about 30 feet down to a large ledge next to a small pothole but above a huge pothole / pool.  From the ledge walk around on the RDC side to continue down canyon.  This is a very scenic rappel.

Just below rap 4 are 3 very large potholes / pools that you can play through or easily bypass on the RDC side on large ledges.  Near the end of the very large potholes is a bridge that is pretty cool to scramble through.  You will not see this bridge if you bypass it on the RDC side ledges.

Continue walking in wide canyon for a few hundred feet to rap 5 which is where the canyon takes a large sweeping right turn.

Rap 5 (dRedempR5) anchored using a Smooth Operator or other retrievable anchor from a small tree about 35 feet back from the drop and drops about 35 feet with a large pothole midway down.  About 70 feet of rope will be needed.  The pothole mid way down rap 5 will include a partner assist to get up out of to continue the rappel.  Continue walking down canyon about 900 feet to a twisted silo like downclimb.

When you get to a downclimb of about 12 feet (wRedempRP-23) you will need to stem over then downclimb through a twisted silo like feature then down under a natural bridge.  Whiles doing this you will be about 12 feet off the deck.  Tall people will find this pretty straight forward while shorter people will need a handline from someone on the LDC ledge.

Just after getting down the silo like feature is a keyhole like opening where you go through to get to wide canyon again.  As you go through the keyhole walk the RDC ledge to go around a pool.  A little over 500 feet down canyon is rap 6.

Rap 6 (dRedempR6) drops about 50 feet vertical but will use about 90 feet of rope when anchored from the LDC ledge from a small tree or a boulder.  Optionally it is possible to downclimb through the watercourse but it may require a partner assist near the bottom and may be a little difficult over the last 10 feet.

Walk down canyon a couple hundred feet to where you scramble down a slot to a pothole at the bottom where rap 7 will be.

Rap 7 (dRedempR7) is anchored using a sandtrap if dry and a watertrap is full of water.  There may be other anchor options up a chute on the LDC side.  Rap 7 is anchored using a trap in a pothole where you will need to climb up (may need partner assist to do so) about 5 or 6 feet then rappel down 15 feet. 

Right after rap 7 is a tight slot where you will likely need to work hard to get through it with your pack since it is so tight, then a small arch you can squeeze through on the RDC side or climb over a wall about 5 feet tall.  About 200 feet farther down canyon is the start of a deep dark looking slot that drops fast and looks intimidating with rap 8 at the other end.

At the start of the slot is a downclimb / elevator of about 30 feet where the walls are slick but staying in close to the crack makes it pretty easy.  Then a short section galumph / stemming a few feet off the deck to get to another elevator of about 25 feet which leads down to rap 8.

Rap 8 (dRedempR8) anchored from a large chokestone in about head high in a tight crack, uses about 60 feet of rope travel with the actual drop being about 20 feet and drops over a very awkward start.  The chokestone anchor may have webbing left on it since this is difficult to ghost due to the V shaped groove created between the anchor and the canyon wall.  On our visit we were able to remove the webbing then use the Smooth Operator V Groove Technique to leave no webbing.  There is a ledge you can climb up to on the LDC side but it does not offer any better anchor options.

After rap 8 walk / scramble your way down canyon about 850 feet to a spring and large pool with lots of poison ivy (RedempSpng).

From the spring walk / scramble your way down canyon about 800 feet to the end of Redemption Canyon where it dumps into Swett Creek near Hoskinnini Monument (yRedempBt).

The Exit:
From the bottom of Redemption Canyon (yRedempBt) reverse your route up Swett Creek back to the highway.

GPS Waypoint Information

Downloadable GPX files available at BG-Gear Store (easier than manual entry and a great way to support Bluugnome).
Waypoint naming convention and map symbol information can be found on the Glossary page.  Elevations are approximate.
BEFORE manually entering coordinates set your system to WGS84 datum and Lat/Lon hddd.ddddd° coordinate format. 
Inconsistent datum's and coordinate formats will result in location errors.

Click to show / expand the list of waypoints below........
Redemption (01) - Hike into and out of Swett Creek
  1. pkMountHillers          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.85042   W -110.57937        Elev: 4,655 Feet
    Turn out for a scenic look over to Mount Hillers and where you start the route for Woody Canyon.
  2. wWoodyRP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.84849   W -110.56830        Elev: 4,770 Feet
    Route comes to a gently sloped rim with a view to the east over a small valley like area full of light colored sandstone. To continue to Woody Canyon turn left (northeast) and follow along the top of the rim as it curves around east. To continue to Redemption Canyon continue east down into the sandstone valley about 800 feet to a shallow draiange running southeast down into Swett Creek.
  3. wRedempRP-01          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.84806   W -110.56585        Elev: NaN Feet
    Shallow draiange begins running southeast down into Swett Creek. Follow the shallow drainage southeast about 900 feet down into Swett Creek.
  4. wRedempRP-02          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.84591   W -110.56408        Elev: 4,560 Feet
    Route to Redemption drops down to Swett Creek here. You will need to downclimb about 15 feet down a steep portion of slickrock to get to the floor of Swett. Getting up out of Swett up to here is a moderately difficult upclimb. If you find you can not make it up this on the way out you can continue up Swett Creek to get to the highway.
  5. wRedempRP-03          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.84044   W -110.55088        Elev: NaN Feet
    Small canyon / drainage dropping in from the RDC side with a boulder debris field about 500 feet before getting there.
  6. wRedempRP-04          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.83814   W -110.54675        Elev: NaN Feet
    Very large side canyon / drainage dropping in from the RDC side. This is just before getting to a spring fed section of Swett Creek.
  7. SwettSpng1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.83902   W -110.54555        Elev: NaN Feet
    Spring that appear to be year round in Swett Creek. This appears to be a year round spring and is a good source of water but it does smell and taste like sulfur.
  8. wRedempRP-05          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.84200   W -110.53890        Elev: NaN Feet
    Short section of canyon with downclimb of about 6 feet over some boulders then a little farther down canyon is a larger drop of about 10 feet with a pool at the bottom that can be waist to chest deep if full. We have been able to downclimb then bridge over the pool but this is tricky and you may be wet anyway. On the way up this would be a difficult spot to climb back up if you were solo but would not be much of an issue with a partner assist to help each other up.
  9. wRedempRP-06          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.83458   W -110.52835        Elev: NaN Feet
    large side drainage coming in on the RDC (south) side.
  10. wRedempRP-07          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.83264   W -110.51939        Elev: NaN Feet
    side drainage coming in on the RDC (south) side. Another possible approach up to Redemption would be to travel up the ridge on the RUC (west) side of this drainage and see if you can find a way up to the rim or it may be possible to go right up the drainage to the rim. These thoughts are from looking at Google Earth and may not prove to be accurate.
  11. jRedempSwett          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.83176   W -110.51456        Elev: NaN Feet
    Start up out of Swett Creek here to get up to Redemption Canyon. The total elevation gain of the ascent to the mesa top is about 750 feet. The ascent up out of Swett Creek is about 0.7 miles west / upstream of where the bottom of Redemption drops into Swett Creek by Hoskinnini Monument and is not super obvious unless you know what to look for. From the bottom of the ascent route work your way up the lighter colored scree pile on the up canyon side.  From the top of the scree pile traverse left working your way under a small wall then over to a ramp like area to scramble up through some rocky stuff.  Follow the ledge and a couple easy scrambles to the right over to the bottom of the crux upclimb of the ascent, then route find your way up to the mesa top.  The crux upclimb is about 12 feet in a crack like portion of a hueco like feature. 
Redemption (02) - Approach up out of Swett Creek
  1. jRedempSwett          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.83176   W -110.51456        Elev: NaN Feet
    Start up out of Swett Creek here to get up to Redemption Canyon. The total elevation gain of the ascent to the mesa top is about 750 feet. The ascent up out of Swett Creek is about 0.7 miles west / upstream of where the bottom of Redemption drops into Swett Creek by Hoskinnini Monument and is not super obvious unless you know what to look for. From the bottom of the ascent route work your way up the lighter colored scree pile on the up canyon side.  From the top of the scree pile traverse left working your way under a small wall then over to a ramp like area to scramble up through some rocky stuff.  Follow the ledge and a couple easy scrambles to the right over to the bottom of the crux upclimb of the ascent, then route find your way up to the mesa top.  The crux upclimb is about 12 feet in a crack like portion of a hueco like feature. 
  2. wRedempRP-08          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.82921   W -110.51506        Elev: 4,550 Feet
    Top out of the ascent out of Swett Creek. route find your way southwest about 0.2 miles until you get to the rim of a side fork of Redemption.
  3. wRedempRP-09          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.82701   W -110.51803        Elev: NaN Feet
    On the rim of a side drainage of Redemption. Veer right to follow the rim up to the west for about 0.3 miles to where you can go around the head of the side drainage where a ridge is running up to the southwest
  4. wRedempRP-10          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.82718   W -110.52323        Elev: 4,762 Feet
    Tis is where you can go around the head of the side drainage and where a ridge is running up to the southwest. Turn left to follow southwest up the ridge for about 0.35 miles to where you will be on a rim looking down into the upper portions of Redemption Canyon.
  5. wRedempRP-11          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.82320   W -110.52687        Elev: NaN Feet
    On a rim looking down into the upper portions of Redemption Canyon. Veer right and follow the rim up to the west / southwest.
  6. wRedempRP-12          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.82362   W -110.52948        Elev: NaN Feet
    Head of a small side drainage to go around as you follow up along the rim to the southwest.
  7. wRedempRP-13          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.82184   W -110.53079        Elev: NaN Feet
    Boulder area where you will need to scramble up and over to continue up along the rim.
  8. wRedempRP-14          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.82084   W -110.53317        Elev: NaN Feet
    Slopes down into Redemption get more gentle. Route find your way down into Redemption in a wide open gently sloped slickrock drainage.
  9. yRedempTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.81925   W -110.53225        Elev: NaN Feet
    Top end of Redemption Canyon. This is in a wide open slick rock drainage. Rap 1 is about 0.3 miles down canyon of here with a few small drops along the way that can be easily bypassed.
Redemption (03) - Redemtion Canyon
  1. yRedempTp          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.81925   W -110.53225        Elev: NaN Feet
    Top end of Redemption Canyon. This is in a wide open slick rock drainage. Rap 1 is about 0.3 miles down canyon of here with a few small drops along the way that can be easily bypassed.
  2. dRedempR1          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.82204   W -110.52862        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 1 - Redemption, drops about 45 feet, is anchored using a sandtrap, has an awkward start at the top due to a small overhang and has a pot hole mid way down you can step over. Optionally you could farm rocks to make a cairn or dead man anchor. Just down canyon of rap 1 is a thigh deep pool to scramble a few feet down to which can be avoided if you have the skill to traverse the LDC side with very few features. After the pool is open vegetated wash to walk for about 350 feet to a drop 6 feet to a pool that can easily be bypassed on the RDC side.
  3. wRedempRP-15          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.82237   W -110.52750        Elev: NaN Feet
    Drop 6 feet to a pool that can easily be bypassed on the RDC side.
  4. wRedempRP-16          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.82249   W -110.52654        Elev: NaN Feet
    Two drops to downclimb (wRedempRP-16). The first one is about 6 feet and is a moderate downclimb. The second one is about 50 feet down canyon and drops about 10 feet and will likely need a good partner assist to get down. This second drop has the features that will allow a good climber to downclimb it but the holds are difficult to see and a spotter from the bottom is very helpfull.
  5. dRedempR2          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.82157   W -110.52593        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 2 - Redemption, drops about 45 feet with a pothole near the top to step over and can be anchored using a JellyFish anchor or a choke stone anchor set at the top in a crack about 10 feet back from the drop. Optionally you can use a water trap or do a pack drag anchor from a pothole just down from the top of the drop but this may be awkward.
  6. wRedempRP-17          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.82127   W -110.52527        Elev: NaN Feet
    Boulder debris to climb over or down under. Down canyon of here is some light galumphing and a couple pools to wade across for about 350 feet to where you start walking in open wash again.
  7. wRedempRP-18          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.82120   W -110.52354        Elev: NaN Feet
    Scramble down sloped slick rock about 15 feet down to a drop of about 9 feet that will require an aggressive partner assist as you downclimb over a fin. If you are very tall this may be a moderately easy downclimb. Just below this downclimb is large boulder and some rock fall debris with wide open easy wash to walk down canyon.
  8. wRedempRP-19          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.82043   W -110.52091        Elev: NaN Feet
    Slot gets deeper where you lose access to the ledges on the RDC side. Over the next 0.2 miles is are multiple short downclimbs up to 6 feet into pot holes with easy exits if full and may need a potshot tossed to assist out if water is low. There are a few couple potholes with narrow slot like exits too small to pas through where stemming over the pothole and narrow exit is needed. Along the way are also a couple large patio / open chamber like spots. About 0.2 miles down canyon of hear is a downclimb of about 15 feet down into a pothole in a deep narrow slot.
  9. wRedempRP-20          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.82241   W -110.51911        Elev: NaN Feet
    Downclimb of about 15 feet (wRedempRP-20) downclimb into the pothole below and be prepared for a little challenge to get out. If the pool below is shallow with the bottom full of sand a partner assist will easily get you out the other side. If the pool has the sand flushed out and the pool is a swimmer this spot may be very difficult to get out of. The exit slot is too narrow for a person to fit in near the bottom so you have to go up about 3 feet to get over the narrow spot but the narrow spot is severely overhung so climbing up a rope on a potshot would not allow a climb out since you would be pulled into a crack you do not fit in. If the pool washes out you will need to get creative to figure out how to get over this spot.
  10. wRedempRP-21          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.82331   W -110.51887        Elev: NaN Feet
    Short vegetated section of canyon to walk. The 350 foot section of canyon above here has one silo like spot where you could go down in but it is easier to stem over it about 12 feet off the deck and may be hard to do for short people followed by multiple potholes that are easy to swim across and exit. Just before getting to the start of this short vegetated section of canyon to walk is a downclimb of about 12 feet in a crack to a pool to swim across. The 500 foot section of canyon down from here to rap 3 has a few potholes and a couple downclimbs of about 6 to 8 feet, then another patio like spot followed by a set of massive potholes that you can play through or easily walk around on the RDC side.
  11. dRedempR3          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.82434   W -110.51785        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 3 - Redemption uses about 100 feet of rope to get around the boulder on the ledge down to the ground but the actual drop is about 70 feet. This rap is anchored using a Smooth Operator or other retrievable anchor from a large boulder up on the ledge on the RDC side to avoid the poison ivy at the bottom of the rappel. This rap drops down into what we called the poison alcove since it has massive quantities of poison ivy that are growing well over 5 feet tall! Rappelling from the first large boulder you get to on the RDC ledge will drop you down in a spot where you can avoid the poison ivy below. Down canyon of here is walking in a wide section of canyon for about 0.2 miles to a pothole you can easily walk around on the RDC side (wRedempRP-22).
  12. wRedempRP-22          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.82511   W -110.51450        Elev: NaN Feet
    Pothole in the middle of a long section of wash walking that you can easily bypass by going up and over RDC. Continue walking down the wash a little over 300 feet to where another narrow section starts. Stem and galumph a short distance through the slot to get to rap 4.
  13. dRedempR4          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.82581   W -110.51339        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 4 - Redemption, anchored from a large arch on the RDC side using a Smooth Operator or other retrievable anchor and drops about 30 feet down to a large ledge next to a small pothole but above a huge pothole / pool. From the ledge walk around on the RDC side to continue down canyon. This is a very scenic rappel. Just below rap 4 are a few very large potholes / pools that you can play through or easily bypass on the RDC side on large ledges. Near the end of the very large potholes is a bridge that is pretty cool to scramble through. You will not see this bridge if you bypass it on the RDC side ledges. Continue walking in wide canyon for a few hundred feet to rap 5 where the canyon makes a sweeping right turn.
  14. dRedempR5          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.82760   W -110.51193        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 5 - Redemption, anchored using a Smooth Operator or other retrievable anchor from a small tree about 35 feet back from the drop and drops about 35 feet with a large pothole midway down. About 70 feet of rope will be needed. The pothole mid way down rap 5 will include a partner assist to get up out of to continue the rappel. Continue walking down canyon about 900 feet to a twisted silo like downclimb.
  15. wRedempRP-23          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.82786   W -110.50902        Elev: NaN Feet
    Downclimb of about 12 feet you will need to stem over then downclimb through a twisted silo like feature then down under a natural bridge. Whiles doing this you will be about 12 feet off the deck. Tall people will find this pretty straight forward while shorter people will need a handline from someone on the LDC ledge. Just after getting down the silo like feature is a keyhole like opening where you go through to get to wide canyon again. As you go through the keyhole walk the RDC ledge to go around a pool. A little over 500 feet down canyon is rap 6.
  16. dRedempR6          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.82923   W -110.50929        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 6 - Redemption, drops about 50 feet vertical but will use about 90 feet of rope when anchored from the LDC ledge from a small tree or a boulder. Optionally it is possible to downclimb through the watercourse but it may require a partner assist near the bottom and may be a little difficult over the last 10 feet. Walk down canyon a couple hundred feet to where you scramble down a slot to a pothole at the bottom where rap 7 will be.
  17. dRedempR7          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.82959   W -110.50876        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 7 - Redemption, anchored using a sandtrap if dry and a watertrap is full of water. There may be other anchor options up a chute on the LDC side. Rap 7 is anchored using a trap in a pothole where you will need to climb up (may need partner assist to do so) about 5 or 6 feet then rappel down 15 feet. Right after rap 7 is a tight slot where you will likely need to work hard to get through it with your pack since it is so tight, then a small arch you can squeeze through on the RDC side or climb over a wall about 5 feet tall. About 200 feet farther down canyon is the start of a deep dark looking slot that drops fast and looks intimidating with rap 8 at the other end.
  18. dRedempR8          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.83008   W -110.50816        Elev: NaN Feet
    Rap 8 - Redemption, anchored from a large chokestone in about head high in a tight crack, uses about 60 feet of rope travel with the actual drop being about 20 feet and drops over a very awkward start. The chokestone anchor may have webbing left on it since this is difficult to ghost due to the V shaped groove created between the anchor and the canyon wall. On our visit we were able to remove the webbing then use the Smooth Operator V Groove Technique to leave no webbing. There is a ledge you can climb up to on the LDC side but it does not offer any better anchor options. The slot leading down to this rap starts with a downclimb / elevator of about 30 feet where the walls are slick but staying in close to the crack makes it pretty easy. Then a short section galumph / stemming a few feet off the deck to get to another elevator of about 25 feet which leads down to rap 8.
  19. RedempSpng          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.83092   W -110.50598        Elev: 3,839 Feet
    Spring in Redemption Canyon that appears to be year round and is easy to hike up to from Swett Creek. Watch for poison ivy growing on the banks. This is about 800 feet from the end of the Redemption Canyon.
  20. yRedempBt          Lat/Lon (WGS84):  N 37.83237   W -110.50439        Elev: NaN Feet
    Bottom of Redemption Canyon where it dumps into Swett Creek by the Hoskinnini Monument and is about 600 feet west of the bottom of the South Fork of Swett Creek.

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