Mendocino National Forest

Location Description

Sub-locations

Conda Coolero

146 photos

Chris cleans house during our leisurely breakfast before...
Monica at our breakfast table, while Christina preps her...
Before starting, the group hydrates up so we won't have to later.
Chris pumps us some water from Rattlesnake Creek.
The crew scrambles over some boulders and through some...
Chris, trying to stay out of a pool of frog soup.
Christina avoiding getting wet, for now.
Christina slides over a boulder in upper Conda Coolero.
John, taking a swim in the first swimming hole.
Chris contemplates a jump, while Christina looks a...
Slash! Chris hits the water. I guess this means I took...
Chris, swimming for shore in the first pool we...
John getting ready for a dive while Christina puts her...
Splash! John hits the water. Hmm, guess the camera is...
Chris finds a pleasant little cave/alcove with some...
Chris, Monica and Christina work their way down a...
Monica thinks about maybe jumping while Christina swims...
Floating on my back, while Chris swims and Monica enters...
Monica, making particularly sure she doesn't swallow any...
The river we descended normally has much higher flow,...
Monica hanging out in the water.
Slightly closer shot.
Christina in upper Conda Coolero.
Sliding down the watercourse into the next pool. Monica...
Monica dipping her legs in teh water while Christina...
Monica and Christina, suspended with backpacks like...
John, Monica and Christina hike down a more open section...
John testing out a water slide into what almost looked...
Wheeee!
Monica tried out the water slide too.
Looks like it's a popular ride: Christina rides the...
Monica hops across some boulders.
Monica, shortly before the first rappel.
First rappel: about 40 feet into a pleasant pool with a...
John on the first rappel uses his right hand for...
John, managing the rope while on rappel.
John, finishing the first rappel.
Christina starting the first rappel.
Christina pausing to smile on rappel.
Christina finishing the first rappel.
Christina finishes the first rappel.
Chris's feet dangle over the edge of the first rappel.
Chris self-portrait with Monica in the background.
Monica gets ready to go on rappel.
Monica on the first rappel.
Monica rappelling.
Monica, on the first rappel.
Monica going over the final lip of the first rappel.
Monica about to finish the first rappel.
John, having retrieved the rope, fiddles with the biner...
John, swimming from the pool.
John helps Monica stow the rope after the first rappel.
John retrieves his backpack which had floated off into...
First waterfall which we had rappelled down.
Christina staying out of the goo.
Christina, again.
The team wades through another pool.
Monica and Chris look back at Christina.
Christina on top of a small cliff.
Monica gives Chris a hand getting down a small waterfall.
There we go!
Monica in upper Conda Coolero.
Chris helps Christina around the same waterfall.
Still continuing down canyon...
Swamp thing! Underwater shot of the algae growing in...
Do lizards shed their skin? Or did this lizard drown...
Christina, helping to set up the anchor on the second rappel.
Monica and John double-check Christina's rigging.
Just hanging out at the top of a pretty 65 foot waterfall.
A view up-canyon from the second rappel station.
John, on rappel.
Don't slip with everyone watching!
Monica, watching John on the second rappel.
Christina at the second rappel station.
Monica rigging herself in for the second rappel.
Hmmm, I think I remember how this works.
Monica, looking very serious.
Is my helmet on straight? :)
Monica on rappel.
Monica on rappel, while John gives a fireman's belay...
Christina starting the second rappel. It's never not...
Christina, balancing herself on the second rappel.
Extra style points for this maneuver. Christina on rappel.
Christina nearing the bottom of the second rap while...
Water slide! Wheee!
View of the falls.
Wait I can do this much better. Wheee!
Third drop (65 feet) to a pleasant little swimming hole.
The team sets up the rope.
Monica rigs the rappel while John double-checks.
On rappel! John, on the third and final rap. This...
Wait, the rope is still way too long. Up rope!
Ok, ready to go for real this time.
Hmm, still wish I had made the rope a little shorter.
Geronimo! John, after reaching the end of the rope on...
Monica gets ready to rappel.
Monica, starting the third rappel.
Don't slip on the slime! Monica on rappel.
Monica jumps off the end of the rope into the 3rd rappel pool.
Christina, up next gets ready to rappel.
Christina lowers herself down the final rappel.
Christina starting the third rappel. This was a little...
John and Monica watch while Christina gets ready to jump...
Christina, standing at the edge of the waterfall.
Splash!
Hey, look! I can climb back up and do it again, without a rope.
Wheee!
Chris treated us not only to normal jumping but fancy...
The girls watch the boys jump off rocks.
Hey cool! This ledge is a little bit higher.
Fun motion blur!
Chris saved room in his pack for his pair of Jesus Boots...
Monica's Jesus Boots were apparently knock-offs.
A rare shot of Jesus Boots underwater. Chris was having...
Hey look, there's also a water slide. This pool is great!
Wheeee! The slime slide was the best ride in the park,...
John, swimming back to shore to jump again.
Monica, checking out Chris busy taking pictures under water.
John, having just jumped off a 12 foot ledge.
John, coming back to the surface.
Underwater portrait of John and Monica.
Chris's underwater self-portrait.
Monica in the pool while John climbs back to the jumping ledge.
Thumbs up! Chris's left hand. I guess this is the...
Face first slimy slide! Even more fun than feet first. ...
John, swimming back to shore to jump again.
Mommy snake and baby snake. Just regular old garden...
Hanging out in the pool that we scared the snakes into.
Chris, another self portrait. I kinda feel bad; I think...
Swamp thing (Chris) emerges from the gloomy depths of an...
A dead dragonfly. How sad.
These were the sorts of quartz veins that characterized...
Chris and Christina cut around the final waterfall...
Monica leads the way down the final ramp of the canyon...
Monica, looking like some sort of superhero perched on a boulder.
Christina, Chris and Monica at the exit of Conda Coolero.
It was a strikingly beautiful walk back through "Golden...
I decided to keep my wetsuit on as protection against...
Monica on the hike back to the car.
John, pausing to look at something while the women...
A view from above our canyon. It seems improbable that...
John, almost back to the car.
The grass had all these little sticky seed pods that...
Christina, packing up and getting ready to leave for San...
John, having had a good day out.
Helmet-head combined with river water conspired to do a...