Rappelling the Howard Mountain Cliffs - 180' drop

I call these the cliffs of insanity, like from The Princess Bride, but more crumbly. The chossy rhyolite face sends rockfall beneath you so it is strictly one at a time and nobody beneath you when you descend / climb.  That said, the anchor bolts on topside are set into solid bedrock that does not crumble.

Approach

Reaching the coordinates of the event involves both a significant hike and some rope work. That rope work is before the rappel,z which isn't required to attend and hang out. As always, this event is primarily a social gathering to hang out and talk about geocaching. The challenge of doing the 180' rappel is optional and not required to come and hang out. It is possible to reach the posted coordinates without being roped up but I strongly encourage wearing one of the harnesses I'm bringing up for folks to use.
Should you want to hike up with me prior to the event, I'll be at the Simplot parking waypoint at 7:30am and taking off to follow the trail of breadcrumb waypoints. It is a 3+ mile hike and for many folks it takes 70-90 minutes. You have 4 main options with that one being the best:
 

• Easiest option is to use a 4x4 vehicle with high clearance and take the ATV approved trail from Trail creek, up along the line of radio towers. Beyond the last radio tower, you'll encounter Simplot land and motorized vehicles are prohibited even where not posted. Driving there will compromise access for everyone, so park at the northmost radio tower and stroll to ground zero, happy you've avoided hiking from the valley floor.
• Next easiest option is to Park by Simplot and cross over the railway. After speaking with union pacific, while their official policy is that hikers cannot cross at undesignated spots, they completely understand exceptions, like this spot. Be smart, look both ways, and stay safe. Should a train be stopped over the tracks, which has happened half the time for me, you can cross under the bridge using a 1' wide ledge. This ledge is scary but not bad in late fall. Again, be safe and consider waiting or using an alternative route.
• A local farmer, Gerrilynn has granted permission to walk through her farm and access the trails at the Abraszewski parking area. She asks that we be leave all gates closed and simply climb over the metal gate. Don't scare the animals, they can spread over a huge area if startled and be a real pain to gather. Despite permission, this one feels the most socially uncomfortable. I've only done it twice and hated the feeling both times. But I don't wanna tell you what to do.
• Lastly, you can park along trail creek road and hike the long way. The views are more rewarding but this is the furthest hike option.
• We cannot access the trails at Karen Rd, Neva Rd, Facer Mountain View Dr, nor the currently unnamed stub off N Gathe Rd.

Here's the map I made:

Caution: The terrain rating isn't given lightly here, this is a dangerous area. If you take the hike from the recommended parking Waypoint it is  just over a 6 mile round trip so bring plenty of water. The view of 180' cliffs is well worth the hike. The rock is a little chossy and largely made up of rhyolite - an igneous rock that is strong but in weakly connected layers. Don't go testing the strength of the ledges by leaning over edges to look straight down, this isn't granite.

The location

We are meeting at a location that you can feasibly get to without climbing gear but I'm bringing the gear and sharing it, so if you want to be roped up, you can be. Whatever the case, it'll be a great time. The event itself will be at the posted coordinates for the whole time, socializing, talking about geocaching, and optionally with some people practicing rappel techniques that can help reach the tough geocaches in your area.
If you do the main 180' south rappel there is a 20 minute hike around the cliffs and back to the top, featuring a lot of cheat grass. Gaiters really help here.

If you try the hidden rappel, it is done on belay with an ascending set up so you can climb back up and out since the exit down is a massive headache. There are great photo options everywhere but make sure any cameras or phones are tethered.

The Rappel

We will be using a twin rope isolated non-releasable set up off of 2 bolts for redundancy and extending the anchor using climbing rope. Usual safe rappelling will be observed - B.A.R.K. checks every time (buckle and harness check, anchor check, rappel device setup check, and knots in the end of the rope check). Brake hand kept on the brake strand, rappel extended, and third hand hitch (autoblock, kleimheist, or prussik) used. We will have line of sight and easy hearing due to the shortness of the cliffs.

Climbing gear will be available to borrow at the event, but you are welcome to bring your own if you wish.

Other events in the Weekend schedule

Friday Aug 21st

 5:15pm - 6pm: Mini 6' practice rappel event GCBTCRP 
  8pm - 9:15pm: Sister city trash pick up CITO GCBTCT8

Saturday Aug 22nd

 6:30am - 8am: Good morning rappel clinic - 30' drop GCBT3ZM
 10am - 4pm: Challlengë FEST GCBF8TE:

10am - 11am: Big welcome, photo, and starting up Benny the Bengal's challenge of challenges. Challenge wheel released, challenge bingo cards released, and this year's log unveiled (last year at GCBA0B5 it was a wind surfing board)
11am - 1pm: Food trucks and story time - Craziest 30 second geocaching story contest (winner gets a prize)
1pm - 2pm: High reaching TOTT contest, but this time the mooring hook might come to play.
2pm - 3pm: Challenge seminar - how to hide your own challenge cache.
3pm - 4pm: Winners of Benny the Bengal's challenge of challenges announced, Farewell, and announcement of next year's event

Sunday Aug 23rd

Event listings coming soon

Monday Aug 24th

 8:45am - 10am: 180' rappel meet - floating island in the sky GCBTAA7 - You are here!