Kittsondale Helix Drain

A classic Twin City urban adventure is the Kittsondale Tripe Helix Drain. We found out easily where it is online and set out by car, then by foot to reach its outfall. We scrambled down the embankment to the HUGE opening in the hill.

We paused, however, to take a serene picture by the marvelous graffiti.

Look at this crazy dragon drain. Its maw is open and awaiting its meal. It seems to live up to its reputation as a popular spot... graffiti coats almost every open place here.

A waterfall cascades down from a hole in the ceiling getting us drenched and making the way super slippery. Of course, we all took a tumble into the shower ... the rounded walls make it impossible to walk around the slimy goop.
After a LONG ass hike back and back and back into the city, we came to our turnoff. We took a right and entered a much smaller tunnel leading to the first long, spiral staircase. The tunnel was just barely small enough thaty I had to crouch or skin my head. Here, Franklin and Jaques pose sexily for a shot. After climbing up the RIDICULOUSLY long mufucka, making sure not to succumb to the thin, stationary air in the stairwell, we found a ladder leading up to a little dome-y shaped room carpeted with graffiti. The cylindrical drain leads to a huge catchbasin full of skummy water.

Here, Jaques and GoxKok pose cheesily for a glamour shot...but underground.


Some plastic rungs to OUR left led us up to a smaller room that looked up on a manhole cover. We declined to climb the rusty ass rungs, valuing or life over knowing were we were.


We descended the long ass spiral staircase back down the way we came ... down down down down back into the bedrock of the city. Imagine Franklin's sexy ponytail bobbing up and down as we descend into the earth in this photo...

Lots of hiking, lots of wet shoes and lots of singing led us back to the outfall and to fresh air that tasted so good aftr encountering a sanitary outlet near the end of the tunnel.


And were out! Off to go get some shitty energy drinks to celebrate and drink while playing counterstrike and falling asleep on Jaques comfy floor, dreaming of our next adventure.

It was pretty sweet, even if the blog is making it sound boring. We only went up the first helix, but word on the strasse is that there's 2 more, and a sister drain that has fourth helix, so you might see some more pictures from there sometime in the not-so-distant future.