Life Doesn't Always Play Out the Way We Expect

What I mean by the title is that the expectations one has of a canyon day, may not turn out to be the reality of what was / is going to happen.

I've tackled Adobe Swale on a couple of other occasions and been with groups much less competent than this group was on this particular April 2019 day.  I've been wanting to get my current group of Canyoneering partners into this canyon for a long time. We have a good solid team and we all work well together.  This was our annual weekend where we camp in the North Wash for several days and Dan and his family from Denver come out to join us. We should have had a premonition early on when Dan started his trip and had problems with his truck pulling his camp trailer and then shows up with one daughter only instead of the whole family. This was starting to turn out to be a terrible week already.  Jeff and Tammy and I had done Constrychnine canyon the day before this one and we were able to stay dry and warm enough despite the wind and cold front that was present.

Jeff, Tammy, Dan, Lizzy and I embarked on Adobe Swale this day with positive enthusiasm for a day I have been waiting for for a long time - Adobe Swale with my friends.  Due to the lack of getting wet the day prior and unbeknownst to any of us, Jeff opted out of bringing any neoprene. Tammy and Lizzy changed into wetsuits before leaving the car (Smartest ones there).  I wore a 1.5 mm bottom and a 2mm top. Dan brought a wetsuit and decided that he'd wait to put it on til after swimming through two of the potholes we encountered.

Right off Jeff and I began to get cold after we were dunked in the first two holes. We became even more cold standing around waiting for Dan to finally put his suit on. Tammy and Lizzy were looking for sun just to stay comfortable.  The wind was howling and this brought the air temps down and even though the sun was out and no clouds in the sky, the cold front wasn't letting the heat penetrate. The wind brought our core temps down as we muddled through the stress of trying to stay focused and get through the technical rigging and rappelling.

We hit the crux potholes in the canyon and ended up spending over an hour there while Dan and Tammy worked through the triple pothole problems and cleared the path for us to come down. I asked for the rope length to be set up so Jeff and I could rappel off the end and not get stuck in the water. I was told this was done - it wasn't. This day just turned into one big Charlie Foxtrot after another and it continued to compound the fact that Jeff and I were starting to feel the effects of the onset of Hypothermia. Yeah, it wasn't looking good, but we weren't about to give up and let the cold take us out.  We trudged on and through it all we made it out that day. We fought the cold and we fought the negativity and we fought the urge to push the S.O.S. button on our SPOT locator beacon and to get rescued out of there. Truth be told too, we got ourselves out of there faster than Search and Rescue could have even mobilized and made an attempt to get to us.

Take aways from this you ask? Always be prepared. But most importantly I feel.... Training. Without the proper training and knowledge and experience to be in the canyon in the first place, we probably would have just thrown our hands in the air and given up not being able to think and function clearly. Having the proper Canyoneering training and experience we were able to talk each other through the issues and the pain and cold and make appropriate decisions to get us and our team out. Next would be the team. If I'd been in there with a group of newbies who didn't have the experience and training either it could have gone a lot worse. A lot of directions that could have gone. They may have freaked out and given up. We had a good solid team that was able to stick with us and help us function and work through the hypothermia and cold pains that we all began feeling.

Before you go out on your next Canyoneering adventure, watch this. Understand that often times things can go wrong and it's not because of anything you did. Mother Nature can be a relentless Bitch sometimes and you and you alone are the only one that can fight her on your own terms.  I hope that this video helps prevent any injuries or rescues for someone else out there.

Beating the Heat, and the Freakin Biting Gnats!!!

As much as I love being in the Slot Canyons, there comes a point in ones Canyoneering life that the total nature of the desert becomes a bit too much. On this such a day, we had spent the day prior in Capital Reef National Park running some short slot canyons. The canyons were great, the hikes in were a bit more obnoxious and by the end of the day Jeff and I were hammered. Jeff more so and we decided to take a rest day on day 2 instead of hiking. Well, I love the canyons and I love Fishing just as much so we decided that day 2's canyon will be Glen Canyon, Lake Powell to be precise. Keeping some fishing poles in the car for just such an occasion we packed up camp in Capital Reef and loaded up the Hoe (Tahoe) and heading to Bullfrog Marina. Making a stop in Hanksville to top off tanks, drinking water, Fishing Licenses, Red Bulls, and Bait, we hit the lake in style.

#NotSponsored

The wind was pretty rough and we decided to run down to Stanton Creek / Red Canyon area where we had stopped and fished at before and where I've done some decent shore fishing at a couple years ago. We parked on the North Side of the cove and quickly discovered that the wind was hitting us directly in the face and it wasn't playing nice - Well, Ok, it was somewhat nice, but still brutal enough that we had a hard time casting the anchovies into the wind. We were targeting Stripers as we just wanted to make it as easy on us as we could.  Stripers are not a very hard fish to catch (and neither are Catfish). So we loaded up the hooks with Anchovie and lobbed them out just enough for the wind to throw it back in our faces.  It took a little bit to get it dialed in and we ended up putting 1/2 oz. weights on the lines just to get it to land in the water. One fantastic thing about the lake though, is No BUGS!!!  Ok, I did find a spider on my leg at one point, but no biting gnats out there. I've never seen an issue with annoying bugs at all out there. I figure the fish keep the larvae in check and the insects don't get to hatch in that water. Plus the wind on this day would have made the gnats non commital anyway.  It was fantastic.


Once Jeff figured out the right weight to get the bait out into the lake and the right spot to cast to, he started catching some fish. Catfish at first as is expected when bait fishing on the bottom, then a Striper.








We continued to battle the wind here for a couple hrs trying to get it dialed in. I didn't catch anything here. The wind continued to get me hung up in rocks and every time I'd set a hook, they get hung up and break off at either the hook or the weight. We probably lost about 10-15 hooks at this location (Warning anyone going swimming there in the future).   We packed it up and headed to the Marina where we could face the opposite direction, hoped to have a little reprieve from the wind and where I know there is more gravel than rocks at this location.  Problem was.... We had to start all over chumming the water for the Striper to get active. We only had a little less than 1/2 a bag of anchovies left after all our prior issues and they were getting warm and soft.  They didn't want to stay on the hooks now.  Jeff figured out the right spots to hook the anchovies on at to catch some bone and hold better. I lost a few in the process, but hey, chum!

After about an hour of sitting in this spot Jeff pulled in another Catfish:

The wind, well yeah, it wasn't any better here. Somehow it had figured out how to blow in the opposite direction here as it was in our previous location just so that it could blow back in our face again. However, without the rocks and such to get caught on we were feeling a bit more confident and it worked in my favor. After Jeff's catfish, I pulled in 2 Stripers and a Small Mouth that surprised the heck out of me. Jeff asked me earlier if a Small Mouth would eat an Anchovie, I told him no, but I guess if they are hungry, or annoyed enough they will.  The hook was almost bigger than the mouth on this guy.

All total for the Day:
Jeff: 3 Catfish                    1  Striper
Jared: 2 Striper                    1 Small Mouth













We beat the Gnats and our soreness and had a fun day out in a different type of canyon. Some would say that we gave up the canyons and opted for the easy way out, Some would say we just took a different approach to enjoying the canyons in another way.

Living in the South East desert of Utah affords us the opportunity to enjoy nature in so many different ways. From Hiking Slot Canyons, to Fishing Lake Powell or ATV riding through Elk Ridge and High Altitude mountains, there is lots to see and do and enjoy in this area. We aren't done with Slot canyons for the year, but man, the Gnats are out in force now and the lake is calling for now.  We might be on the water a bit more over the next couple months now.

Pool Arch Canyoneering Route in Moab Utah

Whether you call it Rock of Ages or Pool Arch Canyon, this Canyoneering route is a fun one. With some spectacular views and rappels it's a fantastic hike to knock off a day with.  Generally it's gonna have some water in the canyon, not as much on hotter days, or days where there has been no rain fall for a while.  Rock of Ages canyon is a spectacular route to mess around in.

This route is located in the South West quadrant of Moab and is accessed from the trail head just off of Kane Creek right a long side the Colorado River. There is lots of camping and parking in the area, but be careful, most of it is on Private Property and there are fee stations (Posts and boxes) asking for parking fees. It is on the honor system I believe and not really patrolled as far as we noticed. There is a huge parking pull out where we stopped and a sign post for a $10 parking fee. The canyon is worth it, and there really isn't much of anywhere else to park in that area without adding additional hiking time and distances. The canyon makes a loop and you end up hiking back down the canyon afterward ending back at this parking spot.

Once parked and ready to go, you hike up Pritchett Canyon along the dirt road for about 10-15 min. Be careful to pay attention to traffic. This is a popular Jeep/UTV road and trail up into Pritchett Canyon and you may encounter vehicles on this road that you will need to move off the road way for. Most people that we encountered were courteous and aware of hikers. We did have bandanna's and "Buffs" with us that we put over our nose and mouth to cut down on the dust we were breathing in when they passed by us.

After the short hike up the road you will see a narrow looking drainage coming in from your left. This is your exit location from the road and the beginning of the climb up to the rim where you will encounter Pool Arch. Be aware on the hike up that there is another arch you will hike underneath on your right hand side. Sometimes it's not easy to see until after you have passed by it and stop to look back. This route once on top is becoming more and more worn and it shouldn't be too hard to stay on the path and staying in the right direction towards Pool Arch.  This hike up through the canyon does come with some exposed climbs and scrambles. It's a high class 4 in a couple of locations so you need to be sure of your footing and grappling skills. A handline might be needed for some, be sure to put your helmet on for safety.

Once at Pool Arch the fun begins. You can bypass the initial rappel into the Arch Chamber if you want with a hike down on the side of the arch,  but why would you pass up this spectacular rappel. Lisa had done this canyon a number of times and this was her first time doing this rappel (refer to video as we discuss this).

Be prepared on the third / final rappel. It catches a lot of people a little off guard if your not expecting it. There is some exposure to it and some major penalty points. You have to lean out from the edge of the great abyss in order to rig it. We simply tied a hard line to the hand line anchor on top and used this as a safety point for the rigger to be tied into. Also consider using a safety tether off of your harness to connect to the main anchor while rigging it or helping others to rig in. With the tie in, we didn't feel this was necessary, however if Jeff had slipped or been knocked over the edge, it would have taken him a bit of work to get back up over the lip with out having the safety tether attached.  We really should have done it and you should too.

After dropping the third and final rappel, you can follow the social trail out of this little split off and you end up back on the Pritchett Canyon road. It's about a 30 min walk from here back down the same road you started on and to your car.

This canyoneering route really isn't a Slot Canyon as Moab doesn't have many of those. Like most of the other routes in the area it's a route through and between sandstone fins giving the impression of a slot canyon. It's still a gorgeous route and a fun trip and one that should be on your bucket list if looking for a canyoneering route in Moab to do.

If you are interested in seeing the whole un-edited video that we shot on this trip, you can check out our Patreon Page for further information on gaining access to that full video:
https://www.patreon.com/NorthWashOutdoors

Lost and Found Slot Canyon in Arches National Park

When one thinks of Slot Canyons, Moab Utah is really not the place to look towards to find them, especially not in Arches National Park. You visit this park to see the Arches that Mother Nature has sculpted and worn away and marvel at the beauty left behind from wind erosion, not water erosion of canyons.  I'm going to let you in on a little secret that no Guide Company in Moab will divulge: "There really are no Slot Canyons in Moab." Really, even though most guide companies in Moab offer Canyoneering trips now, with the impression of going through slot canyons, these trips consist mainly of hiking through routes developed for the adventure seekers visiting the area. They aren't true slot canyons in the sense of North Wash, The Swell, The Roost, or Zion National Park. But I digress, if your just looking for an adventure, there are plenty to be had in the Moab area.  

Now, on the other hand, Lost and Found Canyon (a.k.a. Undercover Canyon) is one of only a few actual true slot canyons in the Moab region, and actually lies with in Arches National Park boundaries. However, it won't be found on any tourist info for the park as it takes some skills to find it and get through it.

To access this canyon you have to go in through the back door of the park and come off of I-70 North of Moab and towards the Colorado State Line and then wind your way through a maze of back roads to come back to the park boundary.  Once there, you then have to hike on an un designated route to reach the canyon rim. Don't worry, getting back to your car doesn't get any easier, this was the easy part. It's not a canyon for the average tourist to the park, but it's actually one that is well worth the trip. 

Great rappels and nice little slot sections. The canyon section if moving efficiently will only take you a couple of hrs. The hiking out is the longest part of the day giving the most concern with the exit climb up out of the canyon. A lot of people have had issues mentally with the "Climbers Exit", some have actually fallen and taken some serious injuries from it. On this trip, it was Tammy's 4th time through the canyon and I've seen her tackle slopes and sections of canyons that are worse than this climbers exit with out batting an eye. However, because of the nature of this climbers exit and past trauma on this section of the canyon, Tammy has struggled with it each time she has done the canyon. I had to make a bet with her, one that I knew she would want to win and because she is stubborn I knew she would not want to admit defeat to. Check out the video and see how Tammy conquers this fear and what it cost me.

If you want to watch the entire un-edited trip through this canyon check out our Patreon Page for information on how you can sign up and have access to this:
https://www.patreon.com/NorthWashOutdoors

Desert Solitude

This year the weather has been something of a mystery for the State of Utah this year.  Where we are supposed to be getting snow, it's nothing but sunshine.  Now for me, a guy who likes the sunshine over being frozen, this generally isn't an issue, but I also like to drink water and play on water during the summer, so the lack of snow pack in the South Eastern portion of Utah is a little unsettling.  Well, I can't do anything about it other than fret, so what do I do with unseasonable warm temps.... Plan a Canyon trip.  

With Temps in the beginning of February hovering into the 60's, it was perfect to get out and visit a canyon and even work up a little bit of a sweat doing so.  I have been wanting to get back into the main fork of Hog Canyon for quite some time now.  It has been many years since I have been through there, and dragging an unsuspecting 3rd party through it would give me a sense of awesomeness knowing they were going to question my sanity.

Brett and I packed up early leaving town just about 8:30 ish.  We arrived at the trail head and parked just before 10:30 ish.  It's a real treat living so close to so many great canyon opportunities and being out in the Desert when it's not scorching allows you to enjoy the time out a little more.  We were pleased with low traffic on the road and pure solitude, although we did follow other foot tracks into and through the canyon, they had probably had the same idea as us the weekend prior.

Brett and I packed as light as we could to move as quickly and efficiently as two people were able to.  Packed a lunch, some water, trimmed down our tech gear and emergency essentials to the bare est needs, grabbed a 100' 8mm Canyon Pro, some webbing and hit the trail running.  Well, at a fast walk.  We were both itching to get into the canyon.  The first trip of the year is always a special time to rejuvenate and explore and get our bodies back into the groove.  Well, by the end of this day, or groove needed some work still, but we were out heading to a canyon and it was glorious.

The desert did not disappoint.  As we approached the canyon the anticipation of being out was overwhelming.  We stopped several times to let the air sink in and fill our lungs with a relaxing vibe.  That relaxation didn't last long as the hard work soon began.  Hog 1, or Boss Hog as it is known, is not your friendly neighborhood canyon, it's a work horse.  With only two required rappels, the rest of the canyon is physical and up to you to man up and do it.  Brett soon realized he wasn't in for a walk in the park and started to question my sanity as was expected.  We heaved and hoed our way through the narrow corridors and found ourselves quickly to the first drop.  This was a questionable drop vs. down climb.  Brett opted to be on rope to check it out, afterwards I down climbed with a spot.  The next drop was immediate, and while the initial portion didn't require rope off the anchor, the second portion was about 10' straight walled.  We decided that this was the turn around spot, the final kiss it goodbye moment to do or die (is that too dramatic?)

After dropping this point and moving on we had our work cut out for us.
This canyon was unforgiving and would be a bad place to be in poor weather, but man, the beauty of this place was spectacular.  The dark corridors and chambers we found or way in to was a magical place that I guarantee most normal sane people will never see outside of a mere photograph.

We pushed and prodded and continued on.  The final rappel came soon
enough.  Setting up an SRT Contingency was necessary as we could not see the bottom of the drop.  I threw out what I believed was at least 50' of rope and Brett jumped on.  As he rappelled he exclaimed that this was one of the most beautiful rappels he had done to date.  The sculpted fluting of the walls was special.  Brett hit the floor and we pulled up rope to proper length (I had dropped about 20' too much down).  After finishing the rappel we trudged on.  Knowing that most of the narrow stuff was done we wound our way in and out and through varying corridors.  At one point we found several patches of snow still in the canyon and commenced a snowball fight, something that doesn't happen too often.

I knew we still had one more narrow slide to get through after the convergence of the canyon with Hog 4 (Merry Piglet).  The canyon was a true pleasure.  Brett was super stoked to have completed by far his most narrowest challenge to date and seen one of the best rappels yet.  The weather was fantastic and the bugs were even already out.  We traversed back up the ridge a bit where we settled down to eat some lunch and rest before the but kicking hike back out and to our vehicles.  The entire trip car to car took us about 4 hr 30 min including the 30 min lunch break.  The desert did not disappoint and we will certainly be looking forward to our next trip out.

What are some of your first experiences and feelings each season when you get out for the first time?  How do they compare with adventures at the end of a season?  Share your comments.

Website Home Page: http://www.NorthWashOutfitters.com

Mother Knows Best

As a young child I was taught that Mother ALWAYS Knows Best.  Many of us were taught this, or more or less, were forced to have this engraved into our psyche at a young age. We are given the opportunity as we grow to learn and develop our own sense of what we should and shouldn't do.  But in the end of course - Mother Knows Best or as I have modified - Mother is Always Right (and now that I'm married I'm constantly reminded that Mommy is always right).

What does this have to do with outdoor adventure you may ask - well it has everything to do with it.  It was the first outdoor lesson that I was taught without my parents even realizing it.  Let me elaborate a bit.

2014 saw it's shares of mishaps and misadventures in the canyons.  Early on in the year it looked like it was going to be a rough year for adventurers.  For those of you that have been in our office you might have seen my white board above my desk with the quote on it "Without Risk There is No Reward".  In adventure sports this rings very true.  We risk our lives in search of that next great thrill, or to see the next great landscape that many others are not willing to put risk into to see.  When I take clients out I explain to them that the places they will see today, the majority of the human race will never experience.  It is only with that step off the edge into the abyss and the trust in the rope do we see some wonderful sights.  "Without Risk There is No Reward."

What does this have to do with my Mother?  Well, not in the sense you are thinking, although I did tell a friend, Ram, this year that my mother would die if she saw what I was doing as I slid down a rock slab landing into a pool of water in a crevasse about 16" wide.  The Mother I refer to in adventure sports is our very own Mother Nature.  She always knows best, or in any sense, she is always right.  Her laws and rules are permanent and we had better be mindful of them.  

Many times we find a way to circumvent those rules for just a little bit, or a way to manage them to our advantage.  We mitigate gravity with ropes and parachutes.

One issue that has always plagued us is the decision to go or not to go.  This generally has more to do with the laws that Mother Nature has outlined in regards to weather and the safety that comes from the issues of diving into a slot canyon filled with water, or where water can potentially accumulate and take control of you.  I try to instill in students during our courses that the hazards in canyons can be mitigated to a point to enjoy the adventure, but that when the hazards start adding up to more than we can mitigate at once, the risk becomes too great and it's not worth the reward anymore.  The canyon will be there another day, let's make sure that we are as well.

I make no hesitation when booking trips to tell potential clients that if the weather seems questionable or the canyon seems out of reach at the time, then we won't be going in.  I know there has been many that have been disappointed in this.  A little over a year ago some potential clients booked and then proceeded to fly in from the Netherlands.  After frequent communication and constant weather checking I cancelled the trip.  They drove to our town just for the trip and showed up to talk with me.  I explained that the recent storms and the future forecast has me too concerned for the safety to feel it will turn out in our favor.  They, while being disappointed, expressed understanding and went on their way.  Their natural path of travel took them past the canyons we were going to do and they spent the night there getting up early in the morning to look around.  There were many other recreational canyoneers also camping at this location and they tried to convince these guys to go out with them instead.  The clients declined relying on my hesitation they later told me.  When they contacted me after getting back to the Netherlands they sent me some pictures of the wash outs in that area that happened that day from rain storms.  The entire campsite where they were was flooded out and later reports surfaced that some of the groups who had gone into the canyons were caught in flash floods and some minor injuries incurred.  Thankfully nothing serious.

Another client this year booked a trip and the weather the days leading up to it was pretty bad, but the day of the trip was really nice.  We headed out and entered the canyon drainage.  We donned our wet suits and harnesses and started down.  50 yds into the canyon we hit the first technical section requiring some gear to drop in.  I observed that the prior storms had filled the canyon with a large amount of debris and I knew that if this was just the beginning, and the rest of the canyon was like this we were gonna have a rough day.  By starting out this way we may hit spots that would be impassable.  I aborted the trip right there citing the potential obstacles and the hazards that may be encountered causing us some undue hardships and potential dangers.  

Currently in the past few weeks ending off the 2014 year, we have cancelled two trips that once we started down the road, the light rain we left town in turned to heavy snow and the roads were snow packed to a point that we were not sure about even getting to the canyon which was still over an hour away.  Trip aborted, clients taken back to town.  

As I began typing this out the other day, I sat here wondering if I was gonna be in a canyon the next day for the Annual FreezeFest Black Hole trip.  Due to the weather forecast it was predicting some snow fall. The day came and the snow was there.  Not only did I not go, but the rest of the crew that had been out camping also chose that the risk of attempting any canyon that day was far too high to make the venture worth anyone's safety.

This year several video's surfaced on YouTube outlining the question, do we sometimes risk too much in the outdoors.  Do we often push that envelope just a little to far?  Maybe with a little more training and some respect for our Mother things will look up this year.  I am hoping that the New Year will start off wonderful, that we may all be out in the back country enjoying our favorite activities, but that we head the call of Mother Nature in a way that will be able to bring us back again and again and again.  May the New Year bless you all with safety, entertainment, enjoyment, and fun.  The canyons will be there another day if only you will be too to enjoy them.  See ya in the Canyons.

WARNING NOTICE - SOME VIDEOS ATTACHED HERE CONTAIN STRONG LANGUAGE.  LISTENER BE WARNED!

Zion: Rock of Refuge from Eric Hanson on Vimeo.

You're Thinking About Canyoneering?

With the new 2014 year, you may be looking at trying new adventures and new things.  We all make resolutions whether we admit it or not.  Many have decided to become more active and feel that spending time outdoors would be good for their body and soul.  Have you considered Canyoneering at all?  What is Canyoneering you ask? What does it offer me as an adventurer?  How does one start Canyoneering safely?

Brett on Rappel Blarney West

These are questions that we often hear from potential clients.  Obviously it's hard to get into a sport if you are not sure what it is, and even harder if you're not sure where to start.

Canyoneering is an adventure sport that has been around for several decades, but only begun gaining traction and notoriety in the last 10 years.  Canyoneering is a hybrid activity combining disciplines from many other outdoor sports - Rock Climbing, Rappelling, Caving, Hiking, River Running and Swimming to name a few.  We hike into narrow slits in the earth's surface.  Areas that have a rock density conducive to millions of years of wind and water erosion creating canyons and cracks.  Some of which are often times hundreds of feet deep. 

While in these canyons we climb up and over obstacles, rappel past drops, swim through pools and channels of water (sometimes ice cold which is great in the summer time), and stem our bodies between the canyon walls at great heights to make it past even narrower sections.  Canyoneering has become a huge draw in the desert southwest where many of these canyons exist.  These canyons are magical wonderful places with an awe and wonderment about them.  Every time I get to enter one it is nothing short of a spiritual experience.  

Brett Swimming Blarney West

There are several DVDs you can purchase to learn more details and get a visual understanding of the sport: Gorging and Canyoneering the Colorado Plateau. Of course YouTube has a plethora of homemade movies from individual trips.  We also have some resources here on our blog linking to some of our videos.  Click Here

 Now that you know a little about what it is, how should one start with this new adventure? Well, you're doing it right now by reading this.  Study everything you can find on the subject.  Make sure you have an understanding of what you will be getting into.  Research the web, books, friends and those that have been out there.  There are some really good online resources, and yet there are some really bad ones.  You have to be able to filter these out.  People have been seriously injured and/or died in canyons by using bad techniques and bad judgement.  Some resources can be found in Online Forums and groups.  Again putting your filter on, be careful, but some of the more prominent ones out there are: Bogley Outdoor Community and The Canyon Collective.  You may also find helpful information on Rock Climbing and Caving forums as well.

Aaron Rappelling Pleiades Canyon

For those looking to get a more hands-on technical study guide on the sport, don't expect to find a large library on the subject.  There isn't much out there in the way of Canyoneering specific technique books like there is for other sports.  I anticipate that this will slowly change as it continues to grow.  The best concept book you will find was written by my friend Dave Black.  It's really good and captures many of the essential techniques needed to travel through most of the moderate to challenging canyons.  He even throws in some rescue skills and other essentials.  Check out: Canyoneering: A Guide to Techniques for Wet and Dry Canyons.  Other books that cover a lot of rope techniques that translate over are: Climbing Anchors, How To Rappel, Knots for Climbers, Mountaineering-The Freedom of the Hills and The Complete Guide to Rope Techniques.

Jared Rappelling Fry Canyon

The best and safest method to really get immersed in the sport and start things off right is to take a class or  a day trip with a guide to see if it is something you are interested in pursuing further.  As mentioned, the sport has almost exploded over the last few years and there are a lot of guide services now offering to show you a great canyon.  Some things to consider when choosing a guide are: How long have they been in business? What qualifications do they possess? Are they insured? Are they permitted by the land agencies where they are guiding?

Jared and Aaron Teaching Ascending during

3 Day Technical Canyoneering Course 

(Photo Credit: Lynette Brewer)

In the state of Utah anyone can hang up a sign and advertise themselves as a guide.  All they need is a state sales tax license issued and a business license for the city they are in and off they go.  Whether they have any experience or not is never in question. Guides should be able and willing to share their experience and qualifications with a questioning client, after all you are going to be hanging on one of their ropes in a canyon.  Currently the only certifying entity in the United States for Canyoneering Guides is the American Canyon Guides Association (ACGA) and the only certifying entity for Canyoneering training schools is the American Canyoneering Academy (ACA).  While most companies have transformed their rock climbing guides into canyon guides, the AMGA (American Mountain Guides Association) is currently not offering Canyoneering specific training and certifications.  If you want more information about trips offered through North Wash Outfitters check out our website and click on the "Adventures" link at the top.

Jared and Aaron Teaching Ascending during

3 Day Technical Canyoneering Course 

(Photo Credit: Lynette Brewer)

If you're looking at taking classes, there is everything out there from one day introduction courses to three day Beginning (Technical) and Advanced courses to Rescue and Wilderness First Aid.  Look for something that is going to build with your current strengths and further expand on what you want to do to learn and grow your skills.  If you want more information about courses offered through North Wash Outfitters check out our website and click on the "Courses" link at the top.

I hope this intro has been able to give you some thought on how to get started in this exciting world of adventure.  We always love hearing what others have experienced in canyons and how they started in Canyoneering.  Whether you are already an accomplished Canyoneer or have only been in a few canyons, we would love to hear about your experiences.  Tell us how you got started or share some tips for the beginners and some advice on what some of your favorite pieces of Canyoneering gear is that you have discovered.  We hope the best for you in this new experience and look forward to answering any questions that you may have.

Ringing in the New Year with a bit of Cold Psychotic Shenanigans

For those that aren't fully engulfed in the sport of Canyoneering, this whole idea seems a bit psychotic.  For those that are into the life of a Canyoneer, this post will draw up stirrings and feelings of jealousy and rage at not being able to be there and they will understand this feeling.

Canyoneering is often times thought of as a warm weather endeavor and rightfully so.  You are constantly swimming and splashing through narrow slot canyons where the sun doesn't shine and the earth seems to swallow you up.  When you get done with the cold water swims you quickly seek out the opportunity to bask in some warm sunlight and strip down the layer of neoprene that has protected your body for the past several hours.  This is what it's like in June and July, when it's 100+ degrees outside.  Now take away the sun and 100+ degree temps and do it all.  Now you have Freeze Fest.

The winter months can be somewhat agonizing for the Canyoneer to get through when it's cold out and all you do is dream about your next slot canyon adventure.  Freeze Fest was dreamed up 12 years ago by some die hard Canyoneers who just couldn't take sitting around the house during the winter months any longer.  Dubbed as "The Bad Idea that Caught On" Freeze Fest has been gaining momentum ever since.  The "Main" event as it has been dubbed is a trip through "The Black Hole" which is a section of White Canyon in south eastern Utah just north of Lake Powell.  While most of the Freeze Fest canyons done during the 5-8 day event are dry canyons, meaning there is no water in them, The Black Hole event is designed to completely mess with your body and test how much cold you can endure, or how much neoprene you can pack on in order to stay warm.

I don't always get to go out and participate in this event, but living only an hour away from it, I try to meet up with them each year as I am allowed between work and weather conditions.  For Jan 1, 2014, the weather forecast was set to be one of the best ever and I was not working so it worked out great.  Aside from that, it was my 10 year anniversary from the first time Dave Black took me out to this event and I met some of the best Canyoneers and later friends that you can have in this sport.

I took along Aaron who was eager to just get out of the house and play during his Christmas break.  We loaded up the Tahoe and hit the road at 8:30 a.m.  Knowing there is usually a 10:00 a.m. start time this would give us time to get out there and gear up.

As we arrived there were several cars already in the parking lot.  Turns out one would be Jenny who I have spent some time canyoneering with.  She was excited to see us and greeted us with great big hugs.  As more and more people arrived from their campsite in North Wash, we continued to greet old friends and start making some new ones.  We shuttled vehicles and made the start of the hike with 30 participants (a record number I understand).

Photo by Malia

The hike into White Canyon turned into a sweaty march and showed how warm it was for January.  Hats were removed and jackets stored for later.  We approached the suit up point and as the group had kinda spread out, we all started combining together again as we changed into wet and dry suits.  As small groups finished changing they set out through the water and off into the canyon.

Photo Sequence by Aaron

It turned out to be a great day.  Everyone kept moving and stayed warm.  One key was to keep your hands out of the water, but after a while that became tiresome and you started swimming just to get out and walk to warm up.  We kept calories going in to keep our internal core temps up and we kept moving as much as possible.  What a great 10 year anniversary for me and to be able to spend the day with some old friends and find some new ones, it was fabulous.

Photo Sequence by Jared