Canyoneering

Canyoneering is AWESOME!  Especially if you're in slot canyons that require rappelling gear and wading or swimming in water!  We've done our fair share of canyons in Southern Utah.  Each one has it's own beauty, and challenges to overcome.  Some are in red rock, others in tan sandstone.  Some have bolted anchors, and for others we have to make our own anchors (that's awesome when you can make your own anchor out of what's up there, and be able to pull it all down after the last rappeller - leaving no trace!)

Canyoneering in beautiful red rock country

Most canyons have anchors bolted to the wall.  Test them before trusting them, but don't add more bolts.  Use natural anchors if there isn't a trustworthy bolt in place

Hiking canyons are fun too.  It's amazing to hike through a canyon with shear walls on either side of you!

On a hike to a canyon, I was the last in line of 10 people.  I noticed this rattlesnake just 18 inches off the trail that everyone had walked along but nobody noticed.  Keep your eyes open, most canyon territory is also rattlesnake territory

It's thrilling to set up your own anchors and set them in such a way that you can pull them down after you go down.  This one involved over 100 feet of webbing and 3 ropes, but it all came down when we pulled on it after the last rappeller.

Doesn't this look fun?   I've done it once when the water was flowing.  I'll tell you what, it was a rush to rappel down through a waterfall!

Be aware of the weather.  Flash floods can happen because of storms miles upriver of where you are.  If there's any chance of a flash flood, don't risk it.  We had just finished the canyon here, when an afternoon thundershower (with hail) hit.  It was awesome to see the waterfalls falling off the cliffs around us, but we were glad we were in a wider section of the canyon.

A quick note about Canyoneering and BSA.  In our BSA Council, you're required to do a 3 day training before you can take boys climbing and or rappelling.  Recently, they just added to that an additional 5 day training if you want to take boys canyoneering.  Which makes it so our troop can't don canyoneering trips anymore because I don't have the time to take off an additional 5 days from work so that I can get canyoneering trained (oh, and I believe the training last 2 years and then you have to renew it).

So, what happens if you have someone who hasn't ever done any rappelling or climbing, but they think the boys will like doing it.  So they (having more vacation time than me) go through the 3 day climbing training and then the 5 day canyoneering training, and then all of the sudden they are "qualified" to take boys canyoneering where they will be setting up multiple rappels, sometimes off of bolts, sometimes off of natural anchors, and each rappel needs to be set up so that the rope can be pulled down afterwards.  You don't know what you're going to encounter till you do the canyon - and even then it's constantly changing so you'll have to change your plans each time you go.  I wouldn't trust my boys with a leader who has spent only 8 days in training.  He may have training smarts, but does he have canyon smarts?

I have been climbing and rappelling since I was 14 years old.  I've been canyoneering for 10 years.  I have the experience, and the training to take scouts through canyons.  I do my studying before taking them so I know how difficult the canyon will be and what my scouts abilities are - then I don't take them through canyons they can't handle.  I've taken scouts and youth groups through dozens of canyons and so far we haven't had any casualties, or even injuries more than blisters on feet.  But, since I don't have enough vacation time to do a 5 day canyoneering training, my scouts won't be able to do anymore canyons.

Sorry, just had to vent for a bit.

Lessons Learned from Canyoneering with Scouts

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