Photos:
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2104951007/a=38054161_38054161/
Thursday 9/3:
We were heading deep into the Swell for Labor Day. I wanted to see the upper canyon forks of Cable Canyon. Almost nobody goes those routes anymore, as there is a shorter way to get to the main technical section for Cable from below. The approach and exit is a lot longer from the top as well.
Jen and I both got held up with work, so we got a later start than we wanted. Didn't end up nearing the camp area until after 2am. We came across the others in our group; one of the vehicles had gotten a flat tire. Unfortunately, they didn't have a full size spare and we were over 40 miles deep into dirt and 4wd roads. Fortunately, I had one that would work for them. I told them I'd come back in the morning, and headed to our planned camp spot and looked around. Checked out the overlook, and then went back to the 4wd Cable spur road. Jen and I set up camp, and tried to get a little sleep.
Friday 9/4:
I woke up around 6am, and drove out to the other vehicles. We jacked up the other Jeep, and switched the tires. Everyone drove to, and set up camp. It was now later than I wanted to push for a full Cable descent; so we decided to go down the North Fork of Cable, and come back up the South fork. That way, we'd be able to see both upper forks.
We started hiking around 10am. The North Fork was really dry; with only one pool that was a wade. It was hot out, so we went into the pool to cool down. We had lunch shortly after the pool, and some of us went back into the pool before starting to continue to hike. Overall, the North fork was mostly open, with a few slot sections. Some fun downclimbs and obstacles, but overall, not all that interesting. Found it strange that this used to be the primary entrance. We hit the confluence around 2pm. From the confluence, we continued downcanyon.
The main Cable canyon is really nice. A good slot, with lots of fun problems. We hit the first rappel, and upclimbed back up to the confluence. Around 5pm we started up the South Fork, which also had a good slot. We upclimbed the bypass for the technical drop section. I looked into the drops that most people bypass, and it looked pretty good. Maybe we'd do it the next day. Came across a rattlesnake during the upclimb of South Fork. Made a mental note, as we would likely be coming down the same fork again the next day. We made it to the exit of the canyon near the arch around 7pm, and were back at camp around 7:30pm.
Had dinner, visited for a bit, but then went to bed as it was a very late night and very early morning last night. We would also be getting up early tomorrow for our full Cable day.
Satruday 9/5:
We woke up at 6am, but were slow to get moving. Had breakfast, and didn't start hiking towards the South Fork until 8am. We started at the canyon head, checking out a little canyon we hadn't seen the previous day. The South Fork is a great little canyon. I'd definitely recommend the South Fork over the North Fork entry. We hit the technical section that most folks bypass around 10:30am. We set up the rappels, and did the drops in two rappels. We were finished with those drops by 11:30am and continued downcanyon. Around 1:30pm, it had started to sprinkle. We reached a wide open section around 2:15pm, and decided to have lunch and see what the weather was going to do.
It had started to rain harder, so we discussed our options. We could likely get out from where we were at, but would be on the wrong side. We would have to try to find a way down into North Fork and back out. Around 3:15pm, we decided to continue downcanyon to the rappel. There was supposed to be an exit there, so we could try to finish the canyon the next day; as we would then know where to drop back in. We hadn't heard any thunder, and while we were making our way to the rappel, the skies had turned mostly blue.
At the rappel, we discussed our options again. The skies that we could see looked pretty blue, and the canyon had already dried up pretty good. The canyon was really dry to start with; so it would hold a lot of water before it became dangerous. If it rained hard however, it would make everything more slick. Everyone felt comfortable with the weather, and we decided to continue downcanyon. Since it was already past 3pm, we figured we would now be hiking back in the dark.
Around 3:45pm we hit the first technical section. The first pothole is a definite keeper. With the wrong conditions, it could really be a difficult pothole to escape. For us, it was bone dry. It was still a little challenging to get out of, just because of it's size; but it would be MUCH worse if the water was one or two feet from the lip. We finished the first technical section around 4:15pm with a spicy downclimb.
Continuing on, we hit the second technical section around 4:30pm. When we were at the rap down into a pool in a room that had a cool arch/window; it started to rain and we heard thunder. Not a good sign. Folks started to get a little too nervous. Had to remind them that the canyon above us was bone dry. It would have to fill up before water would be getting to us. There was no reason to rush; which could cause an injury and then could take even more time. No time to mess around either; but the best thing was to move efficiently.
Thankfully, the rain let up pretty quickly, and we were at the big rappel around 5:30pm. Unfortunately, we had gotten a core shot in our main rope. I tied it off with a butterfly, and we had to use a rap and lower for some folks utilizing our shorter line to be efficient. I then reset the line and rapped on the main line. We were done with all but the last rappel around 6:30pm. We all finished the last rappel around 7pm.
It was starting to get dark, and I hadn't seen anything that looked like an exit yet. We had a little sky, so I powered on the GPS to check out our location. I had put in the waypoint for the exit, and it showed that we missed it by a half mile. No way. I didn't see anything that looked like an exit. We talked, and decided to still continue downcanyon. Maybe I put the waypoint in wrong. Sure enough, before too long, we came to the dryfall with the exit up the fault. Martin and I climbed up first and checked it out. It was definitely our exit. We called up to the others. While waiting up top, I checked the exit waypoint, and sure enough; I put it in wrong originally. Good thing we listened to our instincts.
We were all up top around 7:45pm, and did the hike back. There was some interesting route finding, including a few narrow land bridges and some steep downclimbs and upclimbs. Made it back fine though, and got into camp around 10:30pm. A long day. Tomorrow was going to be another long one, so we shared dinner and some conversation; but got to bed as quickly as we could.
Sunday 9/6:
We all woke up around 6am, quickly ate breakfast, did last minute packing, and started the drive. Had to backtrack a little to make sure we were at the right location; as the entry to Corral Canyon isn't very obvious. We started hiking around 7:30am, and quickly found a way in. Corral Canyon, while not very technical, is a beautiful canyon. Many different formations, with some great colors; including a neat yellow section and a section that had a purple floor.
We hit the technical section that most people usually bypass around 9am. Martin had offered to take our long line, and provide rim support for us when we went into the technical section. I got a pretty good look into the canyon, and while it looked like there could be a few good challenges; I thought we could do it fine. We talked it over, and decided to all drop in to give it a shot. We didn't really have any info on that section so we were armed to the teeth with gear. It turned out to not be all that bad. Had to do a couple tricky downclimbs and a handline using a few potshots on sloped ledges; but nothing too bad. There was one pothole that was wild. From above, it looked REALLY nasty. So nasty, that we decided to do an exposed bypass, and when we got down to take a look at it, it wasn't bad at all. Funny.
We continued downcanyon, and hit the big drop around 11am. We all rapped down and chained the second drop. We arrived at the confluence with Last Chance wash at 11:30am. Here, most of the group was going to go up Last Chance and make it a shorter day. Lisa and I would continue down and make the loop with Horse Heaven. We said our goodbyes, and split up at Last Chance Wash.
Lisa and I hiked down Last Chance Wash, and hit Salt Wash around noon. Continuing down, we hit the entry to Horse Heaven around 1pm. There was a cool dike that even had an arch marking the entrance. Hiking up the beginning of Horse Heaven didn't look much like a canyon. It was wide open, with only small berms. Before long though, it started to slot up and look like a real canyon.
Horse Heaven turned out to be a really nice canyon. We hit the first upclimb around 2pm. There were a few spicy upclimbs, and a lot of cool formations. We were making good time, so we decided to explore a side canyon. Had a few really good upclimbs there too. We then continued the upclimb and hit the main headwall around 4:15pm. We hiked back down to the headwall bypass, and had some food and water there. We did the climb up and around the main headwall, took a look at the continuation of the canyon; and then climbed up to the plateau leading to the car.
There was some up and downs, and we had to go back down into and climb out of Corral canyon; but we were back at the car at 5:45pm. We had made great time, and were back at camp at 6:15pm. We all had dinner, and shared stories of the weekend. We discussed plans for the next day, and decided to head out to do Zero Gravity. We might even run into Anton's group; as they talked about doing Zero on the drive home day too.
Monday 9/7:
We woke up early, broke camp, and made the long drive out of the Swell. Martin wasn't going to join us for Zero, so he broke off when we hit I-70. The two Jeeps went down 24 and got to the trailhead for Zero Gravity. We started hiking around 10:45am, and it was pretty hot out. We weren't carrying wetsuits, and were hoping that Zero still had some water to cool down in.
We made it to the entry and the arches around 11:15am; a few people hadn't seen the arches as this was their first time through Zero Gravity. We put on our pads, gloves, and helmet; and headed into the canyon. Zero is a great canyon, with some tight sections, some fun downclimbs, and thankfully, still had some water. We ran into a group being guided through; so we had to wait for a bit until we got to a spot we could play through. It was a guiding company out of Moab, leading through a couple from San Francisco. They were having a good time.
We played through when we could, and we arrived at the first swim at 12:15pm. We relaxed and cooled down in the water there a little bit. Lisa and I made the climb around and jumped a couple of times. When the guided group caught up to us, we again headed downcanyon.
The water conditions were the lowest I had ever seen in Zero Gravity. The pothole was almost empty; with only a calf-deep pool of water. Unfortunately, there was also a nice dead bird floating in that calf-deep water. Ick. The low water conditions made for a spicy upclimb. I climbed up and set up a handline for the others. The guided group again caught up to us at this spot, as there is a good downclimb just after the upclimb from the pothole.
We continued downcanyon and got to the final handline/downclimb through the bombay around 1:30pm. Set a handline up for our group, and then cleaned it and downclimbed the last part. Lisa and I again were playing around and seeing how high we could run up the canyon wall before jumping into the deep swim at the end of the canyon. We then hiked out, and were back at the car around 2:30pm.
Headed back towards Boulder with a stop at our favorite Mexican restaurant in Glenwood Springs. It was a great weekend. Didn't see anyone over the holiday weekend until we drove to Zero Gravity. Wonderful views, great company, fun canyons, and some nice solitude.
Hope you enjoy the pics!
A.J.
Photos: http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2104951007/a=38054161_38054161/
Group Room (multiple albums): http://ajoutdoors.snapfish.com/snapfish
Planning Info:
This trip is an intermediate/advanced level trip. Technically, it's an intermediate level, effort could be advanced as many of the days are going to be 9-12 hours; possibly more. Likely with long, exposed, and likely hot approaches and exits. Beautiful canyons though; and car camping at it's finest. Very likely will require wetsuits. (See below for details.)
Going:
| # | Name | Drive or Need Ride? | When Leave? from Where? |
| 1 | A.J. | Driving Purple 98 Jeep Grand Cherokee | Thursday 5pm; Boulder |
| 2 | Jen | Riding in AJ's Purple 98 Jeep Grand Cherokee | Thursday 5pm, Boulder |
| 3 | Tom | Driving Black Subaru Outback | Friday 3pm; Boulder |
| 4 | Synthia | Riding with Tom in Black Subaru Wagon | Friday 3pm; Boulder |
| 5 | Stephanie | Riding in Patrick's Jeep Grand Cherokee | Thursday 12pm, Boulder |
| 6 | Martin | Riding in Patrick's Jeep Grand Cherokee | Thursday 12pm, Boulder |
| 7 | Lisa | Needs Ride from Grand Junction, AJ and Jen will pickup | Thursday around 9pm, GJ |
| 8 | Patrick | Driving Jeep Grand Cherokee | Thursday 12pm, Boulder |
Waitlist:
| # | Name | Drive or Need Ride? | When Leave? from Where? |
| 1 | Sharon | ? | ? |
Here’s the plan for the upcoming Labor Day canyoneering trip. We will be doing canyons in the San Rafael Swell. I'll be limiting the number of canyoneers to 8.
Timeframe:
We’ll head out on Thursday morning/afternoon/evening 9/3, and return on Monday 9/7. We’ll drive to, and meet at, the campsite Thursday night and set up camp. Plan on the drive out there taking 8 hours. We’ll do canyons through mid-day Monday and be back Monday night.
Itinerary:
Thursday: We drive out and camp over near the head of Cable Canyon.
Friday: We wake up early, and head over to Corral Canyon. We can do Corral Canyon, including the technical section, and then can decide to either take the normal hike up (est 4-7 hours) or hike down farther and up Horse Heaven canyon. (Total 19km, est 8-12 hours)
Saturday: We again wake up early, and do South Fork of Cable canyon from the top. (est 9-11 hours) If we have time, we pack up camp and move camp down near Eardley canyon.
Sunday: If we didn’t have time on Sat, we move camp in the morning. We then do Eardley canyon. (est 5-8 hours)
Monday: We do Zero Gravity, and head home. Anton’s group may join us.
Other resources:
Michael Kelsey’s book: (1st or 2nd Edition) Technical Slot Canyons of the Colorado Plateau
http://www.climb-utah.com/SRS/index.htm
http://www.ajroadtrips.com/go/trips/san-rafael-swell-2.html
http://canyoneeringusa.com/utah/swell/
Canyon Info:
EVERYONE should be familiar with the canyons they are planning on going on at the very minimum. Please use the resources above to make sure you know the day’s plans; as well as make sure you are capable of them. If possible, we’ll try to read the descriptions aloud before heading in. If you don't have access to Kelsey's books; and aren't a member of the Climb-Utah site; send me an e-mail asking for the beta and I can send it to you.
Carpooling:
I'm keeping track of driving info as people tell me they are interested (see chart above.) We are currently solidifying rides. A tradition is that drivers do not have to pay for gas; and it's a nice gesture to buy the drivers a dinner as well if circumstances allow.
Roads:
The roads that we will use to access the canyons should be passable by any high clearance vehicle. Subarus should work. Some roads are a little rough, but shouldn't require full 4wd. I'll have my Jeep, and a tow strap, just in case. Not a bad idea to bring a shovel along just in case we need to do any "road maintenance."
Maps:
I will have a printout of the route descriptions. If anyone has time to do research to see if they can find other people's trip reports, buy/print their own topo maps, etc; please do so. The more beta we have, the better.
Guidebook/Maps:
I am using the guidebook "Technical Slot Canyon Guide to the Colorado Plateau" by Michael Kelsey (2nd Edition). You can get this guidebook at any outdoor store. If you want your own maps, you can get them at the Boulder Map Gallery, or print them out from Topo or similar program.
GPS:
I will have a GPS with me; but if you have one and want to bring it; feel free. Note, the GPSs probably won't work in the canyons (definitely not in the slots) but we can waypoint our camp and car location...
Camping:
It will be car camping.. There are supposed to be campspots where we are going. We will have two campspots; moving camp on either Saturday night or Sunday morning as time allows. We will hang out at the campsite at night. Bring a camp chair, and pick up firewood if you can. (Firewood is available in Green River. Check the gas stations.) If you need to share a camp stove, or can share your camp stove, then email everyone when we are solidifying rides. I will have a whisperlite camp stove with me and don't mind sharing. I'll have plenty of fuel. Note: They are good for boiling water and high-heat cooking; they don't simmer well.
Campsite Location:
Since we are coming in three separate cars, and I don't really know the area well, I'm planning on bringing Talkabout FRS radios. Mine have a 10 mile range, so hopefully they will work well instead of a cell phone, since a cell phone is very likely not going to work out there… I'll plan on having it turned on channel 5, sec code 5 from 9pm to midnight on Thurs (depending on the time Jen and I leave Boulder) so we can coordinate with Patrick's crew if necessary. I'll also keep it on from 9pm to midnight on Friday so Tom and Synthia can find us if they need to.
Cable Camp: see Kelsey's book, 1st edition pg 50, or 2nd edition pg 54. From I-70, you can use one of three exits. Exit 91 is best, but farthest. 99, or 108. I'll write the directions from exit 91. Drive past Hebes Mtn, between the 2 cedar mountains, past the last chance well and toward the Moroni Slopes Catchment and Horse Heaven Reservoir. Horse Heaven Reservoir should be around 58.8km/36.5mi from I-70.) About 75m past (just north) of Horse Heaven Reservoir, turn right (heading South-East) and go down a hill. About 300m past the reservoir and at the bottom of the hill, there is supposed to be a camp. We'll camp there for the first two days.
Eardley Camp: see Kelsey's book, 1st edition pg 28, or 2nd edition pg 36. From I-70, take Exit 149 and head south about 12 miles on Highway 24. Turn Right near mile post 147 (West) onto a good dirt road. About 2.6km/1.6mi, you will come to a grove of tamaracks and Iron Wash. (Just before that can be a rough road spot, bring a shovel just in case.) There is a short steep place before crossing Little Iron Wash which is 4km/2.5 miles from Hwy 24. Continue Northwest past Little Iron Wash. After a couple of rough spots, you'll come to the mouth of Straight Wash, which is 5.9km/3.65mi from Hwy 24. The road ends as Straight Wash emerges from the San Rafael Reef. Park and/or camp at one of several sites near the end of the road, or we might drive down into the dry wash and camp under some cottonwood trees.
Tom's directions (which have some mile marks for the Eardley camp are: turn off Highway 24 at milepost 148, go toward the reef: 1.1 miles Corral on Right, road heavily washboarded; 1.3 miles Very Rough Spot; 1.6 cross wash; 1.7 split - turn right for easier road; 1.9 rejoin main track; 2.5 small track on L; 2.6 cross wash (rough); 3.0 cross wash (very rough); 3.3 track on R to cottonwoods & camping; 3.6 track on R to wash; 3.7 end of road, park. This road is suitable for aggressive high clearance 2WD vehicles when dry. Camping is poor at the bottom. UTM: 0544410E 4293146N
We should be all be carpooling to Eardley, so we'll all camp in the same spot.
Water:
There is NO water in the area. Bring enough water for the weekend. I’ll be bringing a 7 gallon container. Remember that you can fill up or purchase water in Green River. There is a water spigot outside of both gas stations in Green River (ask before using.) There is also a well with super-high power water (fills seven gallon jugs in no time flat) on the right hand side; with the Subway. It’s out in the parking lot area, near four red posts and the sign. Look for the pipe coming out of the ground; no need to ask if using the well.
Wake-up Times/Timing of Day:
We will be leaving camp relatively early every day. We’ll wake up sometime around the first light, and be moving shortly thereafter so we can utilize the most of the daylight. (I'd rather be back at camp early than be struggling in the dark.) First light is around 6:30am, Sunrise is around 7am, sunset is around 7:45pm and civil twilight ends around 8:10pm. Plan on waking up around 6am, having breakfast and being ready to go at 6:45am. (Wake up earlier if you will need more than forty five minutes to be ready.) We will likely want to start hiking early, as many days we have a good climb for an approach and want to do that before it gets too hot out.
Full moon is Sept 4th and the moon will rise around 7:45pm, so we should have good moonlight for the trip.
Anchor gear:
I don't know the current conditions of anchors in the canyons, but it’s not that popular of a location so they may not be good. I will have all the anchor material we will need. If you want to bring additional stuff, you are more than welcome to. We will likely be spreading some group gear amongst the group, so save a little room in your pack. (2-3 Nalgene's worth of space.)
Wetsuits:
These canyons are normally wet. I haven't been able to get any recent reports on conditions of the canyons. However, recent rain reports show the past significant rain was 2 months ago, so I'm expecting them to be in drier conditions. My best guess is that a 2mm full wetsuit would be optimal for this trip. You could also do something like a 4mm farmer john, or similar combo. Adjust for your personal body temperature. A lot will depend on the outside temperature too. Right now, it's looking like 90's during the day; but canyons can stay quite cool.
Ropes:
I’m planning on bringing all the ropes necessary; but they will likely be 8mm ropes. If you haven’t rapped on 8mm line, it can be fast. Very fast. I recommend having 2 carabiners on your belay device to add more friction, a jaws-type ATC/belay device helps too, and definitely bring a pair of gloves so you don’t burn your hand. A pair of bike gloves works fine; as do gardening gloves. There is a thin pair of Nitrile gloves made by Atlas that work well in warmer canyons (Nitrile is sticky enough to still climb with them on) and a thicker pair of Atlas gloves (Therma or Therma-Fit’s) that work better for colder canyons. Ask me if you have questions or concerns.
NOTE: Atlas gloves can be found at most hardware stores; they help protect your hands, and are sticky enough to climb with. Highly recommended.
Meals:
We'll just do most meals on our own, but let’s plan on doing a potluck dinner on Friday 9/4.
Weather:
Point Forecast:
Hanksville:
http://www.weather.com/outlook/recreation/outdoors/tenday/USUT0101?from=36hr_topnav_outdoors
http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USUT0101?from=search
Green River:
http://www.weather.com/outlook/recreation/outdoors/tenday/USUT0094?from=36hr_topnav_outdoors
Torrey:
http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/USUT0256?dp=windsdp
http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USUT0256?from=tenDay_bottomnav_undeclared
Right now, it's looking like 90's during the day and around 60 at night. Thus, we will want to be doing any approach hikes early. However, It's likely still too early to really tell what the weather is going to be right now, so make sure you CHECK THE LINKS AGAIN just before leaving! Dress appropriately.
Here's the temperature spread:
Town Rec High Avg High Avg Low Rec Low
Hanksville 105 86 48 25
Green River 102 85 49 25
Group gear:
Everyone should plan on carrying a little something extra; as we’ll have some group gear and emergency gear to carry for the canyons. Plan on around two to three nalgene’s worth of space; so make sure you have some room in your pack for that. We’ll divide the group gear up just before heading into the canyons.
Recommended Canyon Gear:
Lightweight, non-cotton clothes. Recommend long sleeves and long pants, but as durable/light as you can be. Good to go to Salvation Army, Savers, or similar and pick up stuff there. There will likely be a lot of scraping against rock, and much better to be cheap clothes than skin.
Elbow pads and knee pads. Just cheap volleyball ones. I’d stay away from the plastic ones, as those could slip if you are using it to brace yourself against rock (as well as they leave unsightly marks on the rock.) Walmart makes some good cloth ones for $6 per pair that I have been using for a long time.
Gloves. You will likely be stemming/chimneying in the canyons, so again, better to tear into gloves rather than skin. The Atlas Nitrile ones, or the Therma/Therma-Fit gloves mentioned above work well. You can get them at most hardware stores; McGuckins definitely has them. Bike gloves work okay as well.
Packs. You shouldn’t be carrying a huge amount, but will likely be carrying a wetsuit; so you will want a medium pack that can get worn/shredded/possibly destroyed. Probably around 3000-3500 cubic inches would be a good size; which is a decent sized daypack. You need enough to carry some approach/emergency clothing (ex: windbreaker, possibly windpants, etc), some webbing, group gear, a decent amount of water (3L?), and some food. You can use a webbing harness for these canyons just fine; or a real harness is likely more comfy. Make your pack size as small as possible.
Everyone will also need a short piece of webbing or cord so they can lower their backpack if necessary. I use a 15ft piece of parachute cord, with loops tied into it. You can use 5-6mm cord, or webbing too; a daisy chain works really well too. Make sure you have at least a 10 ft piece that you can tie to your pack to lower it.
Shoes. Bring shoes that you don’t mind getting trashed. When I do aggressive canyons; a pair of shoes lasts a weekend if I’m lucky… The stickier sole, the better; approach shoes work well but pretty much any kind of tennis shoe will work. NO SANDALS!
Rappelling Gear:
- Harness
- Belay device
- 2 large locking carabiners (mandatory), 2-4 normal sized carabiners – locking or non (optional)
- A small sling/cord/shoelace to secure your belay device, so you don't drop it (optional, likely not really needed for these canyons since they likely have drier conditions)
- Some kind of a rappel glove is recommended; the Atlas ones mentioned above will work, however they are pretty sticky so they will wear quicker than a leather glove
- Helmet: bring some kind of a helmet, a bike helmet works too. A helmet is MANDATORY. You don't have one, you aren't going in the canyon with me.
- Prussik slings: I would also like some folks to bring prusik slings. These are just two loops of cord that you attach to your harness. They allow you to climb up a rope if you need to. They are also useful for connecting yourself to an anchor. They are very easy to make. Just go to any mountaineering store and buy *two different colors* of 6 or 7 millimeter climbing cord (one should be ~6 ft, one ~10 ft). (around $5) I can show you how to make, and use, the slings when we are out there.
Dry Bag:
If you have one, I'd definitely plan on bringing it. Even in drier conditions, we will likely run into water, and likely some swims. Just make sure it is well protected inside your pack.
Recommended Non-Canyon Gear and other info:
Bring enough water for the weekend. Bring firewood if you have room; and hopefully we can have a fire in the evenings.
Pitching In:
I usually ask for a $5/day for gear used/destroyed on the trip. Plan on pitching in $20 for the whole weekend and the way it will work is that the people that provide ropes will get some money; regardless of signs of wear. If a rope gets a coreshot, etc; then they will get more money. Those who leave anchor gear in the canyons will be re-imbursed (webbing, R/QL’s, etc.) I keep a kitty of money from canyon trips; and the rest gets saved for the next trip. If we have other group gear destroyed (water filters, etc. – shouldn’t on this trip) then we’ll pitch in more so that person isn’t footing the bill by himself.
Disclaimer:
The people organizing this trip will do everything they can to help keep you safe. However, the outdoors are unpredictable, and anything can happen. Ultimately, YOU are responsible for your own safety. Make your own choices; about what canyons you feel up to, as well as your actions in the canyon. If you see something that you don’t agree with, bring it up. Everyone makes mistakes, and I’m sure nobody will have an issue with discussing why we are doing a certain thing. Better that than the possible alternative if something is truly wrong. You should know enough about the canyons through your own research to know whether it’s something you can handle. Nobody else takes responsibility for you, your actions, or even their (or anyone else’s) actions, decisions or gear. You and you alone have the responsibility for keeping yourself safe. Read this disclaimer, and interpret it in the context of this trip: http://www.nelsonrocks.org/disclaimer.html
E-mail me if you want my cell phone number (I don't want to post it on the internet.) We likely won't have a cell signal out there. As always, feel free to e-mail me or give me a call prior to departing to discuss any questions you might have.
Looking forward to a fun time canyoneering!
A.J.