This spring I was lucky enough to get to come visit my Dad in Durango for a few weeks. After spending the whole summer in Durango last year it feels like a second home. The month of April in Colorado looks a little different than it does in Wisconsin and I was happy to arrive with Doug and stroll downy the street in a t-shirt in the Colorado Sun. Dad took us out to Utah the first weekend to a free camp sight near Hanksville. It was Doug and my own first time canyoneering, so we were pretty excited to see what it was all about. The first day we did two canyons. We hiked up into the canyon lands to the first rappel into Blarney's Canyon.
Canyoneering is a little different from rock climbing in that the anchor systems that are in place are not something a climber would even consider using! They are "sketchy as hell"!!! But, you are not "shock loading" them, you are only putting your body weight on them for a controlled rappel, so they work i guess. Still, kinda hard to trust them and rappel into the canyon for the first time! Dad set up the ropes and we rappelled down into the first canyon. Fun Fun!!
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Doug's first rappel of the day! |
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Doug Elevators down |
We rapelled a few times getting further into the canyon and then from there it gets to be a scramble through narrow sandstone curving where the water once eroded away at the canyon. At times there are spots where it doesn't make sense to use a rope but you have to chimney or elevator your body down using your arms and feet, gets to feel a lot like a play ground!
We did two more canyons, the last one, West Leprechaun got super narrow and we had to squeeze our way through! My Dad is a great guide and has done lots of canyons, some in which you use your vehicle as an anchor to rappel into the canyons! Super fun!
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One Sketchy anchor! |