Spring is playing hard to get!!

Well this year spring is certainly playing hard to get.  We have had a banner year as far as snowfall in the Four Corners.  Not the best year ever mind you, but a good one.  The canyons are going to be full and take a long time to dry out.

A couple of weeks ago we drove out through Cedar Mesa up to Hite Marina on Lake Powell and into the North Wash area to check out the snow levels.  Driving from Blanding the snow was thick through Cedar Mesa and didn’t start to taper until we passed the Bears Ears / Natural Bridges National Monument area.  After that most snow was on the north facing slopes only and every where else was heavily saturated with standing water.  White Canyon was flowing approx. 8 inches deep.

Lake Powell area had no snow except for the occasional north facing shaded spot but still had run off coming from the cliffs with small waterfalls hitting the road in places.

North Wash area had  no visible snow, but the wash itself was running which I rarely see.  There is going to be water for a while.

Two weeks ago the weather broke enough for me and a couple of friends to get out and dust some ropes off and teach them a refresher on rappelling and give them their first instruction on how to ascend a fixed rope.  It was a sunny day, the wind was blowing and a bit chilly, but it was nice to get out and play.

We woke Yesterday (April Fools Day) to two inches of snow.  Mostly gone now and we are looking forward to upcoming trips and classes this spring and hope to have the weather warming up after this weekend.   Here are a few pics from our excursion two weeks ago.  You can also follow along more frequently on our Facebook page.  Look forward to seeing you out in the canyons this year.

Flash flood awareness when Canyoneering.

For those who have taken the Technical Canyoneering Course you will remember our discussion Flash Floods and Meteorology and how the roles of the canyon and area topography relate to the potential for flash floods.  As we have hit that time of year here on the Colorado Plateau for our flash flood awareness to be on heightened alert, a college from Zion Adventure Company in Springdale Utah, Dave Buckingham, wrote up an excellent piece on Flash Floods.  Being right next to the Canyoneering hot spot, Zion National Park, Dave has surely witnessed what the power of a good rainstorm is.  This article is an excellent reminder of the dangers posed to those venturing into the slot canyons.  What are some of the things that we should consider before going, and what are some things to look at and think about when we find ourselves in imminent danger of being swept away:

I feel like surviving a flash flood comes down to 3 things:

1. realizing that there is nothing any of us can do to eliminate the
risk completely

2. preparing / learning / studying as much as you can in advance to
help you manage the risks while you are in the canyon / drainage

3. being highly aware of everything around you during the trip, and
taking prompt action to escape floods

What is flood water like? Imagine a torrent of water, loaded
with sediment, sticks and debris that feels more like concrete, than
water. Flood waters easily move hundreds of pounds of dead logs.
They have been known to move houses off foundations, and carry cars
hundreds of yards, and even miles.

Trip Planning:

1. How does flood risk change with respect to month, week, season
for your destination?

2. How many square miles, acres, etc. does the canyon drain?

3. To what degree can precipitation be absorbed by the watershed
area? (is the canyon rim made of rock? are there plants / grasses
that will absorb some of the falling rain)? In a canyon surrounded
only by rocky, low-water-absorption terrain, there is often a
significant problem with water running down the walls and the
complications this creates by adding more volume to the flood
water,complicating escape routes, making use of escape routes
more difficult, washing rocks in on top of hikers off the rim.

4. To what degree has it rained there recently? In the sandstone
areas, a lack of rain in May, June and July causes the sandstone to
become baked like clay, and not able to absorb falling rain in the
summer like it does when precipitation falls more frequently, in
smaller amounts in the winter.

5. How committing is the drainage? Is the whole hike in the
canyon? Does the canyon have wider, open sections, or is it narrow
and slotted the entire time? Where is the most committing, least
escapable section? Can you identify escape routes on the map? Can
you determine if there are escape routes by reading guidebooks, or
talking to people who have been before, can you get info from
internet canyon groups? What are the logistics / skill sets
involved in these escapes? Can you and your group pull them off, or
do they involve equipment and skills you do not or will not have?

6. Make sure you allow an appropriate amount of time for your group
to complete the trip. Building in extra time can be very helpful.
Just because you read in a book that “the author completed the hike
in 7 hours” does not guarantee that you won’t need 10 hours.

7.Choose a starting time for your event that helps you best manage
rain risk and being seriously committed. Often, in the Southwest
Desert, the period between July 15-September 1 brings the
possibility of a heavy, isolated thunderstorm each day. Starting
early, and finishing the trip by 2-3PM helps hikers avoid being in
drainages during the time of day when the storm risk is highest.

8. Learn how high the water does / can get in the canyon/drainage
during a flood.

9. Consult experts, Gather information, and set a personal threshold
for a forecast that you consider”more dangerous” than acceptable in
advance. This helps you avoid minimizing real risk, succumbing
financial, peer, or logistical pressure and convincing yourself “i’m
sure it will be ok” when the forecast is truly marginal or
unfavorable. Prepare yourself and your group for the possibility
that weather can cancel the event at any point.

10. Check the forecast as close to departure as possible.

11. Understand signs of flooding. These could be:
-thunderheads building
-rain falling
-water starting to flow
-flowing water becoming discolored: red, brown, black, muddy as it
fills with sediment
-debris being washed down the drainage: trees, logs, sticks, leaves,
other hikers
-sometimes folks hear a rumbling, thunderous sound as flood water
approaches. I can tell you that people are often unsettled when
they hear jet airplanes above them, while being in canyons,
as they think this could be the sound of flood water.

While you are in the canyon:

1. Continue to evaluate weather at all times.

2. Look for signs of how high the water reached in past floods to
help you understand how high you would need to climb to be above
flood water (wedged logs, sticks, grasses and dead plants wrapped
around things in the direction water travels).

3. Keep all group members informed. Discuss what you might have to
do to escape a flood before you need to do it.

4. As you travel, look for possible escape routes, store them in the
back of your mind. Retreat back to a place you have been is
sometimes better, especially if there is a known, useful escape.
Heading further into in the canyon into territory you haven’t seen
often brings no guarantees. If you travel past major obstacles that
eliminate your ability to retreat back to an escape route, keep this
in mind.

5. Look for signs of flooding described above. Take action
promptly if you feel like a flood is developing. Avoid a “well,
that is only one of many signs of flooding we are seeing, let’s just
wait and see” approach. Work together with group members.
Sometimes climbing a few feet makes a major difference.

6. Wait out the flood on the high ground. This can take several
hours, and occasionally, even days.

Hope this helps,

Take the Best of Care

Dave Buckingham
Zion Adventure Company

Thanks to Dave for permission to re-post this article here.

Staying Safe in the Outdoors.

Watching our local (Salt Lake City) news last night, (6/27/08), they had a story on there that brought out some good points that should always be thought of when heading out into the outdoors.  The story listed here on KSL’s Website discuss several issues that we should think about when heading outdoors.

The first big issue is always tell someone where you are going, when you plan to return and I add in there, who you will be with and what you will be driving so this can help assist in finding you if the unfortunate should happen.  If you have been in Canyoneering long enough and have heard some of the horror stories you are quite familiar with the story of Aron Rahlston.  He went into Blue John Canyon by himself, which is not a terrible thing, but he ended up pulling a boulder on top of his arm pinning it to the wall of the canyon.  The bad thing is now he is stuck, and he didn’t tell anyone where he was.  No one ever found him in the canyon, he amputated his own arm and finished the canyon before he found the searchers himself.  He had been stuck of about a week and the searchers had no idea where he was at becuase he told no one. 

Of course I am a big fan of the SPOT Satellite messengerand you can read about this in another entry here in our Blog.  The SPOT has been a great device to have and carry, and I have seen KSL do another story during the winter with the device featured also.  This device is starting to prove it’s worth.  It has only been on the market since November 2007 and already has a couple of saves to its record.  I use my device all the time I am out in the canyons.  I also take it on road trips, and send it with my wife to the grocery store.  Since we live in an area where cell service is sketchy at best, it is great to know that the SPOT can summon help not only in an emergency, but also for a blown tire, dead battery, blown engine and everything else.  The KSL story also shows an ACR Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) which is also a great device, but they are only used to summon the Search and Recsue for life saving situations.  The SPOT does require a $100 a year service contract like a cell phone might, the PLB does not.  The SPOT retails in the $150.00 range the PLB in the $600.00 range.  Once you purchase the units, they are yours, only the SPOT will have a continued service fee, but it is well worth the fee for the extra services that it buys.

Another unit that is mentioned in the story is a simple GPS unit.  Although these can’t summon for help, they can help in many instances to keep you from getting lost.  They are great for marking the location of your vehicle, camp etc. so you can find the way back to it.  They are also great for marking way points, or points of interest along your hiking route.  This can also be done with the SPOT messenger and sent to your computer.  GPS units are much more affordable and have no yearly service to use them.

Something that was not mentioned in the story but that is also great to have a long is a first aid kit.  You do not need to have a huge one, depending on the types of activities you are doing and your first aid knowledge, you can get by many times with something simple.  The main key is to know what you have in the kit and how to use it.  Also make sure that you are carrying it with you.  It does no one any good if it is left in the car that you can’t find again becuase you don’t have a GPS with you.

I carry my first aid kits in Nalgene water bottles.  It helps to keep them air tight and water proof should I take a spill into some water.  Some items that I like to have with me are:  Bandaids, Ointment Cream (Climb ON!), individual servings of Ibuprofen, Blister Treatment, Allergy medications, Spray on Bandage w/ antisceptic, Super Glue for cuts, Duct tape for splints (I have a bit of duct tape wrapped around a lighter for storage), and a lighter for emergency fire (or matches in waterproof container).

Also something to never leave behind is water.  Take some extra water, and some snacks.  If something happens out there and you may be gone longer than expected, it is nice to have some extra supplies with you.  Some things that I keep on hand also that are small enough to fit anywhere and will come in handy in an emergency are:  Headlamp, Emergency Blanket(Space Blanket), Emergency Water Filter, Hand Warmers, and a plastic rain poncho.  Also for the food and hydration area some Electrolyte supplements.

Whatever you do this summer.  Be safe and have fun out there.  This is a great country that we live in and we have a lot of area to get out and explore. 

Early season trip through the Black Hole of White Canyon.

The Black Hole of White Canyon is probably one of the most renowned and most dangerous canyons in San Juan County.  This canyon is spectacular in nature, awesome in landscape and deadly if not treated with the respect that it deserves.  The White Canyon complex is a canyon extending approximately 40 miles.  White Canyon stretches all the way from Natrual Bridges National Monument, coming out of Dark Canyon, and extends into the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (Lake Powell). 

This spring, I decided to get into the Black Hole on a free day and see how it was.  Due to scheduling this year I was unable to attend the annual Freeze Fest trip of the Black Hole, taking place on January 1st.  The weather had been decent and was starting to warm up, this lent to a hope that the day would be nice for a trip through the Black Hole.  The day chosen was March 7th, having time off and the freedom to be able to go through was chosen.  Unfortunately the day chosen wasn’t as free as I had thought.  It happened to be my oldest daughter’s Birthday, and there was a party planned for 3:00 that I was supposed to be there for.  This required an earlier than planned start, fortunately Bluff isn’t too far from the Black Hole. 

I left Bluff at 7:00 am and picked up Dave Black in Blanding and leaving Blanding by 8:00 we headed out to the Hole.  Arriving around 9:00 we, suited up and headed down the trail into White Canyon.  I think I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking from here.  The trip was fun.  I didn’t want to put my wetsuit on until absolutely necessary, and managed to hold off putting it on until just before the “Hole” itself.  This was accomplished with a lot of stemming, and a bit of wading.  We did encounter some ice in a few of the holes.  Once to the “Hole” it was tip top full with long swims as usual.  Needless to say the water was frigid as expected.  We got through it, and hit the sun as quick as we could.  We finished the trip around 1:00 and then headed for the cars.  Walking back to the car park took about 45 min. and we headed out.  I managed to make it home just before 4:00 and my daughter’s party was waiting for me to get there to start.  A fun trip, a great canyon with some cooooold water.

Website Has a new Look!

After a couple of years it was time for our website to under go a little bit of a face lift.  For those of you who are new to our company, and this site, we have just added a new photo header and modified the background color.  We have also added this blog to be able to offer updates and information that is continually changing such as photos from our courses, sales events, and new course listings.  I am in the process of trying to modify this blog layout a little more to my liking, but I hope that it will still share some good information for you.  For those of you who are returning to our site, we welcome you back and hope that you like the changes.  Let me know what you  think.

A little history on this picture.  Or better yet, how about a contest then I will share the history later.

Can you name the canyon in which this picture was taken?  $20.00 NWO Store coupon to the winner.

(Rules:  My family , employees, and the person who took the picture is ineligible.  Sorry need to make this as fair as possible).  Post your guess.  Happy guessing.

Jared Hillhouse
North Wash Outfitters LLP.

New life for our Canyoneering Blog!

Hey all you canyon gurus!  As you can see our original Blog is no longer.  We are in the process of migrating items of importance to everyone, but it will take some time.  Also as you can see this blog is still in it’s default setting and I will be working to personalize it more in the coming weeks.  We hope that you will continue to visit here for announcements, stories, pictures and sales.  If you have anything that you are intersted in reading about here let us know as you are probably not the only one interested in it.  Any comments can still be made to us here.  Thank you for your continued support over the years as we have grown and modified our company to meet your needs.

Jared Hillhouse - North Wash Outfitters LLP.