Watching our local (Salt Lake City) news last night, 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. 

        

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.

        

For the past several years during our Canyoneering Courses, we have found it fun to take pictures during our courses for the students to have later.  Our students have also graciously allowed us to use these pictures for you to get more insight into the world of canyoneering training.  Our blog now allows us a better place to keep track of our online photo albums and for former students to view and make comments about the photos and courses.  We will be periodically adding new albums here as courses continue and taking off some of the older ones as we fill up our space.  Enjoy, and thank you to our students who make each class fun and enjoyable.

Technical Canyoneering	Ladies Canyoneering
2008 April 2008 #2 April 2008 2007 October 2007 September 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 2006 September 2006 June 2006	2008 March 2008 2007 August 2007 March 2007 2006 October 2006
Advanced Canyoneering	Canyon Rescue
2007 September 21-22, 2007 September 17-18, 2007 April 2007 2006 September 2006 June 2006	2008 March 2008 2006 August 2006

        

As the 2008 season begins to get underway, North Wash Outfitters is looking for part time Canyoneering Guides.  We will be posting more information here as the process gets under way.  All those interested must have transportation to Bluff Utah where the trips start from and be competent in your rope skills, or a quick learner.  If you are interested in a position with us please contact us directly either via e-mail or by phone.

Jared Hillhouse
NORTH WASH OUTFITTERS LLP.
jhillhouse@northwashoutfitters.com
435-672-9942

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During the course of our Canyoneering courses at North Wash Outfitters, handouts are given to the participants to have something to review with, as well as some critical safety information.  One of those hand outs that is given out is a page of what I call "General Links."  This is a page of Internet links that I have collected over the last few years, and which I frequently find helpful in my Canyoneering pursuits.  Often I have come across a new link that I fill would be useful to our participants.  The problem is that our past participants won't receive this information.  I am posting this information here where former participants can check up on any new information we have come across.

Routes and General information on Canyoneering:

ACA Canyon Database
ACA Canyons Booklet
Climb Utah
Canyoneering.com
Todd's Desert Hiking Guide
Slot Canyons of The Southwest
Blue Mountains Canyoning FAQ Guide

Anchoring, Knots, Rope Work:

Alternative anchoring by Dave Black
Life on a Line
Considerations for Rope Rescue by Kenneth N. Laidlaw
Animated Knots

Weather and Maps:

Wunderground
National Weather Service
Geological Society
Topo Zone
Google Earth
World Wind
Weather For You

Canyoneering Social Networking Sites:

ACA Forums
Bogley Outdoor Community
Yahoo Canyons Group (Must have a Yahoo Account to view)
Yahoo Chick Fest Group(Must have a Yahoo Account and be Female to view)

If you have any sites that fit in with teaching information or connecting Canyoneers, let us know and if it fits, we will add it here.

        

A business tradition that is starting to take off in San Juan County is the Annual Business Expo put on by The Department of Workforce Services and spearheaded by Tim Chamberlain.  I attended the expo last year for the first time and was impressed with the presentations and business representation they had.  This year it grew into more business representation and just as equally in quality of presenters.  This year North Wash Outfitters decided to have a booth at the expo and I am sure glad we did.  We met a lot of great people there.


One of the hottest topics we discussed at our booth was the SPOT Satellite Messenger.  More and more people are hearing about it and realizing that it has a great potential to save lives and reduce the time it takes Search and Rescue teams to find lost parties.  We had some good discussions involving the SPOT due in part to the recent SAR effort in Cedar City, UT.  It involves a couple that had been lost for 10 days.  They got their truck stuck and were stranded for 10 days before a snow plow driver went down the road they were on and found them.  Searches had been on the ground and in the air for 10 days trying to locate the truck.  During the press conference with the couple, after being found, they stated that they had seen the searchers but had no way of contacting them.  The SPOT Satellite Messenger would have been able to relay their exact location to searchers turning this incident from a 10 day event down to a few hour event. 

Locally we had a similar incident a couple of weeks ago.  A cross country skier from La Sal went into the mountains for a day of skiing and did not make it home by dark.  His vehicle was located and a search began.  It was later found out that while skiing he encountered white out conditions, got disoriented and was unable to make it back to his vehicle.  He spent the night in a lean to, suffered from frostbite in some extremeties, and was found about 24 hrs later by one of the searchers.    One of the comments I received from show participants was, "why is this just coming out now, and no one has thought of this before?"  "This will save lives."

One of the presenters of the show is probably more familiar to some of you than he was to me.  He came to give a discussion on marketing and he is from the company Blend Tec.  With how much time I spend on the Internet I should know who this company is or at least have seen some of their marketing videos, but I hadn't.  This is the company that has videos all over You Tube of them blending items such as magnets, cell phones, light bulbs, full cans of food, and even an iPod and iPhone.





He spoke to us about his marketing strategy and how much PR the videos on You Tube have been for the company.  They went from a small company selling minimal amount of blenders on line to an overnight sensation with these videos.  He even brought a product demonstration for us and blended a hand full of cell phones and then a plastic lawn rake. 

The expo was a great time, and I look forward to going back next year for the 4th annual expo.

        

At North Wash Outfitters we are interested in your experiences with us.  Please leave comments on the courses you have taken, on trips you have taken and on equipment purchased from the store.  If you would like to contact us offline, don't hesitate to do so also.  You may contact Jared Hillhouse at jhillhouse@northwashoutfitters.com or at 435-672-9942.  Let us know if you enjoyed yourself, or if you didn't so we can make sure to do better for your next visit.  Our customers are what keeps us going and we hope that our service shows that we care.
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North Wash Outfitters has, for several months now, been selling Hyperflex wetsuits.  The Hyperflex wetsuits are some of the best wetsuits on the market now.  There are many things to consider however when looking into purchasing a wetsuit.

Wetsuits are sometimes referred to as a necessary evil of canyoneering.  With the potential for hypothermia due to cold water encounters, wetsuits have become necessary to keep the Canyoneer warmer.  On the flip side, they are sometimes bulky and awkward to move and climb in, and they are frequently damaged from the canyon walls scraping them up during slides, stems, and swims.  A novice Canyoneer knows that the wetsuit will need to be replaced on a regular basis, and usually for someone that is out a lot, at least once a season. 

There are many types of wetsuits on the market.  Some of these are good and some are better.  Things to think about when looking at a wetsuit are going to be:  fit, size, thickness, length, construction, and cost. 

Fit:  You need to be comfortable in the suit.  You need to be able to maneuver and  function in the suit.  Often times a suit that has been designed for Scuba Diving is often too tight.  Suits that are built a little looser, usually for sports requiring movement such as surfing, are much better to use in canyoneering.  They are also made in Men's and Women's.  Men's sizes account for broader shoulder's where womens account for a potentially larger hip and chest area.

Size:  Again with movement and Fit, size is important.  A suit too tight will will be hard to move in, a suit too loose will be awkward and chafe.

Thickness:  The time of year and type of canyon you are going in to will dictate the thickness of wetsuit you should be looking at.  A canyon trip during the colder months will require a much thicker wetsuit than a canyon trip during the summer.  Another consideration is the amount of exposure you expect to encounter.  Exposure time refers to how long or how much time you are going to be spending in the water in a canyon.  Some canyons have only poos or pot holes where other canyons such as the Black Hole have large lengths of swimming.  Canyons by nature are deep and narrow and therefore the sun has a hard time hitting the water or is only on it for a short period of time.  This causes the water to stay a constant cold temperature without chance of getting heated.  Another factor created by the layout of canyons and the amount of sun exposure is how much sun you are going to be able to be in.  Some canyons allow you time to get in the water and then have a place to get in the sun and warm up.  Other canyons have no possibility at all for sun exposure.  Each persons body type is going to be different.  You need to know what your body type is and how much protection you need.  If a wetsuit is not enough protection for you, you may need to look into a dry suit.  Common thicknesses of wetsuits range from 2mm to 7mm.  They are often times listed in dual numbers i.e. 4/3mm.  This means that the part of the wetsuit covering the torso will be 4mm thick and the part of the suit covering the extremities is 3mm thick.

Length:  There are two basic lengths, but also several other options to add on.  Each one is a consideration again based on your exposure and your bodies tolerance to cold.  The two most common lengths are "full length" and "shorty."  Full length simply means that it covers the entire body except the head and neck, hands, and feet.  Shorty is going to be much "shorter."  It is a short sleeve on the arms and short legs, just above the knee.  Other options are a "Farmer John" or Farmer Jane."  These are full length legs w/ a sleeveless top.  Most wetsuits are built as one piece suits, but can be purchased in two pieces.  Add ons are also available in the form of hoods, vests or a combination of both.

Construction:  Some canyoneers don't consider construction of the suit to be a huge determining factor when purchasing the suit.  When talking about construction usually the best thing to look at is the sewing and the seams.  A well made suit is going to have good sewn seams and those seams are going to also be glued.  Having the seams glued allows less water exchange to take place between the inside and the outside.  Wetsuits keep you warm by trapping a thin layer of water between the suit and your body.  Your body then heats up that water layer keeping you warm.  If you have loose sewing or unglued seams it allows this warm water to leave the suit and the cold water to enter more often.  This does not help to keep you warm when your body is constantly being required to re-heat new water. 

Cost:  Unfortunately most people consider cost as the determining factor in purchasing a wetsuit for canyoneering.  As mentioned wetsuits get beaten up in the normal course of use and therefore a hugely expensive suit seems kind of overkill to be replacing all the time.  A cheap wetsuit will be less painful to the pocket book when it needs to be regularly replaced.  Also by cheap I refer to the construction.  A less expensive suit is going to be on the lower end of the quality spectrum.  A suit that is a bit more expensive may be a bit harder to swallow when it comes time to replace, but it may last longer with a better quality of construction.  Wetsuits are going to range in price from $50.00 to $130.00 for the most commonly used types depending on lengths and construction and with out any add ons. 

A wetsuit can make or break your Canyoneering day.  If you don't have the proper equipment it could not only make your trip uncomfortable, it could turn your trip into a disaster.  Many people have had to be rescued from canyons when they ended up developing hypothermia because they were unprepared with enough wetsuit protection.  Check your canyons, check the weather, and know your body type so that you can have the proper thermal protection to make your next trip an enjoyable one.

North Wash Outfitters is also looking for used wetsuits.  When most Canyoneers wear out their wetsuits they throw them away.  There are so many holes in them that they become practically useless.  We want them instead of having them end up in the dumpster.  We are offering a $15.00 credit towards a new wetsuit or equipment for each used wetsuit mailed in to us.  All you need to do is fill out our Wetsuit Rebate Form and mail it along with the used wetsuit(s).

        

Canyoneering is a fun and exciting sport, once you get past the possible dangers.  It is a sport that isn't for everyone, especially those with a fear of hights and Claustrophobia.   One of my hobbies besides canyoneering is playing around with video equipment.  I periodically carry my Cannon digital camcorder with me through canyons and am able to get some fun video.  Later it is even more fun to take those clips and put them together in a short video with music for added excitement.  I have posted here ones that I have done for you to enjoy and comment ...<< MORE >>

Want to know more about the SPOT Satellite Messenger? I would like to explain how great this unit really is to have with you.<< MORE >>