Canyoneering Day

My husband and I got hooked on canyoneering about a year ago when we went on a one day adventure with Zion Adventure Company.  You can read about that HERE.  Since then, we started purchasing gear to do it on our own and went again last October for three days of canyoneering school.  HERE are some posts about that.  Our daughter was curious and excited to try it out too.  So, when we went to Zion for Spring break, we rented a harness and helmet for her and we were off to share what we'd learned.

We hiked up into these rocks at Lamb's Knoll to play in some of it's wonderful slots...

We gave her some instruction before we got started.

Then, her dad taught her how to hook up to rappel.
She practiced hooking up a few times. 

When she felt confident about what she'd just learned, dad headed down the cliff.

Once he was down there, he'd be able to belay to give her an extra bit of safety and confidence.

I was still with her to make sure all of her equipment was set up correctly.

And, down she went...

Then, it was my turn...

Onto the next one...

There goes my hubby...

Our daughter said she was a little nervous going down the first rappel.

But, she did it and was ready for the next one.  Way to go!

The start of this one was a little tricky and scary but she did it!

There she goes...

My turn.  This one is a little tricky because the walls twist and turn. We have to be very conscious how we place our feet and weight, and of the direction the rope pulls as the walls change direction.

If we're not careful, our weight can cause us to lose our footing and we could take a swing.

Not fun....I've done it before.  But, none of us did it on this trip.  This rappel is super fun and rewarding.  That's hubby at the bottom belaying us for an extra bit of safety.

This rappel is longer and a bit tricky to start.  The slot to exit is quite narrow.

We can't even squeeze through with a small pack on our backs.  So, our packs have to be
attached to a line and hung below us on the way down.  There he goes...

Here's my daughter getting ready to go.  She had to get herself into place,
move her backpack so it would be ready to slide off and hang below her,

grab her confidence and bravery, and rappel down.  

Here she is just after she started down.

That's my hubby below, at the bottom of the slot canyon...

Oh, and I have to mention...it was interesting how her new hiking shoes, her shirt,

the rental helmet, and the rope all matched so perfectly.  Kinda cool, huh?!

Here's the last bit of fun on this route.  It's a VERY narrow slot

that we had to down climb and drop below a wedged rock.

Ready, set, go...

We had to pass our packs down because it was too narrow to wear them.

The last few yards include a walk down some small tree trunks.

We had to hold our packs over our heads to fit.

There's my hubby and daughter...

There's no way we'd be doing any of this without my wonderful hubby!

I trust him, his abilities, and strength.  I appreciate that he's always at the bottom

of each rappel to provide us with an extra bit of safety and confidence.

And, I appreciate his patience when we get a little scared.

He's awesome!

Our daughter is now hooked on canyoneering too.  We all can't wait to go again!

And, we can't wait to do bigger and more exciting canyons.

The thrill of it is awesome and the scenery is like nothing we could ever see

or experience without doing this.  It's amazing!