What combines the challenge of strenuous hiking, the thrill of climbing, and the fun of exploring really remote areas? Canyoneering! Robert got me into this sport, since he was familiar with it from his home country of Australia (where they call it canyoning). We try to get out to Utah for some slot canyon fun at least once or twice a year. The basic idea is that you start at the head of a slot canyon and then hike, wiggle, squeeze, rappel, and swim your way down through the canyon until it widens out again, at which point you climb back up to the canyon rim and trek cross country back to your car (or your camp). The canyons are beautiful, and the problem-solving involved in setting up safe natural anchors and working out the easiest way around obstacles makes for a very interesting day! For pictures from our various adventures, see our picture page. Canyoneering Links American Canyoneering Association teaches canyoneering courses, and their site has a decent set of forums. We've never taken any of their courses, but we have attended several "Rendezvous" get-togethers in Zion National Park, and had a great time meeting other canyoneers Yahoo Canyons Group - excellent source of advice, condition reports, and canyon beta Tom's Utah Canyoneering Guide has excellent route descriptions Climb Utah is another great source of canyon beta CanyonQuest has awesome pics of canyon trips Bogley's canyoneering community is another good forum for canyoneers Template for this page courtesy of GRSite