After breakfast we headed out to Manti La Sal National Forest outside Moab — a different canyon environment at 9000ft elevation with birch trees and pine, 60-degree air. Patrick met us at the trailhead and joined solo. Reached the birch line and found the wash to the first drop — around 20ft. Rapped down on 8mm double rope to a cavernous section at the bottom. Rap 2 was a double drop totaling around 60ft. Rap 3 had a nasty lip but manageable at 20ft. Rap 4: an 80ft water slid

Got permits one minute before the ranger station closed — blind luck and they were reluctant to open the computer. Cooked dinner at the Wilhite trailhead before hiking out to the rim with an hour of sunlight remaining. Got turned around finding the route around a couple ridges to the lip of the rim. Winds blowing at a sustained 30-35 mph as the sun set and the cooler air moved over the desert. Eventually found the trail that descends from the rim — the jaw-dropping view of th

We headed to Arches National Park to check out the 3AII canyons and escape the tour bus loads at Delicate Arch. We could see Delicate Arch from a distance — a line of hikers in single file working their way up. Parked at the Park Ave trailhead and hiked up a steep talus slope a couple hundred feet to the top of the buttress where three canyons sit: U-Turn, Tierdrop, and Not-Tierdrop. Of course I chose the most challenging. At the top of the first drop, beautiful canyon views

Crystal Geyser in Green River, Utah is a natural cold water CO2 geyser located on the banks of the Green River just outside town. Unlike Yellowstone's thermal geysers, Crystal Geyser is driven by dissolved carbon dioxide in the groundwater. It erupts every 30 minutes to heights up to 60ft, depositing a colorful mineral mound on the river bank over thousands of years. The multi-colored orange, yellow, and white banding on the tufa mound rivals anything in the National Parks. F

Little Brush Creek Cave in the Ashley National Forest northeast of Vernal is one of the longest cave systems in Utah with over 7 miles of mapped passage. The cave floods significantly in spring and early summer — late fall and winter visits give the best access to the deeper passages. The cave is in the Madison and Deseret limestone of the Uinta Basin, with significant formation rooms and active stream passages. Part of the Ashley National Forest cave circuit alongside Big Br

Red River Gorge in the Daniel Boone National Forest is one of the premier rock climbing destinations in the eastern United States with over 1,000 sport and traditional climbing routes on Corbin sandstone cliffs. The Gorge is also known for its extensive network of natural stone arches — the highest concentration of arches east of the Rockies — and old-growth hemlock-lined hollows. The 'Land Before Time' section of the Red River Gorge captures the ancient forested landscape th

Telephone Canyon in Zion National Park is a technical canyon route that exits into the Virgin River Narrows — one of the most satisfying finishes in Zion canyoneering. The canyon has multiple rappels through sculpted Navajo sandstone before opening to the canyon floor and confluence with the Narrows. Part of the Zion big canyon week October 2015.

Imlay Canyon is the most committing technical canyon in Zion National Park. The first section of Imlay is three raps between 50 and 100ft. Then a 170ft drop to the canyon floor with a shelf that fits only one person at a time. Then The Grim — a dark sinister slot that goes on for hours longer than you expect. Hour 10 and we finally poked out into open canyon, but it wasn't over. Another 10-15 rappels with water disconnects, pothole swims, and pack tosses followed. I pulled ou

Owl Cave and Hatari Cave are paired desert cave features in the southern Utah plateau country near Kanab. Both caves are in the Colorado Plateau karst terrain. Part of the October 2015 Utah caves road trip through Cedar Mesa, Comb Ridge, and the Kanab area.

Mystery Canyon is one of the premier canyoneering routes in Zion National Park. The East Mesa trailhead approach takes you past a seasonal lake and through open plateau before the canyon commits. A series of beautiful drops through Navajo sandstone narrows leads to the finale — a 120ft last rappel directly into the Virgin River Narrows with hikers below looking up in disbelief. Troy, Derek, Daniel, and the rest of the Chicago crew — all grinning at the bottom in the Narrows r

Fish Mouth Cave on Comb Ridge gets its name from the shape of its entrance — a massive arching alcove in the Navajo sandstone that opens like a fish's mouth. Inside, a large sand floor with Anasazi cliff dwelling ruins and pottery sherds and arrowheads scattered across the surface. The cave is not well documented and access requires navigating across the Comb Ridge slickrock. The scale of the alcove is staggering — it dwarfs the people standing inside it. With Laura. October

GMZ Cave in southern Utah is a desert cave in the Colorado Plateau region near Cedar Mesa. Part of an October 2015 Utah caves road trip that included Fish Mouth Cave Ruins, Owl Cave, Hatari Cave, and the Duck Creek Lava Tube.

After Pine Hill Cave we drove up the road toward Sinks of the Roundstone when a blue hole resurgence appeared in a bluff — very large spring with crystal clear deep water. Research revealed this to be Blue Hole Cave, fed by Pine Hill Cave's watercourse — the water travels from Pine Hill into Blue Hole Cave, resurges out of the Blue Hole, and flows into Sinks of the Roundstone Cave. Three connected systems in the same watershed. Found the Sinks of the Roundstone entrance right

Jolly Gulch in Zion National Park is a technical canyon route in Navajo sandstone. Part of the October 2015 Zion big week expedition that covered six major canyon routes in one week: Spry, Boundary, Jolly Gulch, Pipe Springs, Mystery Canyon, Kolob Creek Narrows, West Rim Trail, and Imlay Canyon. Team: Mike, Troy, Derek, Daniel, and Adam from Chicago.

The West Rim Trail from Lava Point is the standard approach for Imlay Canyon — 14 miles of ridgeline hiking with 270-degree views over Zion's canyon country before committing to the canyon. Starting before dawn with headlamps to reach the Imlay drop-in by mid-morning. The trail follows the Zion Plateau rim with Horse Pasture Plateau and the Great White Throne visible to the east. The Walter Stech crew assembled at Lava Point the morning of the Imlay push — twelve hours underg

Kolob Creek Narrows is one of Zion's most remote canyon routes — a 15-mile one-way traverse through the Kolob Plateau drainage. The canyon walls tower above the creek corridor and the route requires multiple water crossings in cold creek water. The canyon provides a sustained wilderness experience far from the crowds of the main Zion Canyon corridor. Both Boundary Canyon and Jolly Gulch confluence with the Kolob Creek corridor, providing exit routes for those canyon routes. O

Pipe Springs Canyon in Zion National Park is a serious technical canyon. Mike and Patrick rapped past the next anchor and had to pass a knot by tying ropes together to get to the bottom of one section. I clipped into the anchor on the pine tree and had everyone come down before re-rigging to the lower anchor. The walls narrowed into a beautiful slot canyon section with light slicing through — Daniel Sharue got great photos there. Worked through the canyon past a few more drop

Duck Creek Mammoth Lava Tube Cave sits on the volcanic plateau south of Cedar City near Cedar Breaks National Monument. One of the largest lava tubes in the Cedar Breaks volcanic field, the cave has extensive walking-height passage and maintains a cold temperature year-round. Part of a Utah caves road trip that also covered Fish Mouth Cave Ruins, Owl Cave, Hatari Cave, and GMZ Cave on the Colorado Plateau. October 2015.

Boundary Canyon went in completely dry despite the beta warning of water — actually a relief since it meant no wet suits weighing us down on the MIA exit. The canyon delivered some of the most uniquely sculpted sandstone I've seen in Zion — shapes that looked nothing like the usual formations. Entered the canyon walls and followed the dry wash through the forest with maple leaves changing color at the bottom. The confluence with Kolob Creek made for a perfect lunch spot. The

Pine Hill Cave in the Red River Gorge area of Kentucky has a 125ft pit entrance visible from a small crawling room that blows significant wind through. The cave has a watercourse flowing through with a deep pool and waterfall that required climbing to keep dry, chert balls in the walls leading to a 100ft dome, and the sky dome room accessed via exposed ledge traverse and breakdown climb. After reaching the surface view from the pit entrance crawl, we backtracked and I walked