Another new discovery was made in Nevada — Rodan's Cave. About 100 ft in length with some old formations on the ceiling. The cave smells like piss and has feathers all over it, so we named it after the bird that Godzilla would fight. We placed 6 bolts and bolt climbed our way up to the entrance. Bolts and hangers were removed except for two just inside the cave with a carabiner left for bailout.

The Matterhorn — a naturally carved pyramid in the sky, almost perfectly shaped to fool the conspiracy theorists. Most everyone into mountaineering knows about the Matterhorn. The locals can't view the sky without seeing its dominating presence. Watching it from the Gorner glacier the previous week was like staring at a beacon, with its gravity pulling my eyes towards the peak on an hourly basis. The crumbly nature of this peak and the unseasonably warm conditions made climbi

With some interesting access and a massive entrance, Charybdis Cave is a newly discovered cave within the encapsulating limestone walls. This is a hole that could be seen from certain angles but access had not happened until now. We were not sure if this lead would go, but once I got halfway down the final pitch I could see there was a cave — a massive entrance with a large room! Beautiful calcite formations lined the walls and corners. There was a large guano pile and the ca

Nevada never ceases to amaze me when it comes to what lies under our feet. We continually find more and more amazing places and artifacts within the world under us. Some of these places are quite high in elevation and have large entrances. Other caves don't seem to make sense that they are there. Large entrances, vertical drops, chambers, crystals, artifacts, and glaciers are just some of the things we find in the caves of Nevada. It is super delicate to maneuver around in th

Nevada has a lot of subterranean variety. It continues to surprise me that Nevada has so many caves within the state. Some are quite high in elevation to the point that you will be searching for a long time to ever find these caves. From 7K ft and higher, caves continue to exist and more are being discovered every year. A number of caves are kept in confidence within Nevada. This is due to the lack of cave rescue personnel available, the means to locate where people could pot

Knights of the Shield is a Nevada cave first spotted by Christopher McElhone and Trent Mouller, and first explored by David Harris and Giuseppe Lucia. On a return trip we photographed and surveyed it up to 181 ft in length. The cave is quite decorated for its size. We were quite impressed given how hidden it is and look forward to returning in the future.

Erebus Canyon is another Death Valley canyon locked in the Black Mountains of Death Valley National Park. There are some interesting rock formations from 1.8-billion-year-old rock to hydrothermal activity visible from the surface. An early start is always needed. Most of the Black Mountain canyons mimic one another, but Erebus has its unique charm — decently narrow passages and nice drops along the way. The larger drops are lower angle but still provide a lot of fun. Inspect

Bignasco Canyon is yet another incredible canyon in the Ticino region. This canyon drops steeply in a short distance, so you get some big raps. We drove up to the top and made our way down in good time working through some minor challenges. We found this canyon to be pretty straightforward with some excellent raps. We were really impressed with the last sequence as that drops you 280 ft to the pool at the bottom. There were a few jumps and boggans as we worked through to the

I eagerly walk down the dense sloping patch of forest. The temperature drops as the moisture rises from the warm dry air of the mountainous Dominican Republic valley desert. Vines, slippery moist ground, and the occasional tree with spines are negotiated. All too soon, a dry mossy arroyo appears leading to a large black void that swallows water from two separate drainages. From the research we conducted, there were two previous expeditions to Catanamatais Cave. Though known t

Wild Side Canyon is yet another 'not a first descent, first descent' canyon in the Black Range just south of Lake Mead. There have been numerous canyons found within this range and many wonderful canyons to explore in the area. You have to enter from Gold Strike Canyon and hike up through a drainage and a break in the mountain to the top. From there you want to head right toward the cliff where you will find a sloping break that will take you down into the canyon. Once you ar

I am surprised that nobody else has questioned if there were more canyons in the Black Canyon range of Lake Mead NRA. The two 'new' canyons we found are very scenic, have narrow corridors, rappels into the Colorado River, and a lot of fun rappelling. I think they are among the best for the region. These canyons are on public lands and there is no hazardous conditions or sensitive artifacts within the canyon or its proximity. People will continue to be curious about their land

There is something about drinking out of a garden hose that always made me smile. I don't know if it was the lead, the rusty penny smell, or just the idea of something new, but I loved it. Obviously, I can't say no to going back to a similar experience with friends and wicked water levels. We headed out to the top of this canyon drop-in point. Spectators abound as we became the zoo animals they hiked up to see. We rolled up our thick wetsuits, gloves, and neoprene socks and a

It is amazing to know that there are so many canyons right next door from Las Vegas. These recent canyon visitations — which I like to refer to as 'not your first descent, first descent' canyons — have been previously explored, yet kept quiet allegedly for the sake of protecting a canyon from being bolted. Indeed, bolting is illegal in this use area so don't place bolts in these canyons AND don't remove bolts if you encounter them. This canyon I decided to call The Big Pink.

I am becoming more aware that there are secrets in the desert that are still being revealed. I think it is safe to say that I have integrated myself pretty well into the canyoneering community and would know about some of the 'less known canyons.' Even I have a few caves that I have found that I keep secret. We gathered a crew of 5 and set out with 700 ft of rope, 100 ft of webbing, 12 rapides, and a whole lotta sarcasm. The canyon starts to narrow up and you will be walking

Furco canyon is an excellent starter canyon in the Spanish Pyrenees. There are three raps up to 60 ft in length that drop through fun, easy water and some nice scenery. This can also be combined with Gloces canyon for a fun day of canyoning in some great water and scenery.

Zion has always been a place where I keep gravitating towards. I continuously find myself coming back to this beautiful canyon country. World class narrows and beautiful, unprecedented scenery still make Zion one of the most beautiful destinations of the Southwest. Right Fork has been on my radar for a very long time but rain and weather kept getting in the way. This time around we were able to thread the needle and got into this overnight canyon. We set out at 9 am which was

Halls Creek Narrows is a beautiful and scenic non-technical canyon within Capitol Reef National Park. Permits are free but you have to get them at the Capitol Reef visitor center. Once you get the permit, head to the trailhead via Waterpocket Fold Road. The last 4 miles can get a bit rough — we had a 4x4 high clearance and were able to get to the TH no problem. You can go down the traditional way which will be 22 miles car to car, or pick your way down another route and save

For all the bolts that are placed, chopped, then placed again, and chopped — that is a dangerous game being played. What's amazing about bolts and hangers is that they do provide a fantastic margin of safety for rope access, rescue, and durable material. I highly recommend researching the art of bolting and why cavers have been using bolts inside of caves ever since cave exploration started. It is illegal to place bolts AND to remove bolts in the Lake Mead National Recreation

Tythons Gate cave is another new Nevada cave that has a unique twist to its character. What's interesting about this 150 ft cave is that you walk a ridge to a near knife edge into a breakdown shelter that continues into the mountain and back out to a walking ridge, avoiding a cliff. Reminded me a bit of the Zion Mt. Carmel tunnel and highway in Utah. I am sure past civilizations have used this cave to connect to other areas of this range as an access point. A few artifact rem

After 49–50 years of being lost, we were able to find Sawmill Pit in the Egan Range. The cave needs to be surveyed but it is indeed around 60–70 feet of depth as you go down through a couple rooms. The cave ends at the bottom so this is a terminal pit.