Canyoneering

Canyoneering.

I've never even heard of the word until I moved to Arizona.  I've heard of "Mountaineering" which is basically hiking in the mountains. Therefore, "Canyoneering" is hiking in ...wait for it...a canyon!  Hiking in a canyon has it's differences and unique obstacles that one might not encounter on your everyday hike in Arizona.  Canyoneering involves hiking through canyons with rock walls on both sides that tower hundreds of feet above you.  You're faced with  drop offs and waterfalls that you can only get past by sliding down, repelling or jumping.  It sounded both exciting and challenging, so I know I had to try it out with my adventure buddy, partner in crime, best friend, aka husband Brian, aka BT.

For his birthday this year in March I surprised him with a Groupon from Adventure on Purpose - Canyoneering for two.  We've been fairly busy with our other adventures this year, but we finally cashed it in and booked it for Saturday, August 5th.

2017 has been a crazy year for the Arizona monsoon.  We've had so much rain the weeks coming up to our trip and a recent tragedy in Payson, Arizona killed multiple members of a family from a flash flood.  The thought of canyoneering was becoming more frightening than thrilling due to the risk of flash floods.

Go/No Go.

Wednesday before our trip, Phoenix was hit with a crazy storm!  Thursday, I received an email from Adventure on Purpose that said they were monitoring the weather and Friday they would "check the water levels and weather forecast to make a decision and let you know.  If we are not able to do a water canyon, we do have a dry canyon option available."

What?! A dry canyon?! Noooooo!

We got the all clear on Friday that a water canyon was a go and we would meet in Payson as scheduled Saturday morning.  Yessssss!

Saturday morning, we met with our group that consisted of 9 people and our Adventure on Purpose guide Brian and his assistant.  To avoid confusion from this point on, I will be referring to our guide as Brian and my husband as BT.  We drove out to the trailhead where Brian and his helper, who also happened to be his 11 year old daughter, Chloe, distributed our gear which included a harness, a helmet, and a full wet suit (if you wanted it).  Life jackets were also available.  BT and I opted for our personal shorty wetsuits.  A couple guys in our group opted out of the wetsuit entirely.  We hiked down to Christopher Creek Gorge, about a quarter mile from where we parked.  As we were hiking the guide said we won't really know the true conditions until he sees the creek.  It's possible we might have to turn around and choose another canyon.  When we arrived at a clearing near the creek, our guide took one look at the water flowing and said it was "perfect conditions!"  It was time to suit up!!

Lord, help us!

The water was about mid-60 degrees, but before we got our feet wet, our guide Brian did ask us to gather for a quick prayer that was led by his daughter Chloe.  The company makes no secret that they are a Christian company.  Their mission statement states that "The heart of Adventure on Purpose is to glorify God by using adventure to build and strengthen relationships."  No way did I feel forced to be part of the prayer, and if I were of any other religion, I wouldn't be offended by them practicing this before the trip.  Actually, since it was monsoon season, I thought any help we can get from the guy upstairs to keep us safe would be most welcome.

Then we were off and I stepped right into the brown water.  Yup, the water was brown, like a milk chocolate river you'd see in Willy Wonka.  This was because of all the rain that we've been having.  If it doesn't rain for over a week, then the water would probably clear up, but it wouldn't be flowing as well as it was either.  If I had the choice of brown water or slow shallow water, give me the brown stuff!

Obstacles and The Point of No Return.

The first obstacle was a fork in the road, either go to the left down the creek where it was clear or duck under a huge log that left you just a foot of head space to get through.  Brian assured us that this log was definitely not there 2 weeks ago!  The log was huge and just a testament to the power of the rains that we've had recently.

Over the next quarter mile we got to slide down small waterfalls, jump from the top of a 5 foot water fall, swim down stretches of the stream at a time and trudge through the uneven and unseen ground of the creek.  There were times, you would take a step forward and realize there was no ground you could reach and you'd have to swim until you can touch ground again.

Just one of the natural water slides

After a quarter mile, Brian told us we were at the point of no return.  Once we get lowered by the ropes 20 feet down this next cliff, there was no going back.  We had to complete the adventure or we can hike up now back to the main road and find our way to the van to wait.  We all opted in.  BT lowered me down using the rope climbing gear that I, of little rope-using knowledge, know little about.  So, I won't even pretend to use the climbing jargon.  All I knew was to say "On Belay?!" and he would yell back "Belay On!" and then I would yell "Lower" and he would start lowering me.

After that "point of no return", we had to do a few more lowers with the rope.  I even tried my hand at belaying my BT down a 20 foot cliff all by myself! That man trusts me with his life.  Then there was another jump from a waterfall.  Ugh, this one had to be 20 feet!! I was freaked out.  Cliff jumping is really scary for me.  I'm not the strongest of swimmers, but with the encouragement from our group I was able to gather the courage and take the leap!  I sunk deep.  Deep enough to feel my ear pop, but when I came back up, people were clapping and I floated on my back downstream where the rest of our group was waiting.

Chloe.

Let me tell you about our guide Chloe.  She maybe only 11 years old, but she was the most respectful, brave and adventurous little girl I've ever met.  Not only did she say a beautiful, gracious prayer over our group, but she would lead us to the next point and stop and wait for her father at just the right spot.  Her father might have been behind with others in our group that needed a little more help through an obstacle.

We'd ask Chloe questions and she would answer very politely and include a "sir" or "ma'am" in her reply.  BT asked her if her siblings were jealous that she was able to go on the adventure this time.  She replied "No sir.  They are happy for me that I get to go.  They're very patient for their turn."  I was so impressed.

I loved the fact that our guide's name was Brian as well.  Whenever I needed a helping had from BT to get out of the water and onto a boulder, I would just yell "Brian!" and either BT or Brian the guide would be there to help.  Yay for me!

Our Last Hurrahs.

One of the highest waterfalls was about 35 feet.  This time we would repel down by ourselves.  Which means we were in control of the rope and the speed at which we lowered ourselves.  About halfway down, the cliff wall indents completely and we're left sort of dangling.  It's a little disconcerting and unexpected, but I made it down and unhooked the safety rope that was connected at the top with Brian.

One of the final descents I lowered myself completely into the water not knowing that I wouldn't be able to touch the ground! As I said earlier, I'm not the strongest of swimmers.  So, I was having a hard time unhooking the carabiner while trying to stay afloat.  I yelled for BT who was already across the river about 30 yards away.  BT swam all the way back to me and helped me get the carabiner off as I tried my best to keep my head above water.  BT's my hero.  It was at this point I thought I should've opted for a full wet suit that's more buoyant and a life jacket.  I'll do that next time...and there will be a next time.

That's me repelling down!

One of the last obstacles was the coolest thing I've ever done.  There was a part of the canyon where there was a horizontal sliver of space between the granite, about 2 feet wide.  This sliver was wet with the a strong trickle of water and we had to slide into it completely laying flat.  It was crazy!  We slid about 15 feet through this natural water slide and make a sharp right directly down into a waterfall and swim out! OMG! What an adrenaline rush!

Canyon miles.

The total trip was about a mile and a half.  This includes the distance to hike in and out of the canyon.  A mile and a half may not sound like a lot to you, but in "Canyon Miles" that's a long way.  We started at 7:45, and ended around 1:30.  That's a long day.  We were definitely cold at times.  There are parts of the canyon that rarely see sun.  The water was 65 degrees and we were in the water for 90% of the time that we were in the canyon.  The weather was perfect, sunny and bright.  But I would be lying if I told you that I never looked upstream to wonder if there might be a storm somewhere that might bring a flash flood our way.  There were definitely a few times I looked at the canyon walls on both sides of me to try to find an escape route.  I looked at the clouds and could see the grey in the linings knowing there might be some rain in there somewhere.  The possibilty was always there.

I was amazed how peaceful it was in the canyon.  You can just hear the birds and the rush of the waterfalls and creek.  Brian told us that there was a time there was a group of almost 50 people behind his group, then another group of 20 people behind them!  The canyon was filled with chatter.  But this day, I think we were the only ones in the canyon.  The other adventure groups might have been scared off by the recent rain.

I really didn't know what to expect from this adventure, so I went with an open mind.  The experience was more than I could ask for.  BT absolutely loved his present.  We were challenged and had to put our trust in each other.  I was reassured by him helping me so much along the way.  We were awed and inspired by a part of Arizona that people rarely have the chance to see or experience.  Adventure on Purpose was the best tour group I could've picked.  They really made us feel secure and empowered.  I didn't feel like I was just part of "tour" group.  We definitely want to do this adventure again and want to take our kids and our other adventure loving friends along for the ride.

The Sundance Film Festival

The stars come out in Utah at the end of January.  It's the Sundance Film Festival! A chance for Independent Film Makers to showcase their hard work for the world to see in hopes of generating some buzz, winning some awards and ideally get picked up by a production company that's willing to take the film to the masses.

What is there to do at the Sundance Film Festival besides watching movies? Well, let's see here.

Picture 1.  You could be sitting around at the end of a film screening and surprised with a guest performance by John Legend who goes on to introduce the creator of the Sundance Film Festival, Robert Redford himself.

Pictures 2 - 7.  You could do some stargazing.  All the stars are walking around from different venues.  If you're there on the first week, there are more stars out.  Last year even Jack Black helped direct traffic on Main Street.  Pictured below we saw Kristen Wiig, Mindy Kaling, Richard Kind, Keanu Reeves, one degree from Kevin Bacon, Alec Baldwin and his wife Hilaria.  If you want to stargaze, make sure you do your homework.  Find out who's in the movies that year and brush up on what they look like.  I kicked myself when I realized James Franco walked right by me and I didn't recognize him!

Pictures 8 -10.  The stars are fairly accessible.  If they're not on their way to a screening, interview or party they might even stop to take pictures.  Ryan Gosling is not above taking selfies.  I was able to stop Jemaine Clement from my favorite comedic musical duo The Flight of the Conchords.  He was there for the screening of "People, Places, Things", a movie in which he both starred and directed.  My friend also had the opportunity to take a quick pic with Lena Dunham after the Q and A session for the screening of her documentary "It's me, Hilary: The Man Who Drew Eloise."

Picture 11.  You can relax in one of the several lounges including the Music Cafe featuring up and coming artists like Seafret pictured here.

Picture 12.  Of course you need a picture under the marquee of the famous Egyptian Theater

Picture 13.  If you're lucky you can sneak onto a balcony and look down on the crowds.  Balconies are usually for media outlets to do their interviews with stars.  As luck would have it, Rolling Stone was breaking down their interview set so they let us hang out.  It was fun to watch people look up at us and wonder if we were "somebody."

Picture 14.  You'll never know who you'll be sitting next to in the theater.  During a screening of "Sleeping With Other People", the nice Italian gentleman sitting next to me was a new director Lamberto Sanfelice.  His film "Chlorine" was selected to compete in Sundance's World Cinema category.

Picture 15.  Who knows, you might even run into some Olympians like the 2014 Gold Medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White.

Picture 16.  There are many venues that offer different experiences.  The New Frontier lounge had some cool virtual reality experiences.  This is me putting on the Oculus Rift and laying on a bird-like contraption to fly over San Francisco.  It was a blast! They even had wind blowing in my hair! Here's a video explaining the Birdly experience.

If you go.

At the least get your hands on the Credentials.  This year they go for $200, but if you know someone who's not using them that day, they are transferable.  The Credentials are what get you into all the fun venues with music, activities, experiences, and guest panels.  Some lounges included free cocktails, but definitely a lot of SWAG.  So bring a SWAG bag!

How do you get tickets.

• You can buy advanced tickets online here.
• You can buy tickets the morning of the movie.  That requires you to wake up early and face the cold Park City morning.  Then you must wait in line until the ticket booth opens with the coffee you had to walk 5 blocks to find because there's no Starbucks.
• Another way to score tickets is through their eWaitlist.  Get the Sundance app and learn how to use the eWaitlist.  In the event that ticket holders don't go to their movie, people on the eWaitlist get their ticket.  You will find yourself counting down the seconds until the eWaitlist opens for your movie so you can click on the button at the exact second, then you'll most likely end up with number 25 or more.  But don't worry, we were able to get into movies with our numbers in the twenties.  It varies depending on the size of the venue.
• Many times sponsors will hold their own screening of a movie and just give away tickets.  We were at the right place at the right time and scored tickets for the screening of True Story.  I feel obligated to now let you know the free tickets were sponsored by Lenscrafters.  Thanks Lenscrafters for the tickets and for having your people walk through the line and clean all our glasses.  The movie was much clearer thanks to you!
• There's always Craigslist.

No expectations.

I didn't know what to expect my first time at Sundance.  I feel with no expectations, we can fully experience it without pre-judgement.  Just enjoy it and take it all in.  You might never be back.  Great advice for everything you do.

19th Century Poetry

New Years Eve always reminds me of this poem by Thomas Hardy, The Darkling Thrush.  It's about the end of the day, the end of the year, the end of a century and the cold winter makes everything look bleak.  Yet a small, little bird decides to put in every ounce of joy he can muster up to belt out it's happy little song.

"...that I could think there trembled through his happy good-night air

some blessed Hope, whereof he knew and I was unaware."

This poem is even more poignant to me today as 2015 comes to a close.  As some of you might know, I will be laid off later in January.  One might envision things to look cold and bleak like Hardy describes in this poem, but I feel more like the Darkling Thrush, ready to face the new year with a song and joy in my heart.

I'm also reminded of this quote:

"A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because her trust is not on the branch, but on it's own wings."

Lots of exciting things are in store for 2016! It's a brand new adventure and I'm looking forward to every minute!  Happy New Year, friends! Thanks for reading my blogs and joining me on my adventures.  Here's to many more to come!

Parlez vous Français?

Did I tell you how lucky I am to be travelling to Belgium and Paris with my sister who speaks French? I took 4 years of French and can only remember a few things.  Of course my reasons for taking French in high school were not at all practical.  It's a  beautiful and romantic language, but when would I ever use it? Who knows, maybe someday I'll be having croissants in a cafe in Paris and I can call out "garçon!" Maybe that someday is next week!

The only time I remember using French was in college, with a colleague, Claudia.  Say that five times fast.  Claudia and I did our undergraduate research in a laboratory at the university.  We would use it as our "secret" language to discuss things that we didn't want anyone else to understand.

One day, the phone rang and I answered it.  On the other end of the line was a gentleman who spoke with a heavy, obviously French accent.  He asked for another lab mate, Lauren.  I handed her the phone.  She then begins to speak to the gentleman in perfect, fluent French!! Both Claudia and I turned to each other with a look of horror and surprise! What have we been saying to each other this whole semester? Did she hear us? Did she understand us? And how much did we butcher her language? I'm sure my French teach, M. Brownstone would have been very disappointed.

Monsieur Brownstone

I'm sure it wasn't that bad.  But I seem to recall the most scandalous thing I might have said in our secret language was "Il a un mari aussi."  Now, with the magic of google translate, it appears I said "He has a husband also."  Yeah, Lauren had no clue what we were talking about.

That will teach me to never use French as a "secret" language ever again.  That's my reason why I don't try to speak French anymore, especially in front of someone named Lauren.

Since 2016 is near approaching, I think learning a new language will be one of my resolutions.  This year I'm going to learn Japanese.  I've already started with some CDs from the library - a great way to get some free educational materials.  I listen to the CDs in the car as I'm driving around town.

Once I feel confident enough, I found a Japanese Speaking meetup group to practice.  My son will be in Japan for the next three years, so hopefully the next time I go I'll be able to say more than just "Engo wa wakarimas ka?" or "Do you understand English?"

Traveler Alert

Staring at me in this morning's headlines "Belgium arrests two over suspected New Year attack plot" Just. Great.

This is the first time my husband's letting me travel internationally without him and guess where I'm going.  Yup, Belgium.  The article states 'The Belga news agency, citing an internal police memo, said there "exists a possible and credible threat of Paris-style attacks" against the high-profile Grand Place'  I'm pretty sure that was on the list of places to visit while I'm in Brussels.

The Grand Place or Grote Markt - Photo Cred - My sister

Now my husband's got to worry about terrorism threats.  Of course, I'm worried, too.  But we can't live and plan our lives around threats.  My sister has been wanting to take me to Europe for years.  We would talk about it in high school during French class.  Now here's my chance to visit Belgium and France next month with my very own sister as my tour guide and translator.  Yes, she did great in French class and unlike 99% of people who take French in a U.S. high school, she actually uses it!

Of course, I'll remain vigilant and pay attention to my surroundings as is suggested by the US Dept of State World Wide Travel Alert.  But as travelers we should always do so.

Happy New Year, everyone.  Or shall I say "Bonne Annèe"

It Takes Your Breath Away

Wow! Vail, Colorado.  My poor, pitiful amount of training could not even prepare me for the high altitude here.  Despite the fact that I was barely breathing, it was perfect!

We arrived in Denver Friday evening and battled the rush hour traffic, then over the Continental Divide to get to Vail.  Reports were calling for snow all night, but when we arrived at our hotel in Avon there was still no sight of the fluffy stuff.  However, we awoke the next morning to the walkways outside sporting a thin, one inch layer of the powder! Yay! I could wear my new boots!  Sadly, tying them on took the wind out of me.  How am I going to fare with snowboarding?

I am happy to say snowboarding Vail did not disappoint! The mountain was gorgeous.  There are enough trails for an intermediate snowboarder like me to enjoy.

The only problem for snowboarders are the catwalks.  I can't stress this enough so I will use all CAPS.  IF YOU ARE SNOWBOARDING VAIL, PAY ATTENTION TO THE TRAIL MAP FOR THE CATWALKS! There is not enough slope here to maintain your speed.  I found myself having to take off one foot and push myself along.  At many points I took the entire board off and just walked.  If you plan to go, ask around for the best intermediate/beginner trails that would avoid most catwalks.  I found the locals would be happy to help and share their knowledge about the mountain.

One snowboarder passed me as I was walking and she had a ski pole that helped propel her along.  "What a great idea" I told her as she passed by.

She called back out "Girl, she's my best friend!"

I should've known better than to take a trail named "Brisk Walk."  The only positive thing that came out of this was the extra calories I burned.  But most of all, I had the opportunity to just stop and take it all in.  I felt the peace and wonder on this trail all alone with the most beautiful view.  I had to quietly stand there for a minute and take a deep breath.  Not because of the high altitude and the exertion, but simply because the sight was absolutely breathtaking.

Overall, we had the best two days on the mountain.  My husband lived in Vail for 3 years in the Eighties.  Unfortunately, his memory of the catwalks were a little faded.  But he did say the snow and powder days are amazing.  He says they call it "ego" snow because it's so easy and fun to ride that it does wonders for your ego.

Blue Skies on the second day!

The first day, it snowed most of the day, but it was such a light snow that it didn't bother me at all - no white out or blizzard conditions.  The next day it was gorgeous and sunny! You couldn't ask for a better day.  It was early in the season, so the mountain was not crowded at all.  I remembered my love for the being in the mountains and enjoying the feeling of riding on my board.  It's been way too long.

Next ski trip? Breckenridge, CO in late January! I'm so ready.  This time, I will study the trail map and ask around for tips and suggestions.

In Training...

A week before my snowboarding trip and I decide to start my training.  I don't remember getting any snow runs in last season.  I don't think I've snowboarded since March 2014 in Park City, UT.  I'm not sure if my legs or cardio will hold up in Vail because I also haven't been running as much lately.  It's been too cold.  Yes, I see the irony there.

So just 7 days before my trip and I decided to do some conditioning on the Pinnacle Peak Trail.  Ahhh...good 'ol Pinnacle Peak.  I've done this trail more than I can remember.

No kidding!

 Trail Details. Pinnacle Peak is an out-and-back hike, not a loop trail, that runs 1.75 miles one way for a total of 3.5 miles round trip (See what I did there?)   It's also not a Peak trail.  You never get to the top of the peak unless you're a rock climber.  The trailhead elevation is 2570' and the highest point of the trail is 2889'.  You then lose elevation before another climb until you hike down to the end and lowest point of the trail at 2366'.  That's where you have to turn around and climb the hardest quarter mile of the hike as you make your way back.  The cumulative elevation gain of this hike is a healthy 1300'.

Hello Camelback! I'm looking at you look at me!

It's my go-to trail when out-of-towners want to go for a hike, but I don't remember the last time I did it.  It's a great hike with amazing views.   From one of the view points you can see Camelback Mountain.  Whenever I'm on the top of Camelback I always look North to see Pinnacle Peak.  This trail is where I saw my first and only wild Gila Monster.

The only thing that turns me off about it are the crowds.  The Four Seasons hotel is very close by, so many of the guests are directed to this great trail.  The upside to this popularity is it's very well kept and attended by trail rangers and rovers.

There are mile markers every quarter mile as well as informative signs for the different desert flora.  In honor of the holiday I noticed they even added signs for the first half mile that included modified lyrics to the 12 Days of Christmas.  Close to the top of the first peak, we get to the 12th day.

If you're looking for a beautiful hike and great exercise check out Pinnacle Peak Trail.  But be aware, there are no dogs allowed here so leave Rover home for this one.