Canyoneering
Since I moved to Oregon I’ve developed a little waterfall addiction. As I began exploring I discovered it’s not just the waterfalls that I love, it’s also the adventure. Good news is that the PNW if full of waterfalls, some in rather remote locations and some that you can’t get to without ropes. I took this as a challenge and started to explore more and more (ropes and all); still just scratching the surface of what is out there.
While exploring some of these hard to reach places I discovered a sport called canyoneering, where people use ropes to rappel down the waterfalls and into slot canyons. This allows them to go to places that you can’t hike to as well as get a unique perspective on the waterfall. Can’t lie: It looked like a blast.
The more I saw photos of what you can see and do canyoneering, the more interested I became. It looked like fun and I loved the idea of going to places that most people will never see. Not stoked about being cold and wet all day, but nothing’s perfect, right?
I was able to connect with some of the local canyoneers and they gave me a good idea of what is involved and the skills that I would need to learn. Luckily, after a little research I discovered that the Mazamas, a local mountaineering education organization founded over 100 years ago, offered a canyoneering class. There are a lot of moving parts with canyoneering; it’s not something you should venture into without training. The class enabled me to learn the skills needed to safely run a canyon as well as connected me with some like-minded individuals.
Well, I’m officially hooked and can’t wait to see more waterfalls and canyons. You can see some more photos in the canyoneering section under adventures.
