Canyoneering

I went down to southern Utah/Goblin Valley area this past week with some coworkers/friends to scope out some canyons and figure out which ones we should take our students to do. I was excited to do Ding and Dang canyon again because I had done it a few years ago. Typically, you ascend through Ding canyon and descend through Dang. However, we totally missed the fork in the trail and went up Dang and down Ding. The difference is that it was a lot harder to go up Dang! Some boulders we had to get up were so tall that if we hadn't had a tall guy with us to literally pull us up some of the sections, I don't know if we could have made it! It was super fun, though!

We also hiked through Little Wild Horse and Bell canyons. Little Wild Horse is now my favorite slot canyon! It was beautiful! Words can't describe and pictures don't do justice to the majesty of this canyon. We had a scary experience on this hike. After we got through Little Wild Horse and were about to head down Bell canyon back to the trailhead, dark clouds started to roll in! Even rain from many miles away can cause dangerous and deadly flash floods in a slot canyon, so we were pretty nervous. We practically jogged the rest of the way back, constantly looking for high ground and escape routes in case it started to rain. But we were ok. About 20 minutes after we completed the hike, it started to sprinkle, but I hope it didn't rain any more than that because there were still people in the canyons. This hike is great because anyone can do it - no technical skills required! And it's definitely a sight you HAVE to see!

Time to get a passport

It's really about time I leave the country. As much beauty as there is in the United States, I feel like I am taking for granted the majesty of this world by not seeing more of it. (Not that I haven't wanted to...I just never had the money to do so while I was a student.) So, I'm going to New Zealand for a week and a half in November to see that beautiful country I've heard so much about and to visit my good friend Sherry and her husband Eric who are currently living there. I will be staying in Dunedin, but hopefully I will get to see many other places on the south island as well. Coincidentally, I happened to read a blurb about Dunedin in Outside magazine last week. Apparently, it's one of the best surfing spots in NZ. AND, prime surfing season begins in October. Perfect!

For those of you who don't have a world map shower curtain to consult, here is a map of where I will be going.