Canyoneering
My canyoneering career started around 2016, when, with my very first paycheck out of grad school, a friend and I went to Summit Hut in Tucson and promptly bought a rope, carabiners, harnesses and rappel devices. I never forgot the fear and exhilaration of that first rappel in Agua Caliente canyon.
Because you can't sufficiently learn canyoneering from books and YouTube, or even from friends, I took a beginner course in Utah, and later more advanced courses.
Today, I do 25+ canyons a year, of all difficulties, and consider myself quite competent in nearly all aspects of Class A and B canyons. I lead nearly every canyon we do, and take the safety and responsibility of the group upon myself. I'm hoping to get certified as a Canyon Leader in 2022 to back up my assertions, and keep my skills sharp.
A full list of the documented canyons I've done can be seen here. There are a few secret canyons I've ran that are not on this list.
In 2021, I also contributed some information and photos to Michael Kelsey's updated second edition of Technical Slot Guide to the Colorado Plateau.
I spent years leading exploratory efforts in the slot canyons of the northwest Navajo Nation in Arizona. Many Navajo slots remain undescended, and nearly all are poorly documented or completely undocumented.
