I began rock climbing in 1974 and did a lot of that, eventually working for Black Diamond as a product designer of technical sewn products (harnesses, harnesses, harnesses, plus packs, gaiters, webbing products, etc.). We moved the whole company to Salt Lake City in 1991, and a few years later I discovered the DESERT.
Not having much talent for it, after 20 years I got bored with climbing and started spending more time down in the desert, taking photos and hiking around. I bought the Steve Allen book, Canyoneering: The San Rafael Swell, and immediately highlighted all the places where it said “and from here, the canyon is impassable." From this, a hit list was born.
I survived my first couple of technical outings, more by luck than anything else! I was enthusiastic, but lacked steady partners. Brain Cabe took me under his wing, which helped a lot, but my appetite for canyons was larger than his. This was 1999 and the Internet was just getting going, so I started a website and posted up what I was doing. Eventually other partners showed up, we built a community and entered the silver-age of Internet-assisted canyoneering.
If you'd like to get in touch with me, you can do so on Facebook, Google+, or directly via
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. Even better, turn off your computer and come find me in the canyons!