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Hazards - Technical and Non-Technical
There's lots of ways of getting yourself in trouble. The Utah backcountry is a wild and uncontrolled place. This is good. But here's some things to think about.
Non-Technical Hazards
Getting Lost: is surprisingly easy. I used to do it myself, unfortunately, on a regular basis. Navigating off landmarks does not work very well in the desert, because a lot of it looks the same. So take the maps, and keep track of where you are. Get a GPS and learn how to use it. My maps are helpful if you have the tools to print them, but the USGS Quads have more information including: UTM coordinates, information off the edge of my maps in case your plans change, and more context.
Getting In Over Your Head: is way too common. It seems to be a local sport. Basically, you can't wander around in the desert with minimal gear and information and not get into serious trouble at least once in a while. KNOW BEFORE YOU GO. Do research, be cautious, be smart, keep track to where you are on the map, and THINK! You are taking the first step, by reading this. Respect what I say - carry the gear listed and know how to use it. Don't do routes that you are not ready for. Here's an example. Hook up with people more experienced than you and learn how to do it right. Here's some stories of mis-adventure in Quandary Canyon to give you pause, and another Story about getting stuck in the Neon Keeper Pothole.
Dehydration/Heat Stroke: the desert is unforgiving and it gets damn hot. Typical hiking days require 4 quarts of water to stay reasonably hydrated. In the shade. Some routes cannot be done in hot weather, because staying in the bright desert sun for many hours is literally life-threatening, even with a lot of water, sun screen and protective clothing. In addition to carrying and drinking plenty of water, use good desert hiking technique:
1. Stay in the shade whenever possible. Use sunscreen early.
2. Take a siesta in mid-day, in the shade. Wait for the hottest part of the day to pass.
3. Get up early. Plan your hike to avoid getting burnt.
4. Stay tuned in to your vital signs. When you need to escape the sun, do so.
5. Set a deliberate pace. Do not over-exert, keep things mellow.
Flash Floods are an important problem to understand. Almost every adventure has some element of Flash Flood Danger, but the key thing to understand is that Flash Floods are predictable and avoidable. Since this is an important and rarely analyzed subject, let me spew forth in some detail:
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Here's how it works:
• One of those impressive late-summer thunderstorms builds up, sucking all the moisture into the sky, making huge, grand and impressive thunderheads.
• The thunderstorms get too big, too tall, "overdeveloped". The thunderhead collapses, all that moisture falls out of the sky in an amazingly intense rain, often accompanied by hail.
• The storm drops a very large amount of water over a small area in a small time. These storms commonly drop up to 4" in fifteen minutes. The desert surface, baked by the summer heat, does not absorb much of anything, and the water runs off.
• Runs off and collects in gulleys, which lead to washes that lead to canyons. Because water runs faster when deeper, the water collects into a bit of a leading wave. Downcanyon, the hapless hikers are trapped in the narrow canyon when the water reaches them, concentrated by the narrow canyon walls. Death or discomfort occur.
It does NOT need to storm where you are to flash the canyon you are in, it only needs to storm somewhere in the watershed above you. This can be quite a distance - for instance: in the Swell, the lower part of Eardley Canyon / Straight Wash is fed by a large area near I-70 up to 12 miles away; and, especially difficult, the Chute of Muddy Creek is fed by Upper Muddy Creek, which has a very large collection area from the central Swell to the Wasatch Plateau 50 miles away.
The flood does not arrive in one big wave ala TV. It tends to arrive in numerous small waves building quickly to a massive, churning maelstrom. I once just missed seeing the Muddy River rise from 1 foot deep and 15 feet wide; to 6 feet deep, 30 feet wide, charging like a mad locomotive with big trees churning up and down - in 15 minutes! Yikes! I almost spent the night across the river in my shorts and sandals, and some friends were almost swept away in the middle of the night. In that case, the thunderstorm was many miles away and a couple hours earlier.
So, how to protect yourself ?
 1. During certain times of the summer (May-October), a weather pattern sets up that brings moist air in from the Pacific off Mexico, and big thunderstorms form almost every day. This is known as 'The Monsoon'. Pay attention to the weather forecast. Pay attention to the sky.
Do NOT go Canyoneering during the Monsoon. Do NOT go Canyoneering when there are big thunderstorms forming.
That's pretty much it. It is pretty easy to predict that it WILL thunderstorm, but difficult to predict exactly where. But you don't really need to know that. Basically, you can predict with fair certainty, that 3 or 4 canyons will flash somewhere in the Swell. Now, call me timid, but knowing that, I'm heading to Ray's Tavern (UTM: 12S 0572279E 4316555N) for a day of shooting pool and $1.50 Bud longnecks, rather than playing Canyoneering Roulette with Mr. Thunderstorm.
Some Rules of Thumb:
- If the Thunderheads are already forming by noon, things are going to be bad.
- If you cannot see through the rain falling from a thunderstorm, it is strong enough to create a flash flood.
- From the start of rain to flash flood conditions can take less than 5 minutes.
- If your inner gut says 'no', listen to it. Go do something else.
- However high you think you need to be to be safe from the flood, go at least twice as high.
- If getting caught, do not try to outrun the flood unless you are very close to the end. Instead, find a place where you can climb out of the canyon or to a secure place HIGH on the canyon wall.
- When camping in a narrow canyon, camp high above the canyon floor, above any signs of previousfloods. Camp somewhere that you can go higher if needed.
Flash Floods - tracking a flashflood through Zion
Flash Flood in White Canyon, Cedar Mesa
Flash Flood Story from Little Wild Horse Canyon, San Rafael Swell
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Getting Hurt / Needing Rescue: this is not Disneyland. ANY injury can rapidly become a serious problem. Assistance is usually many, many hours away. While being super-cautious is no fun, getting hurt is not an option. Use your noggin and don't do foolish things. OK? First Aid and CPR training will help in some circumstances - call your local Red Cross and get some training.
Insects are rarely a problem in Utah, but when they are, they are. The biggest problem is the 'Green Flies' found around Muddy Creek and the San Rafael River during June and July. These very aggressive biting flies consider insect repellant as barbecue sauce. They fly faster than you can run. They land and bite in motion - a painful bite that swells and lasts a week. They seem to hang out in the vegetation and don't go far from the river. Their presence makes hikes along the Muddy River impossible at certain times. They also show up on the Black Boxes of the San Rafael, but only briefly. If they start swarming on you, run - away from the river, away from vegetation. They don't stray far from their homes.
There are assorted gnats, mosquitoes, etc., at specific times in specific places. Though rarely a big problem, they can be extremely annoying. They are often very localized, and moving a half mile or up onto the bench can get you away from them. As much as I love to sleep out under the stars, I always bring a tent in case my selected campsite has bugs.
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| Careful turning over rocks, you might find one of these. |
Snakes and Scorpions, while present in Utah, are not very common. Just stay awake, and you should be OK. Be careful when moving rocks around - scorpions are sometimes found under rocks at the most surprising places.
Poison Ivy is a problem in some places, especially in a few places in the Escalante and Zion. These specific spots are noted when I know of them. There is a cream you can use to cleanse your skin soon after exposure that my sister swears by, but I have not used it myself.
Infected Wounds: hopping in and out of potholes tends to be hard on the skin, especially on the knees and hands. Little wounds can easily pick up an infection from the soup we are wading through. Keep a tube of Bacitricin ointment in the car, and clean up the day's wounds while waiting for your dinner to cook. Wearing Neoprene Kneepads helps too.
Technical Hazards
Technical Canyoneering is, by it's very nature, hazardous. Once you start down that canyon, hit that first rappel and pull the rope, you have committed to making it down the canyon. You better know what you are doing. Here are some suggestions:
Don't be Stupid. Know your limits and stay within them. Bring the required equipment, no cutting corners. Bring the maps and the descriptions, and follow along in your guide so you know where you are. Don't think that just because there is an anchor, the route must be easy. Read these stories about blowing it and making it out alive anyway.
Getting Stuck is not an option. Good judgement, climbing and canyoneering techniques are all important to keeping it together. More info on this is available under the Technical Notes.
Tell Someone where you are going. Set up a check-in time, and provide information to your contact so the rescue squad knows where to start looking.
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