Leprechaun Canyons

Ever since Dustin and I met, he has always been wanting to do "outdoorsy" things. We have been hiking, camping, skiing, wakeboarding etc. So when we got the offer to go "canyoneering" with his friends he quickly replied: YES. I on the other hand was a little more hesitant. Let me explain. Canyoneering consists of making your way through slot canyons. These slot canyons can be no more than 10 inches wide, while you are 15 feet off the ground, and 80 feet below ground. Getting through these canyons means rappelling (piece of cake thanks to girls camp (not young women's camp)), crawling, wedging yourself between the two sides of the canyon, controlled slides, using just your feet as a wedge between the two sides and walking sideways for a long amount of time.

We got up at 5 AM in order to make it to southern Utah in time for a canyoneering trip that day. We decided to do the easiest canyon first to test out if we were capable of doing the hard one. The East canyon was definitely easier. However, for me it was still a challenge. After that day my whole body was sore and dead tired.

(this is what the guy from 127 hours was doing when he got stuck)

The East canyon is shorter and wider. The main canyon is where the real "entertainment" is. That night was the coldest night of my life. We were all bundled up in sleeping bags and five layers of clothes but there was no way we could get warm. In the middle of the night the four of us eventually ran to the car to sleep comfortably. Dustin's friend Kyle even slept in the trunk. That morning I woke up sore as can be. I was not ready to do the hardest canyon with sore muscles. Let's just say I began to be an unhappy camper. We decided to do the fat and lazy approach, by driving to the canyon. Turns out we drove to the wrong one and ended up back at the camp within 20 minutes. Now we get to do the hard approach. I think this was the hardest part of the whole trip. I am a little scared of heights and climbing on the sides of slippery rock mountains is not my thing. Dustin was extremely patient with me and helped me a ton. I was definitely not having fun. Eventually we made it to the main canyon and started our long journey. Now I don't have any pictures of the really tight and hard stuff, so you'll just have to take my word for it. 

In the end it was an awesome experience. It definitely tested my physical and mental abilities but I did it! If you ever want to experience some good canyoneering, I recommend Leprechaun Canyons. If I can do it, you can.