Essay on Exploration, by Dave Pimental

[ratagonia]

Dave has worked up an awesome memoir about Exploration, with
accompanying photo gallery.

I Ms Piggy
To my mind there are two kinds of canyon explorations, those that
are painstakingly developed over time and those that are a gift. Ms
Piggy was a gift. Had I the experience to see it, I would have had
more appreciation and respect for what we were undertaking. As it
was, I stumbled along with the highly qualified group, bewildered by
the whirlwind. Star struck and hesitant, I followed the rest of the
crew into a wondrous journey of discovery.

The canyon had been scouted and plans for its exploration had been
hatched without my knowledge. While a willing participant, I had
little understanding of the implications of our intentions nor the
preparations involved in what I was privileged to join. It was not
until well after the experience that I became tuned in to the
consequence of what we had done, and I began to get a glimpse of the
effect it would have on my future.

http://canyoneeringusa.com/rave/0712...tion/index.htm

Enjoy.

Tom

[goofball]

niiiiiice big wall there in w3. very pretty. that was capitol reef ? some very cool stuff tucked in there.

something about the unknown, being truly responsible for ones self instead of being handed teh answer, is very appealing. really a rush from the start of the process to the end. especially when it is all new and rosey. then after time a little prudence sets in. so i've heard... and as dave said, doesn't matter if its a so thought 1st descent or not, hopefully it is about the experience of self discovery, 1st in line or not. and on teh aesthetic front. i find it a real rush to descend a canyon and NOT see any sign before me of priors. only water sculpted sand and rock. no long streamers of webbing hanging out around big deadmen marring the beauty (i'd rather see a well placed bolt(s), read "hidden", with its 1-2 sq inch footprint and a clean pull path so as not to groove the rock), no skid marks along the walls, no beaten path to and from entry/exit. just the joy of pretending i am teh first human ever to set foot there. right there, on that one little spot. no, not that one ! that one there, a little to the left. YES ! i am the first human to EVER set foot there !

but nice read and pics dave. keep enjoying it. THAT is what it is all about.

[Jaxx]

That water looks nasty in Woody! Thanks for posting that up. Love the TR's!

[shaggy125]

That water looks nasty in Woody!

You have no idea, my rope was brand new when we went in, what a christening it got, it still holds the smell of that ultra nasty water. I was fortunate enough to be on a couple of these exploration trips with Dave, thanks Tom for adding his story to your rave and thanks Dave for wring it. Can't wait to get in on the next one .

Eric.

[Deathcricket]

Wow.... really cool story man. You have a great way with words. I really thought it was cool how cautious you were in your initial scouting. Also interesting on the leading vrs following conversation. It truly is awesome to be on point. I now wonder if perhaps I "hogged the glory" and my friends were too polite to tell me. I will have to be more considerate in the future.

Not a fan of the black and white pics though. The color ones at the end were much better IMO.

Anyways thanks for sharing!

[shaggy125]

Not a fan of the black and white pics though. The color ones at the end were much better IMO.

I liked the transition, all in black and white until the end, when after all that work he finally gets the whole package, finding, scouting, and descending a canyon unknown to any of our group. If you go through the galleries (click on the letters) it has the color versions of all the b/w pics along with some additional ones.

[Iceaxe]

I now wonder if perhaps I "hogged the glory"

Something I have noticed..... diverse cliques view being on point differently.... I have been with some groups that are real Nazi

[stefan]

i really enjoyed this piece by dave and how it focuses on his experience and the evolution of his experiences. it's very nicely written, and i particularly like how he injects his self-reflection, something which more often accompanies an epic.

the unknown is an interesting thing. it canyons it seems to come in all shapes and sizes. i think the most familiar is ... "well i know the canyon goes, but will i be able to go with it?" another side is more subtle and less expected, "what if the canyon changes and makes it harder, something i am not prepared for?".

but the exploration can take all of this to a whole new level. the canyon could be trivial on one hand, but on the other hand it could be insanely difficult ... and everything in between. gathering as much info as possible can help a great deal, but scouting may only provide so much information, and that unknown still lurks down there in that deep crevice. it's alluring, to be sure, what awaits in the unknown, what special places may grace your eyes. but what if ...

i really enjoy the way dave's perspective on exploration changes, how apprehension emerges, how a new found respect for this approach develops, and how he finds what he seeks.

it's quite an exciting time. still many slots unknown to the general public and written in the words of beta. as has been noted by steve allen, who has been quite prolific in his explorations of slot canyons, "The number of quality slot canyons seems limitless now, but with the number of participants in the sport increasing, it will only take a generation or two before all the slots are done." he expressed this in the late 90s and we're witness to the transition.

it's a very special time now, and dave's piece is a nice expression of this.