canyoneering. need i say more?

Today was epic. Absolutely, epic. I, along with 8 or 9 others, went canyoneering. For those of you unfamiliar with this term, please take a look at Exhibit A and read on.

Exhibit A:

(Unfortunately, these are google images, not my own. But hey, points for not lying?! No pictures were taken because we didn’t have a waterproof camera, so hopefully these get the point across... although a bit more hardcore than what we experienced, but not by much!)

According to the source we all know and love, Wikipedia defines canyoneering as: traveling in canyons using a variety of techniques that may include walking, scrambling, climbing, jumping, abseiling, and/or swimming. Although hiking down a canyon that is non-technical (canyon hiking) is often referred to as canyoneering, the terms canyoning and canyoneering are more often associated with technical descents — those that require rappels (abseils) and ropework, technical climbing or down-climbing, technical jumps, and/or technical swims.

And yes, my friend that is exactly what we did.

We were first split into two groups, of course mine being the better of the two, included Alex Martin (aka “Cowboy”), Brandon Fitzsimmons (former Echo writer, please don’t critique this), Laura Convy, Adrian (a fellow Tik Tok-er), a local Cuencan woman, and our two fearless guides. To begin, we took at thirty-minute hike up a winding, remote trail that led to a refreshingly cold river where we could hear the waterfalls in the distance. At the river, our guides told us it was time to put on our wetsuits, harnesses, and helmets, and to prepare for some fun…

None of us knew what we were in for. In my mind, we would turn a corner, see a mammoth-sized waterfall, repel down it, and call it a day. To say the least, I was terribly mistaken!

Then, after a few short rules and safety precautions (safety first, folks!), we were on our way! Knee deep in rushing, gushing water, we were trudging through the river, climbing over rocks, chatting it up, and making much progress towards what I thought was the one giant waterfall. Then, out of what seemed like no-where and certainly without warning, our guide jumped off into the pool of water down below. We all stopped in our tracks, FROZEN. “Holy ‘cow’! Realllly?!” Jumping off waterfalls was NEVER mentioned! And, as Alex put it afterwards, “That’s when it became real”. This was LEGIT. No messing around. So, with no other option and adventure stirring in our bodies and souls, we all took the leap of faith… unquestionably worth it!

A little FYI: I am not even going to try to estimate how high, how deep, how long, how cold everything was because past measurements of mine have led to mockery, even to this day (“hundreds of dolphins, 15 feet away”). But I do know that I was falling for what seemed like minutes, the waterfalls were a decent size (but no Niagara). Also, sorry if some terminology is a bit off. Details like that are not my forte.

Adrenaline rushing, we were ready to take on anything, but little did we know, that first jump was only the beginning. We came upon jump after jump with the occasional all-natural water slide! We continued to make our way down the river, a bit cold at times (hot chocolate and fleece blankets were mentioned several times) but loving every second. Not too long had passed, and we were welcomed by our first waterfall repelling experience. We got hooked up to a rope, leaned back, as if in a chair, crossed our fingers, and set sail! (Interestingly enough, repelling scored a near “0” on Sarah’s Nerve-Wracking Scale.) We probably experienced 5 or 6 waterfall descents all together- some successful, some not so much. Sometimes we got pushed up against the rocks or under the waterfall, and other times we properly descended with our feet on the rocks. Either way, it was unbelievable, and we are alive to tell about it!

A little over half way through, we took a break on some rocks where the river was calm, and we had a little snack to prepare us for the last leg of our trek. Our snack time was bueno: hot tea and a creamy, brown sugar, peanut butter, high calorie, high-energy, slice of heaven, candy bar. (This gooey goodness is a local treat, and I will try to bring some home for those who are interested.) Our guide told us that we easily would burn up to 2,000 calories throughout the day, so this snack was all-around perfection.

A bit worn out, yet stomachs satisfied, we were ready to get this dirty job done. The last leg included little repelling, more canyon hiking, …and the kicker, the grand finale, the fireworks, the fat lady singing: a king-size, monstrous jump- at least twice the height of our first one! We finally reached the platform-ish area of our last jump, nervous to see how high, high really is… not as bad as I imagined. I guess. After all we had done, it seemed like anything was possible. But there was a catch: take the easy way out and jump straight down from the ‘lower’ rock OR jump out and then down from the higher rock. I knew what I had to do. I knew I would regret not jumping from the higher rock. And, who wants to live with regrets? So, after some mental flossing and a few minutes of stalling, the guide counted down, “3.2.1. Jump!” And so, I did. Not thinking- I just jumped, letting out a loud scream, living life to the fullest, and crashing into the water! One of the most freeing feelings ever!

That jump was pretty much the end of our four to five hour canyoneering excursion minus the ten-minute, 90 degree up-hill climb back to the trail and the struggle of taking off our soaking wetsuits …and I thought wet bathing suits were bad!

Our guides told us that they discovered this canyon/waterfall, Man vs. Wild-esque setting 18 years ago when they were fourteen. It took them two months to pave the trail and set up all the necessary equipment in the falls. The most difficult part, they said, was keeping their rock-type drills completely dry (which seems near impossible). They also said a ton of people chicken out on the first jump or if not that, the first waterfall. However, we all know those who do so majorly miss out. You just have to get past the first jump, and all is good.

This canyoneering experience is considered, in my books, the crème de la crème- definitely coming close to topping the list of BEST. THINGS. EVER. I’m almost positive this will be the hi-light of my trip. I can’t imagine a much better adventure… but who knows? If there is a better one out there- BRING IT!

Ecuador, thank you for treating us better than we could ever imagine!