Draper | Water Canyon

That first drop is just a touch of what Water Canyon has in store for me. As we continue on, we reach a short, horizontal slot that leads to what Draper calls the Rainbow Room, a natural chapel of striated rock enclosing a pool of chilly water. To get there, we must “chimney” laterally through the crevice -- which narrows at points to less than two feet in width -- pushing our backs against one wall and our feet against the other, moving like a sideways crab.

After a quick dip in the water, we continue walking and come to a boulder. We’ve got no choice but to scale it, but the rock seems impossibly high to climb -- the first flat spot I can find is located at shoulder height. Here’s where having an experienced guide comes in handy: Draper points out a small protrusion in the side that I am able to step onto. From there, I push myself to the top of the boulder, and then we easily make a short rappel down the other side.

The confidence I’ve gained from these initial rappels makes the next few comfortably enjoyable. We descend into a slick ocher rock trough that appears to serve as a streambed during rainstorms. Flash flooding is a major danger of canyoneering; water levels can rise rapidly in such narrow basins. Luckily for us, the clear sky promises no rainfall today. The drop is smooth, offering a stunning view down the canyon. We hike a short distance across a sandy bottom and then come upon a “keeper hole,” a deep pothole-like formation filled with water. Such holes can be deadly. Formed naturally by continually dripping water, the pits can be deep and difficult to escape because of their smooth walls.

We skirt the hole without a problem, though, and then climb across slick rock to the next rappel site, a sheer 150-foot-tall cliff of brown-and-black rock. This rappel, which Draper has nicknamed the Moonwalk, drops us onto a landing with narrow walls. The constricted passageway leads us around a corner and over another large boulder to a spot on sloping gray rock, where we rest beneath a tree and eat our lunch of protein bars and water. From there, it’s a short rappel over a sloping ledge into what’s known as the Trash Compactor, a small room with a muddy floor that’s dotted with slippery boulders and rocks.

Suddenly, we’re trapped. We’re surrounded by tall rocks on every side. But Draper, ever resourceful, shows me a route over and around the boulders. We walk down a sandy shunt that leads to yet another large rock. Once we’ve cleared it, we find ourselves on a perch that offers a breathtaking canyon view.