Blake: “Hey Dave!!!!! So we have a change of plans Don’t worry we are still going to do Cassidy Arch Canyon, but +Joel can’t make the trip . He just texted me and said he can’t come. AND…. Josh is going to bring his 3 kids. He has two 3 year old twins and an 8 year old girl.! “
Dave: **look of worry quickly followed with a forced smile** “Sounds good, I am just here for the ride!”
Moments later….
Dave Texting his wife: “This is going to be an interesting day”
On Jan 11th, +Dave Owen, +Josh Davis and his 3 kids, and I all embarked on the canyon journey through Cassidy Arch Canyon in Capitol Reef National Park. Little did we know how awesome this day would be! Cassidy arch is one of the best “bank-for-your-buck” canyons I have done. The hike along the trail to the top of the canyon is relatively easy. You find yourself meandering up a nice maintained trail that grants you access to some views of some really beautiful country!
After a beautiful walk along the rim of the Grand Wash, we found ourselves looking at the majestic Cassidy Arch. It is a large and very beautiful arch and it was so cool to see it in person!
This little canyon starts with a BANG! right off the bat, we find ourselves rigging a 140′ drop with a retrievable anchor. Rigging the drop for that rappel was the easy part What made us nervous was taking 3 children down the canyon with us! For the first time ever, we had to rig our rappels for two. Don’t worry, I watched a You Tube video on how to do it, so we were totally fine!! **chuckle chuckle** Seriously though, I DID do some research on how to perform an Assisted Rappel (You Tube definitely helped) and the evening before the trip, Josh and I practiced from the comfort of the rope hanging from my basement ceiling. AFter that bit of practice we were confident we could rappel safely with the kids. SOOOOO…. what did we do. We rigged up Dave and Josh’s daughter and sent them down first! The interesting things about them doing it first is that they were the only two on the trip that hadn’t ever learned or practiced an assisted rappel LOL. They were good sports and trusted what we told them. Dave was the first in our group to successfully descend a 140′ drop in tandem with someone else.
Soon enough, It was my turn to rappel with one of Josh’s 3 year olds. What a task that first rappel was! I had to manage the pull cord, keep the child from falling off the edge of the cliff while you were trying to rig everything, get the child harnessed up, clip into the rope, clip the child into the rope safely, keep the GoPro from snagging in the tree, Arrange the child on the correct side so I could rappel correctly, and finally safely descend the drop with out smashing the kid. Yeah, it was quite the rappel! The best part about all of this was how the kids reacted once we were descending down the rope! They were as happy as could be and were having a TON of fun! They LOVED it. I am not sure that they were really aware of what was going on, but they sure did have a fun time hanging in their little harness. They were not shy about looking down and trying to find their Brother, Sister and/or Dad.
Well… the first drop was done, only 6 more to go!
We got better with rappelling with the kids. Every drop proved to be a unique and challenging experience. Some drop were completely overhanging. others required guide lines to get to. Some had narrow starts, but in the end all were wonderful adventures.
Cassidy arch canyon has 3 arches you get to rappel though! It was so pretty and so fun.
Because we had 3 kids with us, what normally would take us about 3 hours took us 8. We were so proud of all the kids. Josh’s daughter hiked the whole things all by herself. and the Twins hiked most of it. Every once in a while Josh would pack them in his baby-backpack, but that was mostly for the hike up to the arch.
speaking of packs, I laugh everytime I think about Josh’s pack for this trip. Usually his pack is filled with ropes, webbing, and other canyoneering gear. This time it was a Baby Backpack, hauling an occasional child with the associated harnesses, helmets, extra food, clothing, diapers, and wipes! HAHA! That has gotta be the best canyoneering pack ever!
This trip was one of best canyon adventures ever. Not only was the canyon extremely pretty and wonderful; it was also really fun to troubleshoot and problem solve how to get small kids through safely. For me it was a wonderful day. It was fun to see Josh beaming with fatherly pride! I can only imagine how happy and excited he was to have his kids with him for some of his favorite activities! That just might be the perfect day for a Dad. I hope one day to experience it for myself
Mountaineer
Nice write-up Blake. Absolute focus and care.
Curious, how did you rig the retrievable on the first drop?
Blake Merrell
Thanks
We used the “two ring sling” as our retrievable anchor.
Ram
I had given a lot of thought over the years to kids in canyons. This thread has provided more food for thought. Thanks all. As I age, I find myself less inclined to judge and have seen back to the multitude of times that I have in the past. Its not so much that I have regrets for being that way. It was what it was. Much more the feeling, these days, that there are “many” ways to do things and look at things and I was too dogmatic to see it.
This is me only. When it comes to adventure and its timing for children, I have settled on defining what I wish to accomplish and for who. I love taking on a challenge, figuring out the logistics and applying skill to accomplish it safely. When I do that with children along, for me it becomes about the challenge “for them.” If they are with me, then it is about what they have to gain, learn and grow from. Oh yeah, have fun too! It often is taking them to that magic place…….. “bit more than they think they can do and a bit less than what they can do.” The sweet spot and forever shifting as their skill set evolves. Same can apply to adults.
In the past, I thought that carrying kids in packs was wrong. I don’t feel that way anymore, but here was my reasoning. I saw so many kids, heads flipping side to side, asleep or just plain worn out. I thought that the kids got nothing from this and it was just the parents being selfish, indulgent. Not waiting till the child was able to do it on their own seemed wrong. I used to declare, in all the self righteousness that I could muster, that kids under the age of say 4 should just be given a body of water, unlimited rocks and a safe place to wander around nearby. I see it differently now. Toddlers can and do make their way, on their own, then hitch a ride, then get out on their own again. I see kids in tandem raps here. Many ways to do it I suppose.
For me it was and still is, about the kid and what they were ready to learn. But I think perhaps it may even be about what we, as adults are capable of teaching. I could not safely do what Blake and Josh did. I don’t have the rope skills. I don’t have the core strength for the extra margin of safety on the raps. So when I say “what can a 3 year old gain from this that they can’t gain in a less vertical environment” am I really saying, I can’t/should not do that? If so, pretty small of me. Perhaps Maybe 3 year olds are learning a butt load that my lack of experience here does not allow me to see. They probably are. Then I bargain a little more…can they learn whatever it is on 30 foot raps rather than 200 foot ones? maybe. Don’t ask me, my lack of an open mind till now disqualifies me except with me and my own!
Then I think about what I have taught my kids that others are sure to think is unwise, unsafe, reckless…Ding, ding, ding. Perhaps the number one answer is…..Jumping in to water…from high places and shallow water jumps from lower places. I taught it well and Aaron and Amy are quite good at it, but……..many would say that is reckless. I would have no problem arguing that point of view on the debating team. Still we do it. Then there is the little thing of my son Aaron descending Sandthrax at 15 years old. So we teach what we know and do what we think is right and learn from each other and consider new ideas, if we can be lithe enough. Thanks for sharing your experience
Much more to say, but i think i will start a new thread for that
Amy on her first rappel, Subway May 2002 Age 7
dweaver2130
Awesome pics and great report!
Deagol
The real shock here is that one of the kids had to rappel on a Totem,
He will be scared for life…
Seriously, though… wow, I would never do that. But maybe for some different and some of the same reasons than what others have said. I don’t mean that as “YOU should not have done this because ……” since I don’t feel that would be my call. There is a slippery slope here that I wouldn’t tread on.
Edit: @4:15- I see that webbing rat’s nest is still there..
ratagonia
Nice job Blake.
Set up is so important. Sounds like the setup is great and the young-uns were into it, and understood in their way what was ahead.
Tom
Blake Merrell
BTW Kuenn, It is people like you that make me love the Canyon Collective. You take great care in considering others feelings, YET, you are still very honest and frank in your posts. I really do appreciate what you said and agree with it too!!
Blake Merrell
Hey Kuenn and Ram thanks for your post
I get what your are saying and appreciate your feedback While I understand your concerns, this was the Dad’s call. He had all the gear for this kids and he was the one responsible for bringing them. Honestly the scariest part of the trip was managing the kids while we were near a cliff edge, and in all honesty, that became much easier once we were actually in the slot canyon. The only thing I would do differently on a trip like this would be to have the kids tethered to an adult at all times with a 5-10′ teather. that is just to calm my nerves as the kids get close to the edge.
Anyway, I understand your concerns. But we went into this knowing what we were going to have to do. The assisted rappel was actually a lot of fun and the Kids LOVED the whole adventure
In all honesty, the rappelling and such was not my biggest concern on this trip. I knew what this group could do and I knew that rappelling would be the safest part of the trip. I KNEW that we would safely get everyone down the drops fine, but as stated above, I was most scared about keeping the kids safe when they were NOT on a rope.
Take aways from this adventure:
It is so much better to go on outdoor adventure when you have FAMILY with you
Managing little kids (3 year olds) around cliff edges scared me to death!
To calm my nerves, I will next time have the small kids tethered to an adult at all times
If you go canyoneering with very small children, made sure you have one adult per kid.
Learn how to perform an assisted rappel.
Assisted rappels are really quite fun!
Know that with small kids the canyon adventure will take a lot longer than normal.
With small kids, your canyoneering pack will NOT be the same make sure to bring extra fruit snacks for all
Be really careful when going over tricky overhangs to not smash the childs hands and fingers!
All in all, really really really consider if it is good for you to be taking small kids canyoneering. In our case the Dad and Mom were fine with it, and we were confident that we could rappel safely with the children.
Kuenn
You did what?
Blake, buddy, although we’ve never met, we have corresponded on and off list a few times; I consider you a friend and hope you’ll take what I’m about to say in that light. So, using a reference that seems apropos, I will do my best to follow Thumper’s counsel. (Alas, you had to expect this was coming, especially from an opinionated jack…. For perspective, I have 3 granddaughters, the oldest is 3.)
The Good
First, congratulations for successfully and safely managing your collective brood through the canyon. I can only imagine that the utmost care was given for logistical safety and watchful herding. The fact that it took 8 hours suggests that every detail was considered. Your vertical skills were obviously put to the challenge and up to the task.
The Bad (and please, remember my intro statement)
Who was the trip leader and what the hell were y’all thinking! Even though they weren’t your kids, complicit culpability gets equally applied, especially in a courtroom. I have always held that skill and judgment don’t progress at the same speed and proportion. One can easily show another how to shoot a gun, but instructing them on when, why, and the consequences of doing it are much more involved. Flirting with disaster and cheating it sets a precedence whose consequences are often deferred to others.
Maybe Little Wild Horse would have been a more suitable alternative.
The Ugly
If something had gone wrong…shutter to think.
I have led similar outings (maybe not to this extent), and have learned from experience that my pre-planning details now include, “if something goes wrong can I justify it to friends and family, and will I be able to live with the consequences” (yes, all of which are very selfish motives, but for me, this is what causes sleepless nights). Honestly, if I had been on the SAR team that came to your rescue, the kids would have been taken to safety – obviously, but as for the adults…well, since you were begging for a challenge, do the rest of the canyon without ropes and hardware…and here’s a pack of crackers.
Peace…shoot back, I can dish it and take it.
Sandstone Addiction
A bit harsh, don’t ya think?
Blake and his crew researched the method, practiced it beforehand and put what they’d learned into practice. Tandem rapping, in most cases, is just as safe as solo.
So how old does one have to be to enjoy a great adventure?
Me and Trevor (barely 5)
Mom and Trevor on free hanging option of last rap on U-Turn.
Kuenn
That’s a fair question. My answer: I don’t know, it depends on the participants.
I believe I have the technical ability, the know-how and gear to safely tether rappel Sipsey, my 3yr old granddaughter, off the peak of Mount Thor, on a good day. And she would most likely have a blast being with her Papaw. But I also believe she would have just as much fun taking a romp through a lesser exposed part of the world. Can bad things happen there, too? Absolutely.
If the curtness of my endorsement seemed harsh, I’d hope it’s viewed by Blake and others as only a candid expression of my concern.
Tom said it best.
BTW, nice pictures of the family at U-Turn.
ratagonia
No.
Taking young kids rappelling is a very serious matter, as in people can get killed AND the other people around are likely to have their lives ruined if #1 happens. Therefore, rigorous questioning of the perpetrators is appropriate.
I believe the perps came through the rigorous questioning quite well. Which should, we hope, deliver the message to wannabe perpetrators out there that a high technical, parenting and psychological standard is expected when doing this activity. So say us all.
Tom
Ram
Man you are braver than I and when it comes to taking kids where social services might object, I am no slouch
I am familiar with all the drops. You explain nicely #1. I might add how abrupt the drop is. Horizontal, then immediately vertical. At #2 I have seen adults unnerved by the stroll to the anchor. At #3 combo, it is tight enough to squish a kid if you are not careful. The next around the corner, thru the arch and the next down by the bridge? Those are awkward enough starts without kid on board, especially the bridge one! I am very attentive just for me and my lonesome. Impressive.
Other things that come to mind. Attention span of three year old for 8 hours. Add that its January and very shady in there. You have warm drinks? The young ones take a nap in there? You bring toys?
All children are different, but I have found that many a 4-6 year old’s are uncomfortable with exposure and lose of control, of their immediate environment. Often with just a 20 foot drop. I have never taken a three year old…anywhere dangerous let alone the vertical world. Then again, I am not that strong in my core for that type of “wiggling” weight. One of the rules that I had was that the child had to recognize consequences in the natural world. Trust is one thing. Understanding is another. That said, there are likely as many correct ways to do things, perhaps as many as there is families, I suppose. Congrats on the “safe passage.” I would love to hear how the 3 year olds explain what they did and experienced, to other kids and adults.
A fine job working all the logistics out. There must be some anecdotes and stories from the day. Got any to share?