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...or why you get what you pay for.
Wife and I went canyoneering last weekend with her coworkers. On the hike to the first canyon, I bent over to look at a bug I saw, and one of my Nalgene water bottles came flying out of my pack, down a sandstone incline, and off a 30' cliff. (DAMNIT!)
At the bottom, it was fine. scratched to hell, but still holds water. In fact, it's sitting next to me at work as we speak. This is why you spend $10 on a water bottle, not skimp and buy a $2 water bottle. Losing that much water at the first of the trip meant I couldn't have gone into the canyon safely. I'd have needed to go back and get more water. That kinda puts a cramp in the rest of the day. :-D
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I also got to watch a newbie pwn herself. Rather funny, and even better that she laughed too.
Newbie: K. ON RAPPEL!
Bottom Belay: Rappel on!
Instructor: Keep your legs straight.
Newbie: *rolls eyes* Sure.
Instructor: Sit in the harness, don't stay upright. GET YOUR LEGS STRAIGHT!
Newbie: *Slips, falls over backwards, and is now laying on the side of the cliff face, feet in the air.*
*everyone giggles a bit, but keeps it down so as to not embarrass her*
Newbie: BAHAHAHAHAHAHA! *laughs for 5 minutes or so on the side of the cliff before composing herself enough to get back upright*
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Wife also took a tumble, during the upclimb out. The climb out of the canyon required some really technical climbing skills, and wasn't conducive to use of a harness and safety equipment, and at the top of the first section of upclimb, you can jump from one side of the canyon to the other. You kind of have to jump sides get out, and while my wife was sitting on a large rock that other people had stood, jumped to, or sat on, the rock collapsed under her, then lodged itself on a ledge just below rather than tumbling down onto <coworker> or my head.
Wife landed head first in <coworker>'s arms, and her left leg caught on the sandstone above her, so I had to free her before she could get down on her feet. It REALLY could have been much worse, but she instead got out with a few scrapes and a knee to ankle bruise.
Wife and I went canyoneering last weekend with her coworkers. On the hike to the first canyon, I bent over to look at a bug I saw, and one of my Nalgene water bottles came flying out of my pack, down a sandstone incline, and off a 30' cliff. (DAMNIT!)
At the bottom, it was fine. scratched to hell, but still holds water. In fact, it's sitting next to me at work as we speak. This is why you spend $10 on a water bottle, not skimp and buy a $2 water bottle. Losing that much water at the first of the trip meant I couldn't have gone into the canyon safely. I'd have needed to go back and get more water. That kinda puts a cramp in the rest of the day. :-D
---
I also got to watch a newbie pwn herself. Rather funny, and even better that she laughed too.
Newbie: K. ON RAPPEL!
Bottom Belay: Rappel on!
Instructor: Keep your legs straight.
Newbie: *rolls eyes* Sure.
Instructor: Sit in the harness, don't stay upright. GET YOUR LEGS STRAIGHT!
Newbie: *Slips, falls over backwards, and is now laying on the side of the cliff face, feet in the air.*
*everyone giggles a bit, but keeps it down so as to not embarrass her*
Newbie: BAHAHAHAHAHAHA! *laughs for 5 minutes or so on the side of the cliff before composing herself enough to get back upright*
---
Wife also took a tumble, during the upclimb out. The climb out of the canyon required some really technical climbing skills, and wasn't conducive to use of a harness and safety equipment, and at the top of the first section of upclimb, you can jump from one side of the canyon to the other. You kind of have to jump sides get out, and while my wife was sitting on a large rock that other people had stood, jumped to, or sat on, the rock collapsed under her, then lodged itself on a ledge just below rather than tumbling down onto <coworker> or my head.
Wife landed head first in <coworker>'s arms, and her left leg caught on the sandstone above her, so I had to free her before she could get down on her feet. It REALLY could have been much worse, but she instead got out with a few scrapes and a knee to ankle bruise.
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