Pothole
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Potholes are a natural part of canyoneering. The amount of water in a given pothole can vary greatly depending on recent weather conditions and other factors.
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[edit] Normal Potholes
Depending on the canyon, you may only see normal potholes. "Normal" meaning you can get out of it without much difficulty. Common sense will soon teach you that if you can't see in the water to see how deep a pothole is, be cautious when stepping in. There are few things funnier to the person walking behind you than to see you all-of-a-sudden drop into a pool of water up to your neck when you were only expecting it to be ankle deep. There are few things more annoying than tripping in ankle-deep water because you were expecting to step down waist-deep.
[edit] Strategies for dealing with "Normal" potholes
- Let someone else go first (wimps way out)
- Use the "Boom Stick" method - find a big stick and walk around with it. Drop it into a pothole of unknown depth... see how it responds to the water. If it drops in a ways before popping out - it's deep.
- Have a practice in your group where you help each other out by yelling back how deep each pothole is so they know what to expect. (Unlike climbing, where unsolicited beta is sometimes frowned upon, unsolicited beta about upcoming events in canyoneering is considered common courtesy.)
[edit] Keeper Potholes
These are large potholes that can trap the unwary. When they are dry, getting out of them can be difficult. When they are completely full of canyon water, you can often swim right through them. When they are semi-full, they can be especially tricky to exit.
Keeper holes must be respected. Don't go in one unless you have a plan to get back out. Leave a descent rope in place and rigged to ascend until someone is safely on the other side of the pothole. In many canyons the water in a deep pothole can be very cold. Have a plan to retreat quickly if you are unable to exit down canyon. After falls, hypothermia is likely the greatest danger a canyoneer faces.
All of these techniques are difficult. Practice as if your life depends on it -- it just might.
[edit] Exit strategies can involve:
- Avoid the pothole. Can you jump the pothole? Can you stem the pothole? Can you scramble out of the canyon and around the pothole? Can you run around the side wall "Crouching Tiger" style, using centrifugal force to keep your feet on the walls? Before you take to the wind, make sure you have a safe place to run to on the other side.
- Partner assist. Promise to buy your buddy bumbleberry pie if he lets you stand on his shoulders.
- Rafting - A solo sort of partner assist. Fill every bag in your pack with air. Lash everything that floats together. Huck Finn may have been too embarrassed to call this a raft, but hey, if you can stand on it long enough to scramble out of that hole, that raft is daft enough for me. A floatable rope bag might help.
- Throw bags, aka "Potshots" - A sort of canyoneering grappling hook. You can use your back pack, a small grocery bag made of nylon, a big ugly knot or anything else that can be attached to a rope. Using your backpack as a throw bag tends to be very wearing on the pack. You can sew your own throw bag or purchase one from Imlay. Fill the bags with sand, rocks, whatever is around (sand is less wearing on the bag than rocks). Clip the bag to some thin, strong cord and leave plenty of slack. This way, as you throw each one over the lip, it will have the least friction. Hope a bag snags on something (a crack, a log, "The Hand of God," etc). Send more ballast down the line and then gently -- very, very gently -- try to ascend the rope. This works best if there is something you can snag on the other side or if the canyon slopes away from the lip down canyon. With enough slope, even as few as 30 lbs can create enough friction to hold the rope. The throw bags should be made of solid sewing with durable nylon and a strong place to clip to. They'll take a beating. Be careful when using your pack. Not all grab loops on top are as strong as they should be.
- See Cerberus Canyons pack tossing techniques.
- A Big Hook on a long pole - Attach a rope to the hook. Attach the hook to the longest thing you have (trekking pole, old tent pole, driftwood). If you can snag anything, gently ascend the rope.
- Tension Traverse - Set up an anchor, maybe even a body anchor, wherever you can up-canyon. Use the rope to help you friction on walls that would be otherwise useless.
- Tyrolean Traverse - Snag something on the other side. Build a strong anchor on this side. Make the rope tense and zoom across. Anchors should be very solid as the torque arm mid-traverse puts exceptional force on the anchor points.
- Hooking - Aid climbing on two bat hooks and etriers. Snag small indentations in the rock. If you must, drill small holes to hook. Drilling should be reserved for dire situations. Favorite hooks have been the Black DiamondTalon and the Cliffhanger
Many of the above techniques will involve ascending a fixed line out of the pothole, and given the sloping lips of many potholes this can be problematic. Your weight on the line makes it difficult to move the upper ascender/prussik once turning the lip. Handled ascenders which can be removed and reclipped can help this, but there is a better way. Tie the rope into your ____ (hook, nutsack, friend's arm) with a locking carabiner and a butterfly knot. Make sure you then have two strands of line that will reach into the bottom of the hole, and you can then attach one ascender to each line and move up quite easily.
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