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Navigation

Description

Navigation is an essential skill for canyoneering. Very few canyons have marked trails or even trails at all, so you need to know how to follow a map and how to follow a GPS. There have been more than a few groups that have dropped into the wrong canyon and had to be rescued.

If you're unfamiliar with how to read topo maps, there are a number of resources available online, so I won't cover that here. I highly recommend that you have at least 2 maps in your group. This could be offline, pre-downloaded digital maps on your phone or printed maps. GPS uses a lot of battery, and you don't want to be stranded if your phone dies or gets damaged, which is why I recommend having at least two maps in the group. For the most part, once you drop into the canyon, navigation is not needed until you finish the canyon and are ready for the hike out. 

When I go canyoneering, I always download full resolution sattelite imagery of the entire region I'm going to be in while I'm still at home and on wifi. I also download the tracks or waypoints for the canyons I plan to do and any canyons I'm considering. We often make changes to our itinerary partway through the trip based on how everyone is feeling, so it's good to have the maps downloaded ahead of time. Don't count on having cell data after you leave home.

I have an Android phone and use Backcountry Navigator. I know a lot of iPhone users use Gaia. There are also a number of other decent apps as well. They all work about the same. You download a GPX, KMZ, or KML file to your phone and import it into your map app. Then in the app you can select a rectangle and download offline imagery for that region. I can't stress enough how important it is to do this before your trip and to not rely on spotty cell data when you get there!

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If You Get Lost