Climbing New Routes Along the Green River, Utah

Just being in a remote place with good friends and learning something new was an unforgettable experience, says climber Daniel Woods, seen here on an unknown route in Labyrinth Canyon along Utah's Green River.  My goal on this trip was to learn how to trad climb and go into the unknown, says Woods, whose background is in bouldering, sport, and competition climbing.  The feeling of being a beginner again was humbling, but I had some of the best to teach me—Matt Segal, Alex Honnold, John Dickey, and Renan Ozturk—and they did just that.

With learning to climb comes learning to fall.  The best part of the trip for me was falling on double 00 TCUs [protective gear placed in the rock] for the first time, recalls Woods, who lives in Boulder, Colorado.  As I was falling, I placed my hands over my head in mid-air, just waiting for the gear to rip and for me to hit the ground.  Luckily, the pieces held and I survived.

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