Canyoneering Big Bradley at high water

Prerequisite Knowledge

No prior knowledge is necessary for this course. This course is for beginners interested in learning more about canyoneering and the basic techniques involved.

What to bring

You will want to wear comfortable clothes that you typically wear to hike in and shoes to hike in that protect your feet and drain easily when wet. Basic running or nongortex hiking shoes are fine. We do not recommend any kind of boot. A shoe such as Keen sandals or water type running shoes work best. We will supply you with all the canyoneering gear you need.

Tombstone Blues Canyon

Topics covered

This program includes proper rappelling technique, basic knots and their application for canyoneering, ascending techniques, basic haul systems, canyoneering movement and an adventure canyoneering trip. Includes both Big Bradley and Cougar Canyon Canyoneering Trips. In addition the course will also provide you with knowledge of other regional canyons where you can go to practice your skills.

down climb in Grassy canyon

Instructor info

Instructor info

Joe Moerschbaecher owner PVA first commercial company to offer canyoneering in the southeast, certified American Cayoneering Guide Association.

Big Rappel at Big Bradley

More in or reserve a spot by calling 772-579-0005 or email contact@pvadventures.com .

The Grand Canyon

Pura Vida Adventures is excited to announce some exciting new programming for the Fall of 2013.

Backpacking trips in the Grand Canyon and Arizona Canyoneering programs will be offered in the months of September through November. Both programs will include all equipment including backpacks, meals, and guides. In addition, the programs will provide transportation assistance.

The backpacking trips in the grand canyon will be 4 days and 3 nights and cost $1500 a person (discounted rates if you are a party of 6 or more). Transportation will be provided from Sedona or Flagstaff to and from the canyon at no additional charge. Popular routes we will travel in the grand canyon national park include Bouche, Hermit, BAT, S. Kaibab, N. Kaibab, and Tonto trail.   Dates: (9/16-9/19) (9/24-9/27)(11/4-11/7)(11/12-11/15).

Arizona Canyoneering

Canyoneering programming will take place in the Ancha region of Arizona where we will have the opportunity to explore popular canyons such as the Jug, Parkers Creek, First Water, and El Cap.  Canyoneering programs will include all meals, guides, equipment including wetsuits if necessary, and camping or cabin options. It will also include transportation from Phoenix.  Dates (9/13-9/15), (9/21-9/23), (11/1-11/3),(11/9-11/11)

Costs per person  (discounted rates for parties of 6 or more)

3 day, 2 nights             $1125 Camping                                    $1250 Cabin

Book the Arizona Canyoneering and Grand Canyon Backpacking weeklong program and recieve an upgrade from camping to cabin for the canyoneering portion and save $325.

Cost $2300 per person  Dates (9/13-9/19), (9/21-9/27),(11/1-11/7),(11/9-11/15) .

Pisgah Tavern located at the Hub bicycle shop and outdoor store

Pura Vida Adventures is excited to announce that we will be adding brewery tours to our 2013 offerings. The tours will consist of visits to the Pisgah Tavern, Oskar Blues Brewery, and Brevard Brewing Company.

Tours will start with participants being picked up from their Brevard accommodations and brought to Pisgah Tavern, where they can sample various regional beers.  Although not a brewery, Pisgah Tavern has a wide selection of various regional beers. In addition, Pisgah Tavern is located at The Hub bikes and outdoor shop. “Although not a brewery we decided to include Pisgah Tavern on the tour because of its wide variety of regional microbrews and its unique status as a bicycle shop, outdoor store, and bar,” says Joe Moerschbaecher, Pura Vida Adventures owner.

Inside Oskar Blues Brewery

The second stop will be at Oskar Blues Brewery, currently the largest brewery in the Carolinas.  At Oskar Blues, participants will have the opportunity to take a tour of the brewery and learn more about the history of the company.  After finishing the tour, participants will be able to sample a pint or flight of beers at the Oskar Blues Tasty Weasel taproom.

Then, the tour will head to Brevard Brewing Company, located in downtown Brevard.  Here participants will have an opportunity to see how Brevard Brewing Company brews beer.  After completing the tour, participants may once again choose to have a pint or flight of beers at Brevard Brewing Company’s tasting room next to the brewery.

The tour will end with participants being provided with a ride back to their local accommodations.

Trips include tours of the breweries, two tastings at each brewery, and transportation. Beers can be purchased separately while at the bar or tasting rooms.  Cost is $40 a person for groups of 3 or less and $35 a person for groups of 4 or more. Tours run daily starting at 5 p.m. and end between 8 and 8:30 p.m.  Advanced reservations are highly recommended.  Email contact@pvadventures.com or call 772-579-0005 for more information or to book a tour.

The Adidas Hydro Pro is a boot with a neoprene ankle cuff made specifically for canyoneering. The canyoneering boot is made to fit specifically with a neoprene bootie.  Over the last couple months Pura Vida Adventures has tested it in the canyons of Utah, Arizona, and North Carolina. Below is our review of the Adidas Hydro Pro boot.

Reviews are based out of 5 stars:

Comfort 3.5 stars

The Hydro Pro Boot is by no means uncomfortable, in fact after breaking it in and getting use to it I found it more comfortable then the Five Ten Canyoneer, which has been the standard in Canyoneering boots over the past few years. The fit in the width is a more normal fit then the Canyoneer which seemed to have a fit to wide for the normal foot.  The lacing system which includes velcro, quick lace, and a zipper creates a secure fit which tucks everything very nicely into the shoe.  Like any boot with a neoprene ankle it is not as comfortable as a trail shoe but what it lacks in comfort it makes up for in warmth and ankle support.

Durability 4.5 stars

This category is what has been lacking in many canyoneering shoes of the past. Typically wear in the canyoneering boot can be seen within a half dozen uses, however after over two dozen canyon descents in the Adidas Hydro Pro I am still not seeing anywhere from use. It seems this boot is built to last.

Performance 4 stars

The biggest question about this shoe was its performance. Would the rubber stick well to wet surfaces?  The resounding answer is yes on both wet and dry sandstone and granite this boot performed. Five Ten rubber which is thought to be the pinnacle in sticky rubber out performs the Hydro Pro but only in a subtle way.

Overall 4 stars

The Hydro Pro lacing and buckle system is great providing warmth and stability.  The performance of the rubber was impressive and exceeded expectations. The best thing the Hydro Pro has to offer that other canyon boots have not offered in the past  is durability.

Pura Vida Adventures was the first company to run commercial canyoneering courses in the eastern US, in addition canyoneering courses and trips are run by Joe Moerschbaecher who is certified through the American Canyon Guide Assocition. Pura Vida Adventures is the oncly American Canyoneering Academy accredited guide service in the eastern US. www.pvadventures.com

Give the gift of adventure this holiday season with a Pura Vida Adventures gift certificate.

Adventure Gift certificates can provide an opportunity for a friend or loved one to experience rock climbing, whitewater rafting, waterfall rappelling, mountain biking or any of the various others adventures offered by Pura Vida.

Water fall rappelling on Upper Abner Creek

 Gift certificates can be used on any trip or product we offer.

If you want to provide someone with an adventure this holiday season call us at 772-579-0005 or email us at contact@pvadventures.com We will be happy to answer any questions you have as well as assist you in purchasing your gift certificate. Gift certificates expire one year from purchase date.

Full Mooon over Sedona

Joe Moerschbaecher, owner of Pura Vida Adventures recently had the opportunity to travel to Sedona, Arizona and experience some of the canyons in the Mogollon Plateau region. This was Joe’s second canyoneering trip to Arizona on a previous trip he visited the canyons of Central Arizona. The canyons of the Mogollon Plateau proved to be beautiful wet narrow slotted canyons with some interesting potholes and fun technical challenges.

Babe’s Hole Canyon 3A II

Babe’s Hole was the only dry canyon of the entire trip. The canyon was a beautiful extended slot  with some basic  relatively short rappels and basic down climbing. The canyon also offered many great places to practice rope skills, as well as stemming and other canyon movement techniques.

Babe’s Hole Canyon

Bear  Canyon 3B II

Bear Canyon was a wet canyon with a few pothole swims a gorgeous narrows and some fun rappels and down climbs.  The exit hike of Bear Canyon dropped us into the beautiful West Clear Creek Gorge.  The exit hike from the gorge was on a steep strenuous trail that climbed up about 1,000 vertical feet back to the car.

Bear Canyon, Pothole swim

Sundance Canyon 3B II

The final rappel: 185 ft. primarily free hanging rappel from a 3 foot wide slot canyon finishing in a wide open sandy area. There really is no way to describe that feeling. This was the greatest highlight of Sundance Canyon. However, Sundance also provided some fun down climbs and pothole swims in it short but beautiful narrows.  The exit was in West Clear Creek and followed the same trail up the gorge as Bear Canyon.

Dramatic final rappel of Sundance Canyon.

Shamrock 3B R II

Shamrock received an R rating for the giant potholes canyoneers must negotiate when completing the longest rappel of 150 feet.  The rappel went over two potholes the second of which can be negotiated around on canyon right using some basic rock movement skills while remaining on rappel.  That pothole is a monster and very impressive to see.  The canyon was beautiful with various other pothole and lots of  opportunities to challenge and practice canyon skills while trying to climb around these lesser potholes.  Shamrock dropped into West Clear Creek as well and with map and compass in hand you the n navigated your way down the creek  looking for a specific wash, which you then bush wacked up climbing over rocks and boulders before making your way to the top of the canyon rim.  Shamrock was the most technical canyon and included some fun map and compass work as you made your way to the wash that would allow you to exit the gorge.

Negotiating the potholes on the final rappel of Shamrock

The Mogollon plateau provided some incredible canyons with great narrows, beautiful potholes, and nice technical challenges.  In the future I hope to get back at a warmer time of year with more daylight and explore longer canyons in the area.

Pura Vida Adventures was the first company to run commercial canyoneering courses in the eastern US, in addition canyoneering courses and trips are run by Joe Moerschbaecher who is certified through the American Canyon Guide Assocition. Pura Vida Adventures is the oncly American Canyoneering Academy accredited guide service in the eastern US. www.pvadventures.com

Taking a break at the pothole on Amasa back trail

In late September Pura Vida Adventures headed to Moab, Utah to ride the trails of this world class mountain biking destination.  Moab has been called “a mountain biking paradise” and the trails that surround Moab definitely lived up to this phrase.

Day 1:  Stopping at the Chili Pepper Bike Shop I was able to rent a bike and buy the needed maps for the week of riding.  I started with the classic slickrock trails just outside the city of Moab. The trails were truly incredible slick rock; they consisted of rolling smooth rock sometimes steep up and down rock face , while other times riding smoother, flatter rock along the canyon rim. It provided beautiful views of desert canyons as well.

The afternoon of Day 1 took me to Bar M.  These trails were less aggressive with nice downhills and easier climbs. It was much smoother riding than slickrock but not as technically challenging.  Two of the trails of a more moderate riding ability at Bar M were Deadman’s Ridge and Rockin’ A.  These two trails are not to be missed by any experienced mountain biker while riding Bar M .

Jimi Meg wall riding on Amasa back trail

Day 2: On day two I met up with five year Moab resident and current head mechanic at The Hub bicycle shop in Pisgah Forest North Carolina Jimi Meg.  Jimi is a good friend of Pura Vida Adventures and I was lucky that my trip coincided with a friend who had insider knowledge into the Moab Mountain Biking scene.  Jimi and I had a delicious breakfast at the Love Muffin Cafe before heading to Amasa back trail. The trail was a loop which started with about a four mile climb on  relatively nontechnical slickrock. This was followed by miles of wall riding, nice slick rock drops and jumps, and technical riding along the canyon edge. There were quite a few places where dismounting and walking my bike was necessary, but the riding by far made up for these short hiking sections.  During the ride we ran into a canadian couple and rode with them for the rest of the day as well as the following day.

After an am ride of Amasa back we headed to one of Moab’s newer trails located right over the town. Pipe Dream was a fun 5-6 miles of singletrack well constructed and at an easier level then Amasa back. The trail was 99% rideable and was a great 2 hour afternoon ride to complement the morning at Amasa back.

Jimi Meg on the canyon rim

Day3: The Whole Enchilada, over 35 miles of mountain biking euphoria.  The morning started with a hour long shuttle, provided by Coyote Shuttle, up into the La Sal mountains.  It followed with one of the best rides of my life: incredible downhills that started high in the pine forest with trails that reminded me of Pisgah. Later it led to miles of down hill slick rock with incredible rock drops and jumps. Our entire party of four were grinning ear to ear all day.  This ride is not for beginners but any experienced mountain bikers owe it to themselves to ride this at least one time in their life.

The start of the Whole Enchilada

The whole mountain biking experience in Moab was incredible and ended with a great party hosted by the Chili Pepper Bicycle Shop.

Below you can find a comparative table of rides of Moab and those of Pisgah. Pura Vida Adventures will be happy to customize and guide you through Brevard Mountain Bike experience.

Moab                                   Brevard

Bar M, Pipe Dream          Dupont

Amasa back                       Bennett Gap, Farlow, Slate Rock, Pilot Rock

Slickrock                             Cove Creek, Daniel Ridge, Butter Gap, Long Branch, Cat Gap

Whole Enchilada               Black Mountain, Squirrel Gap, Butter Gap, Avery Creek

Although the trails are obviously different this chart is simply to assist in comparing technical trail difficulty and effort.

To check our slick rock trails located in Brevard visit Cedar Rock, Big Rock, Burnt Mountain, and Micajah trails in Dupont State Forest.

Whole Enchilada, Moab, Utah

Pura Vida Adventures is a professional guide service located in Pisgah Forest NC operating under special use permit through Pisgah National Forest. We offer mountain bike trips in length from a half day to a week. For more info email contact@pvadventures.com

The Forest Service has closed the areas of Shining Rock and Graveyard Fields to over night camping.

If you are planning on hiking the Art Loeb this means there is no camping allowed north of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

In addition thye Flat Laurel Creek and Sam’s knob trails are part of this closure

Forest Service Closes Shining Rock and Graveyard Fields to Camping

Active as of 10/15/12

Pisgah Forest, N.C. — The U.S. Forest Service is closing the Shining Rock Wilderness and Graveyard Fields areas to overnight camping because of ongoing bear encounters with humans.

The areas will be closed to dispersed camping until further notice. The agency will monitor conditions to determine when it is safe to reopen the areas.

On Monday night, (10/16/12) a bear damaged a tent and food bag. Two people were in the tent at the time of the encounter, but no injuries were sustained. The encounter is the latest in a series of bear encounters in recent weeks.

Questions regarding the camping closure can be directed to the Pisgah Ranger District, 828-877-3265.

For Sale: $3200

Used bike well maintained ridden for 6 months, retail $4200

Location: Brevard, NC

Frame Size: MEDIUM

Email: contact@pvadventures.com, if interested

Components include:

Rappel in Birch Hollow

Joe Moerschbaecher and Jeff Heveron of Pura Vida Adventures just completed a two week recreational canyoneering trip in Zion National Park.  The trip concluded with the 2012 American Canyoneering  Academy Zion Rendezvous.  During the trip we did a lot of canyons, made a lot of new friends, and reunited with old friends.

The trip started with Keyhole Canyon a short class B canyon, which was a good way to literally get our feet and bodies wet for the weeks to come.  The following day we did Pine Creek a Zion Classic as well as Jolly Gulch a lesser known canyon in Zion which is 2 hours in length but has a phenomenal 160 ft. rappel to enter the canyon.

Legend has it that a local resident named Jolly got drunk one night went mad  and threw his entire family off the cliff before jumping off the cliff himself.  We passed by the house of Jolly on the approach to the canyon.  This would be a great canyon to do on Halloween night, if you dared.

Jolly Gulch Entrance

The next day we did Birch Hollow a popular canyon just outside the park with phenomenal slots similar to what you see in Zion itself.  Later during the trip we would do Mystery, Spry, Pine Creek a second time and Behunien.  Behunien was by far the highlight of the trip.  Behunien Canyon is a Zion classic.  The Canyon has a long approach with significant  elevation gain before dropping down into the canyon and walking an additional 45 minutes to the first rappel.  Behunien has multiple rappels of 150ft. or more in length.  It is quite unique from many of Zion’s other classic canyons.  The Canyon culminates above the Emerald pools with a two tiered rappel.  The second of these two rappels is approximately 170ft. in length.  Behunien was quite an exhilarating canyon.  Its long approach and long rappels, as well as it being personally our first descent down it was by far the most interesting canyon of the trip.

Although many of the canyons we did I had done before the thrill of those canyons did not disappoint.  It was also great to take some time to kick back and catch up with old friends and meet new friends at the Rendezvous.  Thanks to Zion Brewing Company for sponsoring the beer.  To all are canyoneering friends: Rich Carlson, John Wood, Phoenix Crew, Sedona Crew, Salt Lake City Crew, New York Crew, and the rest of the group we look forward to seeing you next year. Be safe, have fun, and I hope there are many canyons in your future between now and next year.

Appreciating the Beauty of Pine Creek

Pura Vida Adventures was the first company to run commercial canyoneering courses in the eastern US, in addition canyoneering courses and trips are run by Joe Moerschbaecher who is certified through the American Canyon Guide Assocition. Pura Vida Adventures is the oncly American Canyoneering Academy accredited guide service in the eastern US. www.pvadventures.com