Zion National Park

Interpretive Program Plan

Program: Family Evening Program Zion Adventures Date: 7-25-2014
Interpreter/Educator: Preston Wood


Props and Supplies:

Helmet
Harness
Rope
SLCDs
Passive Protection
Other Various Rock Climbing/Canyoneering Equipment


Photos:
Rock Climbing
Geology Photos
Canyoneering Photos
Hydrology
Backpacking
Landscapes

Logistics: Family Evening Program, 45 minutes to 1 hour, conducted at the outdoor South Campground
Amphitheater

Theme/Topic: Most who visit come to admire the 2000ft walls, narrow canyons and long hot trails. The
most daring come to Zion to push themselves and test their resolve climbing, rappelling, and navigating
steep sometimes dark wet terrain and test their will in this extreme environment.

INTRODUCTION:
Welcome everyone to Zion National Park and the Family Evening Program.
Introduce myself and the following:
Junior Ranger Program
Map and Guide
Wilderness Explorer
Weather (If Significant) Fire Restrictions
Upcoming Programs
Introduce Adventures:
What is an adventure?
An adventure is an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity.

What kinds of adventures can we do in Zion?
Anything could be an adventure in Zion, from Rock Climbing, Canyoneering, Backpacking, even
hiking. Right now you are having an adventure at this program. We are going on our own personal
adventure.


Transition: First we will talk about some of the most daring adventures in Zion National Park.
(Disclaimer: This program is designed for informational purposes only, this program is not certified to teach
any technical skills required for Canyoneering, rock climbing or any other dangerous adventure. If anyone
is interested in learned more about these skills, talk to me after and I can point you in the right direction to
get the proper experience. Remember, your safety is your responsibility.)

Body:

Rock Climbing:
What is rock climbing? Pretty self explanatory! Who here has been rock climbing? Great! Where
did you rock climb? Great, in Zion National Park climbing is a very popular yet extremely
challenging sport. (Show pictures of Rock Climbers) Have any adults here been climbing? If so,
what types of rocks have you climbed on? Here in Zion National Park we are surrounded by 2000
sandstone walls. Can you imagine climbing up that wall (point to any given point)? Its pretty
intimidating isnt it? (Show picture of rock climber with down view) Imagine that you decided to
climb a rock around your house and you look down and this is what you see (Show picture of down
angle). Climbers from around the world come to Zion National Park to experience these massive
Sandstone Cliffs. These climbers are very skillful and usually have decades of practice before they
attempt to tackle these cliffs. Not only do they have skills but they also have protective equipment
that keeps them safe. What might a rock climber use to stay safe on the cliff? (Ropes, Carabineers,
Trad equipmentetc.) Great, yes experienced climbers know its necessary to be very skilled
using these pieces of equipment. Today we get to play around with some of that equipment. (Show
Large Trad Piece) This is called a Cam, short for Spring Loaded Camming Device or SLCDs. This
Cam is placed in a crack in the wall and when I release the trigger, the cam expands and when
placed properly it can hold a lot of weight. Now I will pass around a few for everyone to try. These
devices are great but are only effective if they are placed correctly. Even when placed correctly, in
Zion National Park we have 2000 walls of sandstone, (show pictures of sandstone) this stone is
much weaker than other types of stone such as granite. Sometimes when a cam is placed correctly
the stone around the cam could give away, this is a common event in sandstone.
Activity: Rock Climbing Pack Around
Hands-On: Pass around rock climbing equipment

Resource topic/tangible: Rock Climbing Equipment, Sandstone, Pictures of climbers
Main Idea (supports theme): Rock Climbing is inherently dangerous; professionals use protective
equipment to minimize risk and challenge themselves.
Meaningful concepts addressed:
Risk

Equipment
Challenge
Safety
Interpretive Methods Used: Practicing with safety gear, have children hold the amount of gear
necessary for climbing 2000 walls of sandstone.
Potential Intellectual Responses: Learning what the cliffs of Zion are made up of and how climbers
are able to make it to the top.
Potential Emotional Responses: fear, excitement, curiosity, wonder, amazement

Transition:
However, as you have figured out, Rock Climbing is not the only adventure in Zion National Park, there are
many others. One of the most popular adventures in Zion is Canyoneering.


Canyoneering:
Canyoneering is the most popular adventure in Zion National Park; can anyone explain what
Canyoneering is? Who here has tried Canyoneering, anyone in Zion National Park? Adults?
Canyoneering can be tricky to explain. The best way I can put it is exploring a canyon. This
exploration often requires many techniques to descend or ascend the canyon. The most popular
technique for navigating a canyon is to start from the top and descend. This often requires being
lowered on a rope or even lowering yourself and it is called rappelling. (Show pictures of rappelling)
Who has seen rappelling before? On movies cops use rappelling to quickly descend buildings and
smash through windows to apprehend suspects right? Well in a canyon, its pretty similar, you
want to get from the top of the canyon to the bottom so you must rappel in some sections that are
not possible to down climb or walk through.
Rappelling can be tricky and sometimes scary but in my experience I really enjoy rappelling
because I know what I am doing. To rappel in a canyon we wrap webbing (show webbing) and
wrap it around boulders to create an anchor. It would be so much easier to drill holes and place
anchors right? It would be easier but it wouldnt be right. (Protect the resource, natural beauty).
After setting up your anchor you attach yourself using a rope and rappelling device. Then you
safely glide down a few hundred feet (show picture) and reach the bottom.
Some obstacles are either too complicated to rappel or are not significant enough to require a
timely rappel. Sometimes you must down climb. Down climbing is the most intimidating part of
Canyoneering for me. I have been required to down climb over 70 vertical feet above the canyon
floor, using simply the friction created by my body. One small slip could lead to me falling over 70
and more to my death. This is why I take Canyoneering very seriously. It is very easy to get injured
while Canyoneering, in fact (talk about some Canyoneering accidents). We are now going to go on
a short adventure through our very own slot canyon. Remember to be very careful to not hurt
yourself.


Activity: Virtual Slot Canyon

Take kids into the virtual slot canyon, talk about what it is like. Have them imagine 1000 foot walls above
them. Imagine being in this place, a place that not many have experienced, imagine how quiet the canyon
must be.
Resource topic/tangible: Rope, rappelling devices, safety equipment, pictures of slot canyons
Main Idea (supports theme): Excitement in some of the most extreme geological features.
Meaningful concepts addressed:
Change
Exploration
Geology
Safety
Interpretive Methods Used: Examining the idea of Canyoneering, how to be safe while canyoneering,
and the excitement of adventuring through canyons.
Potential Intellectual Responses: Learning about how people explore Zion National Park, and
learning how to protect themselves.
Potential Emotional Responses: curiosity, excitement, wonder

Transition:
Canyoneering and rock climbing are a couple of the more extreme adventures in Zion National Park but
even less extreme activities can be an adventure, just like hiking or backpacking.


Backpacking/Hiking
For those who do not like climbing or descending vertical cliffs another popular adventure waits for you,
backpacking! Backpacking is a great way to see many fantastic things throughout Zion National Park.
Backpacking often allows people with solitude. Ask children, what trails have you hiked? Were there lots of
people? Yes, Zion National Park get millions of visitors each year yet only a small fraction pass into the
backcountry. How does having a huge open area just for yourself? Sounds good huh.
Although backpacking can be easier there still lies challenges that face those who take multiple day trips.
What type of environment surrounds us? A desert! Right! What does every living being require? Water!
Yes! What is there little of in the desert! Wow, you kids are great. While backpacking it is important to bring
enough water, sometimes people rely on springs or creeks to obtain water. Often these springs dry up
during the hottest part of the year. We even have some people that get stranded without water; these
people require help with a great staff that is able to rescue them.
Activity: Leave No Trace
Props: Poke chips, pictures of tangible park resources
Lay out at least one poker chip for each participant on the ground spread out over a small area; assign
each color of a poker chip with an object. Ex: Blue = Native American artifact, Yellow = Flower, Red =
Petrified Rock. Than have each participant walk through one at a time and ask them to take what they like.
Have another person go through and repeat until there are no more objects left. Discuss with the
participants the importance of leaving what you find in the area.
Resource topic/tangible: Pictures of Backpacking, Scenery, Angels Landing, Poker chips
Main Idea (supports theme): Backpacking and Hiking although less exciting is also an adventure,
while hiking make sure to leave what you find so others may be able to enjoy it as well.

Meaningful concepts addressed:
Adventures can be anything
Leave what you find
Interpretive Methods Used: Examining the idea of backpacking as an adventure, talk about how
leaving what you find while backpacking is necessary.
Potential Intellectual Responses: Learning about what adventures are, and how to enjoy nature so
that others may enjoy nature as well.
Potential Emotional Responses: Curiosity, amazement, Sadness (Not having any resources left
after activity)

Transition:
All of these adventure even the less extreme ones are all prone to danger and the risk of injury. This can
be minimized with proper training, preparation and care but sometimes things happen that are unexpected.
That is when the Search and Rescue step in and do their job.


Rescues:
All of these adventures can be really exciting and fun, but some of these activities are very dangerous even with
proper training. It is important that you kids go with a trained adult. It is important for the adult you go with to
have the proper knowledge to be able to get through canyons, but also they must be trained to rescue
themselves.
Resource topic/tangible: Rope Pulley, Pictures
Main Idea (supports theme): Adventures although exciting can be dangerous.
Meaningful concepts addressed:
Safety
Preparation
Team work
Interpretive Methods Used: Examine how to prevent injuries, how difficult it is to be rescued, and how
rescuers get people to safety.
Potential Intellectual Responses: Learning the importance of being careful and staying safe.
Potential Emotional Responses: Awe, Fear, Amazement

Conclusion:
There are many other adventures possible in Zion National Park, anything that you do could be considered
an adventure as long as you have a good time. Remember that if you are interested in any adventures
have you and your parents research and take all precautions so that you have the skills to do so. We do
not want someone to get into a spot they cannot get themselves out of.