Welcome to one of the most unique ways to explore Washington's magnificent wilderness.
“Canyoning is river rafting. All the water has to flow out of the mountains somehow. We follow the path that the water takes. So we go down, rappel down waterfalls, slide, sometimes jump in the water, and then walk along the creek beds,” said Sam Keller, owner of Wild Sky Adventure Guides.
Born and raised in Western Washington, Keller now spends most of the year guiding in Mallorca, Spain, but returns to lead trips during the summer months, peak canyoneering season in our area.
“Wild Sky Adventure Guides is a canyoneering guide service. We operate out of Snoqualmie Pass from June through the end of September. We take people on fun and unique adventures in the wilderness just outside of Seattle,” Keller said.
It may sound extreme, but when you’re with experienced guides, like those at Wild Sky, canyoning is what Keller calls an “off-the-couch adventure.” Wild Sky offers suits for kids as young as six, and their oldest client during the 2023 season was 63.
“We do what we like to call gentle to wild adventures, so we choose the right canyon for your adventure level,” Keller said. “We can do everything from a family with young kids to your most extreme adventurer, rock climbers and people who want to do the really big rappels.”
On a perfect June day, I hiked into the woods near Snoqualmie Pass for a rappel with Keller and Madeline Hwang, an experienced canyoneer who is part of the The Seattle Mountaineers Canyoning Committee.
“The whole community is really excited about Keller and Wild Sky coming here,” Hwang said. “There’s so much new interest in canyoneering. They’re really good at helping people who might be a little scared of what they’re getting into, educating them, keeping them safe and helping them have a good time.”
Once at the river, everyone suited up in specialized wetsuits, imported from Spain, then headed through the scrub and up to the top of the waterfall for a safety briefing before harnessing up and heading over the edge.
The waterfall I tackled is what Wild Sky would consider “gentle,” about 50 feet high (watch the video above to see more of my adventure). In all honesty, the experience wasn’t scary. It was thrilling. The hardest part was the first step. Once I started down the waterfall itself, rappelling became almost intuitive, and I couldn’t help but stop halfway to admire the view.
The descent itself was quite fast. It is usually one of the popular activities at Wild Sky. Half-day canyoning adventurewhich includes a number of additional rappels and slides.
I would have loved to take on all of them, but Keller and his team organized this trip specifically so we could film a TV segment, and we were on a tight schedule (special thanks to photojournalist Megan Murnane, who geared up to capture the descent from mid-river!).
“We want people to feel a sense of accomplishment,” Keller said. “We just want them to see themselves as strong people who can do difficult things.”
After reaching the bottom of the ladder and looking back at where I started, I felt both a legitimate sense of pride and an immense sense of excitement. It's something I'd definitely like to do again.
Learn more about Wild Sky Adventure Guides here.
