The slickrock canyons of the desert Southwest hold danger of a different sort. Sooner or later, all novice hikers make the unpleasant discovery that it's much easier to climb up something than it is to climb down it. The deceptively easy-looking slabs, buttes and spires that abound in the Southwest have tempted many an unwary hiker into an attempt to scale them. The rock seems so low-angled; beginners don't know that what really makes rock difficult to climb is not steepness, but lack of holds, a characteristic for which sandstone is notorious. If you're tempted to scramble up something, go up just 10 feet, then turn around and come back down. If descending is completely comfortable, then it may be reasonable to continue upwards cautiously if the rock becomes no more difficult. Just remember that every step up will have to be reversed, and that a slip even 20 or 30 feet off the ground can easily be fatal.

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