Terminology
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This page provides an alphabetical listing of some of the basic hiking, backpacking, mountaineering, camping, and archaeological terms that one might encounter while preparing for an adventure in canyon country. The definitions on these pages are meant only as a beginning, a point from which to get familiar as quickly as possible with the jargon of the trail. Please do not consider these explanations as definitive nor comprehensive. There are outside resources listed and linked for more in-depth definitions.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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Kipukas
The Hawaiian word for "island." Because of their isolation from neighboring terrain due to volcanic activity, the species within these isolated parks remain nearly unchanged over time.
Kiva
A round, underground, or at least partly underground, adjunct to an Indian pueblo, used for ceremonial gatherings and symbolic of the "womb of the Mother
Earth."
Knife-edge
A very narrow ridge crest. In spots, the crest of a knife-edge is too angular to walk on, and travel requires scrambling over and around pinnacles, along ledges on the side of the ridge, or even straddling the ridge.
Krummholz
Above the treeline, wind dictates the lifestyle of the low-lying, procumbent alpine community. On barren, rocky slopes with a short growing season and heavy snowfall, trees take on the stunted growth habit of "Krummholz."
