Table
See Plateau.

Tadpole
The larva of a frog or toad.

Taffeta
Nylon and polyester fabrics that are less durable but more supple than ripstop fabrics.

Tailings
The rock waste left after most of the valuable mineral has been extracted from an ore; the part rejected in milling the ore.

Talus
The loose rock of all sizes that falls from a cliff and accumulates at the base. The distinction between scree and talus is generally that talus is large enough not to move underfoot.

Tank
Tanks are natural depressions in an impervious stratum, in which rain or snow water collects and is preserved the greater portion of the year. Also a natural or artificial pool or water hole in a wash. Seen often in the arid southwest. See also Pothole, tinaja, and Water Pocket.

Tarn
A small rock-rimmed lake in an ice-gouged basin on the floor of a cirque or in a glaciated valley.

Tarp
This is a piece of waterproof fabric or plastic that can be rigged with a cord, using trees or trekking poles for support. Shelter doesn't get any lighter, but a tarp is not much of a buffer against bugs or driving storms.

Technical Climbing
Mountain climbing requiring use of ropes and fixed belay anchors on either rock or ice. Also includes any sustained climbing where the arms are used to pull upward rather than being used solely for balance.

Tendril
A slender, coiling structure that helps support climbing plants.

Territory
An area defended by the male, by both of a pair, or by an unmated bird or other animal.

Textile Design
Rock art images resembling designs found on ancient textiles and pottery.

Texture
The surface appearance of a homogenous rock or mineral aggregate. The degree of crystallization, the size of the crystals, and the shape and interrelations of the crystals or other components all contribute to the texture of a rock.

Three-Season Tent
These popular tents usually have enough interior space for the shorter nights and brief storms of spring, summer, and fall. Most can handle gusty winds and rain, but not heavy snow loads.

Tinaja
A small to large rock catchment or catch basin where rainwater is captured and may provide a regular source of water for wild life.

Topo Map
Sometimes referred to as a topo sheet. See Topographic Map.

Topographic Map
A map showing the topographic features of a land surface generally by means of contour lines.

Torpor
Considerably reduced metabolic rate with subsequent slow breathing and heart rate; body temperature drops down near the ambient temperature.

Track
An unmaintained vehicle route, such as a jeep track.

Trail
A track, trace, or sign of the passing of one or more humans or animals. In most instances a trail is a well defined path along the ground. It may be maintained either by humans or animals.

Trailhead
The point at which a trail begins. In most parks and popular areas there is a parking lot or turn out for easy access.

Traverse
Horizontal travel across a mountainside or over a ridge. An ascending or descending traverse refers to a gradual elevation change while traveling across a much steeper slope.

Tuber
A fleshy, enlarged part of an underground stem, serving as a storage organ. For example, a potato.

Tuff
A rock formed of compacted volcanic fragments. A general term for all consolidated pyroclastic rocks.

Tunnel
Strictly speaking, a passage in a mine that is open to the surface on both ends. It is often used incorrectly as a synonym for adit, which has only one opening to the surface; or drift, which is driven underground within a mine and has no openings to the surface.