ADAM HAYDOCK

PITMAN CANYON, SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST, CALIFORNIA

September 08, 2023

California has some incredible canyons, and in my opinion, The Sierras hold some canyons that provide big views and excellent waterflow in the C class Canyons.

It must be known that C Class (flowing water) canyons are quite different than canyons with no flow.

If you are not aware how to maneuver around these canyons, do not enter C Class canyons.

Pitman canyon is no exception.

The rock is slippery, and the flow can become quite dangerous if you are not careful with what you are doing.

We got into the canyon from the bottom up and dropped into the best part of the canyon and headed down.

The water was a great cool temperature, and the sun was beating down upon us which made the cold water quite inviting.

We found various rappels up to 200 ft in length.

It appeared as though you could bypass a lot of the rappels. and also rappel out of the water.

We changed out a couple of the anchors webbing and noticed the water started to flow more and more. make sure you check all the hangers webbing and anchorage to ensure that it is safe to use.

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FURCO CANYON, BROLO SPAIN

July 07, 2023

Furco canyon is a excellent starter canyon in the Spanish Pyreenes.

There are three raps up to 60 ft in lengh that drop through fun easy water and some nice scenery.

This can also be combined with Gloces canyon for a fun day of canyoning in some great water and scenery

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CARROS DE FOC TRAIL, Aigüestortes i Llac de Sant Maurici National Park. PYREENES SPAIN

July 07, 2023

Backpacking and mountaineering is a journey where the destination is the present moment to moment embodiment of the now.

being in the alpine is a serenity that accentuates the trickle of water, the whistling wind that blows through the grass, the chirping or a marmot, and the texture of the ground below my feet.

Everyone has a story, and you may never know the story they are writing or even be able to translate the language they choose to write their story in.

Why not make the story profound, full of curiosity, adventure, and discovery..

That is the story that I like to tell.

in the Spanish Pyreenes there is a prolific section called the Carros De foc trail.

This 35-40 mile circumnavigating loop has a concentration of beautiful lakes, mountains, and some incredible scenery.

This region reminded me of the Sierras in a lot of ways

One of the main differences is that the carros de foc trail doesn't get higher than 8900 ft which is a lot lower than 14000

There are a few of non technical obstacles to overcome.

One obstacle is that you can take side trails and get a bit more into route finding your way to destinations.

If you want to cut down the trip or get to a destination before a storm there are ways around

Another is that you want to make reservations for the refuges far in advance

camping within the national park is forbidden but if you are able to score some stays at refuges that that will be the way to go.

you can carry a lot less and not have as much to worry about.

there is also a high saddle that you have to scale which can be a bit dangerous with snow and ice.

towards the end of June there was enough snow to posthole our way up the 35 degree slope.

people were using crampons and ice axes to get their way up but we made due.

This is such an incredible place to go but we cut the trip short due to storms and the desire to summit aneto

we had to get ready for the summit which turned into a very interesting experience.

I recommend bringing micro spikes in the June timeframe in case you have to scale up snow,

I also recommend reserving the refuge 6 months in advance so you can bring a lot less on the hike

Espot is an excellent launch place to start the trip but you can start and stop at many of the cities around the trail. You can also take a bus back to your start point.

I would bring water drops to filter water

There is plenty of water on the hike which is a huge help.

I can see why this region was rated one of the best hikes in Europe. Have a blast on this trail

please reach out if you have any questions on how to prepare for your trip.

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