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 of a marmot, and the texture of the ground below my feet. In the Spanish Pyrenees there is a prolific section called the Carros De Foc trail. This 35–40 mile circumnavigating loop has a concentration of beautiful lakes, moun

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. We got into t

Nevada continues to provide a basis for exploration in the mountains where so many look but so few ever seek out. A cave called zero is just another interesting karst feature that turned into something interesting here in the Nevada desert. I did an initial exploration up into the area that appeared to have a cave and found a large grotto feature with two holes in the ceiling. This obviously needed to be explored so we created a team to come back and get into this high lead.

Cova De Conavaques is a very decorated cave on the island of Mallorca, Spain. This cave appears to be 1000 ft of passage with very decorated rooms and in-cave pits. There is a walk-in entrance that leads to a 15 ft climb, right after there is a 15 ft rap to a passage that leads to a decorated room. A few crawls and a slide takes you to a very decorated room with a climb leading to a 60 ft pit. There are more decorated rooms down there and the cave ends.

Moneda is a pit that has some interesting column formations and a unique place to visit in Mallorca. There are a bunch of options to enter this cave. There is a free hanging option and a multi staged option. We chose the multi stage option which had a 60 ft drop into this cave. The formations had some moss on them and was quite beautiful in nature. This is a great option for a day of caving and you can add another cave to this day for a full day of caving.

Red Velvet canyon is a technical descent into the beautiful Colorado river in Arizona. The canyon is adjacent to Blue Velvet canyon. Although it is not as narrow and scenic as its neighbor, Red Velvet offers more open and bigger views of the Colorado river than Blue Velvet. The approach is the same as Blue Velvet but instead of entering Blue Velvet you will enter the drainage right before (to the right of Blue Velvet). The descent is straightforward and we found 5 raps up to

Son Pou is a large pit located on the island of Mallorca, Spain. This is a 150 ft open air pit that is free hanging from the top. This cave is officially closed but we did not see any posted sign closures. The hike is a nice gradual 1 hour hike to the cave itself. The cave itself has a massive void and some interesting artifacts inside. We assumed the walk-in entrance was locked to keep people out, so we rappelled in from the top. There is some going cave passage but it all e

It amazes me that more people haven't been wondering what is within the mountains and drainages of the Black Range. We have been discovering — more like finding what others have been hiding — within this range. We find old webbing and nothing more mentioned. At the end of the day, people are going to want to explore and find new canyons. That being said, I want our canyoneering community to enjoy these amazing places and have opportunities to see such wonderful places. Please

This cave is around 80ft deep and has another short rappel down to the formation room below. The cave itself is near the city of Palma and the bolts were removed for what we are assuming to be protection. This was the last cave that we visited along the way on our Mallorca Spain trip.

Jabroni canyon is a Black Range canyon located next to Jibaro canyon. There were 8 rappels we encountered on this canyon with an additional 2 rappels from the north fork of Jibaro canyon. It is possible to traverse the ridge over to Jabroni but we decided to descend down Jibaro canyon's north fork to get a bit of extra fun. There were some nice overhung rappels and some great spots to enjoy the scenery. You can packraft down to AZ hot springs to make your exit, and your appro

Mitjana is a sea cave with beautiful formations and ocean water that comes into the cave from a passage with higher eaves. This is a short cave that has a 20 ft rap to get into the cave. The formations in this cave are beautiful and there are a couple rooms to visit. This was a smaller cave for the region but a very interesting cave to visit.

After almost 20 years of realizing how amazing Zion National Park is and my desire to seek topless, less convertible caving without ceilings, I have finally got to the last canyon I felt was worthy of a visit in Zion, Heaps! A 3 am start made for a full value day in one of the most beautiful sections of the park. Stepping away from my business and being with friends was the absolute best part of this trip. The golden years never seem to be happening in the present but in hind