Silver Canyon 3A IV

That was my first canyoneering experience. We did it in 12 hours car to car. Rope wiki description.

3 hours hike to the top of Mt. Lukens was uneventful, but description is wrong, it's 3250 ft elevation gain and not 1680 ft. Our drop in point was also different, from water tower we hiked NNW ridge and then did 90 degrees left to drop into the canyon.

Canyon is very overgrown, seems like there was no people there for last 10 years or so, many down trees and lot of poison oak, but straying at bottom of canyon worked out for us. I think, we also down climbed rappel 3 and 4.

Here is some pictures from the trip:

Silver canyon from Mt. Lukens

Dropping into the canyon

Top of canyon

Down climbing

1st waterfall

Looking down 2nd waterfall

2nd waterfall

Last waterfall

Kagel to Lukens and back, 20 miles

Original plan was to fly from Kagel to Marshall, but day was too weak for such task. I started at 11:37 and first half an hour was straggling to maintain couple hundred over launch. Then Jonathan join me and we left for the east. It was difficult to establish on Big-T (as usual), but after 3 attempts I finally get up there and catch up with Jonathan. Then we glide to Little Lukens, get up there and continue to antennas. Most of the canyons until Lukens are landable, but next gap over highway 2 is wide and land there is problematic. It was obvious that we don't have enough altitude to jump toward Mt. Wilson, so I turn around and flew back. When I arrive to Kagel day turned on and it was easy to move around. Here is a Jonathan's video of the day:



My track log:
http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/431394