canyon exploring with Michele Angileri

Canale Gaccale (Canale Lino)

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A few kilometers befor getting into Tirreno Sea, river Lao receives the clear waters of Argentino creek, the richest among Lao tributaries. The valley of Argentino is one of the jewels of Pollino National Park, maybe the wildest area in Calabrian mountains, featuring lush dense forests and tall rock peaks and walls

Canale Gaccale (AKA Canale Lino) is a tributary of Argentino, in front of the village of Orsomarso. It is a narrow canyon featuring cascades and dark corridors.

Name	Canale Gaccale (Canale Lino)
Area	Calabria, Valle del Lao
Nearest village	Orsomarso (Cosenza)
Entrance altitude (above sea level)	380 m
Exit altitude (above sea level)	100 m
Length	1500 m
Longest rappel	23 m
Rock	Limestone
Rating	2 (summer)
Shuttle	Advisable. Can do without.
Explored by	Michele Angileri, Giuseppe Antonini, Giacomo Berliocchi, Paola Santinelli; august 20th 2004

I remember ...

Here the vegatation is really luxuriant, dense, very very dense ... From afar you see a meadow, but "grass" is two meters high. What seems to be a wood can be a giant blackberry bush!

Blackberry bushes ... here blackberry bush kills. It surrounds you, my friend, nearer, tighter, then it plays with you like a cat with mouse, letting you imagine an impossible way to escape. And in the meantime scratch!, it cuts your calf, scratch!your cheeck, scratch!
Blackberries are sweet, but they will be the last ones for you, my friend.

While getting near Canale Gaccale we knew we will face the terrible Orsomarso Blackberry Bush, one of the baddest. We were four, well armed, aware we couldn't allow ourselves one false step. We moved carefully, searching for the right path, one weak point in enemy's lines. Here is one possible path: we can go, river bed looks free from blackberries. No! we should try there instead, that looks like an old path for tractors, from here we would get too far from the beginning of canyon. No, we will end in the blackberries, I know.
An endless discussion, then a reckless guy tries, armed with a brand new "tech bushberry stick mod. AXTRB687", the top against blackberry bushes ... And he gets!! He was right! the path exists, and brings right there at the beginning of the canyon!!

Bright eyes, handshakes, affected embraces. The most is done: it remains the easiest, the exploration of canyon of Canale Gaccale!