Trevor writes………………..

Spanish foxes – at least in the Sierra Nevada – are not like English foxes. If you are camping out, they will come at night to take your food. They put their heads under the side of your tent and grab anything they can find. If it is not food, it will be discarded nearby.  If it is, you will not see it again.

My small, fox-friendly tent

I spent four nights camping in and near Cerro de Caballo. I received a visit each night, usually three or four visits. I had been forewarned; so I put almost everything into my pack. I closed the flap securely and attached a cord to the pack and the few items left out – my boots, blow-up pillow and a trekking pole – and tied the other end of the cord to the zip of my sleeping bag. When the fox tried to take anything, I would wake up and chase him off with the trekking pole. Often we had a tug of war over the pack.

On one occasion, I tried to be too clever. I left my pen knife out (open) so I could defend myself if the fox turned nasty. Then I thought he might run away with it. So I took the cord attached to the knife and looped it round the other trekking pole, which served as a tent pole. The fox came, saw the knife and ran off with it: he pulled the pole down, the tent collapsed and the rain came in. Not one of my best moves.

Below Cerro del Caballo

In the end, however, I came out on top. Although he ripped the outside pocket of my worn and frayed light-weight pack, I never lost anything. In fact, I became quite fond of him. On my last night, he did not come until about 5 a.m. and I began to worry that something might have happened to him.

Unless you stay in a fox-proof hut, you have to accept fox raids as a natural part of the Sierra Nevada. You must learn to live with them. Don’t try zipping up your tent to keep him out. He will just claw his way in and leave your tent in tatters. Let him come in and see there is nothing to take. Tie your pack to yourself so he can’t pull it out of the tent. Accept that you will be woken up and don’t let it worry you. He is unlikely to hurt you. Be grateful you are not camping in bear country. If you are careful, you will not lose anything of value.

Trevor Hartley – June 2011

Max, Ultimate Fox Hunter Extraordinaire

Just one look at past headlines and posts from this site (see below) tell the sorry tale of the misery these critters have caused over the years. We have tried everything in the past to stop our tents being ripped to shreds and our food being stolen. One client even woke up in her one man tent to find the fox in there with her, head in food bag! We have tried pepper, sprays and even urinating round the tent. We purchased commercial fox deterrent powder that failed miserably. We invested in an anti fox beacon with very mixed results.

All efforts have failed. Until now that is. Because we were fortunate to come across a “Max”. Now Max hates foxes and can run all day and night. One whiff of a Max round the campsite and the fox will run a spanish mile. He also is very street wise (or mountain wise?) as he requires very little water (good for our guides’ lightweight backpacking ambitions). Therefore he will be coming along with us on all our high mountain camping expeditions in the Sierra Nevada this summer, including the 5 day ridge traverse Los Tres Miles Ruta Integral.

He has already started his mountain guide training with us and has climbed Trevenque in the Cumbres Verdes in searing heat. Next week he aims to climb Mulhacen, without oxygen, and become the highest dog in mainland Spain. Who knows where this will lead? Maybe the first ever dog to complete the 7 summits ???????

Good luck to you Max!

Related Foxy Headlines…..

Feb 2011 More fox related attacks on campers at Siete Lagunas
July 2009 Coordinated fox raids on trekkers in the Sierra Nevada
May 2009 Foxes a problem at high mountain camps in the Sierra Nevada
December 2009 Winter traverse of 3000m peaks runs into fox problems
June 2008 Foxy problems in the Sierra Nevada

And from our Forums…..

Thread: Are we the next victims for the foxes?
Thread: High Camps and Foxes?
Thread: I have heard there are problems with foxes whilst wild camping?
Thread: More problems with foxes in Sierra Nevada
Thread: Foxes still a problem in the Sierra Nevada

Max and my spanish neighbour on Trevenque

Max still going strong whilst training on Trevenque

Los Ladrones!

I was cooking in the tent porch at around 8pm when I heard fast-paced scratching on the tent fabric at the bottom of the tent and I started shouting. I was able to look backwards over the side of the tent and saw the fox in the torch light standing there. He was about the size of a Husky.

Before leaving, I followed the clearly visible fox tracks and was able to retrieve most of the contents of the bag. Apparently the fox neither liked spaghetti, tomato puree, parmesan cheese nor soup. I am pretty sure it was a second fox because I later saw tracks leading in and out of the Refugio Carihüela.

What can you do? Best advice is to take a dog. Shop bought fox deterrents may help but the real answer is to take a dog! If you have been affected by fox attacks in the Sierras will you let us know as this is becoming an increasingly serious problem.

Below we reproduce comments from her excellent travel writing site “Travels With My Camera“. Chiz is an award winning professional photographer. Her website  www.peakimages.co.uk has some of her excellent travel and mountain photos for you to enjoy.

She also claims that she has discovered a unique “fox deterrent” formula for spreading around the tent entrance, replacing the old “shout or throw your boot at it” one!

She intends to produce a full report on her “Los Tres Miles” experiences when she returns from her latest adventure in the Alps.

Chiz’s views on the Sierra Nevada

“It was wonderful!

The mountains are awesome, everything from easy trails to full-on ridge scrambling (or harder!).

You may think that the slowly disintegrating road linking the two highest summits mean this area ™s an easy day trippers stroll – just at high altitude – but don ™t be fooled. Yes, there are some easy trails, but there is also some serious full-on wilderness scrambling and lots in between! (The road used to be the highest in Europe, but was closed in early 1990 ™s when the area became a national park, and now (mostly) makes a good off-road cycling trail.)

The best map of the region is the Editorial Penbetica – available in many tourist locations from information offices to campsites to souvenir shops. But be warned, Spanish maps aren ™t up to OS standard, and this can can lead to an œepic if you don ™t understand the differences! The biggest difference is that areas that we ™d assume are open moorland if looking at a UK Ordnance Survey map, are quite likely to have crags, cliffs or major impassable ravines – they ™re just not shown! Often also there are more paths than the map shows, but there ™s a few that are marked which really don ™t exist – some of the terrain is just far too steep and crumbly! (If the rock was stable enough, there ™s a path marked off Alcazabar which would be a good – and hard – climb, but that particular œpath is sadly little more than a very steep craggy choss heap!)

The snow this year has been fantastic over the winter – so there ™s still large amounts in small pockets on the alta montagna (the 3000m peaks). Mostly this is fine without crampons and ice axe (its fairly slushy on top) but there are some parts where its quite dangerous – the route over what I now know is locally called œScary Ridge! is certainly decidely dangerous at the moment. This is one of the paths that ™s œnot really a path – certainly not for pure walkers, as it requires a good degree of scrambling. Its current problem is that snow cover obscures where the route crosses the ridge line, and failing to follow the correct route can lead to head-first slides at speed down 45degree snow slopes – and that ™s really not recommeded!”

And of the main summit traverse (Los Tres Miles) she says……….

“The highlight of the trip was 5 days walking œLos Tres Miles with Mike from Spanish Highs.   We set off from Lanjaron in the SE of the region, and walked across several of the 3000m peaks (they have so many that some don ™t even have names!). The route roughly followed the main ridge line El Caballo (the horse rider), Veleta, Mulhacen and Alcazabar (the œbig three), Laguna de Vacares (but said œBaccareth) and out via Picon de Jerez, to Jerez in the NE of the region. Only about 60km in total, but the distance is far from a good guide to the toughness of the route! Sometimes 1km can take hours – if the terrain ™s interestingly rough! Make sure that your boots are really comfortable before setting out!

The route shouldn ™t be considered a pure ridge walk covering every 3000m peak – that ™s an impossibility as some of the ridge is not remotely a walk and some of the outliers would add days to the trip. But consider it along the lines of the Haute Route in Switzerland, and you soon see its a fantastic and highly challenging expedition, into often surprisingly remote and rugged terrain.

Temperatures varied from freezing overnight at the first camp to 37C in the Lanjaron and Jerez valleys at the start and end (fortunately a lift was available for the start and end to reach roughly 2000m altitude, so the walking never became unbearably hot!), and water came from all sources – from pure Lanjaron spring water from the tap – and source – to snow melt!

And the scrambling was awesome, despite the full packs (5 days food and a day ™s water weights a lot!!) – grade 2-3 in places, depending what route you took – we took the one that looked most fun, but easier options were available.

The thieving fox of Siete Laguna was also foiled (ask Richard for my unique lightweight formula for deterring it!), though Mike was unconvinced as it we only saw it on one occaision. Regardless it ™s far more timid than many reports make out – a good shout sends it packing straight away!

The scenery was also awesome – watch out for photography courses/holidays in the region coming soon, and my own images on the Peak Images website in due course.”

Here is what Leigh Richie had to say in April 2009 …………….
The constant howling wind and rustling tent fabric, not to mention the sound of spindrift lashing against the tent, certainly plays games with your imagination. I kept thinking I was hearing something outside, or was it just the wind? Then I felt something softly nudge against my head. Thought nothing of it at first until it happened again. I rolled around and looked through the mesh of my tent entrance into the porch area. There, about 4 inches from my face was the silhouette of a fox ™s head, staring right at me!

Needless to say, as if I ™d seen a ghost, I let out a rather embarrasing scream and the fox made a very quick exit from my tent porch. Not sure who was more startled. About 30 seconds later I heard a slightly more controlled shout coming from Mike ™s tent. Our furry friend was having his second eviction. Although I did see the funny side, I spent the rest of the night feeling completely paranoid of another visit and was poised to pounce at the slightest nudge or rustle.”

It seems to me that the amount of fox related incidents is increasing in these mountains. I remember when I first came out here some 10 years ago that they were shy, retiring creatures, that you sometimes caught a glimpse of early in the mornings, or late at night. Not any more!

Some high level traverses of “Los Tres Miles Integral” some 5 years ago suggested problems were mounting. We had breakfasts stolen overnight and were disturbed by noisy packs.

One guy even had his expensive tent ruined by a fox that ripped through the outer and inner at 6 in the morning. It grabbed his food bag that lay by his feet. The strange thing was that the fox wasn’t put off by the client’s shouts and gesticulations and managed to escape with the food. Another client had a washbag stolen for some strange reason, presumably to brush it’s teeth and moisturise it’s delicate skin!

Next encounter was when I joined a spanish mate of mine, on his night-shift, in his Pistebasher preparing the ski pistes of the Sierra Nevada. There seemed to be foxes everywhere, illuminated in the powerful headlights of the Piste Machine. Therein lies the answer? The deserted ski slopes in winter, especially around the Borreguilles area at 2500m where the restaurants are, are rich pickings for hungry foxes. They make there way down at night and feast on the leftovers. They have become “humanised” in that they are starting to rely less on their own hunting and foraging and at the same time are getting less and less afraid of human intervention.

Another harrassment occurred at 3am, near the Laguna de Lanjaron, when 2 self guided clients had problems. Yvonne Holland awoke with pressure from outside the tent against her face. It was a fox. It then broke through the tent fabric at the foot of the tent and took all the hill food and breakfasts. An unnerving experience to say the least!

The areas where you will encounter problems are around the ski centre area, the Elorietta hut, Laguna de Lanjaron, Col de Cariguela and the laguna and hut at the Caballo. Also at Siete Lagunas and Laguna de Vacares. Be warned!

Here’s a blog of my recent 3 day trek in the high Sierra with Mike. The original plan of doing the Mulhacen – Alcazaba – Vacares traverse had to be modified due to the recent heavy snowfall causing access problems to Hoya de Portillo and possible avalanche risk to the East of Alcazaba.

Tuesday 21st April:
After a very comfortable night at Hotel Central in Lanjaron, I met up with Kiersten and Mike (my guide) at 9:30 am. Bought the world’s biggest sandwich and a couple of dehydrated meals and we were off to Trevelez for the start of our trek. Being pretty new to this scale of trekking (or certainly these altitudes), I perhaps started off a bit too keen and wanted to set off at a pace equivalent to a slow jog! Mike was quick to pass on the hint and suggested that I try a gentle plod instead. I don’t think I fully realised the importance of this until the following day.

We followed a slightly alternative route up to Siete Lagunas (our camp for the two nights) by crossing the Rio Culo de Perro and then climbing up to Siete Lagunas via the Loma de Culo Perro rather than the usual track from Trevelez. Near the top of the hill the majestic sight of Canade de Siete Lagunas came into view. The snow cover for this time of year was impressive. We traversed Southwestbound towards Laguna Hondera (which was invisible due to the depth of the snow), and had our camp set up by about 7pm.

As we pitched our tents, a stiff, cold wind blew down on us from the summit of Mulhacen. Then, as the sun disappeared behind the ridge, the temperature plummeted. Water surfaces seemed to freeze instantly and the whole change reminded me of a scene out of “The Day After Tomorrow”. Our only option was to take shelter in our tents and wait for morning. That night I probably had less than an hour’s sleep, partly because of the constant howl of the wind and repeated showers of frost landing on my face from the roof of my tent, but also due to a very spooky experience at about 2am.

The constant howling wind and rustling tent fabric, not to mention the sound of spindrift lashing against the tent, certainly plays games with your imagination. I kept thinking I was hearing something outside, or was it just the wind? Then I felt something softly nudge against my head. Thought nothing of it at first until it happened again. I rolled around and looked through the mesh of my tent entrance into the porch area. There, about 4 inches from my face was the silhouette of a fox’s head, staring right at me!

Needless to say, as if I’d seen a ghost, I let out a rather embarrasing scream and the fox made a very quick exit from my tent porch. Not sure who was more startled. About 30 seconds later I heard a slightly more controlled shout coming from Mike’s tent. Our furry friend was having his second eviction. Although I did see the funny side, I spent the rest of the night feeling completely paranoid of another visit and was poised to pounce at the slightest nudge or rustle.

Wednesday 22nd April:

At about 7am a warming, brilliant sunrise lit the whole valley and made the previous night’s experiences seem insignificant. There was still a fair breeze but this soon died down. Following breakfast we set off on our first summit trip – Alcazaba. We left the tents erected and only carried what we needed. Despite the lack of sleep, I felt impatient to get to the top and set a relatively fast pace. Mike once again hinted that I might want to slow down a bit and although I did at first, I constantly ended up speeding up my pace again.

We reached the summit in dazzling sunshine and a welcome light breeze. We then descended slightly and found a good sheltered area behind some rocks to have lunch. After lunch we descended back towards camp using snowshoes. By the time we reached the tents I felt exhausted. This was when i truly learned my lesson about the importance of a slow, steady pace. The thought of carrying our full packs up Mulhacen tomorrow and then descending all the way to Capileira now seemed very daunting. I felt as though I had just used up all my available energy on Alcazaba. Lesson learned.

After a 40 minutes on my back we once again donned snowshoes and casually headed up towards the base of Puntal de las Siete Lagunas to explore the valley. Seeing it so deeply filled with snow was an unforgettable experience and I can also see why people say that snowshoeing can be so addictive!

That night was very silent but also very very cold and by 7am, the morning Sunshine was a welcome relief. Fortunately no foxes this time.

Thursday 23rd April:

We were up at sunrise and had our final meal in Siete Lagunas. We then packed our stuff and headed up the slope just South West of Laguna Hondera. At the top of this slope we headed West North West and gradually climbed to the summit of Mulhacen. This time the pace was steadier and despite having full packs it just seemed so much more manageable. The view from the top was awesome (as was the weather) After some photos and interesting views down the North face we headed back down to the South summit and found some shelter from the wind to cook our lunch.

After lunch we started a long, steep descent down the South West face of Mulhacen towards the Poqueira Hut. Due to the light winds and gradually increasing temperature, this part of the descent was quite tough and I was very relieved when we hit a large patch of snow. From here I managed probably 100m descent on my backside. Not only was it quick, It was also very refreshing. Thankfully I didnt put any holes in my brand new Paramo Cascadas (Which, by the way are a truly brilliant pair of trousers!)

After a quick break at the hut, we continued down towards the Poqueira gorge and then followed a path just above the gorge, high enough to keep us in the cool breeze. As we approached Capileira i couldnt help stopping every few minutes to look back at the stunning views of Veleta and Mulhacen, amongst other peaks on the ridge. I would definately be coming back at some point, but for now my priorities lay in some small bar in Capileira.

Some high level traverses of “Los Tres Miles Integral” some 4  years ago suggested problems were mounting. We had breakfasts stolen overnight and were disturbed by noisy packs.

One guy even had his expensive tent ruined by a fox that ripped through the outer and inner at 6 in the morning. It grabbed his food bag that lay by his feet. The strange thing was that the fox wasn’t put off by the client’s shouts and gesticulations and managed to escape with the food. Another client had a washbag stolen for some strange reason, presumably to brush it’s teeth and moisturise it’s delicate skin!

Next encounter was when I joined a spanish mate of mine, on his night-shift, in his Pistebasher preparing the ski pistes of the Sierra Nevada. There seemed to be foxes everywhere, illuminated in the powerful headlights of the Piste Machine. Therein lies the answer? The deserted ski slopes in winter, especially around the Borreguilles area at 2500m where the restaurants are, are rich pickings for hungry foxes. They make there way down at night and feast on the leftovers. They have become “humanised” in that they are starting to rely less on their own hunting and foraging and at the same time are getting less and less afraid of human intervention.

Latest harrassment occurred  2 nights ago at 3am, near the Laguna de Lanjaron, when 2 self guided clients had problems. Yvonne Holland awoke with pressure from outside the tent against her face. It was a fox. It then broke through the tent fabric at the foot of the tent and took all the hill food and breakfasts. An unnerving experience to say the least!

The areas where you will encounter problems are around the ski centre area, the Elorietta hut, Laguna de Lanjaron, Col de Cariguela and the laguna and hut at the Caballo. Be warned!

I have never had a problem at Siete Lagunas or elsewhere in the Sierras, presumably because it is some distance from the ski centre area. The foxes here are still rather shy and timid.