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Trip Report: Canyons of the Sierra de Guara, Spain (page 4)
All photos by Todd unless otherwise noted.

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The last day of canyoning brings us to Cueva Cabrito (Goat Cave) Canyon. This canyon differs from the others we've done in the area in that it consists of conglomerate rock rather than uniform limestone. The rock is very hard and rough on the hands, it is also very pretty and sculpted, providing excellent scenery for taking pictures. This is my artsy action shot looking right down the rope.
 
This is one of my favorite photos of the entire trip. I'll whisper in hushed tones so as not to disturb you as you take it in. Pssss... wssss..... wsss.....amazing composition..... wsss...... ssss..... exquisite light..... pssss..... wssss....... wssss.......
 
In a rare instance, the author makes an appearance in front of the camera. Unfortunately 'posing' doesn't feature highly among those few skills I possess, especially after setting the shutter on a 10 second delay and running like mad to get into the frame.
 
The anchor for this rappel features a medieval-looking iron ring and chain such as you might expect to find rattling around in the corner of a dungeon. For the most part, artificial anchors like bolts, hangers and chain are the norm in these canyons.
 
The lower part of Cueva Cabrito is dark, narrow and spooky. This shot was taken with a 2 second exposure by bracing the camera against the canyon wall, delaying the shutter release so that the action of pushing the button wouldn't jiggle the camera, holding my breath, crossing my fingers and rolling my eyes entreatingly towards the sky. Taking pictures in canyon conditions is somewhat of an inconvenience, but getting a nice photo makes it all worth it.
 
Cueva Cabrito dumps us into the Estrechos del Balces where we put on our full wet suits for a more typical Spanish style canyoning trip.
 
As all such adventures do, this one comes to an end. Unfortunately a few days is only enough to get a sampling of what northern Spain has to offer in terms of canyoning. I'd like to return someday, maybe take up residence and try to improve my Spanish language skills - but for now we say "Au revior" * to the canyons of Spain and turn our attention to the mountains (see my trip report for hiking in Ordessa Gorge in the Spanish Pyrenees).
 
* See - I've made a joke by drawing attention to my lack of language skills only to confuse Spanish with French. Ha, ha! ....... Hmmm, maybe I'll attempt to improve my satirical skills as well so I can tell bad jokes in two languages that I have to explain.
 
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