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Trip Report: Hiking in Ordesa Gorge, Spanish Pyrenees (page 4)
All photos by Todd unless otherwise noted.

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We leave the town of Torla and head east along the GR-15. This trail roughly parallels the Pyrenees, but at a lower elevation. Our initial plan of hiking the GR-11 was aborted due to the deep snow which covered all the alpine passes. The mountain towns in Spain are very pleasant and picturesque, though they all appear to be growing to accommodate a burgeoning tourist industry.
 
This handsome fellow is one of the more common creatures we saw in the Pyrenees (sort of a pretty photo considering the slimy subject, eh?). Slugs seem particularly abundant in the cooler morning hours when the ground is damp with dew. Best to watch where you step as you hike.
 
From Ordessa Canyon, the GR-15 leads east over hill and dale to Anisclo Gorge, a narrow drainage with beautiful blue water and many cascades. A day was spent hiking the length of the canyon and back, taking pictures and enjoying the sites.
 
Here's an artsy shot I sort of liked which was taken in a spring fed side drainage of the gorge.
Irresponsibility: No Single Raindrop Believes it is to Blame for the Flash Flood. 
 
With all the limestone in the Pyrenees, there are bound to be caves. Since there happened to be one marked on the map I was using in Anisclo Gorge, I decided to see if I could find it. To my surprise the entrance was large enough to be used as an airplane hangar.
 
The cave featured some interesting rimstone dams on the floor and a large stream. Unfortunately time was running short and I didn't have the gear to explore very far into the cave. All cavers should carry at least three lights and counting the flash on my camera (a stretch which I suspect the NSS wouldn't necessarily agree with) I was only equipped with two.
 
It was time to leave northern Spain, though I've made it a high priority to return one day. There is much to do in the area if you enjoy the outdoors, and since Spanish television is really bad you do not have an excuse to stay indoors. There are many items left unfinished on my 'to-do' list, but, as is the case with all 'to-do' lists, I console myself with the fact that they'll be there when I return (works just the same with dirty laundry). TTFN.
 
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