Canyoning report by Scott Fertig
Thursday 12 May
And so to canyoning. The early start meant there were a few bleary eyed Lions at Mass that
morning and on departure! The 1st group tackled the Mascun, a vast and wild canyon area quite
some distance away. The implications of its location – Antonio ruled breakfast out of the question
and ‘frog-marched’ us to our vehicle. Upon arrival many miles later, our guide Firke willingly and
happily took over herding the lions. Nearly 3 hours of hiking up and down mountains ensued. It was
a beautiful landscape, but we didn’t see much of it – our instructions were to “not gawk and walk at
the same time” but also to “always keep moving”. We were relieved to finally arrive and drop our
packs in the canyon floor.
Meanwhile, the 2nd groups relatively late start of 7.30am seemed positively lazy! Some winding
mountain roads were easily negotiated by Alastair ‘Seb Vettel’ Caisley taking driving responsibilities
and we were soon setting off on a 30 minute walk to our starting point.
As the canyoning started the famous Lions spirit came to the fore. Shouts of encouragement and
everyone looking to help at suitable moments were a real stand out from previous ‘non-Lions’
expeditions of this nature I have been on. We soon came to our first abseil, each of us laughing in
the face of danger (or at least chuckling with relief when our feet touched the pool we were landing
in).
Reaching a suitable venue for lunch we sat and ate. Within minutes of finishing we were up and ...
no, we were actually snoozing having a much welcome siesta. When in Rome ... In time we were
genuinely up and running and on the move again. Our marvellous guide Omar informed us about a
variety of local flowers as we progressed. As we went on, a pair of Griffin Vultures stood on a ledge
observing our progress for 800metres or so, as if hopeful of some Lion meat before the end of the
day. I am pleased to say no-one obliged! We finished with a scrambled climb up a steep and rocky
hill/face, soaked, tired but content and retired (briefly!) to a suitable bar.
No such sloth for the 1st group! After a brief lunch and the struggle to put on wet suits - Scott
reports that although he wore the same XXL suit he was given last year, it appears to have shrunk –
we headed for our first abseil. Firke indicated the direction to go (“down”) and helpfully provided
encouragement if needed with a not-so-gentle push from the edge. We all got the hang of it,
including the first timers. Lest we become too comfortable, clouds appeared and a thunderstorm
loomed just as we approached the narrowest part of the canyon. Although we were all breathing
hard, Firke decided for safety reasons we had to increase the pace. He was surprised by our protests
that we thought we were already moving fast. Plunging into a cave with no flashlights, barking our
shins and our buns, we faced the longest and scariest abseil of the day. No one was left behind
although choice Aragonese terms were issued by our guide and echoed through the cave system
for the native fauna. The rain came, we floated on, and eventually the sun came out as soon as we
emerged from the canyon walls.
We all congregated in the evening at Omar’s for a veritable feast with wonderful hosts and the
chance to re-live the days adventures.
