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Author Topic: Australia's Slot Canyons  (Read 857 times)

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Offline khurram

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Australia's Slot Canyons
« on: September 24, 2011, 03:58:14 AM »
Deep Down Under
 With ropes but no GPS, daring Aussies plunge into the hidden canyons of the Blue Mountains.
 
 
 
 
 A canyoneer descends by rope through one of Kanangra Main  Canyon’s three 150-foot waterfalls. After his teammates join him, they  will pull down the ropes to use for the next stage—leaving no way out  but to rappel, climb, boulder, and swim to the exit point near the canyon’s bottom.

source:  nationalgeographic.com
 
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Offline khurram

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Re: Australia's Slot Canyons
« Reply #1 on: September 24, 2011, 03:58:22 AM »
 

 Cascades of mammoth ferns flourish in the humid air trapped  between the narrow walls of Claustral Canyon. First explored in 1963,  the formation was named for its claustrophobia-inducing passages and  ranks among the region’s most visited canyons.
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Offline khurram

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Re: Australia's Slot Canyons
« Reply #2 on: September 24, 2011, 03:58:29 AM »
 

 Canyoneers make their way through a vine-choked rain forest of  coachwood and sassafras on the way to Claustral Canyon. Locating a  canyon’s entry point can require hours of bushwalking. A canyoneer  typically hauls as much as 20 pounds of gear, including rope, wet suit,  food, and first aid supplies.
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Offline khurram

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Re: Australia's Slot Canyons
« Reply #3 on: September 24, 2011, 03:58:35 AM »

 
 Flying into the void, author Mark Jenkins makes one of 14 rope descents in Kanangra Main.
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Offline khurram

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Re: Australia's Slot Canyons
« Reply #4 on: September 24, 2011, 03:58:44 AM »
 

 In Gardens of Stone National Park, labyrinths of pagoda  rocks—beehive-shaped formations sculpted by erosion along sandstone  scarpments—present a treacherous obstacle for hikers but a wonderland of  slots for canyoneers to explore.
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Offline khurram

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Re: Australia's Slot Canyons
« Reply #5 on: September 24, 2011, 03:58:51 AM »
 

 “It feels like being swallowed by the Earth,” says photographer  Carsten Peter of the Black Hole of Calcutta in Claustral Canyon.  Experienced canyoneers avoid it after heavy rains.
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Re: Australia's Slot Canyons
« Reply #6 on: September 24, 2011, 03:59:12 AM »
 

 A foot-long crayfish dodges a hiker fording a stream in  Claustral Canyon. The color of these crayfish, called yabbies by  canyoneers, remains a puzzle. In some streams they’re orange. In others  they’re blue. The difference is due partly to water purity—the blue ones  are found in the clearest water.
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Offline khurram

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Re: Australia's Slot Canyons
« Reply #7 on: September 24, 2011, 03:59:19 AM »

 
 A canyoneer endures the deluge of a waterfall in Empress Canyon. Canyoneers say even a relatively easy rappel like this one can feel like drowning in midair.
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Re: Australia's Slot Canyons
« Reply #8 on: September 24, 2011, 04:00:54 AM »
 

 
 Midday shafts of light intensify the cathedral-like atmosphere of Rocky Creek Canyon.
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Offline khurram

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Re: Australia's Slot Canyons
« Reply #9 on: September 24, 2011, 04:00:59 AM »

 
 Squeezing through Tiger Snake Canyon, canyoneer David Forbes watches for the serpents the formation is named after.
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