Month: August 2020

No Better Offer

| flynny101

30/08/2020

Ed, Jen, Russ, Dick, Izy and meeeeee

You getting out this weekend? asks Ed

Well

  1. I haven’t caught up with Ed in ages
  2. I’d had a couple of big weeks at work
  3. I was in a shit of a mood and needed an adventure break

So a big fat Hell Yes says I

For various reasons Dick hadn’t been on a canyon trip in 12 months or more. Ya keen mate

Keen as, says he.

A couple of quick messages to Jen and Russ and we have ourselves a possie

I swing around to the top office and throw Isobel and invite too, she’s down from Brissy for work and seems keen to explore. She is in.

Now I’ve said it before I’ll say it again Magnifying Glass canyon, AKA Better Offer isn’t the most spectacular canyon going, I mean it barely earns the right to be called a canyon but it has some fun bits and my other pick, Yileen was still closed post fires

Anyhoo we pop out along the ridge in good spirits and soon reach our first abseil. We could have easily walked around this one but I knew it was short and not steep and wanted to give Izy an easy one to practice on.

The anchor was burnt to a crisp and we start setting up the fiddle stick

Hey Russ do you think it a good spot to fiddle?

Why’s that

Well it’s as scrubby as an early 70’s music festival.

We opt to replace the anchor and go wit a standard set up. It’s a crap abseil. I’d probably just walk around it next time

Jen belaying Izy down the first nice abseil
Ed

Comparing photos form 4 years ago this drop was bone dry, weirdly the pools later were shallower, more from having silted up

A short hand over hand that last time was very slippery was easily negotiated and then we are at the abseil into the pool. I offer to go first and sacrifice my dryness, I was keen to see if a guided abseil was possible to keep the others dry.

I strip off my top but couldn’t be bothered taken off my harness so pants stay on much to the relief of the others

The guide worked a treat

Dick may have set his sling a tad long and got wet feet.

I’m stuffing the rope back in my pack feeling all gallant and chivalrous when PLONK!

Izy has decided the cool, clear water of the Blue Mts is too much to resist and has thrown herself backwards of a log into a nice deep pool. So much fro keeping her dry

Next up is the big one, Last time we went straight down the creek, this time we went from the left which gave us a stunning 22m abseil, much of it over hung
  • Izy
  • Dick
  • Dick
  • Dick

The last abseil is barely worth roping up for, It’s only 2m to the ledge but it’s a tricky 2 m

Russ opts to stay on rope for a bit longer

And then the creek starts to open up and we have lunch on a less than flat rock enjoying the views the fires have opened up over the Gross

the views might be good but the lack of vegetation make traversing the slopes a little dicey in spots

And because it was such a nice day and we were having such a good time we decide to forego the easy exit gully and reverse Birrabang

Again it’s not much of a canyon but it has some pretty spots
Some careful ledge work keeps us dry…. for now

  • The most canyony bit of the trip

For some the dryness wasn’t to last through

The beauty made up for it but
That deep ravine in the the centre is where we have just come out of
He’s probably seen a glossey back or two
Izy and Jen and the might Blue

Party Size: 6

Time: I have no idea

If life gives you lemons, you might be a lemon tree

BACK

Waterfall Weirdos

| flynny101

08/08/2020

Kylie, Aimee, Mattie, Muzzie, Monie, Hywie, Kristoie, Kennie, Jasie, Russie, Libbie, Maddie, Leoie, Gibbie and meeeeeeeie.

NB: Uncharacteristically I didn’t take a single photo all day so full credit for all the photos herein goes to the awesome bunch of folks above.

The forecast was for torrential rain, slushy snow and freezing conditions so when Kylio put out an invite to do a wet canyon followed by a wet abseil trip of course we all said a great big enthusiastic yes.

The day before I’d swung by Adventurebase to catch up with Leo and pick up a bit of gear. It was a miserable day but the torrential rain was more an annoying drizzle and I duck out to check the track out of our second option, as it had been closed for a while last year, but I was happy to see it open.

Anyhoo, Saturday dawned awash with sunshine. Unfortunately we didn’t get as much rain as predicted but Empress was running a bit better than usual and we were keen to hit it.

I don’t think anyone was expecting every one to turn up so we’d need to split into smaller groups to abide the group size limit but also to keep things moving, we were expecting it to be coolish in the canyon, waiting in line for an abseil wouldn’t be ideal.

Jumping into the first pool was a bit of a rush and instant icecream headache. But by keeping a relatively quick pace I never really felt cold, even while manning the abseil line at the end.

We’re not cold, noooo-sireee.
Sunshine and Bubbles
Monas
  • 4 of the best
Yours truly in the flow
Someone in the pump
Krysto photo bombing
Photos upon photos
Me and Russ pulling the rope and enjoying the swim

We all regroup at the base of the falls. Some of us jump in a few times just for the hell of it then we shake ourselves off and head back up to the cars.

Here we say good by to half the group and the rest of us stay suited up and head off for our next adventure

This is one I’ve thought about doing for a while, but in summertime the waterhole at the bottom tends to be busy with all sorts of people from families trying to relax to thrill seekers and instagrammers so I never through it appropriate to toss ropes. Therefore when Kylie suggested it doing it in winter I was in like uncle Errol.

Glad I did, it might just be my new favourite abseil in the blue Mountains

  • it’s a pretty little creek, too bad there isn’t a canyon section up above
  • Mon enjoying a bit of a swim after descending one of the cascades, this was a few degrees colder than Empress
  • There are a couple of smaller cascades before the main drop

The rocky bottom creek was a bit slippery in places but we all stayed up right, mostly, and soon we came to the main event

Ken rigged it up with a temporary redirect to get us in the centre of the flow, and Kylie took control of the anchor duties

An over hanging start drops us straight into the flow but a short way down was a ledge that ended in a v slot which funnelled the full pump directly intp your face as you dropped into a lovely 10m of free space.

  • Spot the abseiler
  • Aimee
  • Some people just like jumping into cold pools, or sumfink
  • Kylie
  • Kylie
  • Hywaida

With beaming smiles we make our way back up to the cars and make a bee line for warm food and cold beer.

Find your freaks and run with them

BACK

Rediscovering back yard gems

| flynny101

2/8/20

Mandy And Me

When I was a kid a lot of amazing adventures started or finished at 166 Bells Street. We are 13 or 14 popping wheelies on our BMXes, or hanging out high up in the climbing tree, or digging tunnels in the river bank or making home made fireworks out of stuff you could still buy or find when we were kids or sumfink.

Let’s go yabbying.

We grab some string, stuff some form of meet into our pockets, race off on our bikes and head up to some long forgotten little dams in a long forgotten gully right at the edge of town. It all sounds very Huckleberry Finnish. But it’s nothing so grand, just a day in the life of me and my mate Smiddy some time in the 80s. Nothing overly memorable except we didn’t catch any yabbies and on the way back while bridging through what I’d now call a canyonette (but back then was just a nice bit of narrow creek) Pat slipped in. We are wearing jeans and jumpers, it was an icy winters day (the yabbies had been smartly tucked up in their nests) and it was cold ride home for Smiddy.

Anyhoo, fast forward mumblemumble years. (Would you believe 10? No? How about 20? Ok it’s closer to 30, and by closer I mean over 30) Mandy is keen for a small walk and thinks Ida falls might be the go.

Pulling up in the little car park it’s packed (well 4 or 5 cars but enough to ruin the uncrowded feel I like.)

Hey there’s another gully we use to frequent and from memory it’s kind pretty too… says I

Understatement!

Especially after we’ve had a bit of rain through the week.

Memories are Golden. Get out there and make some

BACK

A sigh in the Wolgan

| flynny101

1/08/2020

Russ and meeeee

I’d been a bit crook and carrying another minor but annoying injury so amid offers of epic adventure stuff I opted for the easier one.

I meet Russ in the Wolgan and we set off for a fantastical slot not too far yet not too close to the camp ground

After dodging the stinging nettle (mostly) a quick march up the steep slopes brings us to a breach in the lower cliff line with a little tunnel like arch for an entry way

Like a lot of the Wollemi the Gospers Mt fire has ripped through here. You see more and the walking is somewhat easier but it’s still a bit depressing.

I struggled to keep up on the ascent but am keen to push on

In normal times the gully between the lower and upper constriction is a glorious lost world. Now it’s black and charred, yet still somehow grand

Further up the Mother of Slots awaits us and I’m pleased to see the confines have been spared the wrath of the inferno

Mater Suspiriorum, The Mother of Sighs. With a room fit for a witches covern or an altar or sumfink

We phaff about with some photos and then make our way up

Toward the top there is a boulder choke. There are a couple of ways to get over. The easiest way up is to crawl into a little cave and twist your way up a short chimney to get on top of the first boulder.

I squeeze in and worm my way up. I have my foot on a chock stone as I propel myself up and out. The chock stone moves.

Then dislodges altogether.

There is a rumble and a tumble I hear the rock bounce down in a shower of smaller stuff. I hear Russ grunt and flee.

Two things go through my head.

First Russ’s safety. It was a large rock and there wasn’t much space plus I wasn’t sure if he had already followed me into the cave.

Mate are you Ok?

Yeeep.

You sure?

Um, Yeah.

Second thought. Was that wedging up the massive bit of rock above me? I claw may way out from between the two boulders as fast as possible.

Looking down Russ is fine. I can not see sign of the rock I dislodged. How did it miss him and how did he not take a tumble fleeing out of it’s potential path I don’t know.

We are both a bit lucky. I’ve been up that way a few times and that chock stone has always been solid. The extremes of wet and dry had loosened something

Russ wondering if one of those rocks was the one I kicked at him and happy that it missed.On return we found one that would be a good 40-50kg was wedged in the mouth of the cave,
Up top the landscape is surreal. Mater Tenebrarum, The mother of Darkness, the Inferno. The youngest, most cruel Mother
Even the usually colourful cliff lines have taken a beating

Our plan was to try and make our way around and down another slot I knew of.

We traverse around the base of the upper cliff line, only to find ourselves stuck on a tier bisected by slots and mini canyons all with tricky drops. We double back looking for a walk down, we had a short rope but weren’t sure if we descended we would just be stuck on another tier with 100m of cliff line below us

Mater Lachrymarum, The Mother of Tears.

We pick a spot to enjoy lunch with stunning views.

Should we push on or go back the way we came?

Most people who know me would assume me to say push on. I’m happy being lost in head high scrub and exploring ways forward. But today was not my usual day. I was feeling drained.

For probably the second time ever I concede my goal and we head back the way we came.

Party size 2

Time: a couple of hours

If you are feeling down remember that weird Beatles song. The sun is up. The sky is Blue. It’s Beautiful and so are You. Dear Prudence

BACK