And thus we find ourselves navigating our way around the chemical weapons clean up and start walking out the fire break along Waratah ridge amid banter and laughing.
And before too long we are suiting up and entering the canyon
It’s quiet nice.
I always forget just how spectacular the top section is
And I also forget the length of the walk betwix it and the bottom section …
Aimee entering the bottom section. The log has moved so now it’s a much easier start. That log had been there as long as I can remember. It’s now further down the chamber. Testament to the power of the recent floods
Wrong time of year for a massive glowworm display but still… glowworms! and if I’m ever not awed by glowworms slap me hard
The cave has silted up again meaning it’s a walk through to the squeeze out again.
It’s pretty choked up. Says Russ. I’m not sure we’ll get through.
Ah, that old chestnut.
Wait. I can see a bit of light. and up he squeezes.
I’m not sure of the sense of leaving the fat guy until last but Aimee follows him and I push my pack through to her and think skinny thoughts as I wiggle my self up and out
Then the hole abseil is awkward and holey again
Hole in the Wall, the sun really does shines out it’s arse
I don’t want to get into the whole bolt debate but for me the problem solving aspect has alway been a big part of the appeal of Blue Mountains canyoning. So needing to think about and improvise anchors was a pleasant change to what has become the norm in the more popular “trade routes”
And far too soon we are swimming up the Bungleboori North branch/*hackspit* Dingo creek.
Excuse me, I’ve been trying to reach you about your cars extended warranty…..
OK so I’ve been using this rope for a while now and T2 gave me a gentle nudge on https://canyoning.org.au to do the long term review I had promised on my original review so here it is.
I like them.
I like them so much I bought more in different lengths
Oh, you want some thing more substantial. OK
So a quick count up say’s I’ve used the original rope in over 50 canyons. Without thinking too much on it I’d have a conservative guestimate of an average of 3 drops and 4 people per trip that’s at least 600 descents on the rope.
So how’s it holding up?
Pretty bloody good to be honest. There is one bit where the sheath is a bit fluffy from someone taking a swinger and it dragging across a rock but all in all it still looks new.
The one bit of the sheath that is showing a bit of abuse
Feel: My original impression was the rope had a wirey feel and while it does soften a bit with use it still has a wirey feel. The newer one is less wirey (I believe Tom changed his weave slightly) but they are still wirey compared to other static ropes.
Handling: I also said it felt like it may be prone to tangles and knotts. This simply hasn’t been the case. It’s been pretty faultless and needs no more care on throw or pull down than any other rope.
They can be a bit hot on the hands when dry but I’ve recently retired by 20yr old Kong Robot and have been using a Crittr which has better control on skinny ropes, especially when going single rope and so I’m back to not wearing gloves.
Descent: On descent the rope feels great, some ropes I’ve used in the last few years feel like you are abseiling on a dynamic rope with the rope stretching as you get on and off ledges and juttering on over hung descents. Not so with the Imlay, no bobbing up and down, no juttering, just smooth descents
Water absorption: This is the other thing I love about these ropes. The tight weave just doesn’t seem to soak up water making them nice and light for the walk out without relying on stretchy waterproof/floating fibres.
Final Thoughts: So that’s it I’m more than happy with the Imlay and while I’ve had the chance to try a lot of other ropes while heading out with a few different groups I’m yet to try anything that would have me veering away from this rope in future purchases.
Cost: Imlay now has a local distributor and you can pick up the canyon fire for around $3.99/m
Specs: Imlay lists the rope specs as
Model
Rated Strength
Weight grams/meter
Weight lbs/100 feet
Weight lbs/200 feet
8.3mm Canyon Fire
4100 lbF
57.3 g/m
3.85 lbs/100ft
7.70 lbs/200ft
The Blue water 8mm Canyon rope is lighter at 40g/m and has a higher tensile strength at 5000lbf(2.2kn) but it is $150 more expensive for a 60m rope.
Colours: Imlay has expanded the colour choice a bit. I’m not fussed on colours but it is handy to easily differentiate your different length ropes
*March 2019 I am once again participating in the Wests Cycle Classic to raise money for the Westpac rescue helicopter. If you enjoy my blog or just want to help this great cause think about making a small donation
As David Bowie once sang, the only thing I ever got from you was Zorro… or something like that, I was never a fan so could be wrong….
Anyhoo it was back up to the plateau for more canyonng fun. Shoes and harness was still damp from yesterday and a bit of drizzle had set in but that wasn’t going to curb my enthusiasm.
This time we took a left and headed out along the Sunnyside ridge trail looking for a couple of short but spectacular canyons.
Our first goal was Zorro and we had no dramas on the way in.
The entrance was lined with wild flowers
the canyon gets narrow and deep very quickly.
Gaz squeezing pass this tenatious tree
Gaz dropping into the depths
Jodie in the amazingly straight and narrow canyon
Jodie watching James and Garry descend the canyon
There follows a tight shimmy down to a cold pool. There is an anchor above so I guess people rope up for it but it looks like tha would be awkward. It is a fairly straight forward down climb.
I have no idea how deep the water is but there are narrow ledges just below the water level so only you feet get wet.
James tries to bridge above the water but is unable to. Wanting to keep his shoes dry he wedges himself above the water level slips off a shoe and hurles it over the rock he thinks marks the end of the water. It makes a big splash in the small pool just beyond the rock…. No dry feet for you.
Then the canyon suddenly opens out in to the gorgeous Z chamber which links the parallel fault lines the entrance and exit passages follow
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Then it’s more bridging over what is usually a long pool but in this dry spell it’s starting to dry up
Then all that is left is a final abseil to exit, but before we do Gaz shimmies around the ledge to check out the views
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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
A quick scramble around the base of the cliff brings us to the exit slot, which is a nice, short canyon in it own right looking like something out of Jarassic park
Once ontop we slip out the ridge inbetween the two slots with the idea of having lunch in the sun with a view
Wind and drizzle interupt our plans and we abandond that idea and head back to the car
It’s not even noon so we do a quick car shuffle and go head in to check out some other features near by.
James heads into the Crack of Doom!!!
The Crack of Doom!!! with appropriate skull shaddow
Gaz in Crack Of Doom!!! 2
Jodie in Crack of Doom!!!2 with gaz on rope above
Gaz in Crack of Doom!!!2
Cathedral Canyon
Cathedral canyon
James taking in the grandour of Cathedral canyon
Gaz and Jodie soaking in the ambience
The Cathedral
Then it was back up the Crack of Doom!!! 2 for an easy exit
This poor goanna never made it out
And back tot he car for a much earned beerio.
Party size:4 all experienced
Time: about 5 hours total for both canyons
Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity… ― John Muir
sleepwhenwearedead 