Photo: Tony Baker

We cross more lakes and descend a small pitch amongst boulders. It is some time before rays of sun reach down to the cave floor. We still can't see the sky as the canyon twists and soars above us. We drift across another lake held back by a large rounded boulder. A wet pitch drops down 10 metres on the other side. Colin has to put in a bolt to avoid the waterfall.

While putting on my rope climbing SRT gear, I notice the rope bag containing the bolt kit sinking into the deep water. It's no good pulling on the rope in the bag as this will just unravel and the bag isn't attached. I manage to catch the bag with my feet but in my haste I have not done up my harness 'maillon' attachment. My 'Croll' ascender, my 'Bobbin' descender and the 'Maillon' attachment, disappear into the depths. The only consolation is that it would have been worse if we had lost the bolt kit. Then we couldn't have got down at all. I can still get down using an "Italian hitch" on a karabiner, which Colin quickly teaches me to do. It will be even more difficult if we can't escape from this end of the cave.

'Bobbin' descender,
'Croll' ascender and
'Maillon' attachment.

Colin descends and drifts off in his tube. I descend to cut the rope as short as I can. As I cut it, my inner tube drifts in and out of the waterfall and I am tipped out. I clamber back aboard, a bit bedraggled. After gathering the rope up I paddle off to meet Colin. There is a strong draft again.

As we paddle round a corner we are confronted by a fantastic sight. We can see we are drifting towards a waterfall marking the end of the cave! Outside there is an enormous amphitheatre of tall cliffs bathed in sunshine. Another waterfall drifts down one wall for about 100m. The colours are bright after the darkness of the cave.

We approach the edge cautiously. Our inner tubes ground on a narrow sloping ledge. We move carefully and look out. Down below is a blue lake. It looks too far for the rope we have. We can't be thwarted now surely? If the rope does not reach the bottom, we determine to tie all the rope climbing gear together and climb down hand over hand. There are no natural belays to tie the rope to and Colin puts in two bolts. It is cold waiting in the draft, although the sunshine is so close.

We protect the rope from rubbing with a tackle bag and lower the rope down. It lands on a ledge, Colin abseils down and throws it down further. It reaches the lake, 40m from the ledge I am standing on. I prepare to abseil down, checking to see if I've got the Italian hitch right. It works! It's an exhilarating feeling dropping down into the sun filled gorge. Above me the cliffs tower over 600 metres, even the cold blue lake looks inviting.

On the edge of a 40 metre waterfall.

Photo: Dick Willis

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