Arethusa canyon + Alpheus canyon
Posted: Thu 13 Dec, 2012 12:56 pm
Arethusa canyon + exit up Alpheus canyon Saturday 8th December, 2012
Kevin drove up in thongs, only to realise he had no shoes, but was happy to wear a pair of Crocs I had in the car. This time last year, we walked back along the road 200m, prior to aiming off to the SW, and descending through some sword grass for a single 5m abseil into the watercourse. We had been prompted to do that based on a Control being placed in the vicinity for a 1998 Rogaine - today we were using the same topo Kevin was supplied with for his entry fee back then. Anyways, from this usual Mt Hay Rd parking spot, we navigated in down a ridge bearing 340, with an array of flowering plants.
Three ~18m abseils from random trees (opposite a fantastic 'sharp' walkable ridge down from the Katoomba airstrip side) saw us land in a very pretty rainforest section with a sandy floor about 1100 metres back from the canyons end.
Some swimming and scrambling later, we chose to avoid the only abseil in Arethusa watercourse (with the large holes in the rock on river right below a large log), and instead abseiled twice on the 50m rope from another random spot. The final rappel saw us discuss the merits of, then give up on, a triangular block in a bowl, before tip-toeing (on-rope from above) across and around to a better stance - and threading the rope above us directly through a 4cm horizontal tree root before pulling the rope down. 24 metres later, we were back in the creek.
Of the 5 abseils today, three were from leaning trees on the lightly vegetated cliff edge, having to connect to the rope aiming back uphill, before committing to a controlled swing around into the start position. Exciting times, yet to leave a sling might allow a useful handle to hold on to when doing such - although that could mean nylon rope sliding on nylon.
We lunched on a sunny slab that still requires smearing with hands and knees to access, prior to continuing to the end less than 50 metres away.
Quickdraws, a Tibloc, a Jumar, a Ropeman, an extendable aluminium cheat-stick (once the arm of a window cleaner) were readied for the always exhilarating ascent out of Alpheus Canyon. We agreed that we had only reached the beginning.
Yay! - Lead climbing on static. Yay! - I lost my mojo and have numerous starts to the bolted traverse at the 3rd pitch. Yay! - Hand-over-hand up the yellow warp. Yay! - The frazzled nature of this shipping rope adds to the grip, dunnit?
Bugger! - I slip on the thin layer of gritty soil when leaving the creek. I call out my partner's name with urgency as I scrabble for purchase, pulling out forbs and young sedges. The green lip of the nick-point caught my eye. Dig the fingernails in! Why can't I get any traction, dammit! What’s at the bottom of the warp? - a second section with a sloping rock; could I kick my legs out as I went over, to get me away from the bluff and into the pool?
Merely 3 seconds or less later, I landed in the ankle-deep water and scrabbled to run away upstream to little avail. Then I slipped to a stop. How green everything appeared with my face so close to the moss. A heavenly hell.
Trickling water married with my elevated heartbeat reminded me of those ambient recordings one is supposed to listen for tinnitus relief. I felt confused and angry to see that the lip was over 2 metres away behind me - it should have been closer. Why wasn't it closer? Best thing to do was to find a distraction - start walking.
Kevin spoke that it was good I had brought my helmet. I said that I was going to read Fasulo's 'Self Rescue' again. And again - at least if I have two busted knees and a stake through my shoulder at the bottom of a waterfall, say, I could tell others how to extract me from the cold water, right?
We encounter the wobbly-placed rock pile stacked adjacent to an overhang just to reach climbers tape – just. Later we pass a fallen tree with one of the orange slings around it. It was slung long before it fell. We pass under a long overhang, and I recognise the large portion of the fallen roof that I walked over last year in pouring rain, only to slip, slide and catch myself by shooting out my arm and catching my fingertips on a small grip. This fallen slab teminates with a 10 metre drop. Deja vu, except Kevin never knew about that one, being ahead in the heavy precipitation and all. And probably for all of us, reja vu.
I wiped my bloodied elbow. And I shall consider hard-rubbishing real soon – my sole target being ladders to carry through and perma-rig in canyons...
At the top of the steeper stuff, I wondered as the whereabouts of the world’s neatest cairn – a very large construction hard up against the cliff edge. I looked for remnants. Nothing. I only hope I missed it.
We walk on along the ridge. We spoke more.
Back in Springwood by 5pm, we were positively distracted by the party, and it didn’t matter that no-one else really seemed interested, nor could relate to what we had done that day.
Recommended.
Kevin drove up in thongs, only to realise he had no shoes, but was happy to wear a pair of Crocs I had in the car. This time last year, we walked back along the road 200m, prior to aiming off to the SW, and descending through some sword grass for a single 5m abseil into the watercourse. We had been prompted to do that based on a Control being placed in the vicinity for a 1998 Rogaine - today we were using the same topo Kevin was supplied with for his entry fee back then. Anyways, from this usual Mt Hay Rd parking spot, we navigated in down a ridge bearing 340, with an array of flowering plants.
Three ~18m abseils from random trees (opposite a fantastic 'sharp' walkable ridge down from the Katoomba airstrip side) saw us land in a very pretty rainforest section with a sandy floor about 1100 metres back from the canyons end.
Some swimming and scrambling later, we chose to avoid the only abseil in Arethusa watercourse (with the large holes in the rock on river right below a large log), and instead abseiled twice on the 50m rope from another random spot. The final rappel saw us discuss the merits of, then give up on, a triangular block in a bowl, before tip-toeing (on-rope from above) across and around to a better stance - and threading the rope above us directly through a 4cm horizontal tree root before pulling the rope down. 24 metres later, we were back in the creek.
Of the 5 abseils today, three were from leaning trees on the lightly vegetated cliff edge, having to connect to the rope aiming back uphill, before committing to a controlled swing around into the start position. Exciting times, yet to leave a sling might allow a useful handle to hold on to when doing such - although that could mean nylon rope sliding on nylon.
We lunched on a sunny slab that still requires smearing with hands and knees to access, prior to continuing to the end less than 50 metres away.
Quickdraws, a Tibloc, a Jumar, a Ropeman, an extendable aluminium cheat-stick (once the arm of a window cleaner) were readied for the always exhilarating ascent out of Alpheus Canyon. We agreed that we had only reached the beginning.
Yay! - Lead climbing on static. Yay! - I lost my mojo and have numerous starts to the bolted traverse at the 3rd pitch. Yay! - Hand-over-hand up the yellow warp. Yay! - The frazzled nature of this shipping rope adds to the grip, dunnit?
Bugger! - I slip on the thin layer of gritty soil when leaving the creek. I call out my partner's name with urgency as I scrabble for purchase, pulling out forbs and young sedges. The green lip of the nick-point caught my eye. Dig the fingernails in! Why can't I get any traction, dammit! What’s at the bottom of the warp? - a second section with a sloping rock; could I kick my legs out as I went over, to get me away from the bluff and into the pool?
Merely 3 seconds or less later, I landed in the ankle-deep water and scrabbled to run away upstream to little avail. Then I slipped to a stop. How green everything appeared with my face so close to the moss. A heavenly hell.
Trickling water married with my elevated heartbeat reminded me of those ambient recordings one is supposed to listen for tinnitus relief. I felt confused and angry to see that the lip was over 2 metres away behind me - it should have been closer. Why wasn't it closer? Best thing to do was to find a distraction - start walking.
Kevin spoke that it was good I had brought my helmet. I said that I was going to read Fasulo's 'Self Rescue' again. And again - at least if I have two busted knees and a stake through my shoulder at the bottom of a waterfall, say, I could tell others how to extract me from the cold water, right?
We encounter the wobbly-placed rock pile stacked adjacent to an overhang just to reach climbers tape – just. Later we pass a fallen tree with one of the orange slings around it. It was slung long before it fell. We pass under a long overhang, and I recognise the large portion of the fallen roof that I walked over last year in pouring rain, only to slip, slide and catch myself by shooting out my arm and catching my fingertips on a small grip. This fallen slab teminates with a 10 metre drop. Deja vu, except Kevin never knew about that one, being ahead in the heavy precipitation and all. And probably for all of us, reja vu.
I wiped my bloodied elbow. And I shall consider hard-rubbishing real soon – my sole target being ladders to carry through and perma-rig in canyons...
At the top of the steeper stuff, I wondered as the whereabouts of the world’s neatest cairn – a very large construction hard up against the cliff edge. I looked for remnants. Nothing. I only hope I missed it.
We walk on along the ridge. We spoke more.
Back in Springwood by 5pm, we were positively distracted by the party, and it didn’t matter that no-one else really seemed interested, nor could relate to what we had done that day.
Recommended.