Before leaving, we climbed to the top of the cliffs for an unbelievable view over the Kanangra Gorge. After the storm last night, there were waterfalls tumbling off the gorge walls, into the valley below.
Kym bravely took the lead. We went all right initially, but then he had this brilliant idea of a short cut over the top. after bashing through the bush for a while, we all retreat.
Undaunted he leads again. The track forks and the group splits. Scott, Kym, Aaron, Mark and Nathan pick the easiest route straight across the gully to the cliffs of Kanangra Walls, 3 kilometer away.
Aaron quietly says to no-one in particular, "What about this track on the right. "
Michael has a look at the map then goes the long way around the ridge and most of us follow him. Luckily some stuff fell out of Ricky’s pack on the track, as Nathan had changed his mind, abandoned his intrepid leader and backtracked to find us. Ricky and Michael found him while they were back looking for his stuff. We had lost half the group and with a fierce wind blowing, they had no hope of hearing our whistle blasts. Nathan and Nic found a perch, high on a rock where they could watch the gully, while Ricky, Michael, Jake and Ross circle around and waited for them to hopefully appear at the other end.
An hour later the lads emerge from their gully, sweating and filthy. Undaunted Kym declares, “I should go on Gladiators after walking on this track I‘d win it!”
The search party declares themselves “The Heroes".
"We would've got here much earlier if we’d listened to Aaron” lamented Mark.
We decided to call them “The Losers."
It was a quick scoot around the rest of the ridge and up a rocky gully onto Kanangra Walls, helping each other up with our packs on.
Without water. Aaron started collapsing again, begging for a sip and lagging behind the group all the way to Seymour Cave where our food drop is waiting and a chance to go abseiling.
Water drips from the mossy roof into a drum, and we all guzzle it down We can't hide our joy at the mountains of food, but this needs to last for the rest of the trip. We pig out anyway.
Mr Cannan has carried all our food and abseil gear in, so after a feast we put on our harnesses and listen carefully to the briefing on abseiling, asking lots of questions.
There were 2 abseils to try: a long gentle slope, then a big overhang. Once was enough for a couple of us while for others, after getting over the initial fear of the big drop, had a few goes at each And while we waited our turn a few of us scribbled a quick letter home telling how horrible the trek was, that we might not make it out alive and could they bring some chocolate to the school on the last day.
After last nights success of reaching camp in the light we were keen to keep going, so thanked Mr Canaan, packed up the food and continued on our hike Kym wasn't so keen to lead after this morning's embarrassing short cut.
A fork in the track stumped us but Jake, Nathan, and Kym ran along one track, and came back to say they had found the cave. Its huge.
Big enough for all or us to spread out and have a fire. Ricky is so desperate for the toilet that he grabs the shovel and bolts as soon as we arrive, but shuffles back into camp minus his pants, for some toilet paper.
He’s not embarrassed but it cracks some of us up.
Nic and Ross camp a bit away from us tonight with their own fire, and a group of us drop around for a chat. There is a fee though - we need to supply our own firewood.
Michael turns up at their fire distraught.
He‘s lost his Dad’s torch.
It turns out that Nic had found it lying on the track near the abseil, but to get it back he has to prepare a talk about the ‘Relationship of Happiness and Adversity‘. He’s overjoyed.
Some hikers pass by late in the evening but none of us talk to them.
The weather looks threatening, but we are fine, at least for the night, sheltered from the rain.
