The winding dirt road led to a beautiful lookout at Mt Hay, once the others arrived we set off down the well signed path. Things warmed once we descended the track out of the cold wind, after half an hour we signed the log book and continued until the first abseil point.
The drop was relatively straight forward, a good introduction for some of the crew who hadn't abseiled before.
Following that there were a few more smaller drops, mostly dry, until eventually we arrived to a constriction that required a plunge into the frigid water and a swim to continue. Wetsuits were definitely welcomed, the water was fresh!
We finally reached the main drop, a two stage abseil down into a narrow constriction. Singular beams of light would peak past the walls and high tree canopies, highlighting random spots in the canyon, lending a sense of grandeur to the already stunning canyon formation.
Once at the bottom it was another short swim to a ledge where we pulled off out wet clothes and lay in the sun to warm. There were two more dry abseils until we came to he the exit and started the long and occasionally steep hike back up to the car.
We contoured the cliff line following a well worn track, pausing at a small cave overlooking the valley while a group ahead of us tackled the short rock climbing section. It was the perfect place to pause, soak in the scenery and take a breather.
I tagged onto the climbing rope of the group in front so I didn't have to be belayed from below by our group, once on the ledge above I set up a belay of my own and helped the rest of the team up.
The climbing was relatively easy, but made more difficult by wet canyoning shoes and heavy back packs. Everyone climbed well and shortly we were back on track heading towards the cars.
Seven hours after setting off we made it back, the late afternoon sun casting a golden glow over the surrounding areas. A great end to a fun adventure!
More photos here
