Chimney Cave

Hi Friends,

I never thought I'd ever be saying this, but yesterday I used verticle gear to get into and out of Chimney cave! I've spent two 'off days' training for this particular skill, using rope and various climbing equipment. Even after training, I think I was more nervous than excited, but on we went...

First, I had to hike a little over a mile in the canyon to the opening of Chimney cave. There are two openings, but we used the lower opening. The entrance hole, is all of about three feet wide. You could easily walk past the entrance, never realizing what lies underneath. After squeezing through the small hole, I had to use a hand line to drop down about ten more feet. That was pretty simple and my adrenaline was beginning to flow.

Next, was walking through the cave, on uneven surfaces, but nothing too difficult. But soon you come up to the area where you put on all your verticle gear. That in itself can be daunting. With help from the group, I eventually got all my equipment ready. Jason, our leader/teacher, tested the rope, finding it was fine, coming back up to give us last minute encouragement.

I hooked up my rack, and started walking down backwards, until I couldn't walk any more. Then down to my knees, nearing the lip of the dropoff. I could see Tami's headlamp from the bottom of the pit, 35' down. Yeah, I definitely had second thoughts for a moment, wondering the the he?? I was doing at my age trying something this crazy. Knowing that both Jason and Tami have spent many hours training me to do this, I knew I couldn't back out now. So I pushed off, holding the rope tightly in my right hand, sliding down into the pit under my control.

When I finally realized, I did have control of my descent, the fear was gone, the rush and joy took over and I had a blast as I zipped down into the bottom of Chimney cave. The few seconds it took to slide down that line was worth the clumsy equipment, new vocabulary, and sore muscles.

Once our group was down into the cave, we hiked around, enjoying the beautiful formations. A small cave, one quickly explored, but certainly not easy to get to. I signed the register, wanting the world to know of my journey and accomplishment. It's a popular cave, one a lot of beginners get to try.

Soon, it was time to leave. Going back up requires more physical exertion. Again, I attached my gear to the rope, and began the journey UP UP UP! Going down was more fun, and quicker. Took me a good five minutes or more to get up the 35' and get up and over the lip (that was certainly the hardest part). I know it wasn't the most graceful arrival up and over the lip, but I made it without injury.

The journey out of the cave was fun, then the one mile hike back to the truck. Can't explain how exciting it all was, and encourage any of you who think you might be interested to give it a try. Now, I need to get John trained so he can come with me on the next trip...

Thinking of you all as the holidays get closer.

Miss ya and love ya,

VAL