Barrier Range

Trudging up a steep slope on spongy carpet moss, over countless fallen trees, through virtually impenetrable rainforest isn't easy. Attempt this while hauling a 70 pound pack and one starts to question his own sanity.

My two companions and I have all gone to our "happy place" as we lay into the backbreaking toil. My fatigue dissolves away as I round a mossy boulder and find myself at the entrance to a large cave. A quick look proves the cave to be impossibly deep and far below we hear the roar of flowing water. The discovery of a virgin cave has always been a childhood dream of mine. So without discussion we build an anchor and throw the rope.

With headlamp on, I clip myself in and begin repelling into the darkness below. Soon I'm hanging like a spider from its web. My headlamp illuminates the curvilinear formations of the cave as I slowly descend. The air is heavy and humid and I hear the cacophonous rushing of water below.

About 30 meters into the descent I can feel by the weight of the rope that it's not touching ground. I know without a longer rope my descent will be pointless. Disappointed, I turn my back on the void below and begin climbing up the rope with the aid of a Prusik hitch.

On the way up, I notice a large chockstone spanning the width of the cave and I swing my body over to it to aid in my ascent. Once all my weight is on the boulder, it unexpectedly dislodges from the cave wall and skips out from underneath me. I plummet alongside the boulder for about three feet before my Prusik grabs the rope and catches my fall. The boulder continues to fall, and ricochets off the walls below. The entire cave shudders with a deafening rumble and I huddle like a sitting duck waiting to be showered by debris but nothing comes. Scared shitless, I just hang there for a while. Then I hear, "Are you OK?!" from the entrance above. I reply with a half-hearted, "Yea" and without delay climb the rest of the way up in adrenaline-fueled record time.

(continued on page 2)





	Trapped in the Barrier Range New Zealand's Unforgiving Alps By Dave Weimer					Hidden In Plain Sight ...Two feet from my head I heard the huffing of a very large animal and I instinctively yelled at the top of my lungs... The South Pole Traverse ...Delivering 100,000 gallons of fuel across Antarctica... Dr Jones ...I've been fortunate in my life to have had many adventures, some fun, some not so fun... Summer Sled Dogs ...The desire to pull was in the dog’s blood and they couldn't forget what they were born to do... An Egyptian Bargain ...Just minutes after hitting the tarmac at Egypt's international airport in Cairo - the haggling begins...

	Trudging up a steep slope on spongy carpet moss, over countless fallen trees, through virtually impenetrable rainforest isn't easy. Attempt this while hauling a 70 pound pack and one starts to question his own sanity. My two companions and I have all gone to our "happy place" as we lay into the backbreaking toil. My fatigue dissolves away as I round a mossy boulder and find myself at the entrance to a large cave. A quick look proves the cave to be impossibly deep and far below we hear the roar of flowing water. The discovery of a virgin cave has always been a childhood dream of mine. So without discussion we build an anchor and throw the rope. With headlamp on, I clip myself in and begin repelling into the darkness below. Soon I'm hanging like a spider from its web. My headlamp illuminates the curvilinear formations of the cave as I slowly descend. The air is heavy and humid and I hear the cacophonous rushing of water below. About 30 meters into the descent I can feel by the weight of the rope that it's not touching ground. I know without a longer rope my descent will be pointless. Disappointed, I turn my back on the void below and begin climbing up the rope with the aid of a Prusik hitch. On the way up, I notice a large chockstone spanning the width of the cave and I swing my body over to it to aid in my ascent. Once all my weight is on the boulder, it unexpectedly dislodges from the cave wall and skips out from underneath me. I plummet alongside the boulder for about three feet before my Prusik grabs the rope and catches my fall. The boulder continues to fall, and ricochets off the walls below. The entire cave shudders with a deafening rumble and I huddle like a sitting duck waiting to be showered by debris but nothing comes. Scared shitless, I just hang there for a while. Then I hear, "Are you OK?!" from the entrance above. I reply with a half-hearted, "Yea" and without delay climb the rest of the way up in adrenaline-fueled record time. (continued on page 2)