We walked in on Boxing Day and did a number of canyons over the next few days from a couple of base camps. This was a new area for us so I've just notated the canyons using letters of the alphabet.
Tom & Smiffy at the top of the pass
Big enough cairn?
Canyon A (27/12)
Smiffy preparing to enter the water
Smiffy on abseil
Smiffy avoiding what we thought was a pothole by stepping on to the logs
Smiffy looking happy before the log under his right foot moves from under him!
Tom avoiding the right hand log!
Tom abseiling
Canyon B (27/12)
Smiffy scrambling
Tom abseiling
Rich abseiling
Looking down to a pool which is unfortunately my fate
Tom abseiling the same drop as photographed above
Tom still abseiling
Tom pulling Smiffy on to a ledge so he doesn't have to swim (unfortunately for me no one was there to help me not swim)
The canyons we did on the 27th were ok, but we were hoping for much better. Smiffy wasn't feeling great on the 28th so he chose to stay at camp, unfortunately for him he missed the best canyons of the trip
Canyon C (28/12)
This looks promising... though also remarkably like a swim
Tom swimming
Canyon formation
Tom not staying still on a short abseil
More lovely canyon constriction
Tom coiling the rope after our short abseil while Rich prepares to jump it instead (each to their own)
Tom abseiling
Tom on an awkward abseil (about to take a swing)
Tom & Rich deep in the canyon
Another swim and the snaparazi are everywhere
Rich at the bottom of another short drop
The black hole of death! Well not quite... it did get the best of all 3 of us. I went first and knocked my knee on a submerged rock while lowering myself into the water at the end of the slot. Tom went next and lost his footing while bridging losing a large chunk of skin of his elbow and grazing his shoulder. Rich went last and dropped his pack, complete with non-waterproofed camcorder into the pool at the bottom.
Tom watching Rich prepare to come down a small drop (easier with the rope, I did it with no rope and got a matching knock for my other knee)
Tom trying to avoid swimming
So far so good
How many contortions can Tom get into? see this video for the ending.
Rich in the beautiful gorge below the canyon
Tom (bottom) & Rich (half-way ledge) checking out a large waterfall blocking our ability to ascend up this creek. Tom & Rich came down this creek later in the afternoon, I went back to camp to keep Smiffy company (ok, so maybe I was a bit tired as well).
Smiffy at camp
Canyon E (29/12) (Tom & Rich did Canyon D in on 28/12)
Tom climbing down a log at the start of the canyon
This is the entry to a tunnel section underneath a large blockup. It was very dark (other than the glowworms).
Looking down the canyon
Rich abseiling in the upper section
Looking down the canyon - looks like the end? It wasn't - there was a lower more open section with lots of abseils. My camera battery was going (and I was cold) so I stopped taking photos.
Final abseil out of the canyon
Flower back on the road - the guys went and did Canyon F while I walked back to our packs and camp.
We had copious quantities of cheese - this was night 4 and all 3 of us still had cheese left. Since it was Smiffy's last night he was keen to get rid of his...
Unfortunately he had a bit of competition in the cheese offerings... Who's selling their cheese better?
Towers of cheese
Smiffy & I walked out on the 30th, while Rich & Tom stayed on for another day to do Canyons G, H, I ... ??