Bring on the Abseiling!

By Shelby Hearn // 16 August 2011 // Comments: 0 // Related Categories: abseiling, adventure, blogging, Hostels, Nightlife, Things to do, tour, walks

I like to think of myself as the outdoorsy type. I love camping, hiking, skiing, white water rafting... You name it, I’m in. So when the opportunity presented itself to go abseiling I was the first to volunteer, my travel partner was not quite so, what shall we say, enthused. 

Taking the train from Sydney, we set off with our want-to-be-backpackers packs for a weekend of adventure. After hoping off the train we made our way to the Blue Mountains YHA, dropped our packs and set off on the Cliff walk through the bush for a look at the Three Sisters and the World Heritage Area-listed Blue Mountains. After a bit of an explore of Katoomba we made our way out for a night of fun at the local pub before rising bright and early for our day of abseiling with the Blue Mountains Adventure Company.

It all looks fine and good from the bottom, but when you reach the top, even of the smallest abseil, your heart definitely starts pumping. The first drop was 3 metres, a baby in comparison to what was to come. It all went well, and we quickly progressed through the next few levels. By the third level abseil we were getting comfortable, and began to forget the height factor - that is until we reached the edge of course. While the previous abseils looked quite short even from the top, this 20 metre abseil definitely got the adrenaline flowing! By the second time down the real fun began as we were jumping about, kicking off the rocks, and getting a bit more adventurous - abseiling Hollywood style. 

After lunch, we began the hike to the final abseil. None of us knowing quite what to expect other than that it was going to be intense. The 55 metre abseil, the equivalent of an 18 story building, was sure to get our knees shaking! When we reached the site, the bush opened to reveal the valley below, leaving us frozen, and completely wonderstruck. The group, for the first time all day, fell collectively silent. Standing enthralled on the cliff, overlooking the valley, houses just small dots below, our heart rates immediately began to quicken.  After the ropes were set up, I stepped forward to go first, as the rest of the group took one giant step back. Hooking up all was well, I went through the safety checks, and then took a quick look down – not one of my better ideas. The ground wasn’t visible, entirely obscured by trees. Immediately my palms began to sweat, and my hands started to shake, but I was at the edge. I made it that far, I wasn’t about to chicken out! So, after a deep breath, I took a few steps backwards, and disappeared over the edge! 

After just a few metres of rock, the cliff curved away leaving my feet dangling free, the wall far beyond my reach. With a quick jerk of my leg I spun myself round to face the valley. Hanging over 160 feet above the ground, on a single rope, heart racing, palms sweating, mind blank, I dangled in utter amazement of not only the spectacular view, but of what I had accomplished to get there. The rest of the way down passed in a daze of wonder, the smile never fading from my lips, as I finally came through the trees and touched bottom. After unhooking myself, I had the pleasure of watching the other three members of the group and two guides come down one after another, starting off quite slow, visibly shaken and arriving at the bottom grinning ear to ear. It was remarkable and an experience I am not soon to forget! 

While we spent only about 30 hours total in the Blue Mountains it was someplace I could have easily have remained for a week or a lifetime. It’s a pity I only came to make the trip days before I head home to the States. Oh well, just one more reason to return to Australia!