One afternoon, while walking the trails, we took Robyn to see the big pit that borders our hydro line. It's actually a sinkhole, and is lined with tree roots with a muddy puddle of water at the bottom which gets deeper when it rains.
It's difficult to get a true idea of the size and depth in a photograph.
At the time, a quantity of beer and/or rum having been imbibed, an idea emerged: "Let's go down there!" Seeing as it was (1) quite late and the light would soon be fading; (2) One of more of the participants may or may not have been intoxicated; (3) Nobody had a rope; (4) Nobody had a camera; we decided this adventure would be better left to the next day.
So, the next day dawned bright and sober, and with rope and camera in hand, off we all went to the pit. Robyn had never abseiled before (or rapelled as it is termed in North America) but she bravely volunteered to go down. Paul tied the rope to a sturdy tree and tested it himself, then explained to Robyn the proper technique.
Getting some expert instruction.
Notice that Robyn is wearing leather gloves and stout boots.
Ready to go - excited and a little bit scared!
Robyn started to climb down, with Paul at her side every step of the way. This is something that a beginner should never try to do unless accompanied by an expert instructor.
Going down ...
A little pep talk halfway down ... it's not as easy as it looks!
Time to climb back up!
Almost there ...
Out! And well done.
Robyn did great and had a lot of fun. I need hardly add that this is something that should only be attempted in the company of an expert instructor. Quite apart from being an interesting feature, the pit lends itself perfectly to various training exercises.
More soon!
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