Those of you who know Eric have probably heard stories about the “Death March” – hikes that he and his buddies have done throughout the years in the Utah deserts, canyons and mountains. I participated in one Death March where we hiked through a forest fire, rappelled down hot ash and walked through a river for miles to exit Zion Canyon. I considered it to be “full on”. Then yesterday, we (Eric, Bear, Jo, and our friends Jackie and David from s/v Jackster and I) hiked the Millennium Cave in Vanuatu and now I feel like I really know what “full on” means. As I write this, I have to carefully move my aching legs so they don’t cramp on me!
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| Bamboo Bridge |
The Millennium Cave tour is billed as a strenuous, all day hike through lush jungles, primitive villages, an awesome cave and pristine river water. It was all that and then some. After a 45 minute drive up a bumpy dirt road, a stretch of which was an old WWII American airstrip, we parked in the middle of nowhere and began to walk through the jungle along a narrow, muddy path. Along the way, we crossed a bamboo bridge which was just that – a couple dozen bamboo logs piled on top of each other and laid across the expanse that rolled and slid as you stepped on them. A little dicey. We passed through one village, then stopped in a second one to pick up our guide, Gerry, for the canyon trip. There we got the low down for the remainder of the adventure via a map drawn on a blackboard. We were told to expect: a 60 minute descent into the canyon, a 30 minute walk through the cave in knee-deep water, a 30 minute “challenging” hike in a canyon river, a 45 minute float down river and a 30 minute climb back up to the village. No problem. Let’s go!
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| Ladders |
Armed with a life jacket and surrounded by a contingent of village kids (great for entertaining Bear), we set off into the jungle again where we soon came to the descending part which consisted of scaling down steep hillsides holding onto ropes, scampering over boulders and climbing down a series of ladders made from four inch round tree limbs. The ladders clung to canyon walls that felt as steep as the side of a building at times and spanned the equivalent of at least fifteen stories. Every so often, Gerry would call up, “Watch out! Step broken!” And we’d have to reach down four feet to the next rung in the ladder, clinging onto the muddy, slippery rungs above. I didn’t dare look down, just kept a steady pace while concentrating on each step.
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| Eric painted for protection |
Just before our final descent into the canyon, Gerry painted our faces with red clay. We were told this was to pay our respects to Mother Nature and, in doing so, she would protect us on our journey. So now we even looked ready to tackle nature’s obstacles. Bring it on!
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| Entrance to Cave |
Thinking the most difficult part was behind us, we left the lunch spot with renewed energy and plunged into the river for a float. Vines hung down from the canyon rim hundreds of feet above while we kicked leisurely along under small waterfalls. Just when we were relaxing, the guide pulled us to the side of the river where we once again found ourselves in a precarious spot. Large boulders blocked the water’s path, sending it raging through narrow passes. We also had to go through those narrow passes, without being washed away into the flow. One by one, Gerry helped us through. There were many of these situations. One particular cut had two rapids to cross and the water was high. It was the only time Gerry seemed unsure of the best route. David went first and made it across to the boulder on the far side. Our angst was somewhat alleviated. Taking no chances with Bear, Gerry carried him across and placed him safely on the rock next to David. Eric went next and almost made it but lost his footing on the last long step in the second rapid. As he was clinging to Gerry’s hand, Gerry yelled, “Can you swim?” (Fine time to ask, I thought.) “Yeah. Should I swim?” Eric responded. “Do you want to swim?” was Gerry’s reply. And they released hands. Whoosh! My heart skipped a beat but within two seconds, Eric bopped up and was in knee-deep water on the river’s edge. Three down, three to go. Jackie went next. Jackie is tiny – 110 lbs soaking wet. The first rapid took her down pretty fast. Gerry and the other guide jumped in right after her. She was fine but shaky as she made it on her second attempt. I went next and narrowly made it on the last step. Jo lost it where Eric did and rode the chute and was fine. Overall, it took us 45 minutes to cross that one stretch.
Finally, the over-abouts and pass-throughs were finished and we did float and laugh and congratulate ourselves. Surely, it was all downhill from here. But wait, we were down in a canyon that we still had to get out of. So back up we went. This time, there were no man-made ladders but nature-made waterfalls with surprisingly sturdy, green rock footholds. Up we went as the stream of water came down. Wow.
Back in the village, we finally knew there were no more surprises. After some refreshments of coffee and bananas, the chief escorted us part way down the path we’d come on six hours earlier. Returning through the muddy jungle, across the bamboo bridge, seemed like a cakewalk after what we’d just completed. Exhausted and full of accomplishment, we bounced our way home in the truck feeling very satisfied.
Death March – Vanuatu style. Well, if you can’t play with fire, let water be your playground. Full on!
Posted by Ann
