Six Mile Tunnel -
Tall reeds, muddy ground,
squelch, squelch. Stop to smear the sweat on my forehead, swat a mosquito and
shift the awkward tractor inner tube to the other arm. Geoffrey was out in
front with the parang trying to find the muddiest
route. Five more minutes and we were through. The calm waters of the lotus lake
stretched out in front. What? The cave entrance is in the wall on the other
side? We went entering a narrowing valley with familiar over hanging limestone
cliffs. We waded through the next bit until the roots had us all tripped up,
covered in mud and feeling arrgh! The lotus pond was
4ft of water on top of 6ft of mud, too shallow to swim, too deep to walk, you lay on the tube and fought passed the plants.
Eventually
open water and the entrance was sighted, the adrenaline flowing. “Err, Liz”
said Geoffrey. “The best bit is the duck at the start. “THE
WHAT!” Fine, a quick swim, 4” air space, another swim
(reminiscent of the long wet one in
Tramp, tramp,
echo, echo and the passage becomes wider and taller. Some signs of mining
activities about 20ft up. Geoffrey went up to explore and I dubiously followed
until I saw what he was climbing over. I retreated under a large solid overhang
until the magic phrase - “nothing going” It narrowed and then amphitheatred with a clean pure waterfall type shower in
the middle. What a perfect site to strip and clean off the lotus grime and
collected sweat.
Skinny dip
over, (well almost) we toiled to the top of the mud slope and followed the
inlet passage on - until we came to a mined shaft going downwards as far as the
lights could show. The passage carried on, but on the other side. No footholds,
no safety, so ropes next time - and backtracking. A few formations in the roof
and some flow stone in various nooks and crannies. All were checked for draught
and space beyond.
Another shower - we were sweaty again and back to tramping the stream passage. Deeper, narrower and - a junction. Big way straight on,
small way left - which way? Left. The roof got lower,
then lower still. Hands and knees stuff. Then a 1ft waterfall
to 1ft high stream passage. Nose in the water, elbow
wriggling time. There’s one thing not to be said for this caving
in shorts and T shirt stuff. Easily Damaged Elbows. The rock got more and more serrated -
Porridge Machine Stuff up
After 10 minutes the way on beckoned straight as a die and still
very low. Neil, I’ve left it for you or if I’m wearing a long sleeved
top, perhaps me on another day. I jibbed and went back to the others who hadn’t
got passed the hands and knees bit. Unfinished business!
On
and on then a couple of corners, then daylight. We emerged into an enormous 900m x 800m
Wang. (Philip measured it once) 25 years ago the land was cleared for mining,
since then the jungle has grown back. We went for a wander, Geoffrey out in
front, the knife flashing in the dappled sunlight. We stuck to the walls
looking for more entrances. Found a few no hopers, then climbed to a promising
hole. It only went 10m which was a shame. Still the massive sun-dried turds in the entrance suggested a large gibbon had once
lived there, perhaps he carried the dead leaves in? Further on we rejoined the
stream and found the source. Beautiful waterfall straight out
of limestone.
No way in, it
trickles out through many small cracks. We cooled off in the pool at the bottom
and stopped to fill Philip’s lungs with tar and ash. We had a good scramble
over some nice limestone walls, big jugs, easy footholds, what a view! An
almost perfect oval Wang, there had to be another entrance hidden somewhere in
all that undergrowth. Mind you, I know why we left it for someone else to find
another day - back to the shade and cooler temperature of the cave.
Way out was
uneventful bar battery failure - good old carbide. The swim
out refreshing - duck - what duck - that felt good. We floated around a
bit to look at the setting sun and eat lotus seeds. Then before the little
bastards could suck more blood, went for the sumo wrestling section in the mud
and the reeds.
“I-low can
you get the car so filthy?” said Jen...
“Oh my God,
look at you lot!”
“Where’s the
beer Jen? Ta”
Six Mile
Tunnel is only one and a half miles long but one of the best so far!
Elizabeth
Daniels.
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