Empress & Grand Canyon

Hey everyone. Luke and I will be running Empress and if there’s time, Grand Canyon this Saturday. This trip is suitable for beginners.
We’ll work out transport and stuff in a group convo, but it will be either train or carpool to get to the start of the walk in at Wentworth Falls by 8am. Yes 8am!

Empress is a lil beauty of a canyon with a big waterfall abseil at the end.

LOWDOWN
To get an idea of how things will work and the logistics of how to end up in dry underwear:

There’s a short hike to the canyon, you need a backpack to hold wetsuit, lunch, water, harness etc.
When we get to it’s start we change into wetsuits and harnesses with board shorts over the wetsuit to protect it (keeping swimmers or undies you were already wearing under the wetsuit if you want)
You put dry stuff like your shirt into dry bags (which have your lunch in them) in your backpack and put your helmets on.

We then go through the the canyon with swims, jumps and an abseil. Stopping somewhere for lunch. Keep snacks and water handy

At the very end we change out of wetsuits back into the dry shirt/clothes (boardies and undies/swimmers will still be wet though!) to hike back. Then hopefully you left dry bottoms/shorts/undies in the car and you can change back into them then. Thongs are a must too, for happiness.

GEAR

– Wetsuit and swimmers:

You can borrow a wetsuit from a friend, borrow from the club (if one fits), or check out second hand stores/gumtree.
Wear swimmers or undies under the wetsuit and have boardies to wear over the wetsuit to protect it.

-Harness, Belay Plate, Helmet

All can be borrowed from the club, go to the gear cupboard on Wednesday evening (gear night)

– Woolen Socks and Enclosed shoes

Volleys (are the best) or old joggers. They will get soaked. Places like target and bigW sell volleys for around $20 or $10 if you have kid sized feet 🙂

– At least 2L Water, snacks and lunch

If you don’t have 2L you ain’t coming 😛 Muesli Bars are cool because they come in their own waterproof wrapping.

– Backpack and dry bag:

Bring a backpack that you don’t mind getting wet, and one that can also hold your wetsuit, at least 2L of water and your drybag which will hold lunch/snacks and some dry clothes.
Drybags are waterproof bags that go in your backpack, there’s usually space to share one between two but ask around first to make sure. Or they’re about $20 in mountain designs

– Torch:

A torch should be brought in your dry bag in the unlikely scenario we run out of sunlight

– Dry thermal top and bottom, and jumper too if you like (NOT COTTON)

To bring in dry bag and change into in the unlikely scenario we get stuck

– Dry Clothes (leave in car)

To change into after the canyon.

Feel free to ask Alie (Repetto) or I any questions.

Cheers,

Brendan