Upper Bowens South

First the October bushfires (closing half the canyons until next season to allow regeneration), then wet weekends, then Christmas - all combined with my laziness and lack of fitness - has led to the latest ever start to the canyoning season.  But on a cloudless Sunday, it was back to an old and easy-ish favourite – Upper Bowens South Branch – the canyon that has a bit of everything.  Away from the car just after 9am, with the usual struggle with the vegetation as we got into the preliminary part of the stream,  After a couple of slides and deep wades, the drops in the upper section followed with an abseil, then the double slide, and the abseil down the slippery waterfall.   Through the intermediate forest where as usual I failed to capture the beauty;  but I did manage to navigate to the lower section without any detours (see Oct 2012).

In the lower section, there were more awkward climb-downs than I remembered, a long cold swim that I definitely did not remember, and the tree slide where I set the example by falling off into the water. We reached the final section of narrows just after midday and, as so often in this canyon, got lots of  “shafts of sunlight in the slot” photos, with everyone posing on request. Then it was the usual wander down to the exit, winding our way up the cliffs in the heat which intensified as we hit the white clay surface of the fire trail.   Back to the road in just under four and a half hours, then a final brutal 2.5 km trudge along the main road back to the car, dry clothes, dry footwear, soft seats and air-conditioning as we headed back down the hill to our favourite restaurant.