Leader: Andrea Jabberwocky
Starlight cave is the exit from a caving expedition after dropping down the infamous Harwoods Hole. It takes around three hours for cavers to negotiate the route following an amazing water course through the cave. (I can speak first hand having experienced this amazing journey several years ago).
Our intention was to experience this beautiful cavern. You cannot get in too far before you need SRT gear but can certainly have a good look around this chamber, clambering on the rocks above water level.
The idea of a circular route came from a Wilderness Magazine article describing Gorge Creek. We decided to come back via the creek as we hadn’t been that way before and may have been scuppered. Our main objective was the cave.
The route there involved a steep drop through loose rock, so we took extra care. It took us 2.5 hours to reach Starlight Cave.
Picking our route to Gorge Creek took a little ferreting around initially, but then we picked up a stream that led us down. Gorge Creek lived up to its name and was a lovely treat, if somewhat testing at one point. We met a rock wall in its most narrowest part. This involved a climb under a rock overhang using a narrow ledge above an exposed drop to the creek bed. Due to the rock overhang,We we had to portage our bags up first.
It was a great work-out, enjoyed by the seven of us. Join us for club trips to be part of these awesome adventures!