Greenstone expedition: Squirm Creek and Hen's Burn
- Stijn Van de Ven
- 19 mrt
- 3 minuten om te lezen
Bijgewerkt op: 27 mrt
Finally, we get to kick of the expedition with 4 days and 4 first descents in the Greenstone valley, on the other side of lake Wakatipu, in Otago. After a long day of prepping (I'll write another blog at another time about this subject), we go to bed tired and excited, to leave for the valley in the morning.
On our first day we have about 5 clicks of hiking with all our canyoning and camping gear, before we get to Squirm creek, which we named after the teams favorite snack (sour squirms) and our favorite past time game, pickomo, which is called rainworms in Dutch.
This is mine, Lisa's and Max's first First descent, which is quite exciting, even though the canyon itself is not that exciting itself. Pepijn chose this creek as a first to have us get used to drilling and placing anchors in a low stress situation.
Part of the canyon was filled with debris, and it had very little water, and I'm not even sure if any photo's were taken.
After we finished this first canyon, it was 5 more kilometers to the camping ground and hut, where we set up our tents and had dinner before Erwan took off the the next creek, to scout and to avoid the busy campground.
On day 2 we had Hen's Burn to explore, a creek that's about a 5k hike further down the valley from the hut.
By the time we arrived at the bottom of it, Erwan had already found the entry point at the 840m contour line.
When we got up there, his little fire was still burning, and he threw back the last sip of his coffee. “Good morning team, did you all sleep well at the hut?”
After a quick gear check, we started the descent. It became clear pretty quickly that we had a lot more water than the day before (which isn't a very high bar), and that it would feel much more like a proper canyon.
Still, the first hour and a half mostly consisted of downclimbing and slipping on unbelievably slippery rocks.
Luckily, we did find a few gifts in the form of slides, so I was happy again.
Lisa was happy too, because in the first canyon she ever drilled in, after about two hours of canyoning, she got to rig a beautiful enclosed section with three drops, which she bolted in full
This enclosed section had four or five waterfalls, some narrower than others, including one where you can chimney down to avoid the flow.
After the enclosed section, we had two more 30-meter waterfalls, and after that it was back to boulder hopping until we reached the river at the bottom, where we hid out fear in the bushes so we wouldn't have to carry it again all this way the next morning.
Sponsors
This expedition would not be possible without the support of our sponsors.
CE4Y (Canyoning Equipment For You)
Ce4you produces the strongest and most abrasian proof canyoning ropes in the industry at this moment, and is constantly developing and improving their gear, such as their Shield Jackets and their brand new 7.6mm rope.
TebylonInnovation and lightweight materials for the serious canyoneer. If it can be lighter without compromising safety, Tebylon makes it happen.
CanyonZone
CanyonZone is a Dutch company where canyoneers from all over the world can find their equipment, whether you're just starting out or looking for something very specific. Behind CanyonZone is Gert Jan: a canyoneer and speleologist with a huge passion for the sport. This is where canyoning comes together.
Tebylon
Tebylon is a Taiwanese company specializing in the development of expedition gear for canyoneers. Their focus is on (ultra) lightweight bolts, which are essentially indispensable for missions like ours.
The Canyoning School
The canyoning school is what connects most of us. It’s the place where we come together, can use equipment, and where the foundation of this expedition team was built. They organize canyoning meetups, trips, and courses, ensuring that knowledge, experience, and people continue to connect, even far beyond the canyon.
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