A cataclysmic event almost two billion years ago,
the Vredefort Asteroid, gave birth to some of the greatest places we can
explore today. Whether big or small, caves give us a glimpse of our
planet’s history and on some occasions, unexpected treasures defining
our meagre existence.
Hidden Cave is one such
place. Whilst getting ready for our journey into the dark unknown, my
eyes swept over the boundless grasslands surrounding us. Here, a few
metres under our feet, a maze of crannies and nooks awaited our somewhat
eager exploration. A few clouds lazily moved about in the blue sky and
an exceptionally cold wind made us anxious to get underground.
A
bowl-like area surrounded with wild trees, courtesy of the resident
bats, and a few dolomite boulders masks the small crevice giving access
to the cave. A flexuous route follows, creating a decent dust cloud as
bodies twist and turn to get through some of the restrictions. The soft
sand covering the cave floor in the last corridor made for an easy
crawl-through and with one last body-twisting curb we landed on a very
accommodating ledge.
Steven
was already working on proper anchor points for the cave ladder.
Peeking over the ledge the cave wall disappeared into darkness. On the
opposite side a small winding corridor loomed an alternative. Dave
Ingold encouraged the group to attempt getting to the chamber beneath
via that route. A tight squeeze and short climb would see us down there.
Suegne, Natasha and Stian opted to try and subsequently succeeded. The
ladder became the rest of the group’s option. Snaking down, the silver
glowing cable dissipated into darkness. The narrowness of the ladder
really only sinks in when you’re working your way down. And by saying
that, I really mean working your way down. The slit becomes a bit
limiting and you have to twist sideways to get past a small ledge. When
the free-hanging ladder gets under the roof of the chamber, it yanks in
all directions to counteract your weight and movement.
Finally
down and waiting to regroup in the chamber, we used the time to explore
the cave floor. Some bones were found and upon questioning the
possibilities of how it got there, Steven was ready with an answer.
During the summer rains it gets washed in. The interesting bit was that
seeds also get washed in and actually sprout in the fertile soil being
found here. Sadly they die soon after this because of obvious reasons.
The imagery of a newly sprouted garden deep in a cave is something one
should truly experience. It brought to mind that life lessons are always
at our disposal, even here in a world always cloaked in darkness.
The
climb down progressed slowly. Lots of loose rocks made for careful
stepping. We found a bat all by itself glued to a rock face on one of
the descending climbs. His little body was cosily enfolded in its wings
and you could see him breathing as his body heaved at almost lightning
speed. To me it was a precious moment of being there in his space, his
world, his time for a few seconds.
The
stalactites were really interesting at this point. Growing high on the
roof, blade-like formations enfolded one another to create flowery-cone
like structures. Calcite on the walls and some droppings on boulders
exhibited nature’s profound ability to create amazing art.
Steven
disappeared in small slit in the floor and within seconds his light was
gone. We patiently waited our turn to go down this worm hole and due to
the danger of rock falls, only one at a time was allowed. It turned out
to be a short, body shovelling, twist and turn and you ended upon a
very small ledge with what seemed to me at that point, a sheer wall of
shiny black manganese in my way of reaching the next chamber. Staring at
it in disbelieve I didn’t even notice Steven sitting right across from
me in a small cavity. He talked me through getting hand and foot holds
and encouraged me to climb down. After what felt like a life time I was
standing in the chamber below. It’s in moments like this that I know we
grow a bit by doing stuff we deemed impossible. It wasn’t as sheer as my
mind told me and really not as high as it seemed. My first ever free
climb went really well.
Another
wait for regrouping gave us a chance to look around. Stian found the
perfect position to sit and a huge boulder became our vantage point.
Pity our lights were about to give up, but David’s light was revealing
some amazing stuff. A steep slope led to Stalactite Garden. The roof was
high and more stalactites resulted in us staring in wonder. Steven
eventually joined us after assisting most on the climb down. A pair of
fresh batteries for our lights and we were ready to move on.
Stalactite
garden turned out to be a garden of awe. Multi coloured stalactites
were decorating the low ceiling in astonishing ways. New stalactites
grow in all directions. Some have little horizontal branches growing
from them. Some are twisty while others formed little rings over time.
In between all of this, thin straw stalactites also found some space to
grow. Over time they will also form incredible structures like the older
ones surrounding them. Being human and wanting to use all our senses to
experience beauty like this, it’s hard not to reach out and touch, but
this will mean a sure death of wherever our finger prints remain. Moving
carefully on a slightly sloped rock floor, we reach the end of
stalactite garden and another slit gives entry to the final chamber.
The
prized Waikiki Dancers patiently awaited us and instilled quiet wonder
as we circled it in an almost holy moment. This cave was once a water
cave and these speleothemes were once cone shaped. When the water
disappeared from the cave, they slowly started deteriorating and water
dripping from the stalactites on them assisted in this process. Because
of the aforementioned, most of them are hollow. The caramel coloured
dust surrounding them is evident of their breakdown. Two perfect holes
in the dust on the far side was also the work of water dripping,
although it looks like someone stuck their fingers into it. Would love
to see what grows out of that, but I assume none of us will be around
that long. One of the Waikiki Dancers has managed to form a hat-like
structure at the top and from the right vantage point seemed like the
sculpture of someone standing with their hands behind their back.
Another
five metres down and we were at the back of the cave. Halfway up the
slope we found a really small opening and whilst joking and daring one
another to a sheer display of guts, Natasha walked up and decided to
attempt a squeeze through to see what is on the other side. The slit was
so small she had to remove her helmet. Needless to say, it went nowhere
and just became smaller as she progressed. A few wiggles further and
she gave us the thumbs down. Suegne had to pull on her legs to assist on
getting out. We had some serious explorers in this group and it was
really inspiring to watch as they eagerly moved forward. Dave told us
the opening to the chamber we so badly believed were there and wanted to
see was just around the corner. An obvious joke as it turned out to be
just another opening going into the slit Natasha tried squeezing
through. Alas, there might be a chamber, but it remains hidden, like
this cave, for this moment.
We
decided to switch of all our lights to experience the cave on its own
terms. As the lights went off one by one and at random, shadows merged
as darkness grows. The first minute or so everyone was quiet as we sat
in a big half circle with the Waikiki Dancers being centre. Everything
felt vast, unreachable. It was as if existence ceased in that moment and
nestled within one self, a move closer to greatness. We talked, joked
around and had some advice regarding climbing in caves and caves in
general while enveloped in darkness. The information was sound and the
decision was made from my side. This is by far the best place to learn
and gain experience in caving. Steven, Dave and Allen have an obvious
passion for what they do and don’t mind sharing their knowledge. Hidden
Cave was an exceptional experience, covering a lot of skills needed for
caving and still has a lot more to offer to those who need to feed their
hunger for knowledge and experience.
Upon
exiting, a herd of cattle was grazing not far from where we parked our
vehicles. The stark sunlight blinded us for a moment and the wind still
raced though the long, yellow-brown grass with a serious note of chill
accompanying it. Smiles were abundant and a nice cup of coffee from
Allen and his wife completed a perfect symmetry.
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