Jock’s was the perfect start to a long
weekend of caving.
After a hellish drive in the back of John’s
Landy, we found a really good parking spot next to the road. The black tar lazily
snaked down between majestic mountains towards a small village not too far
down. We were assumedly close to the entrance of Jock’s and after being geared
up, John and Steven started to scout the area on the cliff face just above the
road. Within a few minute the cave entrance were found and the rest of the caving
party climbed to a small opening.
Our journey started with a short 2m crawl
over fine sand. A sharp right turn had us sliding on our bellies down a slope
covered in more sand. Beyond the dusty descent a strong smell of wild animal
lingered. There were many theories on what kind of animal it could be. John
decided to take the Mickey out of the situation. While climbing over the
scattered boulders and disappearing around corners, he made it very clear that
he was looking for his pet leopard. We found a patch which was an obvious
indication that this part was the animal’s toilet area. We moved away not
wanting to disturb whatever was living down there.
The walls and roof looked really tattered
in this part of the cave. You get the distinct feeling that the soul of this
cave was disintegrating here. The calcite formations were discoloured and it
looked like it was skinning its outer layers. Upon close inspection you could
see tree-like rings on the deteriorating speleothems. The history of this
area’s climate and subtle changes over the years are written in those fine
lines.
We made it to the Pools, which were
completely dried out. A calcite formation edged the dark brown muddy wall at
the bottom and stretched to the opposite wall forming a small rim. When water
is present in caves, it saturates itself on calcite and when the water
evaporates, the calcite stays behind forming these rimmed pools. Sadly, all
that remain of these stunning water features at this point is a greyish
skeleton of former glory. With heavy hearts, we decided to find a way around
this section in an attempt not to cause damage to this precious jewel.
A few minor crawls on a very muddy floor
had us entering an upbeat part of the cave. It was like driving into a city
with abundant neon lights and lots of evidence of new life. Calcite formations
were opulent here and they were growing in random directions. Drops of crystal
clear water were hanging at the end of pure white formations. The anticipation
of falling and becoming something that mattered to the evolution of this cave
stirred excitement in all of us. Caves do restore themselves and although it
takes a tremendous amount of time, this knowledge gives us hope that our
conservation efforts are not in vain.
The Flag chamber became our next adventure.
As we progressed towards this section, formations were more extravagant. The
Flag chamber had some very interesting speleothems. They grew forming loops and
circles and enticed the photographer in all of us. Sections of the walls were
liberally decorated in Argonite. Glittering in our lights, these charming
little formations resemble a pincushion. There was also abundant crystal growth
in this section. This was truly an amazingly beautiful chamber.
With John in the front we entered The
Minch. A collection of narrow squeezes followed, never allowing you to move
from your knees. I remember at some point Selena just wanted to stand upright
for a moment, but The Minch would not allow that. It felt like the walls slowly
crept closer to your skin, gently hugging the little vacuum left to breathe to
almost nothing. Panting and sweating profusely, our tired and oxygen deprived
bodies decorated the cave floor of Hebrides. A short slightly downward slide on
a smooth rock gave way to a pool of water. The reaction between dolomite and
water excretes CO2 and the reality of this was felt on cellular level. The
slightest movement had you struggling to breathe. We did not stay too long in
this chamber as it was very uncomfortable to say the least.
Getting back to The Flag chamber felt much
quicker than going down. As we moved towards this chamber the higher levels of oxygen
dissipated the effects of CO2 and breathing freely became a grateful response.
We decided to take an alternative route back to the entrance. Squeezes and
crawls were our way of negotiating the route back, but in spectacular fashion.
Crystals, Argonite and strangely shaped speleothems decorated the walls, roof
and at some points, even the floor. We got to a big chamber and after a bit of
careful treading found the adjourning corridor which was our semi-final to the
entrance chamber and John’s pet leopard.
I was just about to turn a corner when
Sharron called the group back. Selena and I responded, but after a crawl over
knife sharp edged rocks and already tender knees and shins, John and Irene
decided to wait at the end of this corridor. I would make that crawl a thousand
times over after I experienced this almost hidden chamber.
Just around the corner of the entrance to
the corridor, a huge chamber quietly allowed enormous speleothems to embrace
the opposite wall, imitating something in the direction of a pipe organ. There
were a slight drop off between us and the spectacle and Steven sat on a narrow
ledge completely awed by the view. It was a place of silence and amazement.
Your eyes can’t translate the beauty that engulfs your senses on a much higher
level.
Steven asked me to come closer. I went and
sat next to him, my view totally fixated on the brilliant white formations. The
gap in front of us may have been 4m across and 3m deep. In the right hand
corner at the bottom of this gap a small crevice revealed a pool of jade
splendour. The crystal clear water allowed our lights to penetrate to the
bottom where an invitation lurked a deep wish. A moment became lost in
translation of who we eventually become. To me, this was the paramount experience
of this cave. It was like we were allowed a few seconds gazing into the soul,
the heart of millions of years of preparation just for us to see. We were truly
blessed to be here and I will always treasure that moment of self realisation.
We regrouped and made our way to the exit.
The crawl out went quickly, but not without a few nervous giggles while spiders
scurried around trying to avoid being squished by our bodies. Cars travelling
past the rumbling strips outside echoed strangely through the usually quiet and
serene space inside. The ledge at the entrance does not accommodate many
bodies, but a few of us remained there for a few minutes, drinking the last few
rays of the disappearing sun.
