There was nothing much to hold, and the rocks were some of the slipperiest I have ever encountered in my life. All rocks were angular, and they dropped into water I didn’t feel like bathing in, especially not whilst having priceless electrical equipment strapped to my body. Everything was super except that I was too scared to move. The falls dropped into a pool that was a fabulous blue, but also wonderfully transparent at the same time.
… and then DOWN a very steep section where some people sent rocks flying, as it is also loose.ĭown there in the semi-amphitheatre made by the curve in the river below us, it felt like hallowed ground. If you want to see the base, you have to climb up and over. Using the rocks, they had to climb back up high anyway, as there is no way over the bluff that guards the entrance to the actual waterfall. But it was far from relaxing, and they chose the scrub on the rebound. The boys felt OK about skating on a bumpy surface, so went along the rocks. The rocks themselves were very slippery indeed, so Leandra and I stayed on what used to be a track and fought all the fallen scrub. I felt very clumsy with my tripod dangling around my neck, but that left two hands for grabbing and climbing. It was still chocked with fallen limbs and branches. Having not met track improvements in the first bit, I was hopeful that maybe what the ranger had spent time on was this waterfall section. It took us three: two in getting there and back and an extra hour for photographing all that beauty. It was great to drop the packs after this time and head to the falls. Although it wasn’t raining, I really should have had on my jacket and pack cover, as everything was sopping by the time we reached our pack dump point a bit over an hour and a half later. This was what I would have expected had I not been told of improvements, but having been thus told, I became disappointed in its lack of fruition. Cutting grass invaded and obscured the track. We were drenched within about a hundred metres of starting because of all the overhanging branches. We searched and searched for signs that someone had improved something, but not a hint of work could be found. The start was a bit of a disappointment, as the NP ranger said they’d done work on the track. Who wants to walk uphill for that amount of time on an ugly old road that can’t be used any more? Not us. Others have taken 3.5 hours to do what Lynden did for us in his van in less than half an hour. We dropped my car at our finishing point, and all continued together to the official start of the walk. So, after breakfast in Bicheno on Saturday morning, Lynden picked us up. Adrian tried the far better option of the Bicheno Tourist Bureau, and was given the number of Tiger Tours, who own a 4×4 vehicle capable of taking us all right to the very start. I phoned National Parks for a solution, but drew a blank. It would be sad to only be chauffeur, as this walk had been my suggestion. Nobody else had a car capable of taking me back to my own at the end. Meanwhile, the car problems facing us looked as if maybe I’d need to drop out and become a chauffeur: we couldn’t find a way of retrieving my car should I take everyone up to the start. I wanted to give it my best shot and see if I could do it. Was I going to make it up the taxing hills with a heavy backpack? Was I going to be a nuisance by my slowness? Were the others going to get impatient with me? Would I conk out? One thing I did know: I didn’t want to cancel out. My bout of flu A has left an unwelcome aftermath of generalised fatigue, and when I try to run, I have heart palpitations. So while water in the area may not have reached a home on the other side of the street, it could have quickly risen in the area around the house - leaving people inside with nowhere to go.I was ridiculously anxious before I began Leeaberra Track mach 2. The fire department was circling the town with boats, and police were making sure no one sneaks back in.Ī few firefighters told KJRH television station reporters they had urged people to leave by telling them there was no way to know how the water is going to flood the streets. "I mean this is an incredible amount of water we're looking at."
"I'm thinking I can't believe this has gotten like this," said resident Chris Adams. Almost all residents did evacuate, though.įor many, it's something they haven't had to do in 33 years. Most people left Wednesday night when the sheriff's department went through the town telling everyone about the barges making their way toward the dam.įor those who stayed - they were warned multiple times by police and fire to leave. WEBBERS FALLS, Oklahoma - Aside from first responders making their rounds, Webbers Falls, Oklahoma was a ghost town after evacuation orders were issued earlier this week.
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