By Cassius Wright
“Just say what the British Army guys say when they step over the edge,” our guide Ismael says with a chuckle and an easy smile. “Fuck this shit, mate!” Of course it’s an easy smile for him. Ismael’s not the one about to step into thin air 300 feet above the forest floor, suspended by only a thin rope and a safety line. But Jordana is, and she doesn’t seem particularly eager. “Goddamn it, Cassius Wright,” she mutters in a tone that says it’s my fault, before offering a full-throated “FUCK THIS SHIT” and stepping backwards into space. As her voice echoes off the canyon walls below, I consider that I most likely deserve it. This required feat of courage is absolutely my fault. I’m the one that signed us up for this craziness. It seemed like a wonderful opportunity to help a great cause when we bid on (and won) this adventure as part of a silent auction supporting The Belize Wildlife and Referral Clinic last November. But now we’re clinging to the top of a collapsed cave system-turned-sinkhole-turned-rappelling-adventure, wondering what exactly the hell we were thinking.
This is the world-famous Black Hole Drop. Offered by Ian Anderson’s Caves Branch Adventure Company and Jungle Lodge, it all but guarantees an unforgettable experience, not to mention some serious bragging rights. Even the paperwork is intense. It starts off ominously, with mandatory waivers indicating that the journey you’re about to embark upon is “…inherently, by its nature DANGEROUS and may result in DEATH.” It’s a lot for 8:30 in the morning. But we’ve come this far and there’s no turning back. After signing our lives away, our group of four is greeted by the guys who will literally hold those lives in their hands: Ismael, Jeison, and Eynar. Dressed in camo pants and branded Caves Branch shirts with their name on the chest, they’re affable and laid-back, seemingly unconcerned that they’re embarking on what promises to be a ridiculous day. I find comfort in this. Caves Branch has some of the best guides in Central America and these three are no exception. Well-trained, well-equipped, certified experts- we’re in capable hands. As Tom Cruise likes to say about performing stunts, “Don’t be careful, be competent.” And this is a stunt to be sure; of the group of four, I’m the only one with any experience hanging in a harness or rappelling, and nothing like this. The other three are novices. This doesn’t phase our guides, who are clearly competent. They give us each a backpack with a harness, helmet, webbing to fashion a chest harness, and three liters of water. And with that, we’re off, piling into a Jungle Bus for a ten minute ride up the road to a citrus grove. We drive another five minutes to where the orange trees meet a densely forested and very sizable hill. And so it begins.
Caves Branch advertises Black Hole Drop as “five of five sweat drops” and notes that “all participants must be relatively fit.” They mean it. Once you’re a few feet into the jungle you’re steadily moving up a decent incline, the air stops moving, and the mosquitoes are thick. Thankfully it hasn’t rained recently so the trail is blissfully mud free. It’s also not that hot. That’s a relative thing in Belize, but low 80’s isn’t a bad way to start the day in a part of the world that regularly cracks 100 degrees in the summer. We reach a clearing and stop for the first of several hydration breaks. It seems as though the rest breaks are overly long to me. “Those are the warm-up hills,” quips Ismael. He is not kidding. Upwards we continue, the trail walkable, but more like climbing irregular stairs that sometimes descend for 50 feet, only to climb even more steeply than before. Time for more water. Warm-up hills indeed.
We reach the part of our trail where we will eventually loop back after we rappel, hike through the forest that covers the floor of the sinkhole, eat lunch near the mouth of a gigantic cave system, and then climb back. I’m bouncing on my toes, eager to start the final ascent. I’m not really an adrenaline junkie, but I’ve built up this experience in my head to a near-mythic proportion. I cannot wait to tie myself to a tree and flop over the side of a cliff into this enormous hole in the ground. We make the last push of about ten minutes hiking, and we’re suddenly able to see cliffs peeking through the dense growth of the jungle. A light breeze filters through the trees. We’re there. The mouth of the cave on the opposite wall of the canyon is gigantic. Ismael hoots and his voice echoes off the walls. He sits us all down and begins to explain the rigging and harnesses. Time to quite literally learn the ropes. It isn’t often that you have to pay attention as though your life depends on it, but in this case it does, and so we do pay close attention. The guides explain in layman’s terms exactly why they rig our main rope and our safety rope the way they do, what each line is capable of holding, and why everything from the type of rope and harness to the type of belaying devices is specifically chosen to make us more safe. Even for the totally uninitiated, it’s a display of professional expertise which results in the confidence needed to actually complete the rappel. At least that’s how I feel. This rope system could hold a Honda Civic.
I reach the bottom, squat to release the rope’s tension, and look at my companions. “Are you mad at me?” I ask Jordana with a smile. “No, you rat!” comes the reply, which is a significant improvement over “Goddamn it, Cassius Wright.” The four of us are amped. This is a serious rappel and not only did we all survive, but we actually had fun doing it. There’s a real sense of accomplishment amongst the group. We all agree that for an adventure called Black Hole Drop, the dropping part was only about 2% of the time and 5% of the effort, but 100% of what makes the whole thing worth it. Two of our guides are down in the sinkhole with us, and Jeison stays above to pack out the ropes and other gear and then hike around to the other side of the canyon where we’ll be climbing out. But first, lunch. After the hike and rappel we’re all famished. Part of the adventure includes lunch at the bottom of the canyon, and the guides have already covered a large, flat rock with a tablecloth. Although Caves Branch asked us about dietary considerations, our group has none, so we drink mango juice and put together epic burritos with some of the cheese made in house at the Caves Branch Jungle Lodge, as well as local veggies and meat. Once we’ve dined and the guides have made sure to remove every trace of our being there, we put our helmets back on and start to hike across the forest floor.
As we hike across boulders and scramble along narrow paths lush with vegetation, our guides point out carvings in the rocks and sherds of Mayan pottery with paint on them so pristine that it looks nearly new, despite being a thousand years old. We see incredible rock formations that at one point were deep inside the cave, now exposed to sunlight and rain for centuries. The combination of dramatic cave formations and the steady erosion of the rock by water over such huge spans of time lends itself to otherworldly creations. It’s almost like being on another planet. Once could easily imagine a dinosaur jumping out at any moment. It’s like Jurassic Park; there’s an entire unique ecosystem alive and well in this huge cavern, and the intervening years have allowed a variety of enormous trees, moss, and undergrowth to flourish. Birds, lizards, and bugs of all shapes and sizes are abundant, keeping their healthy distance from the orange-helmeted intruders to their domain. We hike up and down across the terrain, being careful to watch where we put our hands- safety from venomous snakes like the Fer de Lance is essential- there’s nobody getting down here with antivenin if the worst should happen. And just like that, we’re at the other side of the cavern, where an imposing 35 foot ladder is tied securely to the rock walls. “It used to be made of wire rope,” Ismael explains, “much more difficult to climb.” I have no doubt. This doesn’t look all that fun as it is. But compared to a three hundred foot rappel, this is child’s play. Eynar swiftly climbs the ladder and then lowers us a rope, which Ismael clips onto our harness as a safety measure. With carabiners locked, it’s an easy hand-over-hand climb with our safety gear in place, and once we get to the top we have a decent ledge to stand on. We unclip from our safety line, and so begins the final scramble up the side of the hole. Over and across boulders, tree roots, and up a steep grade, we pull ourselves onward and literally upward using ropes. It’s probably the most physically demanding section of the entire adventure. And then we hike back to the spot in the trail where we stopped for water earlier and along the path from which we arrived. At the beginning of our final descent, our guide Eynar turns to us and says, “we’ve had a safe day so far, no injuries. We have about 6 minutes left downhill, let’s keep it that way. Be careful and watch your step.” He turns and leads the way. Quickly, we’re back in an orange grove next to our Jungle Bus. A short drive back to civilization, and then one of the best showers I’ve ever had in my life. What a day! After all that, I do believe it’s time for a martini. We’ve earned it.
Special Thanks: Ismael, Jeison, and Eynar from Caves Branch made us feel excited and welcome- but most importantly, safe. Their professionalism and genuine hospitality made all the difference. We were grateful it was them holding our lives on a string!
