Babylon May 31

I had a great time in Babylon Cave. The entrance would be about 50m high were it not for the rock pile which fills all but the top 5m. Clambering down this great rock pile brings you to the Euphrates Plain (and the Euphrates River), about 500m of boulder hopping and stream walking in the bottom of a 60m high by 15m wide passage. Then you climb past the Hanging Gardens, up a 80m high rock pile called the Ziggurat. Here the immense passage all but ends in rockfall, but down the backside is a small downward leading hole know as Ishtar Gate, which is incidentally gated. Side note: I am able to squeeze through the locked gate. Down a small climb, past two squeezes and two more rabbit holes later you once again find yourself in good-sized passage. I tried leading Ray's Reach, an incredibly exposed climb, but found myself with no protection and 2 moves away from either safety or a nasty fall. On another day I would probably have gone for it. The climb leads to the Naked Lady Series, which will have to wait until next time. We then continued along to Summer Heights to snap some photos before heading back. This cave has serious potential and I think needs to be pushed harder.


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