A
s Brad M and I were driving home (at 1am) last night, we considered that most people would think we were nuts, we’d just driven a 5 hour round trip for 3 hours of abseiling and a 50 minute walk out. BUT, it was worth it, abseiling by moonlight is spectacular.
Albert and Eli H had invited us along on the trip, to abseil Malita Point by Moonlight. I’ve done Malita Point more times than I care to remember but the thought of doing it at night time was intriguing. So, we headed up to Katoomba, and caught up with the rest of the group at the usual location, put on our gear in the gathering dusk and headed off on the track. The sun was just setting but there was enough light to enjoy the wildflower display beside the footpad, you’ve got to love spring!
We got to the first pitch just on sunset. There are six abseils, all relatively straight forward and there are a gazillion reports on the net about Malita Point so I wont bore you here with another one. What was interesting (and a great adventure), was the added element of pitch black darkness. Yes we had our headlamps, but you were in a cone of light and you had no idea whatsoever what was outside of that cone.
On daylight trips you can see the edge of the cliff and how close you should (or shouldn’t) go to it, 
how much of a slope there was (if any), or if there were trees to grab onto if (god forbid) you slipped. You get the views too, but a lot of the time you are so engrossed in the technicalities of setting up the pitches, making sure everyone’s safe and doing the abseils that you often don’t take in your surroundings.
But now, in the darkness, it was totally different. I had no idea where my world ended. It was a little like caving without the confinement. 
Sometimes you go into a cave and have to step across a chasm, or sidle along the face of the cave and there will be a gaping hole beneath you and your head torch can’t pick out what’s below – at least my little 150 lumens head torch can’t. Your heart is in your mouth as you step across – what if you slip, how far will you fall! That’s what abseiling at night was like, at least with your head torch switched on.
We took often took the opportunity to turn our torches off, not necessarily when going down the pitch (you do like to see where you’re putting your feet), but at the bottom or the top of the next one, if you sat still and turned your light off, the world changed again, dim outlines of trees, and when the moon rose later in the night, there was an eerie half light.
I loved it, but maybe it was because it was a bit scary, and I’ve lost the fear of abseiling, I’m still cautious but there’s no longer that “oh my god, what am I doing” feeling that I used to have when I first started abseiling in 1996. It was sort of good to get back that healthy respect of my environment!
It wouldn’t be a trip to the Malitas if we didn’t see if we could all fit onto the bronze mining donkey statue on the tourist track. This time all six of us easily fitted on, and thanks to Albert’s selfi-stick, we were able to get photographic proof of it. Thanks Albert and Eli for inviting me along!