TROU DE FER (IRON HOLE)

The Iron Hole is arguably the most famous canyon on Reunion Island.  It is a difficult expedition, and delivered totally on its reputation.  Giant waterfalls, narrow jungle slot, waterfalls everywhere.

Here is an excerpt from our trip report:

The measly 100m cords we had were too short.  We had to get back to the wall in order to continue down.  This is accomplished, in principle,  by letting out 50 meters of rope and sending your strongest team-member down 45 meters.  Using a "hook" attached to a throw rope he or she tries to snag the wall and pull over to it.  While locked off and swinging around as we watched from above, Nicolas tried and tried again to toss his home-brew "hook", made the night before out of a tree branch, around a piece of vegetation growing out of the rock-face about 6 meters away.  It would look like it had caught, but then when he tried to pull himself in it would snap free.

Here is the extended trip report from our second trip to Reunion Island in October 2002.