Meet Davis’ bigger sister. She’ll initially greet you with an open free-hanging rappel into a beautiful basalt amphitheater that’s lined with an inset cave that has been carved out by the winds. She’ll even take you for a spin down a one-of-kind corkscrew rappel where the water magically spirals down the rocks and into a “rain” room. You pause before entering in the spiral of water...partially in awe of her beauty but also due to a nagging feeling that the walls are starting to close in and you’re not entirely sure what awaits. The water begins to pour down on you and the sides the room but your feet hit a platform and you’re able to disconnect safely. It feels like you’re caught in a downpour but you’re in the PNW, so you shrug your shoulders and think “no big deal, it’s the rain” and swim across and out of the rain room. The scenery here is unreal as you leave the rain room – the waterfall splits into two and unusual basalt fins emerge from the ground. She’s taken you a place where few have gone and you find yourself laughing out in joy at the sights before you.

But something darker awaits as you turn the corner. The walls suddenly close in and seemingly grow over 200 feet high. The sunlight and lush green landscape disappear and all that’s before you is a dark and narrow passage way filled with cold water and a lot of unknowns. It’s dark. It’s too late for escape. A sense of foreboding permeates throughout air as you carefully swim through the dark corridors and negotiate your way through slippery log jams, awkward rappel starts, and the threat of siphons. Ancient trees, some over 4 feet wide, lay trapped in the darkness and you wonder at how powerful she must become in higher water.

As your eyes get accustomed to the dark corridors and swims under and over log jams, the light slowly begins to illuminate the canyon walls and a sense a relief floods in. You peer over the lip and find a 20’ jump into a deep pool (or rappel) and a short scramble up to the next rappel. It’s the last and final drop. She won’t let you go too easily though – there’s a small but deep hydraulic mid-way down where you must push off the edge and swing to the lip. Continue down a chute where the water angrily shoots over the edge and hits the opposing wall and lands into a round basin full of logs that have been spit out from the confines of the canyon. It’s done – you’ve met Davis’ big sister. She was more volatile and had more hidden up her sleeve...but yet she may end up being your favorite.


https://ropewiki.com/Big_Creek_(South_Cascades)

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