Empress Canyon

On 1/27/11 we did our third canyon, Empress, near Wentworth Falls - overhanging walls, dripping with prehistoric ferns and stunning grottos with deep pools.  We were overtaken early-on by a group whose friendly guide clearly knew the canyon by heart. He did some spectacular parcour-inspired moves, bouncing dynamically high through a narrow chasm and ending with a high flip into a shadowy pool. Alas, the canyon was sadly short; a 100' abseil through Empress Falls marked its end.  The overhanging start through rushing white water was awkward, but the buffetted ride into a deep, blue pool was fantastic.  A guided group of 30 Chinese tourists cheered our arrival and marveled at the ingenuity of my dry keg.  The fog parted making the hike out almost as pretty as the canyon itself; I wished we had time to hike the cliff-top loop trail.