
FirstLook: Deep Descent
- Arts
- Photography
Reading time:1min
Photograph by Christopher Pike
In 2011 I moved to the United Arab Emirates and I joined a group of cave explorers. After several weeks of training, we traveled to Oman's Eastern Hajar Mountains, some 150 kilometers south of the capital, Muscat. There, we set out to descend into the Majlis al-Jinn (Den of the Spirits), one of the largest cave chambers in the world. This is not a cave to walk or crawl into: Access is only from two entrances, both on the ceiling. The floor lies 158 meters below. These entrances were discovered in 1983 by US hydrogeologist W. Don Davison, Jr., who was working for Oman's Public Authority for Water Resources, and his wife, Cherty S. Jones.
We harnessed up and lowered our rope. For a descent of this length, we used an industrial-grade rope, which was stiffer–less bouncy–and thicker than the ropes usually used for climbing and caving. We began lowering ourselves down, one by one, by hand and slowly enough to avoid rope rub. I went second.
Once at the bottom, I photographed many in the group as each descended. At one point, as the sun was nearing its midday peak, a sliver of light cut into the shaft. I shot this frame as one of my teammates lined up with it perfectly. It only lasted a brief moment.
-Christopher Pike
[email protected]
cpike.com
You may also be interested in...
FirstLook: Ramadan Picnic
Arts
On a warm June evening, people gathered at a park in Bethesda, Maryland, for a community potluck dinner welcoming the start of Ramadan.FirstLook: Poetic Fusion
Arts
Prior to our modern practice of image manipulation with editing software, photographers worked more with planned intention and craft.FirstLook: A Market’s Port of Call
History
Arts
After the war in 1991, Kuwait faced a demand for consumer goods. In response, a popular market sprang up, selling merchandise transported by traditional wooden ships. Eager to replace household items that had been looted, people flocked to the new market and found everything from flowerpots, kitchen items and electronics to furniture, dry goods and fresh produce.