Post date: Feb 20, 2012 7:00:20 PM

Cavers: Aileen, Al

Trip time: about 3.5 hours, of which about 1.5 hours in the cave

(Click on photos to see full size.)

Black Burn waterfall was spectacular (Aileen for scale), and the river was flowing the length of the gorge...

Some new trees had fallen in or been washed in by floods...

Unsurprisingly, water was flowing into the cave. Here's Aileen where the gorge narrows at the upper entrance...

Looking down the upper entrance...taken from a false floor which was gradually crumbling.

There was a stream entering and flowing over the climbs, so we decided to try the usual entrance. Aileen on her way out of the upper entrance traversing above the water...

The usual, lower, entrance was completely blocked and after about 3/4 of an hour we manage to pull out the large tree trunk jammed in it (of course we'd forgotten to bring tools for this likely event)...Aileen (actually taken on our way out), admiring our handiwork...

Once in the entrance it became apparent that the trip was going to be quite sporting. We had to juke around this waterfall cascading over Petie's Climb (entering from the dogleg tube, or middle entrance)...

The water flowed off to the left and through the floor, leaving the way to the second climb, and the second climb, dry...

Al at the top of the second climb...

Aileen climbing down the second climb. The stream was flowing across the floor...

Aileen further down the second climb...

Aileen looking down to the streamway...

The water from Petie's Climb was entering from a nice waterfall in the parallel pot upstream of the second climb. Aileen getting wet...

Following the water downstream...

...to reach the expected flood sump about 20m downstream of the second climb...some water was entering from the aven above this...

Aileen still smiling...

Climbing out...

Aileen at the top of the second climb...

Thanks to Bus for lending his Scurion to provide some extra light, and Aileen for modelling in over 170 photos...

Penguin.