Post date: Jul 29, 2011 10:34:11 PM

Cavers: SteveBus, Penguin

Trip time: 4.5 hours

The Third Way

Steve wasn't impressed by Aileen and Gaelan's 'inviting' open passage at the end of the rift dig. And i was still unconvinced on a second viewing. Time for another shift of dig. Steve started climbing up the rift to an inviting hole, hammering off flakes and nodules and knocking down some rubble. I was a bit too much in the line of fire for comfort and decided to slide back out, Steve continuing upwards when i was back on the outside of the large boulder. Then Steve dislodged three large boulders, the lowest one of which was one (the white flake after the black boulder) we had been squeezing by while digging without much concern (i'd stuck a couple of rocks under to jam it in place at the beginning and thought no more of it). It blocked the entrance to the rift, trapping Steve on the wrong side. We took a good look at what had moved and what was also just waiting to move. I tried to deploy some scaffolding, however we'd forgotten to bring a spanner and chiseling the nuts wasn't very successful. Eventually we just dug the floor deeper, stuck a couple of rocks in for wedges, and Steve squeezed out.

We weren't going to give up the high level prospects here. Steve broke up the white flake, we pulled the pieces out, then tumbled the other big rocks down and rolled them into the rift. This now allowed us access over the black boulder back into the rift. We let it settle and had a chocolate bar. After a bit of confabulation i decided i wanted to drop another rock down just inside the squeeze or the squeeze might really have become a squeeze. It didn't go where i wanted it, making the squeeze a little tighter but apparently safer. I slid through, only to see that the boulder slope on the left was now very steep and a bit scary. Steve passed me scaffolding, still clipped in 3s, and i wedged and jimmied them in to provide a bit of psychological protection. They weren't very impressive, but Steve came through safely too and began climbing back up the rift. At the top, a bit of boulder rolling allowed him a view into a chamber, still going upwards. Then several large and unseen trickles of rock inside the boulder pile on our left suggested that things were even less stable than they seemed. I don't think upwards is the right direction, so i didn't see the point of pushing it too hard. Steve agreed and we slid back out, removing the scaffolding en route.

The Fourth Way

Stymied now in the rift, we had a look at the arch under the left wall. This was now well filled by mung and gravel (probably the gravel we dug out the rift). I started digging, and we made rapid progress for a couple of metres, easy digging in the loose fill. A small arch at the end gave good prospects, so we continued digging here. On the left, a hole was visible into a clean washed though small passage bearing left and slightly back on the main passage. Ahead, the other side of the rift boulder choke sloped upwards, and to the right was a hole through to the beginning of the rift dig. A bit of jenga followed, and also some frustrated hammering of a large and boast flake that would have really opened things up if we could have removed it. But the chisel was too long and the passage too tight. Eventually Steve managed to break another large flake off, and this allowed us to slide under the arch and up the boulder slope. The passage continued upwards, with black boulders hanging around in the ceiling of the rift, while the floor was none to stable either. A drippy aven was above, giving us some slight concern that it was raining outside, and there was also a good sound of a water splash. Another high chamber was visible, and would have been accessible, but we no longer had much time left to dig ourselves back out. Again, i don't think the way on is high, although Steve hopes for a route over the boulders. The clean washed passage on the left holds more promise, and issues a good draught. A bit work is needed to get a good look into it, and scaffolding of the slope / ceiling if the climb up the boulder pile is to be seriously pushed. Tim Fogg says they just followed the stream in '84 so i'd prefer to stay on the floor. The report also mentions there was an inlet above the choke, which is more evident in this new dig direction.

Just one more trip...