Post date: Jun 1, 2011 12:34:03 PM

Cavers: Fat Tony, Jock

TF Jun 2011: I just realised I never wrote up a report on this trip for SG, so in light of the recent pushing trip I figured I'd dig it out of my log book and translate it into English, with a few embellishments.

This was planned as a surveying and exploration trip, aiming to investage what permanent hangers would be required for rigging, survey the pitch and assess the exploration possibility at bottom. As far as I know it was the first trip back since the discovery in ???? with Stevebus, Tony, Emma et al. Unfortunately we couldn't get hold of a clinometer before the trip, so we had to make do with a plastic 360-degree protractor and some string with a weight, alongside the tape and surveying compass. Needless to say it doesn't work quite so well.

We surveyed on the way in anyway, starting from the tree on the surface onto which we rigged the rope. The entrance chamber has a very loose floor; we did plenty of gardening, but no amount of gardening will sort this completely as it seems to be entirely made of rubble. It could do with cement and/or a scaff bar to prop across the pitchhead to make it safe. Rig points are terrible at present, but the addition of just one bolt and one thread would make a very good hang down the pitch. A further bolt for a deviation is required around -10m.

On the way down we investigated all side passages off the main shaft; two thirds of the way down at the NW end (i.e. away from the pitch head), the pitch narrows to a rift with a ledge. This gets too tight, but has a good draft and the sound of water - most likely this is just water trickling down to meet the crawling passage at the bottom though. At the bottom, a crawl goes NW, while a rift at the SE end can be pushed to boulders which are diggable. In the crawl, it is easy going passage for the first 15m, including a "car wash" after 5m or so, before a tight RH bend. I passed this before encountering a tight squeeze between chert protrusions. Could have passed except for the SRT gear I had on. A lump hammer would most likely enable access for others. Good crawling passage continues a little wider afterwards for at least 5m. With our rather lacking instruments we didn't have the inclination (ho ho ho!) to survey the crawl, and besides we were close to our callout with Emma at the carpark, so we derigged and headed out.

Climbing back up through the entrance squeeze, while attempting to support myself entirely by my head (it's quite a fecking awkward climb for small people), the cable on my Scurion light broke. This led to further annoyance and delay, but since I was more or less in daylight I didn't bother retrieving my spare light. A rope and a footjammer would come in very handy here for the vertically challenged.

I have the survey data from the trip, although ultimately it will need to be redone with better survey equipment. The data I have to the base of the pitch indicates a total depth of 28.6m, so likely just over 30m depth with the crawl included.

Stuff to go back and do:

- shore up entrance chamber floor at pitch head - recommend small scaff bar

- insert bolt and thread at pitch head

- bolt a deviation at -10m ish

- push crawl

- resurvey pitch and survey the crawl

Tony