Post date: Dec 29, 2009 12:09:08 PM
Steve Macnamara, Steve McCullagh, 5 hours.
Caving on Friday, wohoo! Had planned to do a bit of bolting in High Noone's Left, but as time was against us, we decided to use this trip to transport gear down (rope, bolting gear) and then do the job the following day.
We only got into the cave after 2. The water levels were low, so we rigged the normal route. We dropped off the gear at the top of the 5-metre pitch in H.N.L. and decided to have a quick trip to Arch to look at the upstream side - which neither of us had been to before.
We took a detour to the end of the 5th inlet, which ends in a complete calcite blockage after 140 metres. Once through the tight, wet, pleasantness of the connection, we turned right to go upstream with the Arch river. It starts off as walking/stooping passage in the streamway and passes an aven on the left. Soon the passage opens to walking and a bit of climbing and traversing if you want to avoid the chest-deep water. The passage has a nice shape with lots of roof pendants, flakes and fluting in grey-black rock - quite reminiscent of the downstream Afternoon Series.
We went as far as the sump, which was well decorated with black bale wrapping and divers household rubbish. The orange polypropylene dive line had been cut (hmmm..). On the way back, we climbed into the muddy tube in the right wall and pushed through a fair bit of squalidness. It opened into a tall, narrow meander which was rather difficult to pass, but definitely worth it...
On the far side, a 25m (estimation) aven soared into blackness. The walls were coated from top to bottom with trickles of calcite flow. It was possible to chimney up the continuing rift on the other side, which took us via steeply ascending passage to another climb rigged with divers' orange polypropylene string (hmmm..). It looked a bit thin, so I stepped on Steve instead and then rigged a sling for him to use. Another impressive aven was at the top, and again it is possible to ascend the rift on the far side. However, the rock is covered here in extremely slippy black calcitey stuff and we couldn't do it safely without rope/bolts, so we turned back at this stage.
As far as we're aware this is the limit of previous exploration in this passage (to be confirmed). Plans are afoot to scale the slippy climb in the near future. It should take us to a point level with the top of the previous avens.
By the way, the following day was too wet to do our bolting in HNL, so bolting here will be done later in the Christmas/New Year holidays.