Post date: Aug 15, 2011 10:40:00 PM

Cavers: Aileen, SteveBus & Petie (12 hrs) / Tony & Lina (3.5 hrs) (day trippers); SteveMuh, Maria, Hugh & Al (29 hrs) (happy campers)

The advertised aims were to push some of the leads in the remote depths of Shannon, shore up the Les' Climb choke, and generally have a bit of craic. We also welcomed Maria, visiting from Moscow, and introduced her to dry caving Irish-style and the delights of one of the best Irish caves.

Seven cavers and seven tackle bags were assembled in McGourty's farmyard, and we entered Shannon about 1145, Tony and Lina planning to follow later with scaffolding. Assembling at the bottom of the pitch the final faffing was completed as three SRT kits were packed, carefully chosen to fit a range of sizes, and we started the long progression through the cave. There was the usual fun at Swingers' Corner and Maria was successfully inducted into this form of SRT. After George's two parties developed, Muh, Petie and I moving ahead with the dive kit. The bottles and lead were dropped at the Snake Escape, and we continued to Camp Camp where Muh and I changed into wetsuits. The other four assembled there too and a final plan was worked out. Hugh and Maria decided to continue on downstream to Long Way From Home; Bus, Aileen, Petie, Muh and I would go to the end of Serpent's Curse, carrying dive gear, to climb Aileen's Aven and dive Just Try Me.

Like all good plans, it came unstuck, as I overheated and began to cramp going through Snake Escape. Feeling very much the worse for wear I collapsed in Starlight Aven, gasping and probably looking close to death. Clouds of steam billowed to the ceiling as I climbed out of my wetsuit. Freed from its rubbery embrace, I cooled down while the climbers tucked into sandwiches. Deciding I wasn't fit to dive, I regretfully turned around, and with Muh returned to the camp. The climbers continued, carrying the diving equipment for a dive the next day, for which i'm very grateful although at the time I wasn't sure I was going to be able to haul myself out of the cave the next day let alone dive...

The Climbing Trip:

Continuing on on the Sherpa-ing trip, myself (bus), Aileen and Petie dragged the gear towards the Just Try me Sump. Reaching the first duck and not wanting to get wet we ditched the gear to try and push Aileen's extension. Petie decided to wait it out, so myself and Aileen used our inate skills to climb up the rift. Aileen (being slim) opted for the extremely tight rift, me (being blasé about dodgy climbs) picked the flake of death route. Reaching the top safely we crawled/almost walked along the passageway until we found the limit of exploration. Unfortunately the passage ends disappointingly at a mud filled blockage with no easy way on. 2 metres from the end there is a hole in the floor where stones could be thrown down. The draft seems to come from that direction and it might be diggable. Seeing no opportunity for a quick break-through we turned back.

At the bottom of the climb we found Petie resting and we proceeded to head out of the cave. It was 7:40pm. After an uneventful trip we exited just after midnight.

Tony & Lina:

Meanwhile on the surface, Lina and I had assembled the six half-metre lengths of scaffold that Al had left for us at McGourty's. They were heavier than I expected (I guess I haven't carried scaff for a long time!) and perfectly prepared in twos for our previous plan of three people heading into the cave. Rather than faff around splitting them into two bundles of three I put them all into a bag and we went on our way. Unfortunately on reaching Polltullyard entrance Lina discovered that her Petzl light wasn't turning on, despite fresh batteries, and we had to alter the plan again.

As Lina had her spare light with her, and I had another backup in case of emergencies, we decided to go into the cave, at least as far as the Witch's Hat, but no further so that there would be no dodgy climbs to negotiate with inferior lighting. We lugged the bars through the crawls and Rebirth and left them at the start of JCP. On the way we found two accoutrements left behind by the groups before us; one little pouch containing a backup torch and empty Powerade bottle shortly before Witch's Hat, and another half-finished drink where we left the scaffold. Hopefully these were noticed on the way out! We returned to the surface without further incident.

Back at camp Muh found Aileen's waterbottle and headed back upstream to leave it for her on her return. He brought back some water and we made tea, and then when Maria and Hugh returned we set about dinner. Muh's pasta with asparagus soup and cheddar cheese was very tasty, washed down with a dash of port. After dinner a few mouthfuls of sloe vodka were imbibed, to ward off the onset of shannonitis / Shannon tummy / mal de shannon. (The water was particularly brown and turbid.) At 2200 we turned in for the night, Muh and I planning on an 0530 start. I lay, mostly awake, enjoying the hallucinations; at one point blotches in a pleasing shade of blue appeared, and I dozed off, only to wake when bumped. After this, staring at the ceiling, I convinced myself I could make out a sub-ghostly outline of the tent and the crinkles on the walls and ceiling*. I listened to the sound of the river as it abated during the night. However the most prominent sensory experience was whichever part of my body was being prodded by lumps on the floor.

Eventually my alarm sounded, Maria thumped me to get me up and Muh and I groaned into life again. Two cups of tea and a cereal bar and we on our way by 0645, planning to be back by 1100. Hugh and Maria spread themselves out in the tent and went back to sleep.

Wearing only thermals under our oversuits the Snake Escape and Serpent's Curse were passed with relative ease, and once over Totally Traversable we wetsuited up and continued, picking up the dive kit just before the wet section. Final dive preparations were made after Screw-U and about 0930 we reached the sump pool. Muh belayed my line while I tried to produce enough saliva to de-mist my mask (Muh's offer of some was politely declined), and then he helped me adjust my bottles. The sump pool was chest deep, and I went to the far wall were Muh said the sump continued in a phreatic tube. Previously the water had been very clear, today it was very dark and visibility was 30 cm. I felt down the wall, around on the bottom of the pool and then back up to the surface, finding no tube.

Diving again, I felt this time a low arch and reached in with arm and shoulder. It was small, and didn't seem like the way on but I turned and poked my legs in anyway. Surprisingly, I started dropping down a gravel slope, and after wriggling my helmet sideways under the arch I found a hole in the ceiling. This closed down rapidly, although I think it went to the surface. Back on the floor, I continued backwards and downwards and felt the passage enlarging until my feet hit a solid wall. Searching around I thought that the way on was up, to the surface, but I couldn't find anything to secure the line to; my only silt screw wouldn't stick into the gravel and I couldn't find a rock or a spike. The depth was 3.1m, and the passage was approximately aligned on the rift of the dry passage before the sump. It was tempting to push for the ceiling/surface, and I moved upwards a little but was too nervous of the unbelayed line. I returned.

Sketch section of Just Try Me:

Back on the surface, we took stock. Time was running out if we were to be back at the camp by 1100 and out of the cave by 1800. There was definitely a way on in the sump to check, so we left the bottles and other non-perishable accoutrements at Screw-U and headed back. The sump however is not going to be an easy free-dive.

Reaching camp just after 11, Hugh was just up and Maria still abed. We boiled water and Muh concocted another pasta-n-soup dish. Then a quick pack, and down to the river to wash up before leaving after noon. We kept a good pace, with a few chocolate breaks, to surface around 1700.

For me it was a tough trip, my speleologically-lazy summer making itself felt. But I still enjoyed it, and the camping was fun even if it had a lot of room for improvement comfort-wise (levelling the tent floor would be a start!). The dive too was not unpleasant, although not at all what I had visualised. My thanks to Aileen, Maria, Steve, Steve and Petie for their assistance, patience, and craic.

Al, Tony, SteveBus

Here are Maria's photographs:

*I wonder if the eye is sensitive to infra-red radiation? Perhaps at long 'exposures' if you keep it focussed on one point for long enough... Or maybe it was just the manifestation of another benefit of Mr Barry's Health Tonic and Baldness Cure.