Post date: Aug 8, 2013 8:40:10 PM

Petie Barry, Al Kennedy

The plan for Saturday was to complete the survey of Deep Pot by surveying No Glory For Old Men. This didn't happen, as we ended up at the top of pitch one without a spanner (my fault). Instead we did a through-trip to the sink, Petie's first, and he described it as like caving through biscuit. Fossil Hall makes the awkwardness of the squeeze worthwhile. After that we stood around on the moor, in lovely sunshine, and espied from afar two hikers! Much surprised at seeing anyone else using the bog for fun, we trotted over the peat hags to spend the time of day with them, whereupon they halted abruptly. Feeling like we'd scared them off (Perhaps the jumpsuits and helmets, or Petie's mohawk, were to blame), we dandered back to the entrance to Deep Pot. A few minutes later the hikers came over to us and we chattered until some rain blew in and they headed off the hill for a party. Petie and i took the bags to Avalanche Pot and took a look at the little climb just inside the entrance, before having a lengthy geological argument in the main chamber. Having spent enough time on the hill we left the bags in Avalanche for the morrow and wandered back to the car, spotting a little cairn/tumulus just 50-odd metres from Avalanche on the way to the track.

After changing we went to GPS St Catherine's Spring, and then to try to resolve the Peakadaw Conundrum. 'Twas a lovely evening hike but after finding (probably) Not Peakadaw, Definitely Not Peakadaw, Not Peakadaw Either, Peakadaw-In-The-Moonmilk, and many other little holes, we still didn't find Peakadaw Cave but ended up more or less on the top of the plateau at an ancient drove-road and complex of walls. Maybe Petie can add something further about the caves. I'll just show the photofaffs.

Rainbows over Glenade Lough.

Peakadaw pinnacle in black and white.

Some of the smaller pinnacles, not so obvious from the road.

Not Peakadaw Pinnacle with Petie for scale.

Ditto.

Peakadaw again.

Fields, with a rath in the centre of the image, directly below Peakadaw.

Loo with a view.

In the main gully.

Peakadaw as the rain moves in, from the drove-road (remains just visible in the foreground on the near-side of the wall). Also this area features a lot of sandstone boulders.

Glenade.

There's a lot of interesting history stuff up there..still not sure on the caving prospects..

On Sunday we made an early start, leaving the Hoo just after 9 and cracked on to Largy. We'd borrowed Muh's drill the night before and first of all completed the climb in Avalanche Pot. This took three holes and two screws to traverse into. A crawl went for about 5 m to a constriction where the stream was met. Beyond it could be seen to widen and continue for another 4 or 5 m to a corner. Rock breaking needed for any further progress. (If anyone fancied it, just bring a few screws and hangers and bung them in the holes to get in.)

Then into Deep Pot, where the pitches were speedily rigged. Before starting the survey i assisted Petie up into the No Glory For Old Men dig and then we disassembled The Greasy Pole. The surveying was squalid, and the shot from the Greasy Pit passage into No Glory For Old Men was one of the most awkward i've taken. There followed an epic failure on the first climb from me, before i remembered the final move. Petie was aiming to bus back from Enniskillen, so we were mindful of the time, and after shooting a decent leg from the top of the second climb, we decided to estimate the last bits and sketch them in (these are also fairly tight, squalid and pretty so would've taken a while). We surveyed 70 m-ish.

In-situ rigging update (please do not remove, use at own risk):

Replaced the tether at the top of the Window Pitch.

Deviation sling on the Window Pitch remains in place.

Handline down the Greasy Pit (not really essential).

Greasy Pole has been dismantled but the pieces remain (may be useful in No Glory).

Handline on the first climb in No Glory remains in place.

Bring some rope protection too.

I would be keen to have a crack at the gravel dig in No Glory For Old Men, beside the climb at the end of Rectorig this is the most promising lead. It doesn't look so good now being filled with debris from the climb, but with a bucket and pulley to haul the deads up the climb and dump it all on the large ledge this would be fairly straightforward digging. When found it was clean-washed and draughting strongly.

Al