CUCC Expeditions to Austria: 1976 - 2023

Gortcha !

After wogging all the beans and tuna, leaving only sardines for the other intrepid speleos, we went quickly down to the camp & met Pete & Andy there. Dismayed to find quite a bit of surveying still to be done, from the free climb above the Pool Pitch down to last year's undescended pitch. This took us over 100 legs of fast surveying to grade 3. We had Dave's Photo gear & photoed the Pool Pitch on the way. Went on down to the duck where Chas bravely volunterred to venture into the icy water, the cold clutching at his vitals, while Dave stood in up to his waist & took several stunning action photos. Then we derigged out as far as the head of the Pool Pitch and left all the tackle there. This involved some tremendous activity with a pulley and jammer courtesy of Brindle haulage Ltd. - Chas's footloops were nearly sawn in half. Back to camp for an ausblaten meal.

Leisurely start on Sunday. We piccied the Dartford Tunnel at length - at least Dave piccied it while unwilling photographer's assistant scurried round in the dark letting off flashguns. We found several bats in the phreas & brought out three, carefully packed in a tin, having photographed one in situ first. This brings the known total of bats to about 5 and makes me wonder whether the phreas does connect to the surface somewhere down the hill.

Photographed the Rift pitches & Bell pitch on the way out & exited to a colossal thunderstorm. The walk back was the most desperate part of the trip & we were grateful to Mike for being in the carpark.

33 hrs Chas <--- the longest ever

Next surveying trip / Next derigging trip survey/Sherpa trip (earlier same day)