Pushing into Rope Free
Jenny
First we tidied yesterday’s survey then went up the short pitch to
the ledge, down the other side and up into the main Ropeless passage.
Headed towards the northern lead. On a sunny day like today there is a very
strong draft from here, cold too.
Got to last year’s pushing front and followed the draft descending
short climb/pitch to a ledge with two ways on. Took the RH way with the
draft down a rubble slope. Lost the draft part way down but I diligently poked down to
the bottom through the boulders until it got too tight. I reckoned that
we lost the draft to a window part way down the slope. Olly clambered
across, to get into passage the other side. He accidently let the rope
drop back down to me leaving him ‘rope free’ hence the name. I threw
the rope back and Olly put in a bolt.
We clambered down the other side into a drafty chamber. A too tight hole
in the floor is the source of part of the draft. The rest seems to come
out of a tight rift. We surveyed the chamber and the passage going off
for a bit but we were both very cold. I decided that we were too cold to
survey as thoroughly as I felt the chamber warranted, so we decided to
return tomorrow.