Tunnocks - Camp Kraken
Becka Lawson
21st: underground at 10am, camp at 12:30 including Luke adding a couple of spits on Kraken pitch. Then took 90 minutes to get to top of pitch Elliott climbed beyond the mud sump in Song of the Earth. George rigged a traverse then an airy pitch to whoops - it was a huge chamber! We surveyed around the outside and then had a second wander around it but despit some dodgy free-climbing by George (aided by Luke providing a memorable foothold) and plenty of scary furtling amongst really loose boulders we couldn’t find a way on. We derigged the pitch; then George spent 2 more hours trying to find a higher level way on to no avail despite the strong draft. Eventually we set off back to camp at 8pm with Luke pulling through to retrieve Elliott’s rope and derigging the long set of pitches/traverses in Song of the Earth. Back at camp at 10:30 after a long day out.
22nd: Luke started rigging the pitch to the left of Indian Rope Trick whilst George climbed the boulder ramp below Indian Rope Trick with me belaying. This lead to a large, low phreatic passage which we surveyed and eventually looped to the pitch Luke had rigged and to a pitch down to a significant streamway and a large pool. Sadly we couldn’t get down to it as the 2nd and last drill battery died as soon as George tried to rig it. We finished the survey and then ran all around Slackers to check out other potential leads; we also surveyed 2 QMs, finishing one and leaving another as a good ongoing lead [this later turned into Grike of the Earth].
23rd: headed out taking up to 3.5 hrs to prussik out followed by a swift trot down the hill as everyone else (nearly) seemed to be having the weekend off.