161 - 20/8-21/8 RH push via Flapjack pitches
Adam Cooper
20/8->21/8 RH push (via Flapjack pitches)
Planned to go & continue pushing after those who had intended to go down on 20th. However, the underground campers were later & slower than expected & we met them ~4.30 with most people still above Knossos. Comtemplated going straight out & returning day after but discussion with Jeremy -> continuation to pushing front as Jeremy thought most folks would want an early night (& would only reach the push front at ~7.20, hardly a day trip). So we continued. At bottom Joe & Juliette still wanted to go to front. We went down while they set up camp & Planc rigged the 4 sec drop after Bat Corner as a free hang (after it took us ages to untangle Boris in the rift!) Prob ~60m deep fine pitch. At bottom stream sourced from roof & quickly disappeared into apparently impenetrable rift - Bugger.
However, a short rift traverse lead to a passable descent off naturals through a complex multi-level rift. At bottom only way on thro' a rather damp hole. Planc rigged dry bolt. Mark D froze bollocks off rigging a spit with the stream entering a hole in his oversuit. This provided a short broken pitch to a tight rift above a circular shaft (est as 120m by dropping a stone but turned out to be ~50m - misled because water at bottom). Pitch piss wet. Dark black sump at bottom with a small ledge nr. water. Adam lost SRT bag at top on way out (cord broke). Knot in bottom to aid rough survey if necessary.
Stopped on way out at camp as we lost our hexa burner, teabags etc. in my SRT bag.
Time out ~5 hrs including brew stop. Est depth nearly 600m at sump. Out for sunrise, beautiful.
_T/U 15 hrs_