136 - 136

1999 calendar page     full logbook     logbook report

place: 136

Thu 05 Aug 1999    Sat 07 Aug 1999

CaverT/UPrevNext
Becka Lawson Thu 05 Aug 1999 Mon 09 Aug 1999
Jon Telling Thu 05 Aug 1999 Mon 09 Aug 1999
Neil Pacey Thu 05 Aug 1999 Mon 09 Aug 1999
Sat 07 Aug 1999
Becka Lawson



Under by 10.45, pootled beyond Lost in Space. Neil rerigged (another bolt) Andy's pitch to give 2 pitchhead bolts . . . but it still rubs + still has the free-hanging rebelay in it. Then Neil put a deviation bolt in Brian's pitch which now doesn't rub (we had a drill, by the way!) Whilst Jon looked at the traverse on the left in the inbetween chamber - pretty sure it drops down into the left route stuff. Down the 30m pitch at the end of Carpetland (Pebbledash) to get to the pushing front. I thought the next pitch looked free-climbable but by the time Neil had scrambled up the wall a bit the drop was at least 5m. Jon + I surveyed down whilst Neil wielded the drill. We just about kept up with him down 4 squitty pitches to a really wet drippy aven and _passage_ ... that lasted about 50m in tightish canyonny passage with some delicate stals and weird bulbous calcite that looked like it regularly flooded - muddy and gloomy. The drill faded out on the final pitch _and_ Neil dropped the spits down it, so he slung a rope around a weakly-wedged boulder in the canyon (the good belay) and a sling around a vague stump of calcite (can you sit on this belay please) & lobbed off down. He came back - found a sump! We'd been about ready to turn round but decided we had to finish the survey (_lovely_ bit of stream passage at the bottom followed by a big, dark, ominous circular sump pool with froth on top and _no_ way on, Tick). Then derigged all the rope up to Carpetland + staggered off with 2 tacklesacks of rope + rigging gear, the drill + battery to bottom of Oatso, aided + abetted by some of Neil's marzipan + impeded by a failed attempt to haul up Brian's pitch (rope fails to hit bottom cock-up). Got out steadily + _fantastic_ stars, with a couple shooting.



IMAGE: pitch 1, 2 rigging - 6k gif

IMAGE: pitch 3 rigging - 5k gif

IMAGE: pitch 4, 5 rigging - 8k gif

IMAGE: pitch 6 rigging


NOTE - Passage continues for 50m streamway to sump _TOTALITY_

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Survex files on this date:
    caves-1623/196/196
    caves-1623/41/manhattn
    caves-1623/78/galakt
    caves-1623/136/ents
    surface/1623/nr136
    surface/1623/165tohsk
    surface/1623/78to78d
Wallets on this date:
    1999#23 ["156tagconn NW side of VSMK, laser point 0/1 to 201 tag bolt(s)", "138 to 135 via 136"] ['notes6', '1999#surface138to136to135and156connection', 'notes2', 'notes1', 'LI…
Logbook trips on this date:
    136 - 136
    204 - Unclear if trip occurred
    204 - Steinbrückenhöhle
    136 - 139 to 136 and surface surveyed 147