204 - Pus in bolts

Thu 30 Jul 2009
Jess Stirrups



Finally got to see the traverse Emma and Kathryn had bolted - they ought to be given medals - bolting over the top of a bottomless chasm with the floor sliding our from under their feet! Got to the end of the traverse line to find that the possible continuation did go after all - wide passage to a large chamber on a traverse line all the time. Kathryn bolted the short 8m pitch to the chamber "floor" (probably just a load of wedged boulders, as there were holes in it all over the place, al about the same depth). Scrambled up to the side of the chamber where there was a relatively short pitch then went along the continuation og the passage which was mud floored with rock pinnacles. Got to another pitch, then noticed a squeeze through into a side passage which looped back into the same pitch. While Kathryn put a bilt in the top of the pitch, me and Emma went back though the chamber and surveyed a passage under the boulders in the previous bit of passage - dead ended at a load of strongly drafting slots which looked like they would become pitches - a possible good lead, if you're very thin! By this time Kathryn had finished putting the bolt in and we all went back out.

QMs found

Passage between traverse and chamber:

QMC - tight slots turning into pitches at end of passage in floor

QMC - possible steeply sloping small tube in r wall just before slope down to chamber

QMB - climb/steeply sloping narrow rifty tube in left wall where traverse line goes over large boulder over floor trench.

Chamber:

QMB - hole in floor below rigged 8m pitch

QMA - large wide rifty pitch and possible horizontal continuation up boulder slope on opposite side of chamber to traverse line (survey station 6)

QMA - pitch in alcove inr wall of chamber further in

QMB - hole in floor between boulders at foot of r side of block

QMB - hole in floor between r wall and survey station 5 which is strongly drafting - just before stone floor turns to mud.

Next bit of passage:

QMC - hole in floor by r wall level with last small rock pinnacle (survey station 7)

QMA - extensive (wide) pitch at end of passage, r hand passage drops back into it. Best descended from main passage, but down slot r of large pinnacle (survey station 8).

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Survex files on this date:
    caves-1623/161/north/solidrock
    caves-1623/161/north/direstraits
    caves-1623/161/phumour/iceland
    caves-1623/258/usualsuspects
    caves-1623/258/marconianempire1
Wallets on this date:
    2009#10 ['notes2', 'notes1', 'elev', 'plan']
    2009#12 ['elev0001', 'notes0001', 'notes0002', 'plan', 'elev0002']
    2009#15 iceland pitch ['elev0001', 'notes0001', 'notes0002', 'plan0001', 'plan0003', 'elev0002']
    2009#16 ['notes1', 'plan', 'notes2', 'elev']
    2009#27 Usual Suspects - 1 ['plan0004', 'plan0001', 'elev0002', 'elev0003', 'plan0003', 'elev0006', 'plan0…
Logbook trips on this date:
    161 - Silent Fellow
    Wookey travels to Expo - Wookey travels to Expo
    204 - Pus in bolts
    161 - Push and survey near Iceland Chamber