CUCC Expeditions to Austria: 1976 - 2024

Headed down to where we left off yesterday, Katey + Nat breezing down all the airy entrance rigging with all of 9 months caving experience a-piece (though they'd just come from the Picos expedition so are expo-seasoned). We set off surveying, following the draft, but quickly got to a pitch, Nat went back to fetch the gear whilst Katey + I surveyed side leads.

When we got back to Nat he shame-facedly confessed that one of the drill batteries had rolled out of the bag he was unpacking + down a small hole. He tried to persuade Katey to go in after it but she's no fool so he wiggled in head first, managed to retrieve the battery, attempted to turn around, failed, tried to back out, failed, started to sound a bit stressed + finally begged for assistance. Katey + I got a leg each + he finally was hauled out.

After that he needed a while to compose himself so Katey rigged the pitch ("Flying Rats") with 2 spits at the top + a rebelay then we surveyed down to a traverse with a bad step + then teeter along a ledge with loose rock where we ended the survey having decided that it really should have been rigged. Packed the loose gear up + left it at the top of Pidgeon Droppings + went for a quick check on Neil + Rob below Bob On who were surveying out + then exited steadily.