plateau - Prospecting east of Balcony
Elaine
With beautiful (or at least decent) weather predicted, Elaine & Ben decided a surface trip was the way to go. Mike Futrell pointed out where he hadn't been /planned to go if he didn't have to leave, and off we set! Turned east off the Balcony path & soon came across a promising hole. Elaine applied helmets kneepads & gloves & sscrotted off past some gämse bones until things became too loose to continue. Came back to discover a shiny tag by the entrance - CUCC 2009 03 :-( Nonetheless took details & photos & have since updated website.
Next found a big arena enclosed by rock with impressive rock arch entrance - just a bit further on that '09/03'. One promising-looking entrnce goes about 3m.
Then looked at two choss bowls east of this - lots of recent frost-shattering. One potential entrance at N47°41.741' E013°44.594'. ~6m pit with v large boulder at the top. Potential lead SSW under overhang but couldn't really see from any angle & would want rope to check (we didn't any). Nothing else in this area went.
Continued on to a grassy (in places boggy) depression with a couple of interesting holes. Looked at most promising - had a tag. Tag tucked in a crevice, Hilti almost completely out - prob. frost shattering (but has someone been there since to ensure tag was safe?) -> tag: CUCC 2002 AD 03 looked promising. ~20ft pitch, potenetially went back underneath, also potential way on slightly to R as looking at pitch from entrance.
GPS N47°41.638' E0139.511' (grassy hollow. Entrance is on W wall of this depression).
It then proceeded to piss it down, so we couldn't look at the other promising lead we had seen, preparing to slip'n'slide our way back to top camp.