"Just Keeps Giving" and "Water Torture" (Below Hilti-a-Plenty)
Pete Talling
The team kept pushing the lead below Hilti-a-Plenty rigged by Rob and Luke on 17/7/2016 (Evening Breakthrough). Rob
kindly showed the rest of the team to the right place. Aidan and Pete surveyed upwards from T-junction up a steeping
phreatic tube that was muddy but relatively easy to climb. The passage had the sound of water (mmmmm) and a draft (mmm)
but the muddy phreatic tubes choked. The noise came from a squeeze on right into a tight meandering rift. Pete squirmed
down rift for 5m to small stream. It was too tight upstream and would need a lump hammer to make progress down stream
-although it seems to widen a bit after approx 5m. I wonder if this is the same stream heard at bottom of pitch rigged
by Rob and Luke the day before.
Meanwhile, Elliott had rigged and dropped a nice 15-20m pitch from the end of Rob and Lukes far point. This is very
promising and goes into a bigish chamber with two ways on. But the two ways on may be going to the same place. They both
have a good cold draft. The first way involves scrambling easily around a big jammed boulder to the low point in the chamber.
Elliott climbed down sketchily for approx 7m to see two possible pitches that are probable 10-15m deep?
The second way on from main chamber is a 15m traverse from the jammed block into a large descending phreatic tube. Nicely
rigged by Martin from a bolt and various naturals/slings. It then goes to a blind aven, but there is also a 10-15m pitch
down with good draft.
Overall, these are A leads with a draft.