# 1623:204 -- Treeumphant Passage area

204 | Steinbrückenhöhle | 4/S x
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# Treeumphant Passage area

Survey -- 204 index

### The Colonnade

Bonsai Crawl emerges into The Colonnade, a wide walking passage with a boulder floor, at a sharp turn, from which one can continue right or straight on.

To the right the passage comes to a chamber-like crossroads. To the left is an initially walking-sized tube, Sucker, and to the right a low draughting crawl, Flopsy the Bunny Rabbit's Lair, which connects back to Insignificant Chamber. The Colonnade continues straight on, and a stream joins from the left. Further along on the left is a pile of stones which must originate from a passage [C2000-204-43 Dig]. The passage then becomes small with a possible aven [C2000-204-44 X], a tight rift [C2000-204-45 B], and a crawl down and to the right. The crawl emerges into a chamber, with a possible way on over rocks directly ahead [C2000-204-49 C]. The chamber gets larger to the right, where there are two tight rifts leading off [C2000-204-46 C], [C2000-204-47 C] and an aven [C2000-204-48 X]. Water was flowing down one of these, possibly to the waterfall entering the chamber in No Pain No Gain. At this time in 2000 it had not rained on the surface for 8 days.

Back where Bonsai Crawl enters, the main route continues straight on for around 70m, with a number of minor passages to the sides. These are:

- A crawl to the left, which slopes slightly upwards to a pit with a small body sized tube going off at the bottom [C2001-204-54 C]; continuing over the pit leads to a flat out crawl [C2001-204-53 C].
- Some distance further on, another crawl on the left [C2000-204-16 B] leading from a trench in the passage.
- A small passage on the right [C2000-204-17 C] that allegedly links to [C2000-204-21 C].
- A crawl high up to the left [C2000-204-18 C].
- A short distance further a walking-size passage goes to the left [C2000-204-19 C].

The main passage then forks: to the left is [C2000-204-20 C] whilst to the right the passage continues past a high up crawl [C2000-204-21 C], and then possibly [C2000-204-22 C]. The main passage then pops out into Treeumphant Passage.

### Treeumphant Passage

The Colonnade meets Treeumphant Passage at a narrow angle. Doubling back sharp left leads to a boulder slope. Ascending this leads to a fork; the left branch is blind and the right branch ends shortly afterwards in a choked chamber. In the other direction, Treeumphant Passage continues over large boulders, sloping slightly upwards. There is a walking passage off to the left which goes to Crowning Glory, as well as a high up crawl to the right [C2000-204-25 C] and then a tight high passage to the left [C2000-204-26 C]. The passage then increases in height approaching a sharp turn to the right. Here a walking size passage continues straight on, connecting with Crowning Glory, and there may be an aven in the ceiling [C2000-204-27 X]. The main passage passes possibly diggable holes at floor level [C2000-204-29 Dig], and continues into Great Oak Chamber.

### Great Oak Chamber

Great Oak Chamber is a substantial chamber, with a 5m drop in the floor [C2000-204-32 B]. There is also an aven above [C2000-204-33 X]. A traverse across the left-hand wall reaches a passage on the far side which is choked after 40m. There is also as a passage to the right [C2000-204-30 C]. Just before the drop there is a bouldery slope up to another, smaller, walking size passage. There is an oxbow to the left, with a possible passage leading off it [C2000-204-34 B], as well as an aven [C2000-204-35 X]. There are a couple of digs to the left slightly further on; the first has not been explored [C2000-204-36 C], while the second led to 15m of passage with no further leads. The main passage continues into Cave Tree Chamber.

### Cave Tree Chamber

This is another substantial chamber, accessed by a climb down of about 2m. It has a bouldery floor on the left, and a pitch on the right, descended at least partially by MikeTA in 2001 [C2000-204-39 B]. An aven extends above [C2000-204-38 X], which is the 204c entrance discovered by Duncan and MikeTA in 2001; this has not been used since as it is exceedingly loose and dangerous. The passage continues over the pitch (via a traverse that needs rigging) to Chocolate Salty Balls.

### Chocolate Salty Balls

From Cave Tree Chamber, an exposed climb (a traverse line is a sensible precaution) above a pitch gains a comfortably proportioned walking passage, which ascends steadily. After 20 metres, the passage turns sharp left; here there are two unpromising leads, a narrow rift [C2001-204-39 C] to the right and straight ahead a possible opening in a pocket just above head-height [C2001-204-40 C]. The passage continues to climb, turning sharp right and again sharp left, to reach a pile of breakdown over which it is possible to crawl. Some 40 metres beyond the breakdown there are two crawls on the left, which become too tight. Another 30 metres reaches a climb down into the base of an aven [C2001-204-42 X].

There are two ways on from the aven; straight ahead leads after 30 metres to a pitch [C2001-204-38 A] with an aven [C2001-204-41 X] above it, and a continuing passage [C2001-204-37 B] on the far side. Back at the aven, a climb up on the left (handline useful) gains a short section of passage to another climb down into a small chamber.

Again there are two ways on; to the left leads after 25 metres to a choke, but there is a small hole in the north wall half-way along [C2001-204-36 C], while back in the chamber a climb up straight ahead (handline useful) leads after 15 metres to a T-junction. To the right ascends and enlarges for 20 metres before reaching a draughting choke with a narrow gap between the rocks and the ceiling [C2001-204-43 Dig]. To the left the passage soon swings right to where a false floor of boulders conceals a pitch [C2001-204-44 B]. Traversing carefully over the pitch, a climb up leads to the head of another pitch. Here, a very strongly draughting tube on the right soon reaches a blockage [C2001-204-35 Dig], while a traverse across the pitch to an apparent continuation merely gains an alcove. The pitch is 7 metres; at the bottom a short crawl leads to a small chamber containing 'The Eleven Second Rattle' [C2001-204-34 A], a pitch down which stones clatter for a Long Time (measured with a stopwatch).

### Crowning Glory

A phreatic passage with a stream flowing down it, which heads upwards from Treeumphant Passage. Near the beginning a high up crawl heads off to the left [C2000-204-8 C]. Another 20m leads to a bolder infall which can be climbed over, or the stream can be followed around to the right. A 2m scramble climb is reached, and Boulder Coaster, on the left, can be accessed by traversing from the pitch head. Further up the passage boulder infall from the left leads to a connection back to Treeumphant Passage. The summit of a boulder is soon reached, as the passage becomes smaller. Going down the boulders goes into a chamber, with an aven [C2000-204-11 X], and a 4m climb up at the end, followed by a pitch, formerly QM 2001-10 A. At the bottom of this is a blind pit; walking up a boulder slope on the other side of this leads to a further drop, descended in 2003 with a tackle-sack rope protector. To the left was a rift with an aven (went 3m). In the LH was, 2m up, was a small crawl (QM C). Straight on, the rift continued down a moderate pitch (QM B) and above this the passage continued (QM B), which could be reached by bolting up ~3m.

### Germknödels' Revenge

Germknödels' Revenge is the short connection between the 204e and 204f entrances and the Treeumphant end of Boulder Coaster. 204e is a low square hole in the face of a cliff. From here a low passage leads down and to the right. A short climb down and up again brings one to the top of the pitch. The (awkward) passage from 204f is a small tube sloping uphill at ~45° on the right, and a possible QM from across the top of the shaft.

204f is a hole in a pile of boulders a few metres up the surface gully from 204e. A small tube descends towards 204e via a couple of bouldery squeezes. The tube becomes steeper with a black space beyond. A light shone down this tube reveals that it connects to the top of the pitch reached from 204e; it was not thought worth the considerable bother of rigging this route.

A backup and Y-hang are followed by a rebelay or short deviation next to a window into a parallel shaft (There may be undocumented QMs in this shaft). The pitch narrows below the deviation, to a rebelay where it bells out to several metres diameter. The remaining drop is in a fine open shaft, passing a ledge a few metres off the floor, into Crowning Glory Chamber in Boulder Coaster near its connection to Crowning Glory Passage.

### Boulder Coaster

A walking sized passage goes from Crowning Glory Passage to Crowning Glory Chamber where 204e and 204f drop in from Germknödels Revenge, daylight being just visible. A rift intersects the chamber at the north end [C2001-204-12 C], [C2001-204-13 C]. The obvious way out of the chamber continues for 15m before choking, passing under avens [C2001-204-18 X] and [C2001-204-19 X] at a cross junction. To the left is too tight, and to the right, along with the next passage to the right join up at a chamber with an aven [C2001-204-20 X]. The passage continues from the bottom of the chamber and passes a pocket on the right with an aven [C2001-204-21 X]. The passage continues to a a staggered crossroads; to the right there is a sandy crawl, leading to Sand Pit. The other two ways on later rejoin; the left route has a phreatic tube going into the roof [C2001-204-22 X]. Continuing downslope, the passage splits in two, to the left is [C2001-204-15 C]. The right way leads to a chamber with a pitch [C2001-204-16 A] and an aven [C2001-204-23 X]. The passage continues opposite the entrance, in walking sized downhill passage, passing a crawl to the left [C2001-204-17 C], then a too tight passage to the right.

Further down, the passage turns a sharp left, then turns around to the left, after which a small passage goes of to the left [C2001-204-56 C]. Further on a passage is reached, with an aven above where Cresta Run, the connection with Swings and Roundabouts, drops in. The passage to the right soon turns left, going downhill to a junction. Straight on is a small passage [C2001-204-57 C]. Turning left leads to a junction with the downhill passage of the previous chamber. Continuing downwards, a small passage leads to the left [C2001-204-58 C]. Further down Helterskelter Pitch is reached. At the pitch head passages go to the left and right but are too tight. The pitch is 8m deep and can be climbed down, and spirals around on itself, ending in boulders, and a visible way on through the boulders [C2001-204-59 B].

### Sand Pit

A sandy crawl (formerly QM 2001-14B) leads to a small passage. This closes off up + to the right; the main way goes past a dead furry bat to a sandy hole which was dug out in 2003. This tube goes up steeply. At the top, straight ahead leads up into small chamber, with a pitch up + to the right from there [C2003-204-32 C]. On the left is another rift/pitch which probably links to the first one [C2003-204-33 B]. The main way from the sandy tube follows the draft to the left, along a crawling tube past a couple of not-bad straws into a small chamber. There is a thin, deep, narrow rift to the right (leading to a small shaft?). Ahead, there is a nasty loose hole to left but the main way is under a low wall + crawl up a ramp on the right side. Over a loose boulder wall, to the right went to a pitch head with a huge boulder perched on top [C2003-204-35 B]. It's possible to free-climb down this rift to the left to a drippy floor, and Martin climbed a further 2m below this without reaching the bottom of the shaft (doesn't look promising though). Various tubes above pitch head probably don't go [C2003-204-34 C] [C2003-204-36 C]. The main way is to the left after the boulder wall, crawling to the edge of a ramp, passing a small passage on right [C2003-204-37 C]. It is possible to climb down to the left. At the bottom, on the left is a nasty loose pitch-head [C2003-204-38 B]. Ahead, clamber over boulders. At the far end, a small passage leads off + up but gets too small. Climbing up + to the left, a solution tube in the roff can be followed for several metres to the top of an aven before closing down. The main way on at the ramp is across + up to a small sandy tube. Continuing down this + to right, passing a small QM on left [C2003-204-39 C], leads to a crawly passage with odd boulders in it needing gardening + more bat skeletons; this in turn leads up + past final squeeze into a quite large drippy rift. This continues to the left [C2003-204-40 C]; to the right it is possible to climb up two levels (first one a rather dodgy free climb) until it becomes too hard to upclimb, but aven continues up beyond this point [C2003-204-41 C].

### Sucker

An initially walking passage branching off from The Colonnade, which soon degenerates to crawling. After 15m, a 1m diameter tube continues straight on [C2001-204-33 B], whilst the explored route turns right. After another 30m a small passage bears to the right [C2001-204-24 C]. A further 15m leads to a small chamber with large dubious boulders on a sloping floor. Straight on is [C2001-204-25 C], and there is a pitch in the floor [C2001-204-101 B], which can be stepped over. This leads to a key hole passage with a rift disappearing on the right [C2001-204-32 C], which may be descendible. The key hole passage then turns right, straight on at this point a small stream enters, where there is an aven above [C2001-204-27 X], and a flat out crawl entering from the right [C2001-204-26 C] , this ends in a mud floored chamber with an aven [C2001-204-28 X]. Continuing along the key hole passage, a passage intersects, and the keyhole passage becomes blocked. To the right, another passage intersects which quickly becomes too tight in both directions, the passage continues straight on to a small partially mud filled passage [C2001-204-29 C]. To the left a body sized passage continues to a T junction with continuations [C2001-204-30 C], [C2001-204-31 C].

### Survey

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