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Add descent article (draft)
2012-01-06 17:33:45 +00:00
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<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=CENTER STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2><U><B>Kaninchenhöhle,
Steinbrückenhöhle and Tunnockschacht: a brief history</B></U></FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>Kaninchenhöhle was CUCC's
primary project throughout the 1990s, following its discovery in
1988, eventually reaching 22km length and 500m depth. In 1999
Steinbrückenhöhle was discovered a km or so to the North, and (not
least because it had a really nice bivi site), because the main
focus. Over the next decade, nearly 17km of passages were explored
there with a vertical range of over 600m. The cave has several
levels, lined up with the dip of the limestone plateau, separated
from one another by pitch series, and has potential to connect to
both Kaninchenhöhle ('KH') and Tunnockschacht, as it lies between
them, and by the end of 2010 quite close to both, although the KH
nearest approach point had been checked carefully and found hopeless
from both sides. </FONT></FONT>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>Tunnocks was first found in
2005 And over the next few years, provided over 7km of surveyed
passage with a vertical range of 256m. </FONT></FONT>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>During the previous
expedition, CUCC had descended an impressive 80m pitch ‘String
Theory’, and had discovered a number of leads at the bottom, one of
which being a tantalising 20m away from Steinbrückenhöhle. </FONT></FONT>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>Hopes for a connection
between and Tunnocks were high, but we've thought connections were
'likely' before and been wrong...</FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>2011 saw a relatively large
and strong team so the decision to work in all three major caves was
taken, with most of the Steinbrücken work being done from an
underground camp at -400m. The 1980s tradition of having UBSS members
along was revived this year, which worked well as they had some
actual students who were able to come, and supplied the first ever
expo-leader-not-based-in-Cambridge in the form of Chris Smith. </FONT></FONT>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>The character of the 3
caves is quite different, which keeps things interesting for
expo-goers. Tunnocks has mostly steep bedding-controlled passages,
interupted by occaisional large shafts, with a large partly
snow-filled entrance shaft. Steinbrücken has a tediously tiny
entrance and a lot of annoying stoopy passage leading to the 300m
shaft series of Gaffered to The Walls, with extensive horizontal
soil-filled development at the bottom. KH is largely walking passage,
some of it enormous, with as much up as down on this year's route. </FONT></FONT>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2><U><B>Steinbrückenhohle</B></U></FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>This year, members of CUCC
decided to return to one of the horizontal levels, Subsoil. The team
had two main goals: to continue pushing new passages into blank
space, and to search for the potential connection with
Tunnockschacht, whose closest point was only a few dozen tantalising
metres away from Steinbrückenhöhle.</FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>To cut down on the amount
of time spent 'commuting', Edvin Deadman, Niall Peters, Djuke
Veldhuis, Jess Stirrups and Kathryn Hopkins set up an underground
camp at about -400m. A few years previously, a large sandy-floored
chamber with a nearby water supply had been found. This made a
perfect campsite. After a couple of rigging and carrying trips at the
beginning of the expedition, the Butlins Holiday Camp was born! With
only three sleeping bags (and a tent inner, to keep off the draughts)
they would be caving in shifts and 'hot bedding', in two long trips
of three or four days at a time. The camping was organised with (very
unusual) military precision, including laminated time-charts of when
each shift was caving or in bed, and none of the cavers involved had
camped underground before. Overall it was deemed a great success in
enabling a lot of work in the deeper reaches, but the hot-bedding
proved somewhat miserable for the night shift.</FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>Much of the camper’s time
was spent in a race against the Tunnockschacht team to find the
elusive connection between the two caves. They were convinced that a
strongly draughting pitch series that they found, called 'Bird on a
Wire', would lead them to glory. However, after running out of both
time and rope, with the pitches still going, it was decided to turn
their attention to other more horizontal leads. </FONT></FONT>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>The other main find was
very close to the campsite, where a sketchy climb up the side of a
chamber led to several hundred metres of large phreatic development:
'A Grand Day Out', which is heading into blank space.</FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>After two successful
camping trips, about 1km of new cave was found in Steinbrückenhöhle,
and it is now 17.7km long. A fair amount of time was spent checking
out leads in the probable 'connection zone', but they were all ticked
off without finding a way into Tunnocks. There is no shortage of
other leads to keep us occupied for many more expeditions; many
heading off into blank space on the survey. However, the connection
had still not been found, and the campsite was derigged, so it was
down to the Tunnocks team to keep pushing.</FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=CENTER STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=CENTER STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2><U><B>Tunnockschaft</B></U></FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>After dropping the 80m
‘String Theory’ pitch and exploring leads last year, Neil Pacey
and Andy Chapman had eventually been stopped by a small pitch leading
upwards into black space and only approximately 20 metres away from
Steinbrückenhöhle. Plans were made, equipment purchased, and Neil,
Andy and some newly recruited team members were ready for a rematch.</FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>However, just getting to
the current limit proved difficult going. An excessively hot summer
had caused much of the snow-ramps in the entrance series to melt,
meaning even the tallest expedition members struggled to reach the
hanger placements. A period of re-rigging ensued, with extra hangers
placed within reach of the height challenged and also to avoid some
newly formed, precarious crevices.</FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>A team consisting of Andy,
Noel Snape and Rob Adams continued rigging, narrowly avoiding Noel
meeting an untimely end after a boulder fell onto a traverse line
over a large pot, leaving him spreadeagled on a very tight rope over
a large drop. The now decidedly shaky team carried on to the head of
String Theory but felt it wise to pass on rigging for that day.</FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>Eventually, the rigging was
completed and the final survey station reached in the newly
christened Leaky chamber. Andy began aid climbing the small pitch,
eventually reaching the top. Neil followed and continued to the next
obstacle, another pitch leading upwards. Neil quickly free climbed
this and another small pitch afterwards, finishing at a ledge with a
small, muddy tube going leftwards and a 10m pitch continuing up.</FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>As all the static rope had
been used rigging the previous pitches, Neil and Andy thought they’d
better survey the small tube and head back home. However, the tube
increased from hands and knees crawling to walking until a large
window was reached. Dangling out, over the pitch head, we could see
down into a big chamber with a massive pitch heading down past this
which was promptly christened ‘The Beast‘. Two excited cavers
headed out, looking forward to the next pushing trip.</FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>&lt;Somewhere in here we
should mention the occaision where Becka dropped a small pitch, found
a survey station and though the connection was made, but turned out
to be wrong. Adds a bit of tension to the <U>real</U> connection&gt;</FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>A larger team were back the
next day. Noel rigged down to the chamber and Neil, Rob and Andy
followed down to check out Above and Beyond chamber. Numerous leads
led off from the chamber but Noel seemed to think the climb up the
tottering pile of shale, in the left hand side of the chamber offered
most potential. Whilst Noel and Neil surveyed the chamber, Andy
climbed the precarious climb whilst Rob helped haul gear up and
offered much needed words of support.</FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>After rigging the climb,
Andy continued exploration, finding the onwards passage led to the
enormous pitch seen from the window above. A team consisting of
Neil, Noel, Emma Wilson and Gareth Phillips surveyed this and Noel
happened to notice a phreatic tube above the pitch head. Access was
gained via a bolt and hair-raising climb and the heavily draughting
tube was gained. This was pushed to a 20 metre pitch (Eh bah Gum)
which led into the bottom of a rift with numerous leads going off.</FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>Holly, Noel, Wookey and
Becka Lawson headed back for a rematch the following day. Noel and
Wookey decided to go for glory and headed into the unknownm rigging a
traverse that didn't go, then a pitch found at the bottom of Eh Bah
Gum whilst Holly and Becka completed the job of surveying down Eh Bah
Gum. Having done the surveying the team found Noel and Wookey still
faffing with rigging so they went back to the unexiting job of
surveying a small rift at the bottom of the pitch. </FONT></FONT>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>The team started down the
rift and soon discovered it popped out onto the ‘Beast’ pitch but
a wide ledge could be climbed onto. Continuing surveying a tube in
the wall, Becka noticed footprints on a mud bank. </FONT></FONT>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
“<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>Holly, have you climbed
on this?”</FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
“<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>No. I think I might
recognise this though...”</FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
“<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>Where is it?”</FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
“<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>I think it’s the Wares
in Steinbrücken!”</FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>Two happy cavers connected
to a survey station located on the opposite wall and hurried back to
tell the good news to the rigging party.</FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>Having connected Tunnocks
to Steinbrücken producing a combined cave length of 27km and
completing one of the expedition objectives, other leads in Tunnocks
were also pushed. An upper level passage leading off from Starfish
junction provided over ……m of passage, ending extremely close to
the surface.</FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=CENTER STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2><U><B>Kaninchenhöhle</B></U></FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>In 2009 Andrew Atkinson had
spotted a hole 25m up in the ceiling of Repton II Chamber, and
reached it via a bolt climb and necky 20m traverse. This was the last
trip of expo so he and Wookey were only able to explore 100m of very
windy passage before going home. The small 2010 expo did not go back
to KH, so this top-class lead ('Irony of Time') remained for team
'vintage' in the form of Wookey and Anthony Day to head for, assisted
by Rob Adams on his last trip. </FONT></FONT>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>The nearest entrance to the
bivi is 161g, which is a technical 1hr walk over and down the back of
the main ridge under which the system is developed. As with Tunnocks
snow levels were the lowest ever and a large snowfield that gets down
several rock steps had completely melted so a new route had to be
found and cairned. The entrance immediately has a fine 50m pitch,
then miles of traipsing until the massive trunk phreas of 'Triassic
Park' is reached, leading to a series of huge collapse chambers, then
back up dip to 'Strange Downfall/Upfall/Acrossfall'. This is a big
space passed by a p38 then a p25 back up again or a very airy
tyrolean.</FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>At the pushing front the
surveying was down easy walking passage with a very encouraging wind,
and after only 50m it broke out into big phreas going both North and
South and <U>still</U> windy. Following the wind northwards round a
corner it widened to 15m and huge grins broke out as they realised
what a top-class find they had sauntered into. Rob was amazed at his
good luck. 300M of trunk passage was explored before a pitch stopped
the fun for the day. The find was named 'Country for Old Men' after
the very easy going. </FONT></FONT>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>The passage was heading
directly North towards Steinbrücken but whilst the gap had been
dramatically reduced from 420m to 250m that's still not the sort of
gap that gets closed in one expo. 3 further trips including some
international co-operation with the German Group ARGE who sent two
cavers along found another km (check) of passage and narrowed the gap
to 170m. The Strange Acrossfall Tyrolean was also rigged, providing
much entertainment as cavers unused to tyroleans starting at hanging
rebelays got themselves strung up.</FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>As the gap to Steinbrücken
shrank an attempt was made to rig Brian's Phat Shaft, in
Steinbrücken, the quickest way into the 'Catty Puns' area of the
cave which was the closest approach at the right level. This is a
100m shaft, starting 100m deep but not too far from 204e. A large
pile of gear and students was despatched, who made a valiant attempt
but the weather had been terrible so the shaft was very wet and
almost devoid of bolts, so after some hours of scary, damp and
miserable dangling, a retreat was called, and vows made not to
return. A more experienced caver was persuaded to take a look, which
got the pitch re-bolted down to -80m before running out of time and
derigging, so no progress from this end, but the way prepared for
2012. </FONT></FONT>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>Back in KH, the Country for
Old Men trunk passage shrank to a small rifty pitch but with a
monstrous gale issuing from it. Despite this it was hard to find
willing potholers as the end of expo was approaching so people were
going home and there was a party/dinner with the Germans as
alternative entertainment. Wookey managed to dragoon 2 UBSS students
(Catherine Hulse and Adam Henry) into a trip. Rigging the pitch
(christened 'Mordor') was a deeply miserable experience as it was
absolutely freezing and confusing as to the way on, with wind
everywhere, and after a while it became clear the conditions were
about to produce a mutiny, so some '70s rigging' was employed to make
rapid progress. It dropped into more huge passage heading off again
so another long night of big grins ensued despite the cold, and two
more cavers were inducted into 'expedition fever', escaping at 4am to
an extraordinary view of mist in the valley below, illuminated by the
moonlight.</FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>The next trip (Olly Madge
and Emma Wilson) pushed on over the traverse to find another 150m of
passage ending at big shaft needing a proper bolt traverse, and
leaving the gap to Steinbrücken's 'Fat Cat' series at less than 30m.
In theory this connection could have been pushed further but drill
logistics, and derigging requirements menat it had to be left for
2012. Two final trips (Julian Todd, Andrew Atkinson, Cat Hulse)
looked the other way down one of the many A-leads, found a devious
way past a big hole and romped into almost 1km of large and varied
passage, following a massive gale, and ending at a pitch which is
certain to connect back to the northern end of YAPATE, and should
provide a much easier route to the far end, avoiding the comedy
tyrolean.</FONT></FONT></P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=LEFT STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<BR>
</P>
<P LANG="zxx" CLASS="western" ALIGN=CENTER STYLE="margin-bottom: 0cm; line-height: 100%; text-decoration: none">
<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2><B>Summary</B></FONT></FONT></P>
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<FONT FACE="Times New Roman"><FONT SIZE=2>So as is often the case the
expedition ended on a high, with a monstrous list of leads for next
year, and what looks like an almost certain connection between the
62km Schwartzmooskogelhöhlensystem and the 27km of Steinbrücken +
Tunnockshacht.</FONT></FONT></P>
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