expo/expoweb
1
0
Fork 0
mirror of https://expo.survex.com/repositories/expoweb/.git/ synced 2024-11-22 07:11:55 +00:00
Code Issues Packages Projects Releases Wiki Activity

Logbook 2019 Type up - online edit of years/2019/logbook.html

Browse Source
This commit is contained in:
Expo on server 2022-07-06 14:50:33 +01:00
parent 5b2c3454dc
commit 7b7f8b9b2e
1 changed files with 462 additions and 50 deletions
Show Stats Download Patch File Download Diff File Expand all files Collapse all files

512
years/2019/logbook.html
View File

@ -132,6 +132,17 @@ Setting off bright and early from the stone bridge (11:00), we took tagging and
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-10d">2019-07-10</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Dickon</u>, Crossley, Dan</div>
<div class="triptitle">plateau - tagging and surface bashing to Fishgesicht</div>
<p>
Cave was rigged to the horizontal level a few points as follows
<p>• 2nd pitch could do with a little rerigging due to the awkward take off, although much of this is due to glossy rock
<p>• Traverse lines in the horizontal level all need to be rerigged
<div class="timeug">T/U: ?</div>
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-11a">2019-07-11</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Reuben</u>, Corin, Michael H</div>
<div class="triptitle">plateau - back to Fischgesicht for more prospecting</div>
@ -188,7 +199,54 @@ Tom Crossley (11/07/2019)
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-13">2019-07-13</div>
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-12a">2019-07-12</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Nat</u>, Sarah P, Ruaraidh, Aileen</div>
<div class="triptitle">Look at Myopia Traverse #2</div>
<p>
Trip down to top of Hangmans to have a look at Myopia traverse number 2; Nat wimped out after one small
skyhook popage, a sinking hilti and the way around the corner looking particularly wet (water
dripping running down the wall, so Aileen took up the torch and put in 2 hiltis to get round the corner
into the wet. Nat finished putting in a spit to Myopia traverse number 1 to improve it slightly and we
then headed out, leaving a drill, hangers and rope at the top of hangmans. On the way out we also moved
80m of 10mm to the top of Honeycomb ready for rerigging it. There’s a few climbs at the bottom that have
got greasy and would also do with a rope on.
<div class="timeug">T/U: ?</div>
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-12b">2019-07-12</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Fleur</u>, Pete, Harry, Becka</div>
<div class="triptitle">Acclimatisation Trip</div>
<p>
Acclimatisation trip for Pete and Fleur to the base of Honeycomb pitch in Balcony.
A chance to see the rigging on Honeycomb, and release our inner Ash. Harry did a
very nice job on the tricky bit, and carried on to Myopia with Becka, where they
had a grandstand view of Nat and Al (above) on their traverse. Pete and Fleur
headed out, and then headed downhill to base.
<div class="timeug">T/U: ?</div>
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-12c">2019-07-12</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Michael W. B.</u>, Michael S., Paul</div>
<div class="triptitle">Acclimatisation around top levels of Balcony</div>
<p>
Michael S. led Michael W. B. and Paul around the upper levels of Balcony.
We intended to head to Ice Cork Aven to check out some of Michael S.’
leads, however we turned back a bit after Turtle-head to get to the bottom
of the entrance pitch at the time we agreed with the others in Balcony. We
overestimated how long it’s take for us to get back a tad.
<div class="timeug">T/U: ?</div>
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-13a">2019-07-13</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Corin</u>,Michael H, Reuben </div>
<div class="triptitle">plateau - Fishface and prospecting</div>
@ -235,52 +293,41 @@ Peregrina, SUSS
<div class="timeug">T/U: ?? hour</div>
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-15b">2019-07-15</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Philip</u>, Sarah</div>
<div class="triptitle">homecoming - Shopping trip</div>
<p>Dickon and Dan went up at ~6am to HC (Homecoming) pushing in 'SecondComing'.
They may return to basecamp. Callout 22:00.
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-13b">2019-07-13</div>
<div class="trippeople"> ? </div>
<div class="triptitle">Finding Dickon</div>
<p>Sarah & Philip went shopping.
<p>Sarah left 16:30 in her car to walk to top camp solo.
<p>Michael S. the only person in top camp not caving today.
<p>16:44 Basecamp phone has &euro;10.28 credit.
<div class="timeug">T/U: 0 hour</div>
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-16">2019-07-16</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Philip</u>, Radost</div>
<div class="triptitle">CUCC-PS-01 -B lead at best</div>
<p>
Radost & Philip drove to the carpark and walked to CUCC-PS-01 which Radost declared a "B lead at best" after we had got out.
<p>Cave descripotion:
<br />
rock-filled rift ~1m high and wide goes 260 degrees magnetic into hillside (descending approx. 15 degrees).
Hole in floor near ent. is a climbdown, then a 22cm squeeze (Radost did it) to where it continues - tight. No draft.
<p>Going over the hole in the floor the more obvious route leads after 14m from ent.to a 2m climb down and a drafting flat-out hole
leading to a vertical (upwards) solution (?) shaft filled with rocks.
[Since the hillside is very steep here, this may be ~20m or more to the surface.] Could be dug, but ideally <i>not from the bottom
where Radost was</i>.
<br />
Whole cave drafts cold air out slightly - less than last year possibly due to snow choke elsewhere. No snow visible anywhere near it.
Call from Harry’s phone at 15:10pm saying Harry and Reuben went to top camp to then go to homecoming while Dickon went straight from car park to Homecoming. Harry and Reuben at Homecoming and can not see sign of Dickon or his stuff – plan was to meet Dickon at entrance or just inside Homecoming.
<p> Harry and Reuben cold and wet, inferred they called from Homecoming Dickon’s location was known
<p>Summary at around 15:50pm:
<p>• Harry and Reuben at Homecoming
<p>• Dickon unknown
<p>• Nat, Dan and Becka heading to Plateau initially likely going via carpark to homecoming
<p>• Sarah heading to car park and staying there
<p>• Michael S., Michael H., Michael W. B., Corin and Phil at base camp
<p>• Tom, Rhairidh, Paul and Sam at spa
<p>15:53 – Phil Sargent trying to ring Reuben and Harry every couple of mins. Rang Tom and Rhairidh to inform them and get them back. (Fleur, Pete and Aileen on a drive to see the area)
<p>16:07 – Pete, Fleur, Aileen back, Phil sent Sam text by Phil
<p>Plateu team took tea, layers, sandwiches, first aid estimated they left base camp at around 9:10am
<p>16:15 – Becka calls base and cut off
<p>16:18 Sarah calls base, others setting off.
<p>16:32 – Reuben calls base (on Harry’s phone) But gets out cave.
<p>16:35 – Texts received from Harry. They are waling to carpark confident Dickon is not in cave.
<p>16:40 – we text Nat, Becka and Dan to tell them Reuben and Harry are on way back to the carpark
<p>16:42 – we text Harry – told them that Nat, Beca and Dan walking towards them; Ask to clarify why sure Dickon is not in cave.
<p>16:43 – Text from Harry. Waling back and shouting for Dickon. No rucksack at/near cave hence confident Dickon was not in cave.
<p>(GPS at Homecoming cave. Entrance P2018-DM-07. Lat 47.6943N. Long 013.8053E)
<p>17:02 – Becka calls base. During Becka’s call a text from Dickon also came in saying “I’m Ok”. Becka, Dan and Nat now continuing along track to homecoming to intercept Harry and Reuben on that path. Say less than 10m visibility.
<p>17:15 – Michael set off to drive to car park to collect other cavers
<p>17:26 – Becka called base. She has everyone Dickon, Harry, Reuben, Nat and Dan. They are half an hour approx. from car park. Request to call Sarah.
<p>17:29 – base calls Sarah to inform her that Dickon and Phil a way back and Michal S on his way, but now not needed
<p>17:48 – Michael S rings from carpark and is updated on above progress of rescue party
<p>18:45 - All cars back from Plateau
<p>The roof of the rift is flat and slopes to the south, about 30 degrees from vertical. This is very similar
to rifts in Schnellzughohle and Stellerweghohle nearby, but in this cave there are no flow scallops.
<p>Tag CUCC-PS-01 2018 left inside entrance on thh right - tied to a thread in jammed rocks with blue string.
<p>Walked back to be collected at the car park by Michael and Sam in the Sargent Meriva.
<p>All visted the Tuesday afternoon trachtmarkt in Altausee on the way back. Nobody bought any Austrian hats or lederhosen.
<p>And so to the tatty hut and a fridge full of beer.
[Note added July 2020: we (Philip, Wookey, AERW) now declare that this is kataster 114 Verlorenschacht' i.e. Lost Hole ,
found by at least two groups looking for 115, originally in 1980 by "John, Tony and Andy C" (logbook is missing). ]
<div class="timeug">T/U: 0.5 hour</div>
<div class="timeug">T/U: ?</div>
<hr />
@ -315,7 +362,50 @@ Dickon and Crossley returning to the col from Homecoming
<div class="timeug">T/U: 0 hour</div>
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-15">2019-07-15</div>
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-15a">2019-07-15</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Philip</u>, Sarah</div>
<div class="triptitle">homecoming - Shopping trip</div>
<p>Dickon and Dan went up at ~6am to HC (Homecoming) pushing in 'SecondComing'.
They may return to basecamp. Callout 22:00.
<p>Sarah & Philip went shopping.
<p>Sarah left 16:30 in her car to walk to top camp solo.
<p>Michael S. the only person in top camp not caving today.
<p>16:44 Basecamp phone has &euro;10.28 credit.
<div class="timeug">T/U: 0 hour</div>
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-15b">2019-07-15</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Reuben Harding</u>, Corin Donne, Michael Holiday</div>
<div class="triptitle">Rigging Happy Butterfly</div>
<p>We went to rig Happy Butterfly in search of a route into FG. The rigging was
fairly easy, and the cave (as of now) is not too deep. We did not push the
limits of the cave much, though Michael found and bolted a very wet pitch.
After this, we made our way out of the cave as quickly as possible, since
Michael and I were both very wet and cold.
<div class="timeug">T/U: ?</div>
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-15c">2019-07-15</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Aileen Brown</u>, Becka Lawson</div>
<div class="triptitle">Trip to Northern Powerhouse in Balcony</div>
<p>We went to check out two A leads at the end of Northern powerhouse. The side
passage lead loops back into the now main lead. We bolted across and up the slope
in the main A lead. We left it at the point it turned into an upwards bolt climb.
I would classify it as a B lead now it shall need to be finished.
<div class="timeug">T/U: 12 hours</div>
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-15d">2019-07-15</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Dan</u>, Dickon</div>
<div class="triptitle">Homecoming - Blog Post bit</div>
@ -330,7 +420,38 @@ Dickon and I went down Homecoming to the start of the Second Coming (after the a
<div class="timeug">T/U: ? hour</div>
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-16b">2019-07-16</div>
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-15e">2019-07-15</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Corrin</u>, Reuben, Michael H</div>
<div class="triptitle">Happy Butterfly</div>
<p>As Fish Face was under several meters of snow our plans for the week were in
tatters. We set off to make the long-suspected connection between Happy Butterfly
and Fish Face to secure a back way in if the snow plugs return in future years.
The rock shelter around the natural entrance to Happy Butterfly was blocked by a
substantial snow plug, but while prospecting we found a climb down into a hole
that leads to the same place.
<p>We headed straight for the leads in the far east of the system. Rigging of the
p12 and p50 went smoothy enough. We rigged the p50 differently than in the rigging
guide that we’d found and didn’t need a rope protector in this way.
<p>After a few hours we were near the pushing front. Reuben rigged the ‘p25’
(actually ~12m) in Couldashouldawoulda and we investigated the A lead marked along
the rift. This is almost immediately closed down to a chimney up to a tight rift.
While we were poking around the rift Michael notices a hole below us down which
rocks fell a long way. He bolted down to the hole and it clearly opened up, so we
dropped it.
<p>By the time me and Reuben had surveyed through into the shaft Michael had dropped
the very drippy shaft. Supposedly he was already a bit wet and cold so he decided
he might as well go for it. He emerged soaking wet and we quickly left. Reuben also
got wet while attempting to measure the depth of the shaft, he did not succeed and
broke the tape, leaving the casing at the foot of the shaft (our loser disto ran out
of juice in two shots)
<div class="timeug">T/U: ?</div>
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-16a">2019-07-16</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Dan</u>,Tom Crossley, Harry</div>
<div class="triptitle">Homecoming - Blog PostBlog Post bit </div>
<p><b>
@ -341,7 +462,105 @@ Crossley, Harry, and I went and added some additional rigging on the entrance se
<div class="timeug">T/U: ? hour</div>
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-17">2019-07-17</div>
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-16b">2019-07-16</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Philip</u>, Radost</div>
<div class="triptitle">CUCC-PS-01 -B lead at best</div>
<p>
Radost & Philip drove to the carpark and walked to CUCC-PS-01 which Radost declared a "B lead at best" after we had got out.
<p>Cave descripotion:
<br />
rock-filled rift ~1m high and wide goes 260 degrees magnetic into hillside (descending approx. 15 degrees).
Hole in floor near ent. is a climbdown, then a 22cm squeeze (Radost did it) to where it continues - tight. No draft.
<p>Going over the hole in the floor the more obvious route leads after 14m from ent.to a 2m climb down and a drafting flat-out hole
leading to a vertical (upwards) solution (?) shaft filled with rocks.
[Since the hillside is very steep here, this may be ~20m or more to the surface.] Could be dug, but ideally <i>not from the bottom
where Radost was</i>.
<br />
Whole cave drafts cold air out slightly - less than last year possibly due to snow choke elsewhere. No snow visible anywhere near it.
<p>The roof of the rift is flat and slopes to the south, about 30 degrees from vertical. This is very similar
to rifts in Schnellzughohle and Stellerweghohle nearby, but in this cave there are no flow scallops.
<p>Tag CUCC-PS-01 2018 left inside entrance on thh right - tied to a thread in jammed rocks with blue string.
<p>Walked back to be collected at the car park by Michael and Sam in the Sargent Meriva.
<p>All visted the Tuesday afternoon trachtmarkt in Altausee on the way back. Nobody bought any Austrian hats or lederhosen.
<p>And so to the tatty hut and a fridge full of beer.
[Note added July 2020: we (Philip, Wookey, AERW) now declare that this is kataster 114 Verlorenschacht' i.e. Lost Hole ,
found by at least two groups looking for 115, originally in 1980 by "John, Tony and Andy C" (logbook is missing). ]
<div class="timeug">T/U: 0.5 hour</div>
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-16c">2019-07-16</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Sarah</u>, Aileen, Ruairidh</div>
<div class="triptitle">Trip to Myopia to drop a small pitch</div>
<p>
After a slightly delayed start in the morning we set off to Balkon. The trip down to
Myopia went smoothly, and we rerigged a nicer rope onto the little pitch (p10)
after Leeds Bypass, as the rope there was very glazed and muddy making it an
excitingly rapid descent. At the head of Hangman’s we rescued my bac up light (I
dropped it down a hole a few days earlier…). Arriving at Myopia, Aileen began
bolting to drop the small pitch (around 8m). Ruairidh derigged Andrew Atkinson/
Aileen’s/ Nat Dalton’s wet traverse that was aiming to reach some passage beyond a
big hole, Ruairidh and I began surveying the passage, which last year was surveyed
up to the start of the traverse.
<p> In the meantime, Aileen had dropped the pitch to find it went nowhere, and
derigged it. I identified the big hole, and wet traverse around to a passage as ‘B’
leads in my survey, as they looed promising, but are wet!
<p> We headed out, derigging the traverse and Myopia pitch, having some rope out of
Balkon, reaching the surface just as the sun was beginning to set.
<div class="timeug">T/U: ?</div>
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-16d">2019-07-16</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Pete</u>, Nat, Becka</div>
<div class="triptitle">Prospecting near Garlic Cave</div>
<p>
This started as a trip to the bivvy site at Garlic Cave, to retrieve bivvy gear
stashed there last year. We went via Fish Geschicht to Homecoming cave, which had
some fun scrambling. If you go only 50m beyond Homecoming you reach the spray
painted hunters trail that heads up hill to Garlic Cave. But the team cut up direct
to the Garlic Cave GPS. Pete then lost his prized hat (that one had his toe bone in
it) down a crevice above a big hole. Then he abseiled into the hole, which is just
above the Garlic Cave bivvy, and retrieved the hat. The leads were also checked and
none went.
<p>Then the team headed downhill along the hunter’s path, towards homecoming. About
halfway to Homecoming Becka found an old Mark Shinwell GPS, while Nat dropped to see
no way on.
<p>Pete then went 30m further downhill to a second inclined hole, which was probably
also a Mark Shinwell GPS entry (1626.p2018.ms03). This was eventually given a
Katraster Tag (CUCC-2019-PT) A squeeze blocks at base of dolime, is soon followed by
easy 3m climb down into catchy rift. That soon reaches a 5m pitch down, and a body
sized tube heading up on left.
<p>LABELLED DIAGRAM ON PAGE 21 OF LOGBOOK PDF
<p>Pete first dropped the pitch from a single bolt at the very top of rift. It rubs a
little, but OK. The pitch lands in small chamber, with a very narrow and immature
rift below. With SRT ? off, Pete forced ? for 6m, but gets narrower, and no draft.
This is not a great lead.
<p>From the top of pitch down, Pete then squirmed up the body sized tube, which has a
strong draft. This eventually reaches a small bolder blockage, after 30-40m. It is
feasible to move small boulder with a short rope and crow bar. The draft is very
strong. But Pete’s best guess is this is near the surface, and this a recirculating
draft. After 1.5 hours Pete got back out to see Nat and Becka sunbathing.
<p>They went home on hunters path to near Homecoming and then via Fishgeschicht to
Top Camp. You could get back to the drafting tube, to move small boulder, and see
where draft is going. But probably recirculating from a surface entrance.
<p>OTHERSIDE OF PG 21 AND ONTO 22 BRIEF RIGGING GUIDES FOR TRAVERSE IN LIPSTICK
DIPSTICK AND BALKON
<div class="timeug">T/U: ?</div>
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-17a">2019-07-17</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Dan</u>, Tom Crossley, Sarah, Harry, Michael H</div>
<div class="triptitle">Homecoming - Blog Post Homecoming</div>
<p><b>
@ -352,6 +571,47 @@ Crossley, Sarah, Michael, Harry, and I went down to Propane Nightmares to rig so
<div class="timeug">T/U: 0 hour</div>
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-17b">2019-07-17</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Fleur</u>, Becka, Reuben</div>
<div class="triptitle">Safe and comfortable trip to lipstick Dipstick (pitstop Balkon) </div>
<p>It was a big day for me. The day I was finally putting the last pieces of me back
together. Having got to the base of Honeycomb before, I was happy until then.
Hangman’s followed and felt like a big space. Then the crazy traverse and climb up
to the hole towards Mofel Rally. I cannot believe that George freeclimbed that. To
begin with Mofel Rally is great – small, short pitches, doesn’t feel like a huge
shaft. But the last 2 or 3 begin to rally up the exposure, before you swing in to a very
much needed pit stop.
<p>After regrouping we headed for the far right hand lead in safe and comfortable
(opposite direction to Northern Power House). At the end there was a T junction –
both A leads on the surface, we had chosen the right, which we were surprised to
find rigged with a rope. Tempers were about to fray, but we descended and
discovered that there had been no pushing beyond the end of the tope. Some further
fettling showed a steeply descending rift to a small climb. Reuben rigged this and
the subsequent descending traverse under my “supervision” while Becka sole surveyed
beyond us. She asked me for a sharpie, but I had nothing to mark it with. “I’ve got
some lipstick” called Reuben from down the rift, Becka and I exchanged glances. It
turned out to be nail polish, but you now, all women’s make-up is the same right?
<p>Coupled with a bizarre incedent where the drill battery fell off the drill to the
base of the rift, never to be seen again “Lipstick dipstick passage” was born.
<p>At the base of the descending traverse the passage turned left and levelled out. It
meandered to a junction. The draft came from the right hand branch, with the air
splitting between where we had come from and the new left hand lead. Following the
same as the draft we next came to a pair of pitches (likely the same) with a 3s drop
when the stone was well aligned. Over the pitches a descending ramp went up. Just
before a divide into a tube way along a lead. We left there and the left hand passage
branch for Nat and Pete and went for quick check of other option.
<p>LABELLED DIAGRAM OF ROUTE FOLLOWED PG 20 OF LOGBOOK PDF
<p>On the way out I noticed a draft between lipstick dipstick and the rest of safe and
comfortable. Then a small matter of pushing out. I left pitstop at 6.15 pm and was
out by 10.30 pm. The first 3 ? up were awful and I was racked with anxiety. But soon
settled into the sway of things and just got on with it. By the time of the upper
levels I felt like I was home. Five months after coming back to caving I had made it
deep(ish) and finally felt like my sense of self was complete again, Hurrah! Very
grateful for the support of the others there.
<div class="timeug">T/U: ?</div>
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-18">2019-07-18</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Dan</u></div>
<div class="triptitle">base camp- Blog Post bit - Basecamp</div>
@ -391,16 +651,16 @@ Dickon went down Homecoming with Reuben and Aileen to push Propane Nightmares. T
<div class="timeug">T/U: 0 hour</div>
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-20">2019-07-20</div>
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-20a">2019-07-20</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Dan</u>, Jon</div>
<div class="triptitle">plateau - Blog PostBlog Post bit - Prospecting</div>
<p><b>Sat Jul 20 </b>
<p>
As I had not done any prospecting this expo and Jon wanted to feel warmth again, we decided to head west to prospect on the plateau beyond Homecoming.  Much bunder bashing and karst scrambling was done, and many chocked holes and snow plugs were clambered down into. Amongst all of this though, we found two quite promising prospects in need of dropping.  Jon has photos and a more clear understanding of location (as he logged them on the GPS), but as he is still up the plateau I will describe them in brief.
As I had not done any prospecting this expo and Jon wanted to feel warmth again, we decided to head west to prospect on the plateau beyond Homecoming. Much bunder bashing and karst scrambling was done, and many chocked holes and snow plugs were clambered down into. Amongst all of this though, we found two quite promising prospects in need of dropping. Jon has photos and a more clear understanding of location (as he logged them on the GPS), but as he is still up the plateau I will describe them in brief.
<p>
The Banana Hole is a deep pit in a large expanse of sloping limestone pavement up a hill.  The bottom is beyond what can be seen with a caving light in day time, but dropping rocks gives roughly 4 seconds of free fall, before ricocheting further down and unknown amount.
The Banana Hole is a deep pit in a large expanse of sloping limestone pavement up a hill. The bottom is beyond what can be seen with a caving light in day time, but dropping rocks gives roughly 4 seconds of free fall, before ricocheting further down and unknown amount.
<p>
The Boop-Boo-Da-Boop-Da-Boop [exact spelling pending confirmation] complex is an area of multiple very large holes surrounding a small flat expanse of karst, half surrounded by cliffs. Two of the entrances are extremely appealing, with one a few meters wide and unknown depth (again, the rocks take long to go down, a disto would've been helpful), and another similarly wide and quite deep and clearly going diagonally into the hillside, reducing likelihood of being choked. 
The Boop-Boo-Da-Boop-Da-Boop [exact spelling pending confirmation] complex is an area of multiple very large holes surrounding a small flat expanse of karst, half surrounded by cliffs. Two of the entrances are extremely appealing, with one a few meters wide and unknown depth (again, the rocks take long to go down, a disto would've been helpful), and another similarly wide and quite deep and clearly going diagonally into the hillside, reducing likelihood of being choked.
<p>
Both of these leads really require photos to better explain (and someone with more awareness to convey their geography) but represent very exciting prospects in a fairly untouched region of the plateau.
@ -411,9 +671,41 @@ A brief foray into Happy Butterfly found a Y-hang with a dangling hangar, and we
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-20b">2019-07-20</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Pete Tallins</u>, Michael Holliday, Fleur Loveridge</div>
<div class="triptitle">A* lead heading west from Safe and Comfortable etc</div>
<p>The team headed down to Pitstop, on Pete’s only pushing trip of his 3 week expo
(bitter, wot?) But a great trip + lead.
<p>We went to Safe and Comfortable, and then to Lipstick Dipstick traverse/pitch
line. There were 3 leads. The final one is A*
<p>1. <u>Where’s the milk:</u> The lead is short distance down Lipstick Dipstick
and comprises steeply upward trending phreatic tube. Mike put on a short handline.
This led up to a cross junction. Left was eventually found to connect to Drunk drivers.
Rightwards is a short climb upwards that needs a few ( less than 5) bolts but no
draft.
<p>2. <u>Drunk drivers:</u> This is an upward phreatic ramp that starts just before
Lipstick Dipstick’s first rope. A steep upward ramp leads to a climb over some dodgy perched boulders, and into a chamber with cross rifts. Left is a 10-12m bolt climb up a wall to a 3m phreatic tube (QMC). Right is a traverse into a large rift that ascends. The traverse will need at least 4-5 bolts, but interesting (QMC)
<p>3. <u>Custard Cavalry (Michael’s Climb):</u> This is the A* lead that is open,
climb rigged and heading west. Very drafty.
<p>The start is an ascending and then descending phreatic tube, located in Safe and
Comfortable, further back towards Pit Stop.
<p>This phreatic tube goes up, across a watershed, and then downwards to a 8m pitch.
The pitch was rigged off two threads and a single bolt.
<p>This leads to a chamber below a drippy aven which has a very small stream. The
stream goes down a descending rift beyond chamber, with a couple of 5m pitches (QMB
– good but wet)
<p>But Michael climbed ~8m up into the continuation of the phreatic tube. This up-pitch
is now left rigged off 2 bolts. The phreatic tube is large, drafty and reaches a
junction. It is very drafty and left ongoing westwards – A* lead.
<div class="timeug">T/U: ? hour</div>
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-21">2019-07-21</div>
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-21a">2019-07-21</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Becka Lawson</u>, Dickon Morris</div>
<div class="triptitle">264 - Derig below Littleboy camp to Pitstop</div>
<p><b>Fri Jul 21 </b>
@ -434,8 +726,128 @@ of Mongo Rally, by then we had 4 heavy [incomplete scan - taken from <a href="/e
<div class="timeug">T/U: 13 hours</div>
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-21b">2019-07-21</div>
<div class="trippeople">Nat, Harry, <u>Sarah</u></div>
<div class="triptitle">Pushing Beyond Madusa's Maze</div>
<p><b>Fri Jul 21 </b>
<p>Starting down Balkan at mid-morning, we steadily made our way down the entrance
series, Honeycomb, Hangmans and Mongol Rally. I arrived at Pitstop to find a very
cold Nat, who had gone ahead, but had left his warm things with Harry.
<p>After refuelling on flapjack, we started through pitstop, along lots of very
pleasant walking passage to Northern Powerhouse. Here, a small pitch was ascended
up a loose slope, rigged during previous trips by an (assumingly?) scared Aileen
and Nat. Further away, Nat pointed out all the A and B leads that he and Becka had
found on their previous trip here, but hadn’t explored or surveyed. At the start
of Becka and Nat’s last survey station, we layered up, refuelled some more on peanut
M&M’s and began surveying. Nat was Disto-X-ing, Harry was on nail polish and LRUDs
and I (rather rustily after 4 years of no surveying) was on book.
<p>After ~20m of passage, we met a 5 way junction, where the 2 right passages met, and
choked up with mud and silt ~20m on. Nat popped up a loose climb back at the junction,
assuming that it wouldn’t go anywhere exciting, but after feeling the draft and
seeing the ongoing passage, declared that we were going that way. The passage opened
up into a large, impressive rift, ~30m high, slanted walls and filled with big
boulders – tentative name: Hades rift (following the mythological theme of Medusa’s
Maze). Unfortunately, the rift choked (it would require a very scary climb), and
following passage under the choke didn’t seem promising.
<p>Following passage at the beginning of the rift, we found lots of phreatic passage,
heading roughly N, and down bedding.
<p>After hours of enthusiastic surveying, and ~300m of passage surveyed, and several
A and B leads found and left, we decided we had to head out (it was 8:30 and we had
lots of prussiking to do)
<p>At pitstop, we found ~150m of rope pulled from Camp and the last 50m of Mongol Rally,
left by Becka and Dickon. Harry and Nat took the end of the paella to a roomy ledge
~80m up. I pulled the rope up. I stayed at Pitstop to make sure no rope snagged,
then began derigging. Unfortunately, I couldn’t undo George Breley’s iron tight bolts
with my little spanner, and eventually had to give up.
<p>A slippery prussik out of Balkon, where our jammers kept slipping on the muddy rope,
saw us get out of the cave by 6am, with an 18h underground trip completed.
<p>Overall very exciting leads were left left, right and centre, going off into empty
space!
<div class="timeug">T/U: 18 hours</div>
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-22">2019-07-22</div>
<div class="trippeople">Wave 1: Dickon, Ruairidh, Becka (in 09:30!); <p>Wave 2: <u>Fleur</u>, Pete, Corin, Jon; <p>Wave 3: Mike, Alice, Radost, Michael B; <p>Custard Wave: Nat and Sarah</div>
<div class="triptitle">Great Balcony Derig</div>
<p>Wave 1 went into paella up Mongol Rally. Wave 2 arrived just in time to pule a
paella from top Mongol Rally to start of crawl. Then third pull through the crawl
and across the big wet hole to the top of Hangmans. Very impressive to watch! A
fourth pull took us to the base of Honeycomb from were we heard wave 3. The ropes
were bagged and caver dispatched to the entrance. Pete, Corin and I assisted
Ruairidh to derig from base Honeycomb to the entrance, exiting ~10pm.
<p>Only ropes left in were up pitches (i.e. start of Leeds Bypass). Delighted to be
met by Nat and Sarah at the entrance with cake + custard. Then delighted by the
crazy carry back to camp. De-reflectered as we went. All in all, a good job, well
done.
<div class="timeug">T/U: ?</div>
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-23">2019-07-23</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Dickon</u>, Becka, Harry</div>
<div class="triptitle">Homecoming Hole - PRN + Derry</div>
<p>With expo now certain to finish at the end of the week the rope needed to come out
of Homecoming Hole. It was decided that this could be easily done in two days with
the rope removed from this year’s extensions ‘Propane Nightmares’ on the first day
and the entrance pitches to the base of Grommit derigged on the second day. This
would still allow time to drop the pitch ‘Strained by Gravity’
<p>We got an early start and were underground by 9:30 and arrived at the pushing front
around 11:30. I began to rig down the pitch while Becka and Harry began surveying
from where Becka and I had left off
<p>Much of the rock on the pitch was quite poor but judicious use of deviations (3)
and a traverse and double bolt rebelay saw me past two ledges and onto the floor
~50m below the previous limit.
<p>The floor was strewn with very large boulders and there were two obvious ways on
from the bottom of the pitch. The first was a small phreatic tube on the wall that
would have required a short bolt climb to reach. The second was an archway close to
floor level on the opposite side, Unfortunately this passage was guarded by a large
waterfall that cascaded down from above. A quick duck through resulted in only a
minor soaking and revealed a phreatic tube heading off with a spacious streamway
below.
<p>I rapidly decided that a traverse and pitch into the streamway would be required
so ducked back through the waterfall to retrieve those. Once the pitch was rigged I
thought it would be good for Harry to be the first to drop the pitch and ducked back
through the waterfall and (now rather soaked) took stock.
<p>There was a route down through the boulders to a more convincing floor and
investigation of this route showed that it was possible to reach the ongoing
streamway via a slightly drier route and without any rigging.
<p>Feeling rather silly I scooted back to the bottom of the pitch and explained to
the surveyors that there was an unnecessary pitch behind that waterfall that now
needed to be derigged, Becka and Harry began to survey into the passage while I
derigged the unnecessary pitch.
<p>Over the next few hours we surveyed around 300m of lovely passage which began as a
proper streamway with a tube in the roof. After a little the stream cut down into a
narrow canyon but the tube continued above this canyon with some very impressive
decoration in the roof. We eventually reached a junction at around 5pm with two
horizontal A leads to the left and a large very dripy pitch to the right.
<p>We dragged everything back to the Second Coming on the way out and arrived back on
the surface around 11pm.
<div class="timeug">T/U: ?</div>
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-24">2019-07-24</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Becka</u>, Manfred, Dickon, Mike Butcher</div>
<div class="triptitle">Derig Homecoming</div>
<p>I’d phoned down to Base Camp for fresh troops last night but little enthusiasm
and we gave Jon Toft a hard time (as the only one who’d been to Second Coming this
year) but no joy. Fortunately Manfred had turned up and Mike was willing plus
Corrin and Ruairidh volunteered to walk off the gear we’d got to the entrance last
night. We all went to the traverse in the Second Coming to check for stuff to
derig (in one bag) then derigged the entrance series fairly slickly (~4 bags). The
hardest bit of the trip was the walk down to the car park with monstrous heavy bags
in searing heat + zero water (I was eating snow). At the col we met Jon and drained
his litre of water.
<div class="timeug">T/U: 5.5 hours</div>
<hr />
<div class="tripdate" id="t2019-07-25a">2019-07-25</div>
<div class="trippeople"><u>Tom Crossley</u>, Radost, Reuben</div>