The main entrance to Wolfhöhle, 1623/145
-
Photo © Andy Waddington, 1984
+
The main entrance to Wolfhöhle, 1623/145.
+Photo © Andy Waddington, 1984
| 07.30 | +Discovery by Jeremy (15 min) and Adam (35 min) |
| 08.02 | +Joe (1 hr) and Adam (2 hr) push and find going |
| 07.04 | +Del, Juliette, Julian H, John (3½ hrs) start rigging |
| 07.05 | +Tony, John, Mark M (8 hrs) explore Shell Pitch and Q8 |
| 07.06 | +Del, Juliette, Julian H, Mark M (9 hrs) push beyond Shell pitch |
| 07.07 | +Gill, Jon, Olly (7 hrs) push end and survey partway out |
| 07.08 | +Gill, Olly (11 hrs) survey down first rope, pushed Tarzan's Folly to Dark Room |
| 07.09 | +Mark M, Julian T, Olly (10 hrs) push From Dark Room to Cloud Chamber |
| 07.10 | +Tony, Del, Julian H, Juliette (10½ hrs) survey, and push Fat Knot +Fruity - hit by flood pulse |
| 07.12 | +Mark D, Jon (8½ hrs) push down Traditional Style pitches |
| 07.12 | +Julian H, Mark M, Julian S (9½ hrs) survey from Darkroom down 2 pitches |
| 07.16 | +Mark D, Julian H (4 hrs) push lead above Q8 |
| 07.17 | +Wookey, Julian H (3¾ hrs) flood-aborted survey/derig |
| 07.23 | +Andy, Wook (10 hrs) derig 1st wave |
| 07.24 | +Henri, Olly (8¾ hrs) derig 2nd wave |
| 06.26 | +Mark M, Julian H, Alastair (9 hrs), Matt (6 hrs) rig in |
| 07.02 | +Mark M, Julian H, Alistair (9½ hrs) rerig/push Piezo towards Dark Room |
| 07.03 | +Mark M, Julian H, Alistair (11 hrs) push Piezo into Darkroom |
| 07.03 | +Matt, Glen, Julian S (7 or 8 hrs) discover Brute Force and Ignorance |
| 07.04 | +Glen, Mark M (11 hrs) rerigging and ferrying gear to front |
| 07.04 | +Matt, Julian S (7 hrs) rig Ignorance into Dot-to-dot |
| 07.07 | +Mark S, Clive (5 hrs) tourist to Natural Redundancy |
| 07.08 | +Olly, Julian S, Glen (7½ hrs) pottering and down to Darkroom |
| 07.08 | +Matt, Julian H, Alistair, Mark M (14 hours) push Navigational Limit and collapse entrance |
| 07.10 | +(probably really 07.09) Olly (¼ hr) gingerly retrieves drill from entrance |
| 07.10 | +Dave, Andrew (3 hrs), "everybody else" stabilise entrance at some risk |
| 07.11 | +Julian H, Richard, Aggy (8½ hrs) layed 600m cable and checked wet-weather rigging |
| 07.14 | +Alistair, Clive, Fran, Mark M (13 hrs) push two pitches to sump |
| 07.14 | +Richie, Jerry (9½ hrs) tourist and pull drill up Piezo |
| 07.14-15 | +Olly, Julian S (9 hrs) do lots of survey |
| 07.16 | +Richie, Ali M (5½ hrs) surveying in Strike 2 |
| 07.16 | +Julian H, Wookey (11 hrs), Gill (8 hrs) surveying and some derig |
| 07.17 | +Olly, Julian S (9 hrs) surveying QS&C |
| 07.18 | +Julian H, Mark M (11½ hrs), Andy, Tony (8½ hrs) photo and derig bottom |
| 07.23 | +Julian S (1½ hrs) fails to derig as no rope to pull out |
| 07.27 | +Wookey, Olly (6 hrs 20) derig most |
| 07.28 | +Wookey, Olly (6 hrs 50) survey, push odds, derig more |
| 07.30 | +Clive (2 hrs?) goes to derig, but already done |
| 08.01 | +Olly (8½ hrs) solo survey, push and derig |
The route to the plateau takes between 25 and -45 minutes, depending on weather, load and fitness - this is to reach -the start of the karren - it can take another hour or more to reach a -particular cave. +45 minutes, depending on weather, load and fitness. This is to reach the start +of the karren at the Schwarzmoosattel; it can take +another hour or more to reach a particular cave.
From the Schwarzmoossattel at 1684m, the plateau stretches out to the -north, looking relatively level. On the map it appears gently undulating, -rising from steeper slopes above Grüne Bichl to the west, levelling off -about 1600m, and reaching 1700m in the east where slopes rise to the -Schwarzmooskogel ridge. Far to the north, the bare limestone peaks of -Schönberg, Große and Kleine Wild Kogel and Grieß Kogel rise -to over 2000m. +
From the Schwarzmoossattel at 1684m, the plateau stretches out to the north, +looking relatively level. On the map it appears gently undulating, rising from +steeper slopes above Grüne Bichl to the west, levelling off about 1600m, +and reaching 1700m in the east where slopes rise to the Schwarzmooskogel ridge. +Far to the north, the bare limestone peaks of Schönberg, Große and +Kleine Wild Kogel and Grieß Kogel rise to over 2000m.
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+
-Once down onto the plateau, the reality is a little different, as small-scale relief is made up of pavements and cliffs of up to 10m. One bit looks very much like another and an intermittent covering of impenetrable -thickets of dwarf pine (Pinus mugo) also help to make progress and -navigation very difficult. Sharp rocks and open shafts lie everywhere, -awaiting the unwary.
+Small scars and dwarf pine dominate the foreground of this +view to the Bräuning wall from the plateau below Top Camp.
+View over eastern edge of plateau to entrance 1623/82 and Hinterer +Schwarzmooskogel beyond.
Potential new caves are frequent, although the plateau is characterised -by snow- and scree-choked open shafts. -Prospecting is time-consuming, and it's -worth looking very carefully for a painted number or other signs of -previous exploration (eg. bolts) before entering. +
Potential new caves are frequent, although the plateau is characterised by +snow- and scree-choked open shafts. Prospecting is time-consuming, and it's worth +looking very carefully for a painted number or other signs of previous +exploration (eg. bolts) before entering.
As Top Camp is on the southern edge of this area, and routes to several major finds cross it, there has been a significant number of recorded finds, since the earliest years of CUCC's -work. - -
| B6 | CUCC 1976/B6 |
| B10 | @@ -110,11 +109,11 @@ work.Skinrip Durchgange I-VI |
| 189 | Plateau Schacht 189 |
| 190 (=CUCC 1976/B9) |
+|
| 190 (=CUCC 1976/B9) |
Glitterstompf |
| 197 (=CUCC 1976/B8) |
+|
| 197 (=CUCC 1976/B8) |
Mossy Dribble Cave |
| 198 (=CUCC 1976/B11) |
+|
| 198 (=CUCC 1976/B11) |
Fuchshöhle |
| 207 | Plumpsklohöhle | Fettsack und Faulpelz höhle |
| Note that this area probably overlaps the -last one - I found 171 whilst looking for 190 (as B9)... | |
| 101 | Plateau shaft 101 |
| 102 | @@ -157,13 +155,12 @@ last one - I found 171 whilst looking for 190 (as B9)...Plateau schacht 90/9 |
| 181 | Plateau schacht 90/11 |
| 200 (=CUCC 1993-01) |
+|
| 200 (=CUCC 1993-01) |
Verlorener Rucksack Schacht |
| 80 | Schwa schacht 80 |
| 81 | @@ -184,9 +181,8 @@ last one - I found 171 whilst looking for 190 (as B9)...Marilyn Monroe Höhle |
| 37 | Schachtgruppe beim Hinterer Schwarzmooskogel |
| 38 | @@ -211,7 +207,7 @@ last one - I found 171 whilst looking for 190 (as B9)...Plateau schacht 111 |
| 112 | Plateau schacht 112 |
From the Loser Panoramastraße Bergrestaurant car park, take the path leading from the NE corner, which is slightly shorter, and soon joins the main path (numbered 201, and marked with -red and white paint at frequent intervals). +red and white paint at frequent intervals).
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+ 
Following this gently undulating path for ten to fifteen minutes leads to Egglgrube. Ahead and to the right is a 10m cliff rising from the pasture to an area of karren and dwarf pine. To the left is a valley containing several obvious sinkholes, with a junction path signposted "Bräuning Zinken" (Weg Nr. 257) leading to Bräuning Alm. +href="../br-alm/index.htm">Bräuning Alm.
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| |
| +Path 201 approaching Egglgrube | Valley to +Bräuning Alm |
Take this left turn, up the west side of the grassy valley to a collection of six huts (seven from 1995) on level pasture near a number of small springs. The route to Bräuning Zinken passes these huts to reach the col to the left of the biggest peak - however this area is of little speleological interest. Our path crosses to east side of the valley and -continues past a small limestone scarp on the right. +continues past a small limestone scarp on the right.
-
Bräuning Alm 
| |
| Bräuning Alm | |
Above this scarp is another flat area of pasture, the site of CUCC's advance camp of 1977. The path also climbs this scarp a little further on, turning right (not very obvious) out of the continuing main valley. If the valley is followed up (this was our normal route in 1976 and 1977), the same destination can eventually be reached by a -slightly rougher walk, as the path fades out in limestone pavement. +slightly rougher walk, as the path fades out in limestone pavement.
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| |
| Schwarzmoossattel approach | |
The main path leads to short climbs up and breaks out onto a ridge between -the above-mentioned valey and the much deeper +the above-mentioned valley and the much deeper Kratzer valley, access to which is difficult at this point owing to steep limestone scars. Continuing, the path converges with the 1976 route coming in from the left at a small col, then contours below the small peak of -Bräuning Nase to the left. Ahead is the site of CUCC´s bivouac of 1979, and, slightly beyond, the -broad col of Schwarzmoossattel. +broad col of Schwarzmoossattel.
The plateau lies directly ahead over this col, and may be reached by any of several routes through dwarf pine, with various amounts of scrambling. The whole area is pathless and very rough, though a few routes are marked -with sporadic cairns. +with sporadic cairns.
Following the path round to the left (WNW) soon leads to a big cairn and a short scramble down to Top Camp, which has been used by CUCC since 1988. This is adjacent to the only reliable water supply we have found, situated below the dramatic Bräuning wall. -Please take care not to pollute the spring ! Note that this camp site is +Please take care not to pollute the spring! Note that this camp site is still within the area designated as a "Naturschutzgebiet" (Nature -Reserve) and permission is required to camp there. +Reserve) and permission is required to camp there.
The path continues below the Bräuning wall to the west, eventually to reach the inaccessible pasture of Gschwandt -Alm north of Loser. +Alm north of Loser.