From efa447341f3b1e90e8370726bbf5f5976c211482 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Expo on server Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2022 21:28:01 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] Troggle online: cave or entrance edit -1626-359.html --- cave_data/1626-359.html | 234 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++- 1 file changed, 233 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/cave_data/1626-359.html b/cave_data/1626-359.html index 5dcb45559..5163b2fbd 100644 --- a/cave_data/1626-359.html +++ b/cave_data/1626-359.html @@ -37,7 +37,239 @@ code used in the Austrian kataster e.g '1/S +' - https://expo/.survex.com/katast CUCC - +

Acronyms: + +

+

R += right; L = left; +

+

p += pitch (e.g., p30 = 30m pitch)

+

c += climb (e.g., c10 = 10m climb)

+

N += north, S = south, E = east, W = west

+

QM += question mark meaning an open, unexplored lead

+

PT += point marked on survey

+ +

Bold text +indicates passage / series names.

+

The main route is +described in normal text and side passages / oxbows are described in +italics.

+ + +

+

A significant cave +found in 2018 on the western edge of our area. This is the first cave +so far out onto the Plateau that breaks into complex and extensive +horizontal passage. The entrance is located in a gully with thick +vegetation on either side. It is an obvious open pit with a snow plug +in the bottom.

+ +

2018 +Discoveries

+ +

Entrance series

+ +

The entrance pitch +(p5) drop onto a snow plug where heading downslope leads to a stance +on jammed boulders. A p4 drops onto a narrow ledge which is traversed +for a short distance to the head of a p7 which lands on a second snow +plug. (The p4 is very wet if it is raining on the surface but it +would not be hazardous to exit the cave in these conditions, just +very unpleasant)

+ +

From the bottom of +the second snow plug a short, drafting crawl over boulders leads +directly to two more pitches, a p5 then immediately a p10. Below here +a short wriggle through boulders on the L side of the passage leads +to a short section of rift passage ending at a p3 to a ledge. The +ledge looks out over a large chamber with jammed boulders in the roof +directly opposite the ledge. (There may be passage leading off +from these jammed boulders, QMB). The p30 from this ledge to the +floor of the chamber is Radagast and it lands on a boulder +floor. (5m below the top of Radagast it is +possible to swing into a series of small phreatic tubes and immature +vadose shafts trending SW at point PT01 and leading past PT02. This +area does not contain any great leads but may be worth a look as it +is an easy, shallow trip).

+ +

From the bottom of +Radagast a traverse on the L along a bedrock ledge with jammed +boulders leads to a p5. From here the route narrows to a meander +which is followed as close to the roof as possible to a point where +the floor opens out and there is a short traverse (left rigged in +2019) to drop into a boulder-floored aven chamber. Downslope in this +chamber chokes; the way on is an up pitch (left rigged in 2019) onto +another boulder floor, from which a tall meander leads off +(Definitely not the Dachstein).

+ +

Definitely not +the Dachstein leads (via a number of traverses, two short pitches +down and one short pitch up) to the top of Wallace (p30) which +drops down to the base of a large meander then lands on a ledge. From +the ledge, two short hangs lead to a very exposed stance below which +the continuing meander bells out into a large free hanging rift +pitch, Grommit (p55). (Traversing S along the walls of the +Grommit is likely to gain entry to the upstream +continuation of The Second Coming; this is QMA +2019-01). Around 10m from the base of Grommit pitch it is +possible to swing onto a ledge on the W wall (this is awkward to rig; +the easiest option is to descend to the base of the pitch and climb +up the wall protected with jammers on the pitch rope). Traversing +along the ledge leads to an abandoned meander with a very strong +outward draft. A short p5 N of PT03 at the far end of the traverse +drops down to the start of The Second Coming. (Continuing +to the bottom of Grommit lands on a rock floor +with a vadose trench and a stream in the bottom. This leads via a p10 +to a short series of narrow tubes which end in tight sumps and +chokes).

+ +

The Second Coming

+ +

The Second Coming +starts below the p5 N of PT03 (which is at the end of the +traverse from the Entrance Series). (From here a p8 (left rigged +2019) up to a small phreatic tube on the R leads to Propane +Nightmares). The passage continues as a very drafty phreatic +tube with a vadose trench to quickly reach a junction at PT04. +(Heading L at this junction leads to Hobnob Hallway +(described in a separate section below). Continuing directly NE +along The Second Coming the passage immediately passes a small +L passage (this immediately goes to a junction. Here, L oxbows +down Kitkat Connection straight back to Hobnob Hallway whilst R goes +to a parallel passage to The Second Coming). After a further +section of straight, high rift to the NE it reaches a junction at +PT05 with a large, abandoned meander. (L here heading downstream +and SW in this meander, the roof gradually lowers - passing a +junction on the L that goes to Kitkat Connection - until a high aven +with a flowstone floor is reached. Beyond this aven a short section +of passage leads to a pitch (QMA) with a passage visible on the other +side (QMA) that is presumed to be the continuation of the +aforementioned meander).

+ +

From PT05, heading +‘upstream’ (though there is not always any water flowing) from +the junction in the meander leads, via some exposed traversing and an +area of boulder collapse, to another junction at PT06. Here a +phreatic tube on the L comes in halfway up the meander. (Continuing +along the meander past the junction passes a number of pools and +sections of crawling to reach a large pool across the entire passage. +This has not yet been crossed. Just before the pool it is +possible to climb up around 5m at PT07 to a higher-level passage +which goes around 10m NE to reach a traverse, Wilfully +Endangering Lives, over a large window into the lower +passage). +

+ +

At PT06 the phreatic +tube on the L passes through several stooping sections and a well +decorated canyon with pools in the floor to reach a free climbable +hole in the floor which is the top of the 5m climb at PT07 previously +described. Crossing over Wilfully Endangering Lives reaches +some jammed boulders about 5m E of PT08 and the passage continues on +as a pleasant but very drafty canyon. (At PT09 at the first corner +there is a climb down on the L into a passage which is presumed to be +the continuation of the lower level passage. This QM B has not been +pushed beyond the wide pool). Continuing past this junction the +passage becomes maze-like and needs fully surveying. It eventually +ends at a deep drafty rift. (This has been pushed by Haydon +Saunders et al in 2018, supposedly to a large chamber called the +Lizard King, beyond PT10, but no survey data has +been forthcoming. The whole area needs a good push; there are +probably no easy leads but the draft is absolutely ridiculous).

+ +

Hobnob Hallway

+ +

(This description +should be checked and related to the QMs marked on the survey) +Heading L at the first junction along The Second Coming +leads to Hobnob Hallway. This starts as a sand floored +phreatic passage. A short distance along a hole in the floor leads N +to Kit Kat connection which loops back to The Second +Coming. Further along, a fine false floor crosses a small stream, +not explored. A small sandy slope leads down to a canyon on the R, +with a phreatic passage at the top. A short way along this phreas, +Phil Lynn’s Concert Hall, a small chamber, is reached. From +here a hole to the R leads to Dead Bat Dead End. Back at the +canyon, a small passage can be followed to another junction, +returning to the canyon. To the R is unsurveyed, but the L continues +along a phreatic named Papsi Passage, with the canyon in the +floor. Occasional smaller (barely body sized) phreatics break off +from this. Eventually the canyon is lost, and the phreatic continues. +A further junction is reached, to the R, Papsi Passage +continues. To the L leads down Dead Fly Passage, ending at the +top of a canyon, presumably the continuation of the earlier canyon. +Papsi Passage continues in the phreatic until it too reaches a +canyon, presumably the same). +

+ +

2019 +Discoveries

+ +

Propane +Nightmares

+ +

From PT03 at the end +of the traverse from the Entrance Series descend the p5 to the N. +(Ahead the main passage is The Second Coming). Ascend a p8 +(left rigged 2019) up to a small phreatic tube on the R. This +enters Propane Nightmares. It starts as a stooping size +phreatic tube formed on a fault plane heading E. (Around 10m from +the start of the passage a narrow canyon leads up on the R and then +heads steeply down towards the sound of a waterfall. This ends in a +steep slope which the survey suggests connects with Grommit). +The main passage continues E with a similar size, passing a handline +c8 up (left rigged in 2019) immediately followed by a p12 +down. Continuing E soon reaches a three-way junction at PT11. This is +the beginning of a maze area. Down and keeping L (N) leads to another +junction. Turning R at this second junction shortly leads to the top +of a p5 down. (Straight on at this second junction leads, via a +steeply descending phreas with a squeeze, to a steep sided static +sump. Traversing around the edge of this sump leads to a larger +passage which heads SW and shortly reaches the bottom of the p5 +described above. This route bypasses the p5 but it is not recommended +due to the risk of falling into the static sump which would likely be +fatal. E of the sump a drafty ramp ascends to a short bolt climb with +a good draft, QMA).

+ +

From the bottom of +the p5 the passage develops a trench in the floor and soon leads to a +T junction at PT12 with a large pitch in the floor (QMA). (To the +R leads to a splashy aven and the head of an immature canyon, +QM_not_worth_the_misery). To the L at the PT12 junction is a +short, roped traverse (left rigged 2019) which leads to a crawling +sized phreatic tube that soon arrives at a p4 with a tiny wet inlet +in the roof at the head of the pitch. Below, the phreas continues as +a crawl until a canyon develops in the floor which, after a couple of +short climbs, arrives at the top of Strained by Gravity (p75)

+ +

Strained by +Gravity is broken by four large ledges and lands on a boulder +floor with a waterfall entering on the E side. (A passage leads +off directly behind the waterfall - it is not possible to avoid +getting wet - and traverses over a pit in the floor with a streamway +at the bottom; after the traverse it is possible to drop down into a +streamway (described next) or to continue to traverse into a phreatic +tube in the roof, QMB). Clambering down among the boulders at the +bottom of Strained By Gravity it is possible to scurry under a +drippy area below the waterfall (umbrella recommended) to enter +Watershed, a fine streamway that trends SE. (Just past the +waterfall the passage passes beneath the traverse mentioned above).

+ +

Watershed +continues for over 100m as a significant streamway with some +unusually impressive speleothems for the Totes Gebirge. This section +is reminiscent of the great stream caves of the Mendip Hills until +the water begins to cut down into a trench in the floor. At this +point progress is made by traversing at roof level in a phreatic tube +that continues to be finely decorated. This carries on until it +eventually reaches a T-junction. R immediately arrives at a large, +wet pitch (QMA) whilst to the L the phreas continues and almost +immediately reaches another two way junction (QMAx2).