expoweb/1623/161/phnth.htm

139 lines
6.8 KiB
HTML

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0//EN">
<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf8" />
<title>1623/161 Kaninchenh&ouml;hle: Puerile Humour North</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../css/main2.css" />
</head>
<body>
<p><center><a href="161.html"><img alt="Overview "
src="ovview.png" width=40 height=40></a>
<a href="pixsf.htm"><img alt=" Photos "
src="vtour.png" width=40 height=40></a>
<img alt="Rigging" src="rigbut.png" width=40 height=40>
<a href="names.htm"><img alt=" Glossary "
src="idx161.png" width=40 height=40></a>
<a href="../index.html#id161"><img alt=" Desc "
src="desc.png" width=40 height=40></a>
<a href="../../index.htm"><img alt=" Expo "
src="ausbut.png" width=40 height=40></a>
<a href="../../infodx.htm"><img alt=" Topics "
src="index.png" width=40 height=40></a>
<a href="../../indxal.htm"><img alt=" Index "
src="indxal.png" width=40 height=40></a>
<a href="../../../index.htm"><img alt=" CUCC"
src="cucc.png" width=40 height=40></a></center>
<h2>161 Kaninchenh&ouml;hle: Where the Wind Blows</h2>
<h3><a name="catwoman">Catwoman's Claws</a>
(<a href="/years/1996/index.htm">1996</a>)</h3>
<p>This series trends almost due north and is substantially linear in nature
with numerous shafts and avens appearing along its length. It is unusual
for the Puerile Humour series in that it draughts out (ie. towards Triassic
Park) in the summer. The series is some 70m higher than, and passes less than
100m to the east of <a href="farnth.htm#eanglia">East Anglia</a> at "The Far
End" of the 'old' cave.
<p>Turning left (NNE) at Gotham City Junction, over a low pebble bank, the
passage is straight for 30m with mud banks either side and a narrow slot in
the floor occasionally visible. Towards the end of this straight section the
mud is covered in calcite and numerous stalactites are found, <b>The
Claws</b>, that give this passage its name. The passage turns left, up a
boulder slope. An aven ~10m is passed on the left and a narrow trench in the
floor is again visible. Passage continues past mud banks for 25m, and opens
out with an aven to the right and an apparent end with a rock wall in front.
<h4><a name="nubr">No Utility Belt Required</a></h4>
<p>Looking to the left at the end of Catwoman's Claws, an unobvious, small
(1.5m high by 30cm) rift in the wall can be seen, this is a 2m squeeze <b>No
Utility Belt Required</b> that pops out into a small chamber with
<a href="offph.htm#offnubr">several ways on</a>. The way on is to the right
of the exit of the squeeze.
<p><center><a href="300dpi/cat.png"><img
alt="Catwoman's Claws survey - 10k gif" width=640 height=250
src="inline/cat.png"></a></center>
<h4><a name="wtwb">Where the Wind Blows</a></h4>
<p>To the right of the exit to No Utility Belt Required, combined tactics can
be used to gain the top of a 3m climb and scramble up a steep mud slope
(back over the top of the squeeze). A thread on the left can then be used to
rig a handline for the climb.
<p>At the top of the mud slope is an open area with a conical mud pile in the
centre with a view back down, on the right, to the chamber and aven [QM
96-32], encountered before the squeeze.
<p>The way on, <b>Where The Wind Blows</b>, is to the left, heading down a
steep mud slope for 10m to a brief crawl / stoop before opening out to
walking sized passage once more. 10m on, the mud floor gives way to calcited
mud and boulders with a narrow vadose trench in the floor and avens (about
10m high) right and left. Another vadose trench is then met running down the
passage and off to the left originating from the base of yet another aven on
the left. The passage widens slightly (to 5m) with an aven (~10m) on the
right, then constricts briefly with an aven (~10m) on the left. The passage
then widens to ~7m with a 3m drop to the right and several narrow rifts in
the floor lead to <a href="offph.htm#pencils">Pencil Shaft</a>.
<p>Continuing on up a rock strewn slope enters the start of a large fault
chamber 30m long, 5m wide and ~15m high. Several
<a href="offph.htm#offwtwb">shafts and avens</a> punctuate this, the last
traversed to the left to reach the end of the chamber where the boulders give
way to a mud floor and a narrow rift leads off north on the right hand side.
<h4><a name="hairfire">Bloody Hairfire Passage</a>
(<a href="/years/1996/index.htm">1996</a>)</h4>
<p><a href="300dpi/bhfp.png"><img alt="survey - 7k gif" width=640
height=200 src="inline/bhfp.png"></a>
<p>The rift continues for 7m or so, turns to the east and lowers through a
calcite curtain into a mud floored phreatic passage. The mud gives way to a
rock floor with a shallow trench in the floor at a corner. Straight on are
some small connected phreatic pockets and to the left is a fine flat, mud
floored, arched phreatic passage, 3m wide by 1.5m high on average, with
occasional phreatic pockets along it's length. <b>Bloody Hairfire Passage</b>
(so called due to an error reading a compass with a carbide light!) heads
dead straight, level and almost due north for 70m.
<p>The passage then bears slightly to the right and a very careful crawl must
be made to the left of a calcite pool, with delicate calcite flower, in the
centre of the mud floor. 25m on, a phreatic shelf opens out at roof level and
to the right, and a further 20m reaches the cobble strewn passage end.
Straight on ends in a choked, but draughting bedding [<a name="qC1996-161-37"
href="qmtodo.htm#C1996-161-37">C1996-161-37</a> C], whereas to the left a crawl under small
stal formations enters a narrow 4m aven/rift [<a name="qC1996-161-36"
href="qmtodo.htm#C1996-161-36">C1996-161-36</a> C] again choked with cobbles with a draught
coming through.
<p>10 m back from the end on the right (going in) is a very unobvious hole in
the floor against the wall with a draught coming out of it. The body sized
hole drops 2m to a rift that then doubles back and drops ~4m to a small
chamber with puddle in the floor [<a name="qC1996-161-35"
href="qmdone.htm#C1996-161-35">C1996-161-35</a> A]. This continues, but now requires
hammering for further progress [<a name="qC1997-161-35"
href="qmtodo.htm#C1997-161-35">C1997-161-35</a>].
<p>There was some (as yet undescribed) work here in 1997, leading to an "aven
above climbs up through the floor at end" [<a name="qC1997-161-36"
href="qmtodo.htm#C1997-161-36">C1997-161-36</a>].
<hr />
<!-- LINKS -->
<ul id="links">
<li><a href="names.htm">Glossary of passage names</a></li>
<li><a href="161.html">Kaninchenh&ouml;hle</a> Cave Description - Overview</li>
<li><a href="../../index.htm">Back to Expedition Intro page</a></li>
<li><a href="../../infodx.htm">Index to info/topic pages</a></li>
<li><a href="../../areas.htm">Area/subarea descriptions</a></li>
<li><a href="../../indxal.htm">Full Index to 1623 caves</a></li>
<li><a href="../../../index.htm">Back to CUCC Home page</a></li>
</ul>
</body>
</html>