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<h1>Expo 2004</h1>

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<d> = date; <w> = who; <t> = trip title; <g> = time underGround, <b> = definition of new passage name. -->

<hr />

<d>5/7/04</d>	<t>In Cambridge</t>	<w><u>Mark S</u>, Olly M et al</w>

<p>And so it was that at 12.41 on Monday 5th July did the weighbridge at Madingley Mulch pronounce one white Citro&euml;n C15D van, by the
registration mark of L852 MFL, to be 400kg overweight &ndash; weighing in at nearly two tonnes. Mark and Olly were not best pleased, the
previous days and morning having been spent cramming Expo goods into every nook and cranny about the van.</p>

<p>It was a combination of the appaling handling and the measly &lt; 1cm of suspension clearance at the rubber stop which persuaded us to
have the van weighed. It was cearly far more overweight than in previous years &ndash; so much so that it was more than 200kg over the
total maximum load on the tyres!</p>

<p>We returned to the Tackle Store having summoned Martin and Dave, and soon began the tedious task of emptying about 300kg of shit out of
the van &ndash; each item being monotonously weighed on Martin's bathroom scales. Many, many phone calls ensued and after various silly
plans (including driving to Expo and then coming back the next day for a second load, utilising a cheap day return on the ferry from
Calais!) we settled on a haulier who would transport it to Munich for 300 quid. Not too bad in fact, given it would cost well over 200
quid to do the two-drives plan. (In fact, subsequently a cheaper company were found.) We declined one company's quote of three thousand
pounds, refilled the van with lighter items and set off for Milton Tesco's, to collect journey food. At about 5.40pm all was ready (minus
the various tasks which we hadn't had time to do due to the massive hiatus). We set off for Earl's place and arrived without mishaps,
planning to leave for Dover at 4am. Expo had begun.</p>

<hr />

<d>6/7/04</d>	<t>Driving to Austria</t>	<w><u>Mark S</u>, Olly M</w>

<p>Arose at 3.30pm and left Earl's place just after five past four on Tuesday morning. The ferry was at 6am and we arrived just at the
right time after a stop for fuel. (Got to the port around 5.20am.)</p>

<p>The ferry was on time and we set off about 8.20am French time onto the motorway. Driving in shifts, there were no mishaps until Mark's
shift around N&uuml;rnburg.</p>

<p><i>[The N&uuml;rnburg incident, which apparently involved a high-speed emergency stop with inadequate brakes, never got written up in
the enormous space left for it on the page.]</i></p>

<hr />

<d>6/7/04</d>	<t>Dave's trip out</t>	<w><u>Dave</u></w>

<p>All went v. smoothly; up at 3am (ouch!), coach to Stansted, Ryanair to Salzburg, tram, train etc to arrive at Bad Aussee at around 3pm.
Bus timetable appears to be beyond the comprehension of mere mortals, so I walked. Then fell asleep, woke up and spent four hours watching
German TV. (Something important has happened to the state governor of Steiermark, but I have no idea what.)</p>

<hr />

<d>7/7/04</d>	<w>Olly M, Mark and <u>Dave</u></w>

<p>Walked up hill. Snow level very high. Had considerable fun hauling gear out of Traungold (caving gear + some digging were needed).</p>

<g>T/U: Dave 1hr</g>

<hr />

<d>8/7/04</d>	<w>Olly M, Mark and <u>Dave</u></w>

<p>More getting stuff out of snow-choked holes.</p>

<g>T/U: Olly M 1hr</g>

<hr />

<d>10/7/04</d>	<t>204A rigging</t>	<w><u>Dave</u>, Olly M</w>

<p>Rigged down to bottom of A ent pitch. Owing to lack of rope we didn't get any further than that + ran out of excuses for walking
downhill in the rain.</p>

<g>T/U: Dave 1.25hrs Olly 0.75hrs</g>

<hr />

<d>11/7/04</d>	<w><u>Julia</u> and Anthony...</w>

<p>.. are here. Det er veldig variskelig &aring; snakke <i>[illegible]</i>. Men jeg m&aring; pr&oslash;ve. We left Anthony's office at
3.00pm on Friday (I remembered the guitar). Getting out of Norge not easy, but achieved eventually.  6 hours Oslo to G&oslash;teborg. Then
lots more hours through Sweden, Denmark and Germany. Sweden + Germany go on far too long especially. Our stereo died, but it only cost 20
NOK so it's fair enough. No traffic jams once outside Sweden. It took ages, Dour ate lots of chocolate, I didn't fall asleep too much,
Expo is great + so is G&ouml;sser.</p>

<p><i>[In different pen and Dour's handwriting]</i> I say chaps, it's a dashed long way from Oslo to expo, what?</p>

<hr />

<d>13/7/04</d>	<w><u>Julia</u></w>

<p>Oh, so caving songs get written in the rain, right. Well, plenty of rain here, so let's have some inspiration. There's Duncan's first
bit:</p>

<blockquote>
When I first came to Cambridge I was only 18<br />
With a fiver in my pocket and my old dangly bag<br />
So I went down the Panton to check out the scene<br />
But I soon ended up as a beardy old lag.
</blockquote>

<p>Still Duncan:</p>

<blockquote>
When the Mornflake + the Tunnocks bars were stacked in great piles<br />
With the old Expo trailer we would drag them for miles
</blockquote>

<p>Then me:</p>

<blockquote>
To the arse-end of Austria we carted our load<br />
Knowing free schapps awaited at the end of the road
</blockquote>

<p><strong>INSPIRATION NEEDED HERE</strong></p>

<p>Last verse:</p>

<blockquote>
And now I am lying here, I ain't had no booze<br />
I've been pushing and caving, and I'm all sore and bruised<br />
I feel like I'm dying, and I wish I could beg<br />
For a stretcher to carry me to old base camp.
</blockquote>

<hr />

<d>12/7/04</d>	<w><u>Jenny</u> + Olly B</w>

<p>We set off for our 3<sup>rd</sup> carry to Top Camp, and for the first time it wasn't raining. As we got to TC it got much darker, and
just as we started pitching the big expo tent it started to hail horizontally which was really quite grim... Eventually we got the tent up
and went to look for Eislufth&ouml;hle (76), Olly knew where it was, but couldn't remember quite how to get there so we walked around a
lot in the erratic boulders just below where 76 turned out to be.</p>

<hr />

<d>13/7/04	<w><u>Jenny</u> + Olly B</w>

<p>Carried up our final load to TC, noticed that the tent had lots of big puddles. Perhaps optimistically, I assumed it had come into the
tent whilst we erected it in the hail storm, so I bailed out the water + we set off for 76, armed with a GPS. We got the [illegible] the
GPS point and wandered around and found 97 which still had paint marking it. This gave us an idea of where 76 was which we then found.
About 50m from 76, towards the ridge, was a very very good potential bivvy site &ndash; a big arched entrance maybe 15m across and 1.5m
high with a snow patchand a skylight. Probably room for ~6 people without too much rock moving + more people with more work, quite
sheltered as well as it opens out into a small sheltered valley (with room for a small tent). We walked back to TC laying cairns as we
went.</p>

<hr />

<d>14/7/04</d>	<w><u>Jenny</u> + Olly B</w>

<p>Woke up to find just how un-waterproof the tent was &ndash; lots of leaks through the ceiling and 3 puddles a couple of inches deep,
wet sleeping bags and other wet stuff which wasn't nice at all. Eventually got going after a short delay to dry out the lighter before we
could make breakfast. We walked back to 76 carrying lots of gear to relook at the bivvy with a view to actually using it &ndash; and it
looked a whole better <i>[sic]</i> than the tent. We carreid another load from TC adding more cairns as we went.</p>

<p>Olly taught me how to bolt by demonstrating to drill a tag spit for 97, then I put ones in for tags for 76 and 76b (76a was already
tagged). Then I went underground in the 76a entrance, it goes approximately horizontally for about 15m over a step on the way, there was
quite a lot of soft snow on the floor but no ice visible till near the pitch, where there was a small ice-shell. The pitch continues down
below where the 76 ent shaft comes in (but this looked too loose to be worth using). I placed my first two underground bolts, then looked
round the corner and saw an old spit which suggested that in the 70s the snow level was higher. I carried on down the sloping gully with
snow on the floor, the gully flattened out to a ledge with loose rocks. Just round the corner was a nice looking 10-20m pitch which looked
to land on a big snow ledge. Time was running out so I came back up and added a bolt to the top to make the rope hang in a nicer place.
Then we got changed and walked back to the car via TC to collect our wet sleeping bags to dry them. On the way back we realised that
Olly's GPS was still getting a fix by the bivvy... Oh, whilst I was caving Olly cairned a path from the bivvy to the 204 path.</p>

<g>T/U Jenny 3.5hrs</g>

<p>3rd verse</p>

<blockquote>
Oh, the chill winds at night through the bivvy would blow<br />
But there were boys at the stone bridge to guide you below<br />
If you didn't fancy caving you could go and get drunk<br />
There was always lots of festering down at old base camp
</blockquote>

<hr />

<d>14/7/04</d>	<t>Ariston rigging</t>	<w><u>Dave</u>, Olly M, Stuart, Dour</w>

<p>Wandered in down 204A re-rigging on Dave Brindle's rope. Dour put in a bolt enabling me to get close enough to the 2nd pitch to see
that it was open, which was a pleasant surprise seeing how much snow was around generally. At this point Dour returned to the surface
while Olly, Stuart and I wandered down Ariston. Ran out of rope at Steel Toecap and headed out.</p>

<g>T/U Dave, Olly, Stuart 6.5hrs, Dour 1hr</g>

<hr />

<d>15/7/04</d>	<t>204E rigging</t>	<w><u>Olly M</u>, Stuart, Peter</w>

<p>Had much difficulty finding the entrance, it was further than I remembered. Took ages to rig the pitch, then went out.</p>

<g>T/U Olly, Stuart, Pete 2.5hours</g>

<hr />

<d>15/7/04</d>	<t>Kiwi Suit rigging</t>	<w><u>Dave</u>, Mark D, Nial</w>

<p>Continued rig down bottom pitch of Ariston (which is shite) and 54m pitch in Kiwi Suit. Realising we had only three hangers left, we
put in the next 8m pitch but didn't descend, + buggered off out. Nial + Mark apparently got lost in the crawls at the bottom of
Wolpertinger Way and were out an hour after I was; I really ought to have hung around to point out the route &ndash; sorry guys, but I was
cold + knackered + wanted to go downhill.</p>

<p><i>[Mark D's handwriting]</i> Scientific note: air temp measured at Pot-U-Like 2&deg;C.</p>

<g>T/U Dave 5.5hrs, Nial, MarkD 6.5</g>

<hr />

<d>18/7/04</d>	<t>Razor Dance rigging</t>	<w>Dour, <u>Mark D</u></w>

<p>Early start &ndash; underground by 10:00! Speedy descent to Kiwi Suit, where we picked up the bag of rope left on the 15th. We now had
3 1/2 bags of rope between us, which was considered A LOT. Mark rigged the bottom 2 pitches of Kiwi Suit, then Dour took up the cudgels
and proceeded to rig Razor Dance down to the 2002 limit &ndash; the Steady Now pitch. Left the rest of the rope at that point and turned
round at 16:00. Uneventful ascent, Mark D out at 19:45, Dour 21:15. Dour must buy a magic foot jammer!</p>

<p>Scientific note: the gravel in the crawl between Ariston + Kiwi Suit is very interesting and is in different sizes in different
passages, which gives some indication of the water flow during phreas. This should be (a) recorded and (b) taped off to avoid damage.
MSD.</p>

<g>TU Mark 10hrs Dour 11.25hrs</g>

<hr />

<d>16/7/04</d>	<w>Jenny, <u>Olly B</u></w>

<p>We bolted on down from the head of Draught Bitter (where the draught was so fierce it made my eyes water while drilling a hole for a
bolt). A deviation off a 70s spit got us to a little rock bridge, and a rebelay off another unusually well preserved and flush 70s spit to
the "rock bridge lead". Rebelay off a natural spike (shape enhanced with a bolt hammer), and we're at our first lead. I poked out the
looser rocks, and peered down into a serpentine rift below. I put in a spit, gardened more, and squeezed in, Jenny feeding rope from above
(the bag was too fat). Along the rift, an aven intersects, and goes down a shaft. Another spit, and another awkward squeeze, and I dropped
the pitch, but it was blind. Back up, and the rift seems to form a U, both ends look like the end at snow slopes, presumably out on the
pitch (though we're yet to confirm this). We ascend to the rock bridge, and head on down. I can see a ledge which will keep us away from
falling snow &amp; rocks, but after two spits I'm still not there and my legs are losing feeling. Jenny is cold too so we exit.</p>

<hr />

<d>17/7/04</d> <w>Olly + <u>Jenny</u></w>

<p>Back down 76 again, this time it's my turn to bolt. I get down to the bolts Olly put in yesterday (after adding a spit for a deviation
on the way down to stop the rope cutting through the big snow plug), and spend quite a while swinging around trying to work out what is
attached to what (tacklesack, hangers, deviation...). Eventually I sorted it all out and follow Olly's advice to rig the deviation as a
rebelay temporarily to enable me to swing onto the ledge more easily. The rebelay was all exciting and wide and free-hanging, but I
managed to cope, then just as I start to swing I noticed the rope would rub, so had to go back up, pass the rebelay, add an extra maillon,
pass the rebelay and start swinging.</p>

<p><i>[Diagram of a stick-Jenny attempting to swing onto a ledge]</i></p>

<p>I landed on the ledge and did some gardening of rocks, which boomed lots and made the ledge feel really rather exposed. Olly was
complaining about the cold so I put in a bolt rather too quickly and he came down to the ledge. Olly took over the bolting so he could
warm up, and started a traverse along from the ledge, passing a small lead up a tube on the left. Down and across a bit I think (I
couldn't really see from where I was). After warming up outside + drinking some hot chocolate, we returned to survey from the A entrance
to the pitches (draft bitter). Then returned to BC, racing darkness + an electrical storm.</p>

<g>Total TU 6.5hrs</g>

<hr />

<d>5/7/04</d>	<w><u>Martin</u></w>

<p>I was phoned, "There is a problem", "Please bring your bathroom scales", "400kg overweight", "bollocks" (thought Martin).
Solutions ...another car ... too crap .. another trailer ... too long ... DSL ... too expensive ...</p>

<p>After some time trying to find someone to fit a tow bar to Mark's van for a non-existent trailer, a haulier was found to transport from
Newton Hall to Munich. This required me to find cardboard boxes, twenty minutes after the bloke came to collect them.</p>

<p>The next day Fast Freight hauliers gave a better quote. If I measured the height, width and girth of the pallet. So on Tuesday, I
stacked a fine tower of boxes in the tacklestore. I got a quote, and on Wednesday I stacked a slightly dodgy pile of boxes. The van turned
up to collect it, wiht his hydraulic tail gate and his pump hand truck. The pump truck did not fit under the pallet, leaving the truck
driver and I to lift the 390kg pallet on to another pallet. After much grunting and straining we lifted the boxes on to a "decent" pallet.
On Friday I received a message saying the cheque I sent on Thursday had not arrived. So I ignored it, and it all turned up in Bad Aussee
on Monday.</p>

<hr />

<d>19/7/04</d>	<w><u>Martin</u>, Nial</w>

<p>Went in E, noticed rubs (Olly says it wasn't his (threatened with hammer)). Rigged Taking the Piss, with PPE green string. Rigged Wot
No Bolts, from first hole using two bolts! (Deviation needed). 03-67B pushed to conclusion, 03-68B, 03-69B pushed to beginning of Faith
traverse. Pencil broke, so took some photos.</p>

<hr />

<d>18/7/04</d>	<w>Olly B + <u>Jenny</u></w>

<p>Walked back up to the bivvy, and sat around for a while feeling too hot. Eventually got underground with a plan of finishing surveying
what we have found. We started at Draught Bitter, and surveyed downwards. I realised how crap surveying pitches was, especially really
draughty pitches that twist around lots meaning you can't easily do plumbs. Only once did we both need to be hanging from the same rope
for a little while. Got down to the higher rock bridge (the one with the rebelay) before we got cold and unenthused. Olly went out whilst
I swung around looking at possible leads and so I could draw things better. The big snow plug appears to be partly resting on another rock
bridge, with an alternative smaller route down behind it. There were also two smallish (~1 or 2m in diameter) aven tube type things going
up from behind. I then checked out the small aven with ice near the top of Draught Bitter &ndash; this didn't appear to go too far. Once out we
surveyed in the 76b entrance. This was less nice as the rocks are very sharp, the roof is a bit loose and there is a little climb in the
middle. Definitely not worth using as an entrance when 76a is so much nicer.</p>

<g>T/U 3hrs</g>

<hr />

<d>19/7/04</d>	<t>76: Brave New World</t>	<w>Olly B + <u>Jenny</u></w>

<p>Went back down 76 with bolting gear with a view to ticking off Olly's lead on the ledge and then rigging on down. I lined Olly up the
short but exposed climb, then couldn't see what was happening for ages. Olly got to the end of the rope and assured me it was safe to
untie, and then went off exploring. I sat on a ledge with my light off (in case Olly's passage came back to the shaft). Ages later, and
just as I was getting worried, Olly returned. I convinced him that seeing as he was there it was worth bolting and then surveying. So
whilst he bolted the climb I prussiked out for the survey kit.</p>

<p>45 minutes later I was back at the climb to find Olly had dropped my spanner after putting in the backup. I passed him up a maillon and
he tightened the Y-hang bolts and I came up. The crawling passage led on past two sharp corners (Pool Sink fashion) and a passage off on
the right to a pitch. We carried on, and after the odd lower bit some more passages branched off at a drafty spot: two more tube type
things, one high on the left and one on the right, then a narrow (~50cm) crack on the left that appears after a few metres to lead to a
snow slope. (Looking at the locations, we suspect this might be part of 99.) Continuing along the passage + past another low bit I
suddenly emerged in the top of a big vadose passage, several metres high and going in both directions!</p>

<p>Upstream led to a choke, so we sureveyed out from here, passing another couple of passages on the way. We had a quick look downstream,
but didn't survey. Soon an aven joined and the passage increased in size and became looser. In front a pitch dropped down and the passage
seemed to continue above. To the left another couple of passages left! Amazed and and pleased at our finds we continued to survey out,
getting very annoyed with the crappy compass. After 35 legs we eventually tied the survey in with the previous one, and could leave the
cave!</p>

<g>T/U 8hrs</g>

<hr />

<d>18/7/04</d>	<t>Gaffered rig + tourist</t>	<w><u>Dave</u>, Becka, Nial</w>

<p>Wandered down Gaffered, while Nial + Becka touristed up Swings and aparently pushed a QM somewhere. (Becka: where was it?) (<i>[Becka's
handwriting]</i> By station 12 on RH wall, wasn't down as QM. Didn't go. Surveyed 2/8/04. Also looked at QMs on Colonnades, nothing
easy.)</p>

<p>Met up again at the bottom of Tape Worm pitch, where Becka and I just about contrived to find the bolts between us. (Becka added a bolt
to the traverse below Tape Worm.) Ran out of hangers after Eyehole pitch, so turned around and came out.</p>

<p>Becka suggested a wander up Treeumphant to Chocolate Salty Balls. It's very nice passage; we poked around for a while before heading
out. On the way back, had a stare at what may be QM 00-34C &ndash; it's rubbish, a tube at roof level which might be climbable into with one or
two bolts, but all the rock is awful.</p>

<g>T/U 8.5hrs</g>

<hr />

<d>19/7/04</d>	<t>Razor Dance</t>	<w>Olly M, <u>Dave</u></w>

<p>Carried in the pushing rope, and rigged the pitches beyond Steady Now. Ran out of hangers at the top of Yeast. Also placed a hand bolt
at the top of Mystery Wind, so as to replace existing dodgy thread, but didn't have a hanger for it. Headed out without a great deal of
speed (I was very cold and Olly very knackered).</p>

<p><strong>NB</strong> The roof tube below Mystery Wind could do with a bolt and a sling or something as a handline &ndash; climbing out of it
on the downstream side is very awkward if you don't get yourself into the right orientation to start with. (I did a bizarre Superman-style
dive out of it which could have been very nasty. Fortunately I succeeded in landing on the tacklesack!)</p>

<g>T/U 12hrs</g>

<hr />

<d>21/7/04</d>	<t>Razor Dance</t>	<w><u>Mark D</u>, Dour</w>

<p>An exceptionally early start (9.30 am!) and a quick trip down to the start of Razor Dance. Reached the pushing front at about 13:30
after rigging Yeast pitch. Dour bolted the traverse while Mark quickly dropped the pitch on naturals. The continuation at stream level was
really nasty. So we voted for the high traverse, which goes into a level with a real floor, <b>The Nordic Traverse</b>. We surveyed into
this, eventually reaching a small climb/pitch down (approx 5m). This was duly rigged and it lands in a small chamber, <b>Thirteen Year
Itch</b>. From here a further pitch of 18m was dropped back into the streamway. This pitch, <b>Pepper Pot</b>, was a real stunner &ndash; best
pitch in the cave (imho)! Below the pitch, the rift continues in the same awkward style. By now it was 16:30 so we quickly surveyed the
pitches and then headed out. Mark was out 20:15, Dour at about 22:45. See my note from the previous trip about Dour needing a foot
jammer!</p>

<p>This was a fantastic trip, one of the best I have ever done in Austria. Home tomorrow, but a great memory to take with me!</p>

<g>T/U Mark D 10.75hrs Dour 13.25hrs</g>

<hr />

<d>19/7/04</d>	<t>Gaffered rig to Underworld</t>	<w><u>Becka</u> + Earl</w>

<p>Earl put in a Y-hang about 40% down from the top of Gaffered to help speed up using it + take us a bit further from the spray. Becka
replaced the two ropes Dave rigged yesterday with a 9mm (bit too skinny) 91m then Earl continued to rig down Gaffered, adding a backup
bolt to Eyehole and bolting the traverse up to Gaffered. Not long at bottom so we surveyed <b>QM 03-8A</b> which soon choked and went out.
Takes ~2hrs from bottom.</p>

<g>T/U 9hrs</g>

<hr />

<d>20/7/04</d>	<t>Underworld / Sirens push + survey</t>	<w><u>Becka</u>, Nial + Earl</w>

<p>Finally ready to roll pushing: looked at <b>03-29A</b> rigged handline to edge of large chamber &ndash; no rope so leave that, plus
<b>03-30B</b> which needs a high-level traverse. (See our 22nd July trip.)</p>

<p>Ticked off + surveyed <b>03-28B</b>, <b>03-27B</b> and <b>03-26B</b>. I think <b>03-25B</b> can be downgraded to a "C" QM. Then up to
crystal pool. Surveyed chamber at <b>03-31B</b>. Nial climbed up to the mud filled pocket on the left of the chamber &ndash; apparently choked
with mud. The small pit in the floor of the chamber is blind except for a miserable boulder-filled hole whcih you can get to the other
side of from a small passage on the opposite side of the passage as 03-25B. There is a hole over your head in the chamber but Nial said
the banks of mud would make it very hard to get into, plus a miserable little hole on the opposite wall. Then surveyed from 03-21B to
03-22C to complete a small loop. <b>03-20B</b> doesn't exist, just mud-filled, though there is a miserable thin rift in the floor of the
chamber it's in. <b>03-19C</b> is still there (actually there are two roof tubes but the more promising, higher one would be tough to get
into). Re-checked <b>03-23C</b> &ndash; not at all promising, and <b>03-24C</b> likewise &ndash; a v.steep climb.</p>

<p>That seemed to tick off all the horizontal leads in Sirens (boo-hiss) so we went back to Eeyore and Earl started to bolt <b>03-3B</b>.
Whilst he started, I checked <b>03-5B</b> &ndash; it's a blind pit, only 4m down. I also went down to <b>03-4B</b> &ndash; it's a smallish pitch/rift
whcih looks like it would connect to <b>03-2B</b> + big, chossy boulders at the top. Once again not at all enticing. Neither <b>03-7C</b>
or <b>03-6C</b> look to be much.</p>

<g>T/U 9hrs</g>

<p><i>[Extensively annotated copy of 2003 Underworld survey with ticked-off leads noted.]</i></p>

<hr />

<d>21/7/04</d>	<t>Surface Prospect</t>	<w><u>Becka</u> + Nial</w>

<p>Wandered over col beyond 204 towards Grie&eszet; Kogel then back round on plateau side. Put in two tags on new caves:</p>

<ul>
<li><b>CUCC 2004-10</b>: Earl's GPS (WGS 84) N47&deg; 41.740' E013&deg;49.069'. Photo #54 on Nial's camera. 215&deg; to Zinken; 309&deg; to
peak of Grie&eszet; Kogel (stone arch visible). Entrance shaft with snow plug + pitch visible beyond. Can get to head of pitch by going
down a side tube next to main entrance shaft. Pitch &lt; 10m.</li>

<li><b>CUCC 2004-11 (In Your Face cave)</b> Earl's GPS WGS84 N47&deg; 41.597' E013&deg; 49.047'. Photo #55 on Nial's camera. 202&deg; to
Brauning N&auml;se; 218&deg; to Zinken. Strongly drafting entrance crawl to steep down phreatic passage to small chamber + pitch up-climb
on opposite wall. Tony + I surface surveyed to 2004-11 in the evening of 21st; Martin, Stuart + Nial did a push + underground survey on
22nd.</li>
</ul>

<p>We also found (but didn't tag as didn't seem promising enough!)</p>
<ol>
<li><b>N 47&deg; 41.605' E013&deg; 49.265'</b> &ndash; a 4m surface shaft.</li>
<li><b>N 41&deg; 41.686' E013&deg; 48.981'</b> &ndash; a too-tight but <em>very</em> strongly drafting hole.</li>
<li><b>N 47&deg; 41.590' E013&deg; 49.068'</b> &ndash; very close to 2004-11 and also drafting.</li>
</ol>

<p>We also re-found 2002-04.</p>

<hr />

<d>22/7/04</d>	<t>Underworld Push</t>	<w><u>Becka</u>, Earl + Dave</w>

<p>Dave wanted to learn how to drill bolts so down to Earl's drill in the Underworld ... but first we surveyed + derigged Eeyore. Then
Dave derigged the 26m that Earl + Stuart had started to rig along the traverse in Sirens yesterday (they'd hoped to get to 03-18B). Took
all the junk to the end of Quiz Rift then Earl supervised Dave rigging 03-29A which went down the mud ramp then a Y-hang (bolt + boulder)
then a rebelay bolt then drop down to sloping ledge (~10m) to rebelay off a <em>small</em> knobble then down to floor. Another pitch
beyond this which Dave bolted but didn't have enough rope to descend.</p>

<p>Meanwhile Becka was hand bolting a traverse to get to 03-30B - three naturals and five (yes, far too many) bolts later I got to the
muddy up-slope only to be told there was no time to check it out because I had to survey Dave's pitch. Actually I was pooped by the having
spent half an hour suspended 5m above the floor in a rift far too wide to bridge, trying to get to the far side. I tried prusiking up my
own long cowstail, putting slings for extra footloops into cowstails + sheer brute ignorance. It was also pretty exciting (i.e. dynamic)
getting back - a free-hanging traverse. Surveyed Dave's pitches. Names: my traverse will be <b>The Generation Game</b>, Dave's first pitch
is <b>Gardeners' World</b>, and his next one is <b>University Challenge</b>. Way out up Gaffered was way, way, <strong>way</strong> too
muddy - I'd had to do a welly-brake on the way down + both my hand + my chest jammer were slipping on the way up ... but I didn't have
nearly as much fun as Dave who became an incandescent Mr. Angry + ended up prusiking twice as far as the rest of us. I left him to Earl's
calming tongue. <i>[I think my jammers are knackered - the teeth don't bite like they used to.&mdash;DL]</i>.</p>

<g>T/U 11 hours</g>

<hr />

<d>21/7/04</d>	<t>99</t>	<w><u>Jenny</u> + Olly B</w>

<p>Walked back up to our bivvy in the sun; when we got there, Olly wasn't feeling too well, so we decided that I'd explore 99 whilst Olly
sat on the surface and patched his oversuit. I went down rigged off the v.dubious tag bolt and a spike. It went down an inclined rift with
snow on the floor for a bit less than 10m then wiggled round right and then left to be below itself again. Here there were 2 old spits,
teh first of which I rebelayed too. After this a draft was coing through a small ice-covered rift heading roughly towards the appropriate
part of Brave New World. I kicked lots of snow out of the way and attempted to fit through the pitch head; I got roughly half way before
feeling it was a bit too tight and committing, and dediced to come out, which was easier said than done.</p>

<p>After a while of fruitless wiggling I got a bit scared and asked Olly to put his caving gear on to come + help. As soon as Olly left I
found a foothold and freed myself sufficiently to escape, but at least Olly had practice at getting into caving gear quickly! I came out,
leaving the ice squeeze for either a day later on in expo with less ice, or a day with a hammer.</p>

<g>T/U Jenny 1hr</g>

<hr />

<d>22/7/04</d>	<t>76</t>	<w>Jenny, <u>Olly</u></w>

<p>We went down 76 to push the pitch lead near the start of the "Test Tubes". It was unclear if the pitchhead was perched rocks or solid,
so I used a mostly convincing thread as a backup, and put in a traverse spit, then a Y hang out in the rift. The rift was a good 1.5m
wide, and tall so things looked promising. I descended and traversed upstream, but just round the corner was a pitch up. Downstream
dropped away and got narrower. Two rebelays later we were in the top of the rift, with a barely feasible squeeze into a lower level. The
bottom appeared to drop into blackness through a small hole - small stones dropped for a second or two if they got through the hole. The
position is such that this is very likely to be dropping into the original 70s pitch series, so there wasn't much motiviation for
desperate squeezes. Jenny tried to get through at a lower level, but that didn't work. So we surveyed out to connect to the previous Brave
New World survey and went home. Jenny put in a better placed spit for the ledge end of the pendule on the way out.</p>

<g>T/U 5.5hrs</g>

<hr />

<d>22/7/04</d>	<t>Random German</t>	<w><u>Olly</u>, Peter</w>

<p>Pete and I had failed to walk up the previous evening so an 8am rising and a run to the bus stop was in order. Waiting in Bad Aussee
allowed a random German bloke to approach and ask us if we could "show him the caves". Julia's powers of dissuasion are clearly lacking
because this random person proceeded to follow me and Peter from the top of the toll road to the plateau and on to the stone bridge (Julia
had lunch with Dour so didn't walk with us). Upon arriving he asked where the toilet was, "I need a big one", so I showed him the shitting
grike. Thankfully his aim was true and no further flies were attracted to mal-aimed turds. He then had two cups of hot chocolate, took
photos, and translated the phone message. We bid farewell at the entrance to Hauchh&ouml;hle, and despite my best efforts at looking for a
corpse on the next walk down I found none and must assume he made it. Lucky really given his nice Nikon camera and the pictures of me and
Peter on his 35mm film...</p>

<hr />

<d>22/7/04</d>	<t>Hauchh&ouml;hle</t>	<w><u>Olly</u>, Peter</w>

<p>Julia had asked people to look at Hauchh&ouml;hle so Pete and I decided to have a poke. A survey was produced showing the main way on
to be to the left at the bottom of the (first) pitch. Pete rigged the pitch and followed my bad advice of rethreading the rope around the
natural backup because we only had one sling. Dour had told me a deviation was needed to stop the rope rubbing and he was indeed correct.
So I spent the next half hour putting in a spit and getting groin injuries, while Pete scrotted around in every unpromising lead he could
find. At one point the digested aroma of shrimp noodles &agrave; la Blue Dragon chased him out of such a passage and the Flatulence Series
was born.</p>

<p>By the time I had finished bolting, he had unfortunately found a tight rift that appeared to go, culminating in a climb that I had to
convince Peter to descend (with the aid of 2 slings lark's-footed around a natural). After that it was all downhill as each unsurveyed bit
of passage led to a further junction with two new leads. We pushed all the leads we could for several hours, with Pete pushing a
particular oxbow several times (<b>Clifton's Circuit</b>). Then we ran away to the Stone Bridge and recounted tales of our great adventure
and miles of cave passage to whoever would listen.</p>

<g>T/U 6hrs</g>

<hr />

<d>23/7/04</d>	<t>Hauchh&ouml;hle surveying</t>	<w><u>Dave</u>, Pete, Olly M</w>

<p>Pete + Olly had returned to camp the previous day with tales of caverns measureless to man, and nothing surveyed. So I jumped at the
chance to go and practice my survey note-taking, hoping to go on to bolt down the pitches (or rather show Olly how).</p>

<p>However I had somewhat underestimated the amount! Eleven hours later we crawled out, knackered, with 58 legs of survey in the book even
ignoring all the oxbows and loops, and more passage still going. (Olly had put one bolt in the pitch before getting caught up in the
surveying as well.)</p>

<g>T/U Pete + Dave 11h, Olly 10h</g>

<hr />

<d>24/7/04</d>	<t>Hauchh&ouml;hle again</t>	<w><u>Dave</u>, Becka, Pete, Olly M, Earl</w>

<p>A complex plan emerged over breakfast. Team keen (Dave + Becka) would go in and do some more surveying; team fester (Olly + Earl) would
bolt the pitch; and team artistic (Pete) would take some photos. At 11.30 team science (Dour) would shout dow surface hole 2002-02 so we
could check if it connected to the daylight aven in the main Hauchh&ouml;hle trunk. At 5pm the underground teams would meet up; Olly, Pete
and I would bugger off down the hill and Earl + Becka would keep on caving.</p>

<p>This complex plan worked surprisingly well. 2002-02 does connect. Pete got his photos. Becka + I surveyed some existing stuff; Becka
found a bypass to Tacklesack Blues via a roof tube. Then Becka spotted a traverse over the head of one of our pitches. After a quick
detour to collect the rope, and using a sling larks-footed around my belt as an improvised cowstail, we were across. Hey presto, yet more
passage! (<b>Sweet Sight</b> passage.) Stomp stomp stomp for 150m or so. Walked down the hill with 28 legs more survey in my pocket, in
addition to the previous day.</p>

<p><i>[Continuation in Becka's handwriting]</i> Earl kept rigging the pitch but the drill battery ran out after the pitchhead + deviation
bolts (part way through a Y-hang ~20m down from the pitchhead - probably another 15m drop beyond here). We then went back to Sweet Sight
passage + went up the left-hand roof tube QM just after the drippy aven with the bat skeleton. We surveyed 8 legs up there, past a tight
thrutch into an aven with water coming in and a too tight rift off. Out + home.</p>

<g>T/U Dave 6.5h; Olly 4h; Pete 4h; Earl 7h; Becka 9.5h</g>

<hr />

<d>24/7/04</d>	<t>Eislufth&ouml;hle - rigging down 70's route to Keg Series</t>	<w><u>Jenny</u> + Olly B</w>

<p>We decided that today we would continue down the 70s route and see how far we could get with the rope + hangers we had. I wanted to
play with the drill, so set off down to the current end of the rigging (the next ledge on from the Test Tube passage) and put in a nice
Y-hang. Meanwhile Olly swung around on the snow plugs below to retrieve my spanner he had lost. The pitch was really nice - the best so
far, a lovely hang in a huge shaft, on down to the next ledge + some 1970s spits, one of which was used as part of the Y, a deviation
later and I was at the bottom of "Plugged Shaft" on a bouldery floor with a huge bit of scaffold bar longer than I am! The next pitch
wasn't far away, and as we weren't certain how solid the floor was we continued the rope round - this is where the 112m rope ended, so we
tied on the 85m and Olly bolted down "Saved Shaft" with, as is typical of this cave, a deviation. We now arrived at a HUGE boulder pile,
with at least one boulder bigger than a car! The way on was under these with the draft. The boulders actually looked quite wedged, but it
is probably worth trying to get over the top sometime (a) to see if it goes anywhere new and (b) in the hope that it is safer. Olly rigged
a traverse line through the boulders, as once on the other side you are in a rift with veg in the floor <i>[that's what I think this
says]</i> dropping away into "Keg Series" 30 odd metres below. Olly rigged down this after doing some gardening of rocks at the pitch
head, including one ~1m across... Olly got to the bottom of the first pitch and carried on down. I set off down this pitch, being really
careful of all the loose stuff still there, and reached the bottom just as Olly had reached the end of the rope below. The pitch was quite
drippy by the end, and perhaps needs rigging differently for times of rain. Anyway, with no rope, one hanger and no maillons left we
decided to survey out, pulling the rope up to the top of the pitch so we can garden more next time. We wanted to survey with a plumb leg,
but the pitch wasn't quite free hanging, so the plan was for Olly to go up, and swing across to where it would plumb from. This worked
well until Olly dislodged a small rock with his foot which fell 12m to me below. As I was looking up at the tape it did not bounce off my
helmet but hit me on the top of my nose / bottom of my forehead. It hurt lots and I screamed lots thinking I was properly broken. After a
bit I realised Olly was asking in quite a concerned way if I was OK, so I thought for a bit if I was, my nose hurt lots, but there was
only a very small bit of blood, and once I opened my eyes I realised that I could see alright, so I shouted back that I was OK, and cried
some more until the pain died away a bit. We did a bit of surveyeing. Then decided to give up until we had done more gardening and
rigging, and went back to teh base of Saved Shaft. We surveyed back till it connected at The Ledge and went home.</p>

<g>T/U 10 hours</g>

<hr />

<d>25/7/04</d>	<t>76 - Brave New World</t>	<w>Olly + <u>Jenny</u></w>

<p>Olly fettled the rigging in the entrance to add a tight guide line above the rock bridge, and we went into the Test Tube, and onto
Brave New World, this time turning right to the pitch, traversing round it (which I found scary as it was loose) and itno the oxbow on the
left, from here we followed walking passage past some calcite and gypsum pretties until we hit a T-junction with an even bigger passage.
We followed this right and came to another junction, in from of us was a pitch down, with a passage appearing to continue over it, and
passage heading off left, as we had no tackle we followed this to a junction / chamber. Here a very small passage went left, a pitch went
down in front and a smallish passage went right. We decided to survey back from here till it joined with the 1st Brave New World
survey.</p>

<g>T/U 6hrs</g>

<p>Walked up to 204 in the evening to see where it was and say "hi" to Earl + Becka. 204 bivvy is ~45mins from our bivvy, but I don't walk
very fast.</p>

<hr />

<d>26/7/04</d>	<t>76 - Brave New World</t>	<w>Olly + <u>Jenny</u></w>

<p>Decided to carry the drill through the Test Tube to bolt stuff in Brave New World. We decided it would be better to carry SRT kits
rather than wearing them too. Carrying tackle made the Test Tube seem much smaller and more arduous... Turned right into BNW, and Olly got
started with putting a traverse round the pitch that had made me scared the previous day. All went well till he dropped his stop onto a
ledge a few meters down. Shortly, the stop was retrieved and the traverse line rigged across, we were a bit cold so decided to postpone
further bolting and to survey leftwards at the next junction. This led to an aven that looked not too hard to climb and a probable passage
heading off at the top. We surveyed back, then I started to bolt down the pitch at the end of the traverse line, the ~15m pitch came down
to a high vadose passage that shortly led to a further pitch down that we had no rope for. Olly put in 2 spits in preparation for a later
trip and we surveyed back out. We still had hours left before our callout, so we went to look at the stream canyon beneath the passage on
from the ptich, assuming it would come out in the same pitch, soon it came out in what seemed to be yet another pitch... we surveyed this,
then left the cave.</p>

<g>T/U 11hrs</g>

<hr />

<d>27/7/04</d>	<t>76 - Brave New World</t>	<w>Olly + <u>Jenny</u></w>

<p>Didn't feel like carrying tackle through the Test Tube again, so took survey gear to tick off some leads (hopefully). The first lead we
looked at was the tube on the right around halfway along, near the probable 99 connection. It got progressively narrower, and then there
were some small pristine white stals. We decided that it would be hard to get past them without touching them, so surveyed out. Continued
into Brave New World, and turned left to survey the oxbow passages, these are small and crappy and the 3 passages end up uniting and going
to a pitch in a stream canyon - we surveyed to here and attempted to plumb the pitch. It is ~6m deep. Still had time left so went the
other way along BNW, round the pitch and to the cahmber we started surveying from on the 25th. Looked down the passage on the right, this
gets bigger for a bit raising our hopes of this being the Train Tunnel passage we had been looking for, but it got lower and a crawl led
to a big aven chamber which looked not too hard to climb. From the chamber it was not obvious where we had come from as it all looked
small, so Olly named it "No Ways Chamber" though in fact I found another crawl out near ours that became vadose passage of a reasonable
size to an aven - this is still to be surveyed.</p>

<g>T/U 4.75hrs</g>

<hr />

<d>25/7/04</d>	<t>Gardeners' World -&gt; Subsoil</t>	<w><u>Becka</u> + Earl</w>

<p>Down Gaffered Series <strong>aargh</strong>, this rope is way too fast, welly-brake-tastic... To Gardeners' World + I went over my
"Generation Game" traverse to check that it really did go nowhere (sigh) then derigged it (not <em>too</em> exciting bar one
overly-dynmaic swing into space). Earl then did some re-rigging of Gardeners' World + rigged the pitch below to <b>Subsoil</b> chamber. I
was cold so scampered around for 5 minutes whilst Earl packed his drill up + I realised that we had <em>some</em> considerable new cave
here &ndash; so into survey mode. From chamber surveyed around chamber + then up Hippo Hollows (lovely mud pots) to a thin rift with a
large wet pitch around the corner then back to Subsoil + surveyed a loop then time to go home. Good stuff!</p>

<p>Oh yes, I forgot the crap bit, coming up the Gaffered pitch series the mud on the rope meant that not one but <u>both</u> my jammers
were slipping, despite me having switched to a brand new chest jammer that day. At one poitn I got really unhappy and gave a mewling sound
then thought of a solution: my spare hand jammer on a long cowstail went above my other hand jammer. A bit slower but <u>surely</u> not
all three can slip? Finally got to the 70m Gaffered pitch which was lovely + clean rope (relatively) + I was going to survive.
Earl Teflon-Jammers Merson was, of course, fine + blamed it all on my poor technique.</p>

<g>T/U 10hrs</g>

<hr />

<d>26/7/04</d>	<t>Rerigging Gaffered + Gardeners' World</t>	<w><u>Becka</u> + Earl</w>

<p>Earl was all for going straight back down to push Subsoil but I'd promised myself not to go down there again until there was fresh rope
on it so we carried in a 100m and a 65m and rerigged from Tape Worm all the way down (I replaced the top 91m - again - whilst
Earl Mud-Doesn't-Stick-To-Me Merson zoomed down on the slimy rope + replaced the bottom one). Then Earl went off to have a third attempt
at re-rigging Gardeners' World whilst I draped conservation tape around Sirens, Bracket Fungus, the Crystal Pool + Quiz Rift. I then got
cold + grouchy waiting whilst Earl put in deviation after deviation on Gardeners' World plus fresh pitch-head bolts + then had two
attempts at putting in a deviation bolt on the lower pitch (University Challenge).</p>

<p>Finally down to Subsoil with no time left to do any sensible pushing so Earl put in two final bolts for the 4m pitch over a boulder for
the pasasge that leads to Earthenware whilst I checked that the Heavily Soiled passage went. A necessary but cold trip. On the way out we
started a system to keep the clean rope clean:</p>

<ul>
<li>On the bottom, Eeyore pitch, <strong>no wellies</strong> on the rope.</li>
<li>After the traverse, wellies to be <strong>thoroughly washed</strong> (also footloops etc) before ascending.</li>
<li>Repeat scrubbing as required as ascend.</li>
</ul>

<p>I am about to purchase a scrubbing brush to leave in the pool after the traverse so, you dirty horrible cavers, don't go near my
spanking new rope unless you're pristine. Thanks to Tony for cleaning + checking the two filthy tackle bags of rope we hauled out.</p>

<g>T/U 10 hours</g>

<hr />

<d>27/7/04</d>	<t>Surveying Subsoil</t>	<w><u>Becka</u> + Earl</w>

<p>The Razordance team was all off for a long trip so we decided to join them since it's the dinner tomorrow. <u>Bloody</u> cold at camp +
not feeling enthused with a damp furry but a lovely controlled descent on the clean rope cheered me up. Before that, on the first main
hang bolt on Gaffered, I found the rope really tight. Having a handy Earl, I manfully sent him down to sort it. There was a yelp as he did
a mini-plunge + then he said that seemed to have sorted it.</p>

<p>Right down to Subsoil, rigged the tiddly 4m pitch (8m rope) off the boulder then started surveying out of Subsoil up Heavily Soiled
passage (very muddy - <u>again</u>) (need a 15m rope rigged off obvious natural to get down to it) with a good draft. Initially large,
steepish passage ending in a broken down area then popped out on edge of a large chamber. We were on a bank of mud only ~2m above the
chamber floor but we had no gear. The mud was crumbly and Earl was very cold so we stopped there. Also a drippy aven ahead there, again
trickly to get there despite being very close given the dubious tensile strength of banks of undercut mud. Stopped the survey + stomped
back to Subsoil. Earl then took the drill to put in too spits (last, highest one possibly dodgy as the rock cracked as he set it: "I think
this is the best Hilti I've ... oh dear") Meanwhile I conservation tabled some crystals + the mud floor at the start of Hippo Hollows +
the mud banks + spires at the bottom of the Subsoil chamber. Then we went up Earl's new 17m traverse into Earthenware passage, + we
surveyed as we went in, past various mud pretties + pools, stepping over a large + wet rift pitch + lots of QMs until Earthenware passage
reduced in size (but sill drafting? hard to tell - draft is <u>very</u> strong into your face at the start of Earthenware). At this point
we decided tos urvey down the large passage off left that led steeply down + twisting (<b>Stoneware</b>, as we finally lost the mud), +
ended in a muddy aven + then a drippy wet aven at a convenient 6.55pm, time to go home. Took the drill battery out. For two people it
takes ~ 1 1/2 hours to get to the bottom of Subsoil and ~ 2 1/2 hours to get out again, if carrying no real load.</p>

<g>T/U 11.5hrs</g>

<p><i>[Sketch: "Rigging guide below Underworld"]</i></p>

<hr />

<d>21/7/04</d>	<t>Gaffered</t>	<w><u>Earl</u> + Stuart</w>

<p>Descended to Eeyore to continue rigging Kanga pitch. Bolts had been placed on the previous trip, so adding a deviation enabled us to
descend. Tony and Brian had won the only available instrument set, so we escaped without surveying. Explored around the bottom; only way
on leads to a smally chamber with pitch (not promising) which may connect to a pitch in the main Kanga area.</p>

<p>After that we moved round to the Sirens traverse to look at rigging around the big pitch <b>Black Maria</b> (03-17B). First part of
traverse was easy (big ledge, 2 naturals and a bolt) but then ledge ran out. Next bolt shattered the rock on setting, but there is scope
for a good Y-hang to the floor. Traversing on towards 03-18B will be <u>nontrivial</u>; probably bolting into overhanging wall, losing
height and scrambling back up to the QM. Ran out of enthusiasm, so left it at that.</p>

<p>Returned up Gaffered and wet for a tourist around Swings. Stuart found a previously unnoticed QM (later pushed to a blind pitch)
(between 01-83C and the connection to The Slide). We then went to Treeumphant and Great Oak Chamber before returning via 204E.</p>

<g>T/U 9.5hrs</g>

<p><u>Stuart</u> continues: After scrotting around at the base of Eeyore etc, Earl managed to increase the grade of the climb out by ~2
grades by removing one of the footholds. This makes getting out for whoever surveys it "interesting". <i>[It wasn't actually all that bad
- DL]</i>.</p>

<p>Swings QM is a climb up on the right, where a gallery looks through several holes to Swings below. Hurrah for excessively bright +
pointy lights in finding such delights.</p>

<hr />

<d>27/7/04</d>	<t>Razor Dance</t>	<w>Martin, Dave, <u>Dour</u></w>

<p>My drill was at the bottom of Razor Dance, and since I was about to go home I needed to fish it out. Since there was a shortage of
people wanting to push the thing further, we decided to do one more push-survey-derig trip. Four days of attempting to dry out my fleecy
undersuit proved futile (not helped by rushing up the hill in the dark and rain the previous night due to a 12 hour error in the recorded
callout time for the Eisluft team). So at 8am I pulled on soaking wet undersuit prior to a 10am trip start. Twenty hours later I took it
off again, and for most of the intervening time I was too cold.</p>

<p>Uneventful trip as far as the start of Razor Dance, wehere the water level was higher than I've ever seen - probably double the usual
levels. The wet climb was unpleasant but passable so we elected to carry on. Most of the pitches were fine: an extra waterfall had
appeared at Mash Tun, but it was OK. The bottom of Copper was <u>very</u> wet - borderline dangerous. The rebelay on Yeast is in a star
place for avoiding the water (shame about the pitch head bolts, which need a tector). In conclusion, Razor Dance will be OK in the wet
with an extra couple of bolts: one on the first wet climb, and another for a water avoidance deviation on Copper.</p>

<p>From the pushing front the stream continues in a tedious winding fashion. Martin headed onward with the drill (having earlier put in a
rebelay bolt on Pepper Pot) while Dave + Dour surveyed. Dave couldn't read the instruments so I was forced to peer through the murk. SOme
creativity was required to fabricate some data. Much tedious dicking about in the rift to find the right level and a 6m pitch later we
reached the deep point (204 now 544m deep) where the water goes down a tiny slot. Round the corner an ascending traverse goes to a much
wider bit (~4m wide) - looks like a weak bed has been exploited to make the widening - the bed is visible cutting across the passage. A
line is needed where the traverse gets muddy and slippy - lots of brown mud with a black crust with dessication cracks (at least there
was before I stomped/bumslid across it). The drill battery had done its usual trick of going from 4 bars to none in no time at all, so a
Martin special pushing rig was put in place. Cartoon laws of rigging apply: the naturals are sound so long as you don't look at them too
closely. More bolts needed next time. At the end is a pitch that we couldn't get close enough to see down - estimate 20m on the basis of
throwing one rock down it (i.e. it could be any length at all). <i>[Incidentally, this point is around 10m above the level at which the
stream was last seen.&mdash;DL]</i></p>

<p>Thereafter we (read Dave) derigged out as far as God Loves a Drunk, where soup was consumed. The drill and a bag of rope wlaked out of
the cave all on their own, whilst another bag of rope got tired at the bottom of Kiwi Suit. Team foot jammer levitated out whilst
expending no effort at all, whilst this dinosaur frogged out at his usual funereal pace.</p>

<p>Pushing Razordance is becoming quite serious in terms of the amount of effort and gear required. It is only worth pushing next year if
there are enough (i.e. more than 4) moderately hard (but not necessarily bionic) people interested in pushing it.</p>

<g>T/U Martin 15hrs, Dave 16hrs, Dour 17.5hrs</g>

<hr />

<d>22/7/04</d>	<t>2004-11 - "In Your Face"</t>	<w>Martin, Nial, and <u>Stuart</u></w>

<p>"Come and look at our great new cave" they said. "Could be a new 204 entrance" they said. "DON'T YOU DARE FIND THE END OF IT" they
(Becka) said.</p>

<p>Having been versed in how to drive a survey notebook by Martin, we set off into the strongly draughting entrance tube, which was
extremely goo dat removing any heat one's body could produce. After much laborious surveying around the small chamber at the end of the
entrance tube, Martin returned from the front, where he was supposed to be bolting a pitch, announcing himself to be a fuckwit, and then
scampered off to get the forgotten drill bit.</p>

<p>Very, very dodgy rigging ("It only rubs a little bit, so be gentle. Oh, and you'll have to ascend the arm of the Y-hang to get back.")
leads to a huge black ice plug at the pitch's base, and a dead-sounding and dangerous boulder choke.</p>

<p>Desperate not to incur the wrath of Becka, the two passages leading on from the far side of the pitch became interesting. The lower one
was very tight phreatic dropping at about 45&deg; to a wide low (~1m high) chamber. The phreatic had a breeze but this seemed to disappear
into a critical angle boulder slope. In desperation, a small chimney was pushed to no avail, and the other way on from the chamber
stopped.</p>

<p>Some effort was put into starting a traverse line to the higher passage leading on from the pitch head, but thoughts of food, warmth
etc. caused the general consensus to be "jack". Also, the probability of our only remaining lead dying was causing some perturbation.</p>

<g>T/U 7.5hrs</g>

<hr />

<d>23/7/04</d>	<t>In Your Face + 204 scrotting</t>	<w>Martin and <u>Stuart</u></w>

<p>Somehow I had ended up in 2004-11 again. Martin completed the traverse in record time and declared, "It's huge stomping passage, looks
good". This was unfortunate, since we had ventured out that morning without instruments. And so it was that I chastised Martin, "You
weren't supposed to find more passage Martin". This was the cave's undoing. 20 Martin-paces down a large passage it suddenly grinds to a
halt. A survey (grade?) was scribbled on top of a laminated 2001 204 survey, using 20 Martin-paces of passage and 5 plumbed Martin-paces
of vertical displacement above the previous day's passage. A mildly perilous 8m ascent into the passage roof yielded no further leads, so
we left the cave.</p>

<p>And promptly ran away to 204, to avoid telling Becka the good (?) news. A sporting descent through the snow in 204d brought us to
Swings, where Martin bolted a hang into Earl's supposed connection to Helter Skelter.</p>

<p>Stuart then bolted the pitch he had found previously in Swings. It drops to the level of Swings main passage, and does bugger all else.
There is a small tight tube back to Swings at the base (SRT kit removal required) and it looks like there may also be an aven leading up
elsewhere. No survey made.</p>

<p>We proceeded to Inisgnificant Chamber, where Stuart went down a hole, believed to be the connection to Rhino Rift, wherein he found
survey station "T2", an old sling and greased maillon, and a difficult climb down. This satisfied Martin, and the only other noteworthy
event was the <span style="color: red; font-size: 120%">Bastard Tackle Sack from Hell</span>. This thing is inherently evil. Its
malevolence knows no bounds. Small children hide under the bed from it. It eats small puppies. Several chapters of the Bible know it by
the name Satan. It feeds off the terror, pain and anguish it creates. As an instrument of torture it is unparalleled. Within the Universe
there is no darker force. To the unknowing observer it is a regular tackle bag, from which the shoulder straps have snapped at one end,
and subsequently they have been tied to form a second donkey's dick. These two properties combine to form a dread object which is a blight
to all caver-kind, getting stuck on EVERY SINGLE FUCKING THING, and thus causing its cursed bearer to fall flat on its nose every three
paces. The horror inflicted by this item in Germkn&ouml;del's Revenge mere words cannot describe. Let's just say thab being moored by
cave and tackle bag, and trying to turn round in the passage at the same time, is SHIT.</p>

<g>T/U 7.5hrs</g>

<hr />

<d>27/7/04</d>	<t>Plateau walk + Hauchh&ouml;hle</t>	<w><u>Peter</u>, Olly M</w>

<p>Finally set off up the hill to fetch the remainder of my caving gear at 3.50pm, intending to make a quick return in daylight with the
gear. Olly M kindly came along for the walk and to help me carry. (Perhaps also the best way to ensure that I didn't get lost on the
plateau forever more.)</p>

<p>The walk proceeded quickly and with minimum moaning on my part (due mostly to my empty rucksack). Olly and I deviated from the path to
invesitage a few cave entrances - turning out to be in the 80s. We were rejoined by Julian and Becka shortly afterwards, near the
beginning of the slabs.</p>

<p>Towards the end of the slabs, I did the often done thing of slipping with one of my walking poles. I then managed to kick said pole,
and due to the wrist straps not being used (for safety in case the pole got stuck), the pole was projected forward. The pole slipped,
bounced, then fell. Fell onto the snow plug covering a ~20m deep hole. Rattle, slip, rattle and it was gone. Climbing round the hole
revealed a 10m drop / abseil / climb down at one end, but the rock was far too loose to attempt the climb, so we continued less one
walking pole to the stone bridge.</p>

<p>Eventually we got packed, fed and watered at the bridge, and after pausing to try and firebomb the fly infested facilities <i>[and
using up a substantial proportion of the stone bridge petrol supply in the process&mdash;DL]</i>, we must have left some time around
7.20pm. With us, Olly and I took some hangers (in case we found my old spits), a sling, karabiner and a ?m long 9mm rope probably
de-rigged from Razor Dance. We intended to get that pesky pole back.</p>

<p>En route, we stopped off at Hauchh&ouml;hle to retrieve my caving gear and whilst there, I decided to go caving and retrieve my slings
and krabs from the pitch/climb rigging. This was done quickly, replacing the sling + krab with a club pair, and the other Y-hang arm was
rethreaded through the bomber natural instead of via the sling.</p>

<p>Once out of Hauchh&ouml;hle, I found Olly hunting around on the edge of the hole for a second thread / natural belay. Tony appeared on
his way to the bridge, and recommended rigging a scramble down the back end of the hole, where the drop was more, around 10m. We did this,
rigged from the single bit of usefully fixed rock in the vicinity - a bomber thread.</p>

<p><i>[Diagram, with captions including "fuckwit caver who throws his gear down holes"]</i></p>

<p>Pole was retrieved very easily by gently abseiling down and going around the snow plug. Very gently prusiking and self-lining completed
the ascent (not wanting to damage the 9mm rope over the ledge. Pole was handed up on the end of the rope to safety.</p>

<p>Rest of walk on the plateau was uneventful, although both my wellies escaped my rucksack bindings and fell down different (but both
shallow) grikes. Thankfully the weather remained dry in spite of ominous-looking clouds. The light was poor by this time, and I slipped
and stumbled more than usual, hurting both of my ankles.</p>

<p>Walking back from the huts, we encountered several bovine obstructions blocking our path. In the first instance, a calf lying down in
the path. Damn. This was not good. We were shortly surrounded by the cattle, who had all stood up and shown an interest. (Including some
with excessively large horns which looked quite pointy.) Thankfully, walking slowly (very) and calmly defused the situation, and a similar
one later on was similarly dealt with.</p>

<p>Got back to car park tired, sore and bruised at about 10:40pm. I suspect I'll sleep soundly tonight!</p>

<g>T/U 1hr (Peter)</g>

<hr />

<d>30/7/04</d>	<t>Hauchh&ouml;hle: How to knacker yourself in the least interesting way possible</t>	<w><u>Dave</u>, Stuat</w>

<p>Plan was to do a quick Hauch trip then a surface wander. Proceeded to bottom of pitch rigged by Earl on a previous trip, where there
was a half-drilled Hilti hole. Drilled this fully, + placed a Y-hang (plus one duff spit that sank too deep).</p>

<p>At the bottom of the pitch is a small (~5m x ~8m) kidney-shaped area of floor. At one end is a rift pitch-head blocked by a large
boulder. I spent a while loosening it, but although it settled slightly it wouldn't shift.</p>

<p>Drill battery unfortunately ran out halfway through the Y-hang. Stuart freeclimbed down it (lunatic) and couldn't get back out again. I
put in a very dodgy deviation + he prusiked out on the previous pitch rope. Apparently it is a ~4m climb initially and beyond this is a
stream rift.</p>

<p>While prusiking out I spotted a window in the side of the shaft. Swinging into this revealed an upwards-sloping tube about 80cm dia; I
wandered up this for 5m or so to a leftwards bend, at which point I decided to come back another day with survey gear.</p>

<p>HOWEVER while carrying out one of the tacklesacks through Doesn't Go Rift I did something rather odd to my back, so I haven't caved
since. Buggeration.</p>

<p><i>[Sketch elevation of Pie Series, which was later properly surveyed]</i></p>

<g>T/U 4hrs</g>

<hr />

<d>29/7/04</d>	<t>76 + surface shaft</t>	<w><u>Jenny</u> + Olly</w>

<p>Olly wasn't feeling too well, so he did some surface stuff whilst I went into Brave New World to retrieve the hangers, skyhook, slings
etc, and to carry a bag of rope down to The Ledge ready for the next day.</p>

<g>T/U Jenny 1.5hrs</g>

<hr />

<d>30/7/2004</d>	<t>76 - Keg Series</t>	<w><u>Jenny</u> + Olly</w>

<p>Went down to the top of Keg Series with lots of rigging gear + drill. Olly did some more gardening (but there is still lots of loose
stuff around) and went down; rather than heading straight down the pitch like last time, he swung across into the passage ~ 1/3 of the way
down. The horizontal passage only went a few metres before becoming choked to the right, and rejoining the pitch on the left. Anyway Olly
rigged down a different shaft leaving on the left that rejoined the direct pitch at the bottom + nicely avoided water + loose rocks. At
the next pitch head I foolishly remarked that it would be nice if it sumped round the corner, so we could look somewhere nice (+ less
loose).</p>

<p>The next pitch was actually nice, less loose + BIG, it was rigged with a deviation + a knot pass, but needs more/better deviation(s).
This took us down to another ledge 25m below, from here Olly rigged a 3rd pitch (with a deviation in) that after 25m reached a really big
ledge with (for the first time in a while) a solid rock floor. Olly went down a short, 5m pitch, whilst I commented on how big and
therefore significant this passage/pitch series was. At the bottom Olly found a sump and I felt guilty for wanting one earlier...</p>

<p><i>[Editor's note: Blanks were left in the above description to be filled in later, but it seems noone did so. The above numbers are
extracted from the survey data but it's not clear to me exactly where one pitch stops and the next starts - these are my best guesses.
&mdash;DL]</i></p>

<p>I climbed down to check it really was a sump (it was, and not a very impressive one at that) whilst Olly looked at a small passage
going off the other way till it got small; I came out and looked there - after a short crawl (~5m) it met a small stream passage which I
followed for a short way till it felt small + committing - the passage does however continue. Meanwhile Olly had found a more promising
lead by climbing above the sump and following a tortuous vadose canyon downhill until it got bigger and became another pitch series; we
decided to leave this for next year and surveyed out to the top of Keg Series.</p>

<p>On the middle big pitch I had a bad feeling about the rope rubbing so was prusiking fairly gently. Once I was ~1/2 way up I noticed the
rope was caught round a flake above the deviation and was rubbing lots + lots over a fairly sharp edge. This made me scared, lots. I
wished we weren't using 9mm rope too. I shouted up to Olly what had happened + that I was going to prusik very carefully, unless he had
any bright ideas for what to do. Olly suggested I prusik very very carefully. I carried on up, past the knot pass, cursing Olly's rigging
(sorry) till I got to the deviation which I clipped into (keeping my jammers on as well). Despite the deviation being on a dodgy small
spike with a retired sling I felt a whole lot safer and pondered what to do next. The only option me or Olly could think of was to pass
the deviation so I could up-flick the rope, then prusik gently past the rub point. I was careful not to look at the rope until past the
rub, because that was how Olly said cartoons work! Anyway the rope was only a bit furry, I didn't die and we exited the rest of the cave
uneventfully.</p>

<g>T/U 12hrs</g>

<hr />

<d>31/7/04</d>	<t>Surface stuff</t>	<w><u>Jenny</u> + Olly</w>

<p>Walked towards the high point approximately west of 76 and the bivvy. Just below (on the east side) of the high point we found a series
of 3 entrances along a fault/joint; we called this 2004-05. They were 10m to a ledge, then seemed to go deeper, but we didn't have tackle
and I couldn't get the top to drop there. <i>[I think that's what this says&mdash;DL]</i></p>

<p><b>2004-05:</b> <i>[sketch]</i></p>

<p>Continued further, going back to the bivvy, but further north than the outward route. Found a rift below a line of small cliffs -
2004-06.</p>

<p><b>2004-06:</b> <i>[sketch]</i></p>

<p>Shortly later we found another entrance which was going to be 2004-07, until I found paint (90/5) and a tag (175), so we continued on
until we say a walk/scramble-in entrance on the right. This has a drawn up survey and is <b>2004-07</b>. <i>[Arrow pointing into a blank
space marked "GPS".]</i></p>

<p>Further still back, we came across a large chamber with collapsed roof and two entrances. We forgot to survey it at all put it was
photoed by Olly and GPSed. <i>[Another arrow into the blank space.]</i></p>

<p>We then walked back to where Tantalus Schacht should be and didn't find it, but did allocate <b>2004-09</b>, which is a shaft with "a
good drop and rattle" - sorry no photos or survey, but it was GPSed.</p>

<p>P.S. Olly's GPS seems to have lost these coords, so we'll have to refind them next year.</p>

<hr />