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143 lines
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<title>1984: BCRA Caves & Caving report</title>
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<font size=-1>CTS 84.1580: BCRA Caves & Caving 23 (Feb 1984) p 14 [ISSN 0142-1832]</font>
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<h1>CUCC in Austria</h1>
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<p><font size=+1><i>With no underground leads from last year still to be
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pushed, the Cambridge University Caving Club went right back to basics.
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Prospecting for day after day gradually uncovered entrances until eventually
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several systems were being explored at once. At the end of the expedition
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three caves were still 'going'</i></font>
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<p>Although we were back in the familiar surroundings of the Totes Gebirge in
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Austria, it seemed in many ways like a new expedition. We knew that only
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details of last years work remained to be tidied up, and some serious
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prospecting would have to be done at the start to locate new caves. The new
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area of plateau we selected was further from the road than we had been last
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year, and increased the walk-in to over an hour. With the closing of our
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traditional campsite we had to stay in the next nearest, some 45 minutes
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drive from the caves. We kept to our usual system of caving in pairs as day
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trips from the base camp but, as the caves became deeper, the additional four
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hours spent travelling made for very long days. To continue exploration it
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will almost certainly be necessary to camp on the plateau, which in the past
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we have always avoided. Fortunately we had enough cars to keep the expedition
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mobile, ranging from a smart TR6 to a disintegrating Datsun. Several veterans
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of previous expeditions in the late seventies made a comeback and their
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experience of the area was much appreciated.
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<hr />
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The expedition divided naturally into several groups to begin prospecting and
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the older chappies soon showed that they weren't past their prime in any way.
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The speed and efficiency of their early morning starts sometimes surprised
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the younger generation. Initially the weather was glorious, with a deep blue
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sky and the white limestone peaks towering upwards towards the sun. We
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struggled upwards through the undergrowth, becoming scratched and torn on all
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exposed areas, sweat pouring as we scrambled across the rock. From vantage
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points on hillocks and ridges we would scan the surrounding land and roughly
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divide it into smaller areas to cover one by one. But once down in the bushes
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all sense of direction could be lost. Working in pairs, it usually took all
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day to cover a couple of acres.
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<p>Entrances abound in this part of the Totes Gebirge. Some are obviously
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only rock shelters, but more commonly we would come across shafts, some wide
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open, others partially hidden. Having convinced ourselves that the bottom was
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out of sight, and rocks could be made to rumble down for a suitable distance,
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we'd rig the entrance - usually to find the shaft choked or the way on
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becoming too narrow after a couple of pitches. Each one was plumbed to check
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the depth and the entrance numbered with paint. We also surveyed back to
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fixed stations on nearby and distinctive surface features to locate the
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relative position and altitude of each. A day was also spent surveying down
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the hillside from the entrance of last years find (Schnellzughohle) in
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another attempt to find a lower entrance. Despite locating the exact spot on
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the surface nearest to the known cave, there simply wasn't an entrance where
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we thought there should be.
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<hr />
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Initially, one area of exploration was near the upper entrance to
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Schnellzughohle, called Stellerweghohle. The entrance series of the latter is
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mostly horizontal and nearby is another short cave (142) ending in a pitch
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into a huge chamber. Upon resurveying and superimposing onto the Stellerweg
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survey, they were found to almost overlap. A later trip made the connection,
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but also found that 142 is below Stellerweg and so no extra depth was gained.
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Looking higher up the hill, two entrances were discovered quite close
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together. One (143) became too tight after a splendid series of free-hanging
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pitches at about -125m, but the other (144) met a phreatic level about 200m
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below the entrance. We guessed that this was at the same level as the
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entrance series to Stellerweg and looked to a new depth of 990m for the
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latter. SAdly, although we followed the horizontal passage to within 130m of
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Stellerweg, it abruptly dropped into a large chamber with an inaccessible
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roof tunnel continuing. The cave continued downwards to nearly -300m, finally
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dropping into a tiny streamway, but we felt sure that the way on was across
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from the "Mud Wall" pitch. The obvious plan was to return to Stellerweg and
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try to find the roof tunnel from the other side - but we ran out of time.
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<hr />
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As the expedition continued, the weather deteriorated and it would rain for
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several days at a time. This was bad enough, but one day we reached the
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plateau to find the hills under a sprinkling of snow. Snowball fights in
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August proved to be an original amusement and strengthened by our training,
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the caving continued.
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<p>Two other major finds were made. The first was the well-named
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"Steinschlagschacht", number 136. EXploration of this cave was done slowly
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and cautiously as chunks of cave would follow the intrepid speleos down each
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pitch. Teams returned with stories of "hanging deaths" and falling boulders.
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Eventually, the cave broke into several small streamways at about -200m and
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it is still going.
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<p>A little to the north of 136 the entrance to "Wolfhohle" was found. This
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caused some excitement early on when the well-preserved skeleton of a large
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animal was found in it. Opinions still vary as to whether it is a wolf or
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bear skeleton. The cave beyond continued in quite varied fashion to nearly
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-300m and there are several leads remaining to be explored.
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<p>With only three weeks actually out in Austria, the end came all too soon,
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and we found we had to leave just as the real caving began. After completing
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the exploration of the Schnellzughohle last year, we were pleased to show
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that there is still a lot to do in the area. Despite some atrocious weather,
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we hope to return next year.
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<hr />
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Thanks must go to our ever-tolerant and splendid drinking companions in the
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local caving group, and to the Sports Council for a grant towards travel
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costs. A full report will appear in "Cambridge Underground 1984".
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<p align=right><i>Dave Brindle</i>
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<hr />
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<!-- LINKS -->
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<ul id="links">
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<li>1983 Expedition info:
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<ul>
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<li><a href="log.htm">Logbook</a></li>
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<li>Main Expo report, Cambridge Underground 1984:
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<ul>
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<li><a href="wolf1.htm">Wolfehohle</a> - Act I</li>
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<li>Exploration and Survey of <a href="exp142.htm">1623/142</a>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="exp142.htm#possext">Possible extensions</a>
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to the 41-142-115 System</li>
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</ul></li>
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<li><a href="143144.htm">143 and 144</a> Guidebook descriptions</li>
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<li><a href="41svy.htm">142/41 Survey</a> - the truth</li>
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<li><a href="list.htm">Summary of Caves 1983</a></li>
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</ul></li>
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</ul></li>
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<li><a href="../../pubs.htm#pubs1983">Index</a> to all publications</li>
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<li><a href="../../index.htm">Back to Expeditions intro page</a></li>
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<li><a href="../../../index.htm">CUCC Home Page</a></li>
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</ul>
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