expoweb/years/2024/log_entries/2024-07-12b.json

{
 "date": "2024-07-12",
 "title": "Balkonhoehle - Rigging Honeycomb",
 "place": "Balkonhoehle",
 "other_people": "",
 "text": "Zero stoke for this trip and a crack of 11am start saw us heading down with the 2 bags of rope to rig \nMongol Rally plus associated hardware and some kit to keep us warm, safe and happy. The 2024 rig of \nthe entrance pitch felt unfamiliar - below the first ledge, the next rebelay had me stood under a \ndrip on the right wall on a lower ledge with a tensioned traverse line  that Anthony had rigged \nyesterday, heading over to the Y-hang for the main, long hang. I removed the rebelay, ignored the \nresultant mild rub (sorted later, no fear dear reader) and headed down. \n<p>\n<p>Soon enough we were at the head of Honeycomb. Ruairidh and Marie immediately settled into their \nbothy and I was left to start rigging. Two minutes later, at 13.22 I heard the taps turn on. \"It's a \nflood pulse, Ruaridh\". This meant there'd be no point trying to get out in the next few hours. I \nheaded down, past the 2nd Y-hang to the first single bolt Hilti spit rebelay. Such things are usually \nhidden by a nice, big hanger. Seen naked, it's smashed-in, cratered surround looked disconcertingly \nbad. And the air rushing from the roaring waterfall immediately below had me shivering. I turned tail \nand prussiked back up to add a thermal in the toasty bothy bag and collected the drill. This was \nAnthony's brand new drill, and a thing of beauty. Hammer and drill tethers with delightful, dinky \nscrewgates plus baby snaplinks to clip them up.  Drill bits carefully taped up to the right length. A \nblowing tube and even a spare spanner in case you were numpty enough to drop your first. The drill \nitself was nestled in foam padding then a dry bag that had, get this, no holes. It felt mean to him \nto be christening it. \n<p>\nHaving added a bolt to the first single bolt rebelay it seemed sensible to add another to the next \nsingle bolt rebelay then I headed on down. Marie followed me with the Hangman's rope bag but said \nthat Ruaridh was sick with stomach pains and was staying at the top. She had been keen to rig but the \nnext pitch and hand-line turned out to be still in situ. Instead, she put in a new through bolt for a \ntraverse line to the initial short pitch leading to Hangman's. \n<p>Having rigged down to the start of Hangman's we ferried our bags down then, unexpectedly, Ruaridh \narrived. Despite a hacking cough and some strange smells he had managed to bring down one of the \nMongol Rally bags which was impressive. I was, though, a bit less impressed that neither he or Marie \nhad brought down any food, water, the stove, bothy or first aid kit so it seemed sensible to call the \ntrip and head on out. \n<p>Ruaridh was suffering on the exit but we plodded out a reasonable pace, Marie and I had noodles at \nthe base of the entrance to give the water more time to recede then I offered to head up first, being \nthe only one who'd brought a kagoule.\n<p> The bottom third of the long drop (2nd one up) was the wettest where spray filled the shaft but \nit wasn't too bad so I whistled for the others then rigged the single bolt rebelay above the long \ndrop Y-hang to remove the rub. We were all out by 10 so T/U 11 hours. Beautiful, moonlit and clear \nwalk back to an empty Top Camp.\n<p>\n[Ed. \"RM\" is ambiguous in 2024, because of Ruaridh and Rachel.]",
 "slug": "2024-07-12b",
 "time_underground": 11.0,
 "author": {
  "slug": "becka-lawson",
  "nickname": "Becka",
  "tu": 11.0
 },
 "trippersons": [
  {
   "slug": "becka-lawson",
   "nickname": "Becka",
   "tu": 11.0
  },
  {
   "slug": "marie-donovan",
   "nickname": "Marie",
   "tu": 11.0
  },
  {
   "slug": "ruairidh-macleod",
   "nickname": "Ruairidh",
   "tu": 11.0
  }
 ],
 "expedition": {
  "year": "2024",
  "name": "CUCC expo 2024"
 },
 "cave": {
  "areacode": "1623",
  "kataster_number": "264",
  "unofficial_number": "2005-05"
 }
}