expoweb/smkridge/204/midlevel.shtml
2003-02-04 19:32:30 +01:00

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<HTML lang=en><HEAD><TITLE>1623:204 -- Mid-level passages</TITLE>
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<TH align=left width="30%"><FONT size=+2>204</font><br><font size=+1>(CUCC 1999/03)</FONT></TH>
<TH lang=de><h1>Steinbrückenhöhle</h1></TH>
<TH align=right width="30%"><FONT size=+2>4/S x</FONT></TH></TR>
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<h2>Mid-level passages (including Wolpertinger Way)</h2>
<H3><A name=wolp>Wolpertinger Way</A></H3>
<img class=onright src="t/11cei.jpg" alt="Wolpertinger Way">
<P><B>Thread Pitch</B> and <b>Stitch This</b> from <A href="entrance.shtml#nearend">The Near End</A> land at the top of a large 6-8m diameter phreatic passage, <B>Wolpertinger Way</B>. This heads downhill past some ice formations on the left hand side, for 35m to a junction. To the left <A href="#recycledrabbit">Recycled Rabbit</A> leads off, which was for a long time not noted. Straight ahead is a steep gully leading to a 6.5m diameter circular shaft with aven above - <B>You're So Veined</B>. There is a traverse round the right hand side of the gully on an increasingly narrow ledge.
<P><B>You're So Veined</B> is rigged at its southern end, and this is reached via a sandy crawl off to the right from the top of the steep gully, which passes over a hole in the floor through dangerous boulders [<A href="qm.shtml#C1999-204-09" name=qC1999-204-09>C1999-204-09 C</A>] to reach a junction. Right is a passage, which quickly chokes, straight ahead leads into <A href="#110aday">110 A Day</A>, whilst left is the main route.
<P>More sandy crawling leads to a crossroads, where left leads to the ledge overlooking the pitch, and right is a short crawl leading to the main passage part of the way down <A href="#pendulum">Pendulum Pitch</A>, the easiest route to the <A href="pleasuredome.shtml#elephant">White Elephant Series</A>. Straight ahead leads to a further junction. Left is the head of <B>You're So Veined</B>, the start of the <A href="ariston.shtml#ariston">Ariston Series</A>, and a traverse leading around towards <B>Bunnys Bowel</B>. Right is a short passage to a blind pit. Traversing around the blind pitch to the right, is an alternative to <A href="#pendulum">Pendulum Pitch</A>. Traversing around to the left leads a rift that leads initially upwards, where a passage leads of to the right, continuing along down the rift leads to an undescended pitch [<A href="qm.shtml#C2001-204-67">C2001-204-67 B</A>], a passage on the opposite side of the pitch can be accesed from the top of your so veined. The passage leading of to the right of this rift, goes to a small chamber. To the left leads to the undescended pitch[<A href="qm.shtml#C2001-204-67">C2001-204-67 B</A>], straight on leads to a junction, with both ways on being too tight. To right from the small chamber leads to the passage between <A href="#pendulum">Pendulum Pitch</A> and <B>Millenium Dome</B>.</P>
<H3><A name=bunnybowel>Bunnys Bowel</A></H3>
Traversing towards the right at the head of <B>You're So Veined</B>, leads to a boulder floored passage. A window looks out to the left to the head of an undescended pitch [<A href="qm.shtml#C2001-204-66" name=qC2001-204-66>C2001-204-66 C</A>]. Carrying on leads to the previously descirbed undescended pitch [<A href="qm.shtml#C2001-204-67" name=qC2001-204-67>C2001-204-67 B</A>], looking across this sees passages, which from one of the links between wolpertinger way and pendulumn pitch route. To the left a climb leads to a short passage to <B>Bunnys Bowel</B>, a small chamber. A passage doubling back leads underneath the previous passage to the undescended pitch [<A href="qm.shtml#C2001-204-67">C2001-204-67 B</A>]. In <B>Bunnys Bowel</B>, a climb to the right leads to a drop into the passage from <A href="#pendulum">Pendulum Pitch</A> to <B>Millenium Dome</B>. A window to the right lead to a 3m climb with a handline, to a muddy chamber, with a 3m deep hole in the floor, with ways on that were too tight. To the left in <B>Bunnys Bowel</B>, the passage goes past an undescended 8m pitch [<A href="qm.shtml#C2001-204-65" name=qC2001-204-65>C2001-204-65 C</A>], then finishes in a mud choke.</P>
<H3><A name=merryxmas>Merry Fucking Christmas</A></H3>
<P>At the south western end of the area of breakdown at the bottom of Pendulum Pitch, a winding passage leads off, passing the 3m climb up towards Millennium Dome on the right. 15m further on there is a hole in the floot. Traversing over the hole leads to a choke on the left and a becomes too tight.</P>
<P>Climbing down through the hole in the floor for 4 metres lands at the entrance to a low crawl. While not actually tight, the crawl continues awkwardly for 20m to a small chamber with QM [<A href="qm.shtml#C2001-204-71" name=qC2001-204-71>C2001-204-71 C</A>]. The crawl continues slightly larger for another 25m, past [<A href="qm.shtml#C2001-204-70" name=qC2001-204-70>C2001-204-70 B</A>], a hole in the floor.</P>
<P>The crawl opens out in the wall of a 7-11 Chamber. This is part of a large shaft, with high aven (&gt;40m?) [<A href="qm.shtml#C2001-204-72" name=qC2001-204-72>C2001-204-72 X</A>] and deep main pitch (&gt;40m?) [<A href="qm.shtml#C2001-204-68" name=qC2001-204-68>C2001-204-68 A</A>]. The chamber floor is reached by a y-hang followed by a single bolt rebelay and rope protector. Treversing across the blocks on the floor leads to a short climb up (rope advised) over a ridge ([<A href="qm.shtml#C2001-204-69" name=qC2001-204-69>C2001-204-69 A</A>]) into parallel shaft (7m deep). The base of this is choked with boulders; an uninviting wriggle between these leads back towards the main pitch.</P>
<P>Back at the entrance to 7-11 Chamber, an exposed traverse around the north-western corner of the shaft leads to a small muddy window. This is a small chamber with small muddy passage sloping downwards. Following this for a short distance arrives at a loose funnel; rocks thrown into this rumble down into the main pitch.</P>
<H3><A name=recycledrabbit>Recycled Rabbit</A></H3>
Near the southern end of Wolpertinger Way on the left of the passage as one descends, is a small low crawl size passage at right angles to Wolpertinger way.The passage continues for 65m slightly climbing and remaining approximately the same diameter throughout its length. The passage ends too tight but on the right there is an impassable (at present) connection with a moderately sized chamber but the use of plug and feather may enlarge the connection to allow passage.
[<A href="qm.shtml#C2001-204-73" name=qC2001-204-73>C2001-204-73 C</A>]
<H3><A name=110aday>110 A Day</A></H3>
<P><B>110 A Day</B> is a long, dusty passage which varies between stooping and crawling for 110m. Immediately after the start is a sharp right hand bend with a crawl straight ahead to <B>110 Bidet</B>. About halfway along is a crossroads, where low passages lead off to the left to <B>110 Bidet</B> and to the right [<A href="qm.shtml#C1999-204-13" name=qC1999-204-13>C1999-204-13 C</A>]. At the terminus reached in 1999, the passage splits into two. Each branch immediately becomes tight, but could be pushed further with a little determination and effort [<A href="qm.shtml#C1999-204-14"
name=qC1999-204-14>C1999-204-14 C</A> and <A href="qm.shtml#C1999-204-15" name=qC1999-204-15>C1999-204-15 C</A>]. In the left hand branch, just before the passage becomes tighter, is an undescended pitch [<A href="qm.shtml#C1999-204-16" name=qC1999-204-16>C1999-204-16 A</A>] of perhaps 20m.
<H3><A name=110bidet>110 Bidet</A></H3>
<P><B>110 Bidet</B> is a stooping size passage which runs parallel to <B>110 A Day</B>. It can be accessed via a crawl about 1m up that carries straight on from where <B>110 A Day</B> starts with a sharp right hand turn. The crawl emerges into larger passage; to the left after 5m is <B>Pendulum Pitch</B>. Going right leads to a hole in the floor among boulders, <B>Marble Run</B>. To the left here is a low passage leading to <B>No Pain No Gain</B>, whilst <B>110 Bidet</B> carries straight on. Continuing on, the passage turns right, followed shortly by a crossroads with a crawly passage.
To the right is a dead end; to the left is [<A href="qm.shtml#C2000-204-54" name=qC2000-204-54>C2000-204-54 B</A>]. Straight on emerges into <B>110 A Day</B> about half way along its length.
<H3><A name=Upat45>Up At 45 degrees</A></H3>
[<A href="qm.shtml#C2002-204-09" name=qC2002-204-09>C2002-204-09 C</A>]
[<A href="qm.shtml#C2002-204-10" name=qC2002-204-10>C2002-204-10 C</A>]
[<A href="qm.shtml#C2002-204-11" name=qC2002-204-11>C2002-204-11 C</A>]
[<A href="qm.shtml#C2002-204-12" name=qC2002-204-12>C2002-204-12 B</A>]
[<A href="qm.shtml#C2002-204-13" name=qC2002-204-13>C2002-204-13 B</A>]
[<A href="qm.shtml#C2002-204-14" name=qC2002-204-14>C2002-204-14 C</A>]
[<A href="qm.shtml#C2002-204-15" name=qC2002-204-15>C2002-204-15 B</A>]
<H3><A name=marblerun>Marble Run</A></H3>
<P><B>Marble Run</B> runs along a fault line that created a small passable phreatic
tube, which has subsequently been intersected by a tight rifty stream way. 20m along the rift bears to the right and is too tight to pass, whilst the phreatic passage continues on to a small chamber. Here the passage doubles back over itself to continue above the original passage. The passage does this once more to end in an earth blockage.
<H3><A name=pendulum>Pendulum Pitch Route</A></H3>
<P><B>Pendulum Pitch</B> is in a large rift. The first section is a loose boulder slope (care required) to a rebelay, then a descent of 23m via a deviation off the far wall below a large wedged boulder. There may be a passage on the far side of the rift accessible with difficulty from this boulder [<A href="qm.shtml#C1999-204-17" name=qC1999-204-17>C1999-204-17 C</A>]. From the base of the pitch, two rift passages lead off which very quickly become too tight.
<P>The main route on is reached by swinging off after 16m into a 6m wide passage. Two passages in the left hand wall are quickly encountered. The first quickly becomes too tight, the second is a short crawl leading into the network of sandy crawls at the bottom of <A href="#wolp">Wolpertinger Way</A>, and is the best route from here to the <A href="ariston.shtml#ariston">Ariston Series</A>. Continuing down the main passage, passing either side of a huge boulder, reaches a blind pit in the floor, with two ways on.
<P>A loose and slightly precarious traverse round the blind pit leads to a short passage on the left, emerging at the head of <B>You're So Veined</B> at the start of the <A href="ariston.shtml#ariston">Ariston Series</A>. A rift visible at the opposite side of the pit has an audible connection to <B>You're so Veined</B>.
<P>To the right at the blind pit is a draughting phreatic tube which heads downhill at a comfortable walking size past a tight passage on the left, which leads towards Wolpertinger Way. 5m further on a tube at roof level heads towards Bunnys Bowels. After 20m, a 3m climb up into a roof tube on the right hand side is the way into the <A href="pleasuredome.shtml#elephant">White Elephant Series</A>. The phreatic passage continues for a further 15m past a too tight inlet on the right and a traverse over a blind pit to a 3m deep hole in the floor, which is blind. Traversing over the hole and up a loose climb with a too tight rift in the right hand wall leads into an uphill passage, which is choked with mud after 5m. A sandy crawl on the right just before the choke leads via a left hand bend with a too tight rift on the right (probably connecting to that at the loose climb) ending at a 2m climb down. There is a possible way on at the bottom of this, but it is very small and tall people at least would have to enter feet first [<A href="qm.shtml#C1999-204-19" name=qC1999-204-19>C1999-204-19 C</A>]. There is a noticeable draught here blowing downhill (into the cave).
<H3><A name=survey>Survey</A></H3>
<center><img src="midlevel.png" alt="Survey"></center>
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