Aardvark Country issues

topcat

Active member
We were in the 17m dug shaft at the start of Aardvark Country last week and some of the boards holding back the spoil had broken, spilling spoil and rocks down the shaft. We have removed the rotten/broken plywood, but the remaining ply is in poor condition.

The climb is quite serious: the vertical section has the hardest part at the top of it, and this move takes you onto the slopping ramp which is in itself a bit tricky.

The last time I was coming out this way I almost came a cropper getting off the vertical to the ramp due to very greasy rock. The good news is that it is currently not greasy, but only because the all the holds and the ramp are covered in copious amounts of sand and soil.

We spent a lot of time clearing the big rocks from the top of the ramp into a side passage which is a dead end after a meter or so [don't know why this wasn't used originally given that the stacking space is more than enough for all the spoil in that area]. We ran out of call-out-time so had to scuttle.

However, there is still a lot to come down.

We sacrificed a rope to protect the climb. It is rigged from three naturals and starts at the end of the easy scaffolded climbing section part way down the 17m.

Anyone with time on their hands could move more rocks, down to bed rock. This will make things safer, but will result in a lot more sand going south...the small chamber at the foot of the climb is big enough to cope with this.

Mind you, if venturing along Aardvark Country this problem will be the least of your challenges !
 

topcat

Active member
It would be worth repairing / reinforcing higher up the shaft, but where the board has gone from true R side I think it better to clear out the deads and such into the small side passage rather than reinstate the boards there.

However, I have no digging experience, so .....?? :)
 
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