Anyone visiting Aygill Caverns should be aware that the tube crawl from the bottom of the Traverse Pitch (or 1st pitch) to the 2nd pitch now carries substantially more water than it used to and may flood in wet conditions.
We have been working in Aygill on and off for several years and have noted the erosion of the bank just downstream of the entrance and the increasing amount of water on the 2nd pitch in even normal or dry conditions. On a trip this week under very dry conditions, the pitch was the wettest we had ever encountered. In times past, even in quite serious flood, it was possible to reach the top of the 2nd pitch relatively dry. Those times seem to be over.
The collapsing bank is obviously allowing more and more of the main stream to flow into the passage below the Traverse Pitch (and at the top end of this passage we have made a sound connection with the collapsing bank area of the surface) - in wet weather this might make the tube crawl 'interesting' to say the least. As yet, we have not been able to observe the crawl in really wet conditions, but suffice to say on a dry day it is now considerably wetter than it used to be on a wet day!
With some hairy free climbing of the Cascades (there's now a temporary rope in place) it used to be possible to exit from Aygill in flood. It might be that this is no longer the case.
Be warned, be aware.
We have been working in Aygill on and off for several years and have noted the erosion of the bank just downstream of the entrance and the increasing amount of water on the 2nd pitch in even normal or dry conditions. On a trip this week under very dry conditions, the pitch was the wettest we had ever encountered. In times past, even in quite serious flood, it was possible to reach the top of the 2nd pitch relatively dry. Those times seem to be over.
The collapsing bank is obviously allowing more and more of the main stream to flow into the passage below the Traverse Pitch (and at the top end of this passage we have made a sound connection with the collapsing bank area of the surface) - in wet weather this might make the tube crawl 'interesting' to say the least. As yet, we have not been able to observe the crawl in really wet conditions, but suffice to say on a dry day it is now considerably wetter than it used to be on a wet day!
With some hairy free climbing of the Cascades (there's now a temporary rope in place) it used to be possible to exit from Aygill in flood. It might be that this is no longer the case.
Be warned, be aware.
