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Tony on expedition!
Tony will be in Slovenia on expedition from the 23rd until the 31st of August.
The Starless River team will remain hard at work ensuring any online orders are completed, however the Travelling Shop will be out of action until Mr Travelling Saleman returns.
Mike Kushy and Ed Ford. We met at 1800 and headed straight to MHH, which was very dry. EF continued digging to the right of the formation, whilst MK started channeling along the far wall working a passage towards the far corner (digging at the corner is too constricted). A thick calcite floor was hit at both sites, but the far wall dig floor seems to be slopping away steeply towards the far corner. We took turns in each dig towards the end. Back at the cars for gone 2030. Mike.
All photo's by MK.
EF working along the far wall towards the far corner.
Mike Kushy and Ed Ford. Met at 1030 and headed straight to MHH. This time we both worked the dig to the left of the formation, with EF at point and MK close behind we burrowed to the corner within a couple of hours. We then stopped for lunch for 10 minutes. MK went and furtled at the end of the left hand route which gets constricted by the flowstone boss towards the end, it is possible to keep following the bedding down dip though so it will get wider again. EF spent the rest of his time digging out the right hand dig, which like the other side could do with some chiselling and pf work to dig out the calcite floor. Back to the cars for around 1600, you could tell it had been raining and become cloudy whilst we were underground because at one point MK remarked about the drips getting faster and within another 5 minutes EF pointed out the mist filled chamber. Strange echoes all over the place when cutting into the mud. Mike.
All photo's by MK.
Left hand dig sharp end.
Left hand dig tunnel.
Right hand dig
Right hand dig sharp end.
Mike Kushy and Mike Wise. We headed into the cave at 1400 armed with 3x 6ft scaff poles, 2x daren drums of sand and tools. Really hot day today, cool cave and strongest draught in TPC. Once here we set about installing the scaffolding frame which will help retain the chamber floor and also allow us to dig down through the rocks. We opted for a triangle frame for now, which can be adapted to a square once we start removing material. Cement work was done to pin in the huge slabs at the head. All materials in cave used up bar 1/2 a bag of dust and a container of water, empty bags and drums brought out and left in lockbox. Focus now should be on getting as much material into cave as possible I believe. On surface for 1830. Mike K.
Harley Bennet, Ed Ford and Mike Kushy. Got to the entrance for just after 1700. We lowered heavy 5 bags of sand, cement and drill and also picked up the scaff' clip bag on route. We leap frogged and ferried them down to TPC. MK and HB had a go at the higher end dig in TPC whilst EF downsized and moved larger rock from in and around the scaffold dig with PF's. After a while MK joined EF and the pair worked on cementing, HB spent his time building walls at the higher dig. More rock removed and we now have a square frame. Lost track of how much material is in cave but we brought out all tackle sacks and these are in the lockbox on surface along with 1@1/2bags of sand and 2/3 bag of cement. MK and HB popped to get tools from MHH and the air felt very stale, where as there was a lovely cool breeze coming up the light connection today. EF placed a section of small ladder he aquired (thanks Mick) into a gap in the ceiling right where you get into the thrutch which helped me, needs chocking in place somehow. Out for 21.30, Mike.
There is/was caveable space down there. MK.
MK in 'Scaff' dig. EF.
Left wall. HB.
Right. HB.
The 'Higher' dig. HB.
Puddle Dig Team: Freya Bearn, Sam Hill, Stuart Jelliss, Mike Kushy and James Vickery.
Four of us arrived at the entrance at about 18.30 and headed down to Puddle Dig. We carried in 5 bags. 1 of which was sand taken on to TPC by MWa, the other 4 had 3 sand and 1 cement. These were left in Boulder Rift Chamber for use in the TPC dig. Initially James and I were clipping buckets of loose rocks from the dam onto a rope which Mike and Sam then hauled up. However when Stuart Jelliss arrived I was sent down to the dig face. At the bottom of a slope lay an uninviting crawl into a pool of mud and loose bits of rock, which terminated where a large boulder sloped down into a puddle of sloppy mud.
After a while of clearing the larger chunks of rock from the foot of the slope, which I handed up in buckets to Stuart, I ventured towards the far end of the crawl to the foot of the boulder which sloped down from the ceiling. I began to clear the mud by hand, expecting to hit solid rock beneath it, but was instead met by a gritty sand-like substance. Beneath me was a large slab of rock which prevented me from going too far forwards, but I managed to loosen much of the grit with a crowbar which I continued to shovel out. To my excitement, when I pushed the crowbar into the grit, it kept pushing forwards without hitting an endpoint. Furthermore, having cleared enough mud out of the way, I could put my hand underneath the boulder and felt that it arched upwards. It seemed as though beyond the grit and mud was a large gap leading downwards, which could be made accessible by widening the gap between the boulder which sloped down and the rock on the ground. By the time we had stopped, enough had been removed that I could no longer reach through with my arms.
Mike and Sam came down to look. Looking behind us on the way out, we could see cracks in the ceiling beneath which I had been digging. Mike and Sam debated putting in scaffold bars, but it was agreed that the ceiling would have to come down to make it safe. This would also give a bit more room for manoeuvre, as currently there is not space to sit up. Moved around a ton of material this session. Out by 21.00. Freya.
Tea Party Chamber Dig Team: Mikey Waterworth and Mike Wise.
Dropped into the entrance just after 1730 with a drill and grinder in a tackle bag, two batteries in a small box and 3 x 25 litre containers 2 of which were cut as buckets and 1 as a drag tray. After some discussion at the TPC dig, including Mikey disappearing some distance into the floor, operations commenced. All references are made from the viewpoint of someone standing immediately above/in front of the dig.
4 mixes of cement were made and used to fix rocks in place in the large gap below the two large boulders at upper left.
A second horizontal bar was fixed across the front between the two uprights and wedged at each end against rock - see first photo below.
Mud, small rock and some quite large rocks were removed from the floor of the dig in the centre and right hand side. The small stuff was placed above the dig on the left to form a flattish platform and otherwise used to fill voids in the main boulder slope
Large rocks including those from the dig were placed against the new upper horizontal bar as part of our plan to build this up stage by stage to level out the main boulder slope - see video.
The cement mixes used up all the available water, all the cement except for 3/4 of one large daren drum and all the sand except for 1 bag.
We agreed that placement of two bars, one either side between the the two uprights and the two lower bars running to the hanging bedding wall (see photo 2) would be needed to further stabilise things. Also the mud and stone wall adjacent to the bedding wall on the right needs stabilising which could be done by adding more bars with pieces of GRP grid behind and stone wedged in any remaining gaps.
Before leaving we had a bit of a tidy up putting all scaffolding bits up with the red tackle bag and gathering what sand we could find into one location. We left some of the cut 25L positioned as drip collectors but in these weather conditions they are not going to collect very much.
Mikey took the drill/grinder bag up but the battery box and 3 empty daren drums were ferried one at a time by rope up the light connection. The daren drums were chained up through the more tricky parts of the exit although one did escape our care on two occasions.
In the Boulder Rift connection we found 4 tackle bags stashed. Apparently they were 1 of cement and 3 of sand.
We reached the surface hot and bothered but satisfied at 2115.
Mike Wise
Mike Kousiounis (Kushy) and Alessio Sancetta. Met at 10.00 and packed 7 bags of various materials which we got down into the cave, plus an extra bag with drill, around 10.30. We left the drill at POT and carried the remaining 7 bags through to TPC. 5 mixes made. There are now 2 bags of dust left in cave, no sand or cement. AS went through to MHH to get water and reported the tub is full and likely to fill again by tomorrow. We took 3 bags of bags out of TPC and headed back to POT. After a quick lesson in PF work AS quickly dismantled all the large boulders, leaving only 1 behind. Great draught as usual and very cold for anyone not working. Out for 1630. Mike.
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