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Digging in Alabama

A

Amy

Active member
Well i may have failed in inspiring our grotto to do actual projectsbut that wont stop me. Three of us plus my cavedog went ridgewalking and found something blowing air :)
https://youtu.be/q8i8Nv3XzZk
 
Oh and next time we go we are taking our hand drill and bolts :p

Some of us are pro-no-pads where it works especially in cave. ;) the second drop pribabh cant it is all flowstone and formations but the third drop (not in video) seriously needs a bolt.
 
We take rope rub more seriously as we have thinner ropes so rope protectors are used both up and down. Your right its less while going down but if you think about it and the person moves horizontally while descending it could slice horizontally on a sharp rock or something.

(Not seen video yet).
 
Alex said:
We take rope rub more seriously as we have thinner ropes so rope protectors are used both up and down. Your right its less while going down but if you think about it and the person moves horizontally while descending it could slice horizontally on a sharp rock or something.
Click to expand...

This wasn't the video I was looking for but still pretty scary...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmIhi7FiaKw

The rope will also rub and and down (admittedly not a lot on static) if you unload the rope for a non--free-hanging abseil (e.g. if you have to keep pushing off stuff).
 
The first drop with the lower it didnt go were we planned hence line being off after all tight squeezy hole. Not much rub though and over smooth rock nothing sharp. Fixed before continuing on the second after the ledge. Second drop with the velcro pad - conversation "want me to put it on?" "Naw it is pretty smooth and a pita to do, ill put it on before i rappel". Did and done.

To get her down the 3rd drop i lowered her on webbing munter through a carabiner in my harness as a meat anchor. Lol your point? First in exploration isnt always neat and tidy. Where the rope wants to lay isnt known for sure and there are no bolts in place yet. I thought ya all knew this shit. Or do you just leave passage until you go back home and get bolts another day?!? Lol.
 
On expeditions we generally have a drill for bolts, failing that for a quick look down a new hole an electron ladder or two (rub does not really matter if you use ladders). Failing that can always put bolts in by hand-bolting. But I have been guilty of myself once on expo, having once descended a tight hole I realised I did not want to go back up. I presumed from looking at our surveys earlier that this hole would connect to the known system below me, which I could exit by. So I took a risk and kept going down despite rub this was creating (Although I had a drill it was not working that day).  I had pinned my hopes on the connection being passible and the survey being right. Thankfully they were and I got all the way down by three pitches, dropping some 30m or so on the same rope with a few rocks and stals used as anchors I was out at the bottom made my way back round via the outside world back to the upper cave to reach my bemused companions.
 
Organized expeds sure.

We have a hand drill. And were working on digging the thing open still. We are well aware of our ropes abilities and we dont freak the f*** out at rope touching rock like you do. Deal.

I shall apend this I guess:
PSA: NO ROPES WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS VIDEO

happy now? Sheesh!

I realize ya all are just jealous you cant find things in your proverbial backyard less than 10/15 min from your house by the hundreds of feet there anymore and measure in inches...i mean...centimeters.  :tease:
 
Amy said:
I realize ya all are just jealous you cant find things in your proverbial backyard less than 10/15 min from your house by the hundreds of feet there anymore and measure in inches...i mean...centimeters.  :tease:
Click to expand...

True - but British cavers do find things in China, Viet Nam and other places which are slightly bigger...  :tease:
 
Got more rock out, air still blowing, need to go back with some better passage mod supplies.

https://youtu.be/Za-FWT7E_KA
 
Amy,

Why didn't you place a second bolt at the opposite wall so that you can make an y-hang. We always try to place double bolt. Especially at the top of a pitch.

Just a question.
 
paul said:
Alex said:
Do you guys do capping out there?
Click to expand...
They do, but call it micro-shaving.
Click to expand...
A lot of US cavers are moving from "microshaving" with hilti caps,  to "straws" or "muzzmining" or whatever term they choose to describe their homemade propellent/drinking straw/stemming/remotely sparked "passage modification". Safer, with bigger results.
 
microshaving - poping blanks
Straws - loading up straws (McDonald ones work great) with powder
Microblasting - stacking as many as needed to pop the rock :p

It is a 6 ft drop free, no need for a Y hang. Also more rock removal needs to happen. Also the other wall is coated in flowstone and is shit for a bolt. Also wtf two bolts when one will do? We hand drill. I aint making a Y hang for an almost freeclimb drop

Yes, "capping" is the next step that "flake not a flake" has to go.
 
Hmm, handdrilling a bolt is indeed harder than placing one with a drill. When we are exploring (PSM - Anialarra system) we always have a drill with us. Placing a bolt with a drill takes a minute or so :-)  We have several drills in our club: two hilti's tea6, a heavy Bosch and a lightweight Bosch. The ligthweight Bosch is especially bought for bolting, a typical -400m cave on the psm requires 40-60 bolts.

But if you start capping you will have a drill with you and  then an extra bolt is  quickly set even for a 6 foot drop :-) If the opposite wall is not ok then a 2nd bolt on the same side as where you already placed one is also usefull and saver.

BR
 
Looks like a great project, best of luck with it...

Have you any caves nearby? And what is the potential, such as distance & depth to the resurgence?
 
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