Saturday saw Mark, Brendan
and I heading up to OFD Top Entrance with camera gear, SRT kits and rope. We
planned to visit a little-visited part of the cave called Splash Inlet, which
involves 3 pitches and some route finding, with the promise of quite a bit of
passage to be found.
We made good time to the
Skyhook pitch, pulled the rope up after us, and from the top we made our way
past the formations to the top of the first pitch down towards Splash Inlet. Struggling
through tight, rifty traverses and along crawls with all the tackle quickly
lost its appeal, and we wished we had a few more friends along to share the
load.
Once down the pitch we rigged
the second pitch from natural anchors and were soon at the start of Splash
Inlet. Following the inlet itself was less than inviting as it involved a
squeeze in water, so we decided to explore the other passages.
Heading right led us to some
interesting passages, but it was when we explored the passage on the left that
we really found some treasures. Brendan and I found some beautiful crystal
formations up a tight rifty passage, but when we went to get Mark to show him,
he had disappeared up some knarly horrible passage. When he came back, he was
full of enthusiasm for what he had found, and insisted we follow him.
The passage turned out to be
not as bad as it seemed, and after a few twists and turns we came upon the
cause of Mark’s excitement – we were standing above the main stream way, at
Marble Showers! Not only that, but as the stream was in flood conditions, the
water looked absolutely amazing, pouring down from all directions.
Excitedly, the boys started
planning camera angles, but as time was running away from us and they had left
their camera boxes a few junctions back, we decided that we would leave all the
tackle and camera gear where it was, and return the next day for a decent
photoshoot, hopefully with more people to help carry the kit!
 |
| Aven Near Mutiny Junction (Photo Mark Burkey) |
 |
| Aven Near Mutiny Junction (Photo Brendan Marris) |
Trip Report Jess
No comments:
Post a Comment