After our failure to find the link between Cave of the Wild Mare and Torca la Vaca using the easy way in through wild mare we have decided to go in the back way through Torca. This will get us to the downstream sump we didn’t have time to dive last time out but it is a lot harder work. Yesterday evening we went in and rigged the cave. Today we moved two sets of dive kit in and down to the kitting up area. It was a leisurely trip taking just over five hours and included several picture and video breaks. Once we have finished moving the kit Jim placed two bolts from which we hung ladders. The first is reached by traversing along from the kitting up area and should allow us to get into the water without climbing down a sharp rift and damaging our equipment. The second is positioned in the upstream end of the buttermere canal section and will be used to get over a closing in the passage cross section and down the other side to the upstream sump that we think feeds the canal and may connect with sumps further into the cave. We both feel that we have just about earned our 1 euro wine tonight.
Our second day in Torca la Vaca started well with a simple light weight trip in to Buttermere where we kitted up at the base of the pitch and climbed the ladder down into the canal. We floated downstream to find the dive line from last year and swam through to Eely Mud Eye chamber. The water level was slightly up on so the whole place looked a little different. We looked around for a few minutes trying to find a way of crossing the chamber without getting out of the water. We failed but the search will go on during future visits; why would we want to cave when there is the chance of a gently swim? At the far side of the chamber Jim tied on to a boulder and went to explore the passage that we thought was a sump. Swimming for about 5 m in a very wide bedding Jim surfaced in a very muddy rift closing down at one end and ending in a boulder choke at the other with an arch straight ahead. Both of us de-kitted to investigate a passage going off from the small area beyond the arch. It turned out to be a very muddy inlet which was pushed upstream through a duck to crawling sized passage going off. This was left as it was clearly off route. Back in the main rift we climbed the boulder choke to find a link to another rift containing breakdown and several possible ways on. Each was looked at and the last one took us up through more stacked boulders to a larger rift several meters high with water at the bottom. The rift was divided by a flake which we walked along the top of and then dropped down it’s left side onto a massive wedged boulder (that proved to be the key to route finding in the interlinking rifts) held in place by a few cobbles located at all the important places. Overlooking the key boulder is a lovely round tube formed on a rift fault. Climbing down below the boulder we regained the water and investigated various ways on. The first went blind but the second took us around a corner and the unexpected sight of the dive line at the far end of the sump of the wild eels. We had made the connection! Jubilation and a handshake followed. On the way back we tried several different routes through our new discovery but always end up back at the key boulder. We think there may be an underwater route through but then maybe we are being lazy and optimistic. After a timely exit we are now back at base planning tomorrows trip. Clearly we need to survey the find to try and fix the two caves together and there is the possibility of the first through trip. The 1 Euro wine is flowing well tonight and we have decide to call our find the AGM bypass because of a meeting we have missed whilst out here.
Today’s plan was complex. We went in the dry route with refilled cylinders, survey kit and a ladder. Our aim being to leave the SRT kits on the rope at the base of the Torca la Vaca pitch, have a look at the upstream sump in Buttermere and then go downstream into Eely Mud Eye chamber where we would start surveying out towards the connection with Wild Mare. How we had to move bits of equipment about in Buttermere to achieve this was enough to give us both headaches. All went well to start off with and Jim got into the water on the other side of the mud back in upstream Buttermere. He followed a large sumped passage for about 15 m going off to the left looking upstream. This surfaced in a rift. On the right hand side of the rift was a cascade over boulders. Above this was a large cobble floored stream passage ending in a clear blue sump turning off to the right. Jim then returned and we headed off down stream into Eely Mud Eye where we started surveying (hoping that we would make a better job than we did last time) we also managed to find a quick route through the chamber without getting out of the water. From Eely we dived through to the start of AGM Bypass and continued our survey work in the rift at the start of the climb up into the higher level of the boulder collapse area. Route finding and time pressure then caught up with us and we abandoned surveying to find the simplest route through the boulders for our dive kit. After moving a boulder or two we created a breakthrough window that allowed us to lower gear back down to water level and avoid an exposed climb down with kit. From there we were able to take a direct (underwater route) to the terminal chamber of Wild Mare. The dive out through Sump of the Wild Eels was very pleasant if a little gloomy as we were travelling in the silt cloud that we had created by our days activities. Near the start of the sump a side passage was spotted – it gave itself away by the flow of clear water. Upon surfacing Jim had a look for interesting undercuts but returned rapidly to report that “we are not alone”, apparently the Eel he had meet was far less cute and considerably larger than the previous one. We then completed the through trip from Torca la Vaca to Cave of the Wild Mare. Later on we popped in to see Juan and hand over our survey data and discuss the upstream sump in Buttermere that Jim had dived. In all likelihood the passage Jim surfaced in was the Whitworth series. This is very welcome to us because the main aim of finding the link between Wild Mare and Torca la Vaca is to provide an easy route in to the sumps further into Torca la Vaca. A long days caving is now being capped off with 1 Euro wine – which tastes fabulous!
Skeletor?
Sorry Pete, incorrect, you have clearly forgotten how base caver humour is 😳
(You could always ask Tish)
I’ll get my coat…
Its the anorexic porn star. Could name it nothing else when we first saw it. Carnt think of a better one. good luck with the dive. If you are still there just past the bollard in the upper series same level as porn star is an undescended pitch. peter
And Colin is in the firing line.
➡ ➡ I’ll get my coat
Rach, you won’t find your coat, I have it over here to use as protection if needed 😯
Hi Peter, thanks for the comment. Sadly we only have a few days left and we have the surveying to do. It would be nice to look at the pitch if we get time.
Congratulations on making the breakthrough! :clap: :clap: I bet Jim was excited!
yep 😀 its taken a few years to fall in to place, we are grateful to everyone who has helped: Andy Pingle for telling us about the sumps, the original team that carrier the gear down the year bad weather washed the downstream dive out and for Juan for running the expedition. And of course Penny for putting up with us visiting and taking up Juan’s time. 😉