It was one of those sites described in the Irish Sump Index from 1988, along with Pollatoomary and Fergus River Cave that I dreamt profusely about for last three years with dark, wet dreams of deep and long penetration.
I wasn't the only one. Back in 2008 Chris Jewell together with Simon Cornhill and Hilary Greaves and again in 2009 with Dave Garman tried to reach already mythical sump 10. In 2008 after 80-90m m in sump 2 the old Martyn's line “run into the rock”. Chris returned in 2009 with Dave Garman and made a bypass around that obvious line trap. Regaining Martyn's line behind the obstacle Chris continued along a steeply ascending gravel slope finding the line partially buried. There was a few centimetres slot below the ceiling a similar situation encountered by Martyn Farr in 1979. Chris started digging his way up while one of his regs developed a freeeflow and he decided to turn the dive. But the sump was almost passed, it seemed that one more trip and the treasures of Pollnagossan hidden behind the 10th sump would be reached ...
I teamed up with Chris for his 2010 Easter visit in Ireland and Pollnagossan was one of our main targets. We just needed one or two sherpas....When two days before the scheduled trip Gaelan Eliffe rang me proposing to go caving in Fermanagh I expressed a mild interest and let him step into the trap. Then I loosely mentioned Pollnagossan cave and he swallowed the hook. Sensibly no diving was mentioned.
The stage was set.
10.04.2010
Divers: Chris Jewell, Artur Kozlowski
Rigging Master and Sherpa: Gaelan Eliffe
Carrying the cylinders and the diving gear was hard as a f***( that's what she said ). First hundred meters is a crawl in a tight sharp rock rift and since we let Gaelan go ahead with the rigging gear and SRT kits each of us carried two cylinders ( 6l and 7l) plus a bag with the rest of our diving gear. After abseiling two short pitches we entered a muddy section of the cave which soon degenerated into an arduous flat out, helmets off crawl. With much groping we moved on very slowly pushing in front two cylinders or cylinder and a bag each. The sump two was reached in 2.5 on 3h which I welcomed with a much of relief. As it soon turned out I couldn't have misjudged the situation more than I had....
Following that 110m long meandering sump in 30cm visibility along a thin 2mm line laid 27 years ago without a single belay was an interesting if not a grotesque experience. We kept on.
In the limited visibility I had a quick look at the line routing at Chris's bypass and mildly satisfied I continued through a low, steeply ascending gravel slot that Chris must had excavated only minutes ago. Few seconds later I was through and surfaced behind the sump, greeted by Chris. So far so good.
An awkward rift laid beyond but we pressed on hastily looking forward an 'almost incredibly an easy walking passage alternate with a series of short sumps' as described by Martyn in 1983. But there was nothing like that – most of our way to the sump 10 was through a horrible, knee or thigh deep mud in the evil looking canals filled with a dark freezing water. Eventually we passed all 9 sumps and after 40m or so found Martyn's final belay. The end of line, the furthest point of exploration and the object of our desire for past two years.
To our huge surprise a new line started just before sump 10 and continued behind to sump 11. The air was thick with confusion and disappointment. We dived together expecting it to be short and straightforward but it wasn't. I was leading and after 70m or so I found an abandoned, half full line reel, buried in a mud just in front of some very tight chert restriction. I didn't think it was sensible to push it with two divers in the sump so I gave Chris a touch signal to turn back. On a surface I explained the situation and suggested that he would go and 'have a look'. He diplomatically declined the offer on my behalf. Shit. It was a really unpleasant sump and now I could be sure that the visibility was 0. I don't know if that's what you call a peer pressure but one thing I know for sure: I wasn't enthusiastic about going there back. But I did. We agreed 20min interval before he would follow and off I went. First thing after regaining the abandoned reel I checked if it was still in operation. It was. I sighted in despair and charged the constriction with all my force, determination and whatever else was needed , digging my way through the mud under very low and brittle chert roof and breaking the cherts with my helmet and fists. After a very low, nasty and no vis 10m I broke through in yet another chamber.
I must have been operating on a huge dose of adrenaline because it was only after I surfaced that I realised how incredibly cold I felt. Laying behind sump 11 was a canal passage , no more than 15m long. After few minutes of standing in water (5deg) I felt my feet got numb and I knew I had to start doing something. I couldn't go back because I risked I would meet Chris in a tight passage and I still had 10 or more minutes of waiting for him. I opted for pushing another sump, no 12, just to keep myself moving. I dived ahead and after 10m a reasonably spacious , 1x1m passage turned sharply to the right. Of course all of that in deep mud and 30cm vis. Having nothing to belay to I return to the dry chamber, broke a 20cmx20cm piece of chert from the wall and dived back using it as a belay point. Five meters further another sharp turn, this time to the left so back again to the surface for another “belay point”. Few meters further I could only tell by touch that situation called for yet another piece of chert but I was far from concluding which way was the way on... Back at the surface I met Chris and both shivering madly we decided we had enough for the day – we were still behind 11 sumps and it was the high time to retreat...
But the troubles only started.
Chris dived out first and I waited for a minute or so to give him a bit of room. Through the first metres of the chert constriction I couldn't believe how uncomfortably tight it was. And then my hand that follow the line hit a rock . Without being too dramatic I can only say that it must be the most terrifying experience during cave diving in blackout. I swear I would have peed in my wetsuit if I only could but I spent everything on fuelling my 'semi closed heating system'. I tried to feel the situation by touch and it seemed that a big slab of chert, 40x40m fell off from the roof and blocked the entire passage leaving an impassable 15cm gap. The first attempt to move it failed but lack of any other option mobilised my determination and inch by inch I dragged it out of my way. Happy days. The exit continued.
At the sharp left turn between sump 10 and 9 we spotted a dry ongoing passage on a slightly higher level. Beautiful bright orange stalactites were found there and a peculiar white stalagmite covered with net of red veins was christened The Bloody Dick. After some very beautiful orange stal formation the passage dropped into some crystal clear deep water but since we were completely covered with mud we decided not to push it this time. Judging from an existing survey and our sketches it must connects with the Boothrody Bits.
Our adventures were far from the end. When we reached sump 2 none of us seemed to be willing to go as a second. The 110m long sump was a nasty one, with tight and dodgy gravel slope and the Chris's bypass around the line trap. All by touch. Both of us knew it and each wanted to get out first
Finally I went first (winning with the argument that Chris knew the place better than I had). The gravel squeeze was more than awkward as it was on a steep slope down and the danger of a slide very imminent. (later it turned out that while passing it I suddenly pulled the line and Chris who was some distance behind me lost it from his grip...you can only imagine to loose 2mm line in 0 vis and 5 deg, with numb hands).
I reached the bypass, switched from Martyn's to Chris's line, passed one silt screw and.....got COMPLETELY confused....there seemed to be a junction but where I expected to see (or to feel) a tag marking the exit there was nothing. I thought I felt different thickness of line and I assumed it was Martyn's one but lack of the tag and the sharp turn (which I must admit I didn't remember) suggested to me it would lead towards the trap so I didn't dare to move along it. But at the same time the other lead of the junction turned out to be a part of the silt screw belay point. I waited for Chris but unfortunately we didn't have any touch signal for that sort of situation and it took some time before he could make any sense of what was going on.
The rest of our exit was uneventful and we reached the exit after 10.5h, 12 sumps and 23 dives
A return visit is inevitable at some stage as we left an unfinished business in the sump 12, I just need a bit of time to forget how horrible place it was...
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