by yvonnedroms » Dec 5, 2010 6:01 pm
(Sorry for the delay, I was away caving.)
On Friday, December 3rd, the team was very motivated because at the end of Thursday, it had been possible to empty all the water from the sump. However the sand was still there, completely clogging the sump's passage. The plan for Friday was to install a large generator at the site, in order to supplement the power grid that is too weak to be able to run all the pumps at the right voltage. Also, a special pump that can suck in water laden with heavy particles was to be brought down to remove the sand from the sump.
Two teams went down. The first one installed the communication devices and started the pump in Sump 2. The Removal of water and sand began. Luckily, the temperatures remained below freezing all day, which allowed the teams to stay in very late since the usual water increase around evening did not happen. The second team steadfastly persevered in removing sand. The ceiling rose, but it was just a pocket. A third team came in to take over. They brought supplies to blast the ceiling so they could dig out sand more easily. Various issues slowed the progress, such as pumps or tubes clogged with sand, but they were taken apart, cleaned out, and work could start again.
Late in the evening, a little window in the ceiling started forming, and with each additional shovel full of sand removed, increased in size. Finally, a caver was able to slither though it into a large passage. Sump 2 was conquered! The caver walked along on dry,sand for a little ways and arrived in a room with a diameter of about 26 to 33 feet. To the right, a small infeeder cascaded down. To the left, a passage about 6 by 6 feet led to a new sump. This Sump 3 is much more welcoming: its water is totally clear. The caver kept his reconnaissance very short, because of the risk of the water level rising unexpectedly and fast. He returned, announcing the good news to the rest of the team. It was 3:30 in the morning, and the exhausted but exhilarated team returned to the surface.
This terrible Sump 2, a passage no longer than 20 feet, had stymied all efforts since November 10. But everyone's motivation and strength finally conquered it.
(There is no report for this weekend's efforts yet, but unofficially I read that it has not yet been possible to cross Sump 2 again, due to issues with pumping, and weather: snow and rain. Equipment had to be brought back out of the cave because of the weather forecast.)
-Yvonne