18894. Franc helped Janez.
Images are approximately 533 x 800 in size, numbers in front of picture descriptions are serial numbers of the originals (2048 x 3072 pixels). Full names of persons in the pictures: Claudio Bratoš, Jaka Jakofčič, Jure Jakofčič and Jasmina Rijavec, Janez Marinšek, Franc Bizjak and Vasja Zaman. Names of cave parts have been given by the author, labels view in and view out are the view direction, either from the entrance to the end of the cave or vice versa. Photo and copyright (c) Primož Jakopin - Klok 2013, unless stated differently in the picture description.
18894. Franc helped Janez.
18900. Jure and
18895. Jasmina were surveying the cave, from the rear syphon back to the front syphon. There were 362 meters of the polygon, height difference being 18 metrov. Water level in the rear syphon was 9.5 meters lower than the water level in the front syphon.
18899. Janez was climbing chimneys. In the last chimney (the one closest to the rear syphon) he followed the air current and climbed to an opening. He partly closed it with his head and the draught turned into thunder. On the hill above this part of the cave there is a large blowhole, it has been dug to a depth of over 10 meters. Further work was abandoned by the lack of space for excavated material. So above the middle floor of the cave, explored now, another, older and higher level must also exist.
18906. Claudio took care for easier passage through the cave, very much appreciated on the way back.
18907. Jaka was the excursion CEO, and also provided the steep passages with auxiliary rigging.
18909. Vasja explored the side tunnels, to discover an eventual continuation.
18902. Klok strived, to the best of his abilities, to get to the end of the cave and back. He also managed to take some pictures (this picture was made by Jure Jakofčič).
18903. Recent explorations ended at the rear syphon, at the bottom of the final shaft. The tunnel that leads to the shaft, has decent dimensions, and is very much like tunnels in Najdena jama - mud and water at the bottom, side banks dry clay, ceiling and walls part rock, part concretions. The picture is a view in: Jasmina is moving to the next point, she and Jure were surveying the cave in return direction.
18904. Franc and Jasmina on the turn where the climb to the mentioned chimney opens up at right, view out
18905. View in, Franc below the chimney
18910. View out to a narrow passage with stone blades. Cave is, in many places, very much like Čolniči cave, recently explored at Cerkniško jezero. Yet unlike Čolniči, which is a resurgence cave, here the walls are not black, but of normal cave colour. In places one can move along with the bag on the shoulders, in places it is possible to carry the bag at the side, but there are also narrow passages, uneasy to pass alone, and so much more difficult with a bag. There are, however, no extreme squeezes, so-called eco-passages.
18912. Franc in one of the wider places, view in
18913. Jasmina is surveying the next point (to out). Bright spots upper right and the reflection of Jure headlight.
18914. View out to top of the climb from the previuous picture, Jasmina. The passage is steep, narrow and oval, luckily there are some stone knives in the floor and in the walls, good for foot- and handholds.
18916. A bit further in the cave, after the front syphon, the cave widens and there is a nice big rock in the hall. View out, Janez and Claudio (left to right).
18917. View in the cave from the rock, Claudio.
18918. View in, from the same standpoint, Janez and Claudio.
18919. Rock in the hall, view in, Jaka, Vasja, Franc and Janez (Claudio is hidden behind Janez)
18920. View in, green light comes from the flash in the continuation tunnel.
18922. View in to the syphon, illuminated from the traverse by Jaka. Claudio and Stojan, Slovenian cavers from Triest, managed to dry this syphon out using a long hose (100 meters) in the eighties of the past century and opened the way to further explorations. Syphon was dried out again in 1990, and never again to date. This year the passage through the fissure above the syphon has been made, drying out the syphon is no longer necessary.
18923. Jasmina on the traverse that leads over the syphon to the tunnel behind it, view in.
For some time now there is a newt in the syphon - it can be seen in the above movie clip.
18925. View out from the drop in the cave entrance, Jaka at left. The cave is most
interesting, after seven excursion in the past month (7., 10., 13., 21. and 29. August, 4. and 7. September), members of six grottos, from Slovenia and Italy, the cave is now second longest in Matarsko podolje, after Dimnicem, well over a kilometer in length. Hopes for further discoveries after the next dry period are high after the recent opening of an upper bypass at the end of the old part of the cave. Lower passage is closed after every major rain and was this reopened after over 20 years. From now on it will be possible to open it in no time.
18926. The inn is known after the Leskovac, Serbia specialties. Grilled meat rolls (čevapčiči in Slovenian), in the picture Janez is holding a normal-size plate, are nearly as big as sausages.
At the entrance of Three hearts abyss (- 606 m), Aug 30
Orlek Blowhole above Jezerine, Oct 5
