Galacijevka Cave Ghost, from the color composition by Primož Jakopin, 2016-2017
Most images are approximately 768 x 1024 pixels in size, numbers in front of the picture descriptions are serial numbers of the original photo files. With participation of Metod Di Batista, Marjan Juvan - Manč, Marjan Baričič, Marko Vogrič - Mare and Neja Kramer (his granddaughter), Andrej Puc - Fofr and Maksim Košir - Ičo.
Page, texts and photos copyright (c) Primož Jakopin - Klok 2024.
Quite a few Radošca cave instances slowly emerged during this diary and
to avoid confusion and clarify the matter the author decided to wrap it up in the following
observations.
The Rado Radešček Collapse Doline (Radeščkova udornica in Slovenian) is named after one of the
most enthousiastic diggers of the terminal passage in Najdena jama in the winter 1962/1963. Clearing it was a
breakthrough which transformed Najdena from a 200-meter cave to the principal cave of the area nowadays,
with the length of 5 kilometers. The doline is located 150 meters NNE from the Najdena jama entrance,
on the surface it is about 30 m long and 20 meters wide and spreads more or less in the
Dinaric direction (here ESE to WNW).
According to data, available to France Šušteršič,
doline is even less distant to Najdena jama tunnels, it comes to within 60 meters
horizontally (NNE) and its bottom to 40 meters (above) the Kamin naših cen (Chimney
of our prices), right center in
this map.
Moreover, after findings by Šušterič, the main wall above the doline bottom follows the WSW-ENE oriented
geological fault, the same fault observed at Kamin naših cen in Najdena
jama (the wall in the background of
this
photo).
Doline was known, admired and often visited by Rado Radešček, and was therefore
named in his memory by the veteran section of DZRJL, Ljubljana Cave Exploration
Society. The main driving force behind this naming was the late Janez
Kanoni - Žan.
Radeščkova udornica has several winter blowholes (patches of the surface where the snow
melts quickly in the winter), indicators of hollow (cave) space below. Four of them have now
been excavated. Chronologically it all began in the year 2009 with
Radošca (cave registry number 11916, in further text named
Radošca 1) in the eastern corner of the doline's edge, abandoned in 2011, followed in 2011 by
the Skrivni vhod mame Luše (SVML, Secret Entrance of Mom Luša - pron.
Lusha, in memory of his late mother), in the middle of the SSE-SSW side doline wall; the worksite
was abandoned the same year.
In 2016 excavation in Radošca 1 resumed, and was abandoned for the second time
in 2019 in favor of digging in Radošca 2, at the bottom of the collapse,
below the highest (6 meters) wall, in the middle of the WSW-WNW doline side. In
December 2023 digging in Radošca 2 was abandoned, in favor of
Radošca 3. Its entrance is 3 meters to the SSW and 2 meters below Radošca 1.
Radošca 1 was first
excavated by Jernej Petrovčič - Jerko and his team (Peter Japelj - Pero and Janez Kanoni - Žan)
between June 18 and 20, 2009. At the beginning it was named Plahutalnik (the Flutterer).
The excavation proceeded sporadically till the length of 12 and
depth of about 6 meters, reached in the summer of 2011, when the worksite was abandoned.
SVML was discovered early in 2011, on a cold winter day, during the search for hot spots
in Lanski vrh with a thermovision camera, by Jožek Košir - Cox. In the spring of 2011 digging started
by Jožek Košir - Cox's team (including Gašper Košir, Cox's son, Herman Brvar
and, a few times, the author of these lines). One of the field trips is
documented in this video. It is 11 minutes long
and was made by the author. At the end of the summer further work was abandoned.
The length reached was 12 meters, at a depth of 5 meters.
Galacijevka Cave Ghost, from the color composition by Primož Jakopin, 2016-2017
The veteran section of DZRJL was, in earnest, established after the watershed
lecture in December 2014, titled Lipertova jama - research and findings in the last year
(Lipertova jama - raziskave in odkritja v zadnjem letu). Four
not-so-young reputable members of the society explained their views to the
solving of the 100-year old puzzle, where to search for the long-lost pearl of
Central-Slovenia karst. The generation of society members, most active in the
late sixties of the past century, has come into retirement age, into their mid-sixties. It
was high time to embark on some cave exploration project which would not be
top-notch and bone-breaking, but would still produce tangible results.
The area of operation was known - Lanski vrh in general, surroundings of
Najdena jama in particular and the intensive brainstorming established
Galacijevka, cave
registry number 3472, as the excavation site. The cave, in the vicinity of
Najdena jama and so of Lipertova jama, too, was developed from a
blowhole into a 20-meter deep cave by DZRJL in 1970 and ended with a very drafty passage,
too narrow to pass. From January to May 2016 a team of 23 participants, some
more active, some less, managed to break three narrow sections of the cave
tunnels, in 20 field trips, to reach - not the elusive Lipertova jama, but the bottom of Mihlerjeva
štirna (Michler's fountain) in Najdena jama. The famous cave got its third
entrance. In the spring of 2016 the veterans also built a shelter in the vicinity of
Najdena jama, a wooden shack with a large table and benches around it, with a
wood burning stove and a kitchen corner. It served as a base for all the
further work, and was especially useful in the winter and in case of bad weather. It made coming to or
from Najdena jama, changing clothes into caving gear and vice versa, having a snack before
and after cave action, a pleasant experience. Lanski vrh obtained a home you
always like to return to.
The achievement of a lifetime did not quite materialize in Galacijevka but the result
was very encouraging and Jerko's excavation site in Radeščkova udornica,
abandoned in 2011, was chosen as the next project. From the summer 2016 to the end
of June 2020 140 field trips took place and Radošca 1 achieved 27 meters in
length and 16 meters in depth. On June 21, 2017, the 46th excavation day, the
tunnel has hit the Radošca collapse. Strong draft, present all the way down from the
entrance to this point, ceased to be concentrated in one direction. It
dispersed in the collapse, the continuation tunnel, dug between the solid wall
and the collapse, had little to no draft. After further three years of work the
opinion settled in that any further efforts in Radošca 1 would be in vain.
The survey of Radošca 1 showed that the cave crawled below the main wall
of the Radošček collapse doline, on its western side. The place below the middle of the wall
is also the deepest point of the doline itself. So why not to try the luck at
this point? There was no draft, no blowhole, but the idea was so tempting
that the new, third excavation site, Radošca 2, was opened here, in June 2020.
After Radošca 1 and SVML, both close to the doline top. The works proceeded
till December 2023, to the depth of 23 meters. Horizontal distance is small
as the excavation shaft spiralled down between the (never ending)
western wall and the collapse. Mine-like supports, in the form of spruce beams and
5 cm thick spruce boards, connected with 25 x 4 mm galvanized earthing iron
strips were installed to keep the collapse rocks in place.
View from the bottom of the cave up the excavated pit, August 3, 2023
There are several steps between the shaft sections which made the
hauling up of excavated material more difficult, as it required that the steps
be manned to help the bucket on the rope pass through, a larger digging team.
Any side chamber or, better, side tunnel, would be a great relief as it would
provide space for the badly needed depot. But there was none.
The age of participating veterans also increased, from mid 60s to mid 70s, one
of us, Marjan, part of the 4M skeleton crew (Metod, Manč, Marjan, Mare)
surpassed the 80-year mark some time ago.
But there were also bright moments. Probably the most remarkable was the
discovery of elk or wapiti (Cervus canadensis) antlers in May 2022. Manč
stumbled upon them at the depth of 12 meters during the digging and, remarkable as it is,
among all the big and mighty rocks the antlers and the elk's forehead were mostly intact.
Senior researcher Irena Debeljak from the Ivan Rakovec Institute of Paleontology,
part of the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, determined the deer family
(long ago extinct in Europe) and approximate age, between 26.500 and 11.500 years.
Wapiti antlers, May 18, 2022
Early in December 2023, Marko Vogrič scanned the surface area above Radošca 1 with a thermal
camera and discovered a new hot spot. In two "single" actions, he excavated the entrance to a room from
which the strong current of air was coming, with a "cave" temperature of 9 degrees C.
As already stated, the entrance is 3 meters to the SSW and 2 meters below Radošca 1.
Radošca 2 worksite was abandoned and on December 14 the whole DZRJL veteran's team started to work at
the new site, named Radošca 3.
53203. Mare's dog Aska, of Alaskan Malamute breed
53204. View to the west across the entrance towards the cave Radošca 2, across the Radešček collapse doline, in the upper center is the awning that covers the entrance to Radošca 2
53205. View from the south across the entrance to Radošca 3 with Marjan, the rock in the upper middle is above the entrance to Radošca 1.
53206. Metod in the cave entrance
53207. View from the bottom of the entrance step towards the surface, Marjan
53208. View from the passage to the next pit towards the entrance bottom
53210. View from the same point into the deep where Metod is widening the passage to the continuation.
53209. Metod with a drill, closer view
53211. There is only room for two on the worksite (currently Metod and Manč), the others are gathered around the entrance: Mare, Marjan and Neja.
53212. View of the entrance from below, Neja and Mare
53213. Neja in the entrance of Radošca 1
53215. View from the path towards Članska vas to the south, with Planinska gora and the sun
Related pages:
Križna jama, January 1, 2024
Skednena jama and Pod stenami, January 11 and 13, 2024
This page, text and photos by Primož Jakopin,
member of the Ljubljana Cave Exploration Society (DZRJL).
Send inquiries and comments to primoz jakopin guest arnes si
(insert dots and at sign as appropriate).
Page initiated on January 18, 2024, expanded several times up to January 23,
continued on May 4; date of the last change: May 8, 2024.
URL: https://www.jakopin.net/primoz/slike/2024/PJ20240104_en.php
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