Page 121 - AGC-Journal-2016

AGC JOURNAL 2016

Marissa Trying to Go Caving

‘Marissa’ is a vehicle of unknown age Caving expeditions in Meghalaya had,
(between 30 and 40 years) and many in the past, a political edge where the
quirks. She never had a handbrake (chocks expedition reports were taken by local
of stone make a good alternative) and groups, keen to support conservation, to
the Indian roads had taken its toll on the address the widespread problems caused
systems that remained. Barry Lawton by unregulated coal mining. This year the
always arrives a week early and works atmosphere was different. As the vehicles
hard repairing her brakes, engine and drove down the dust track roads, there
transmission ensuring that she is safe. was a noticeable lack of overloaded coal
Less essential systems however were a little trucks and the impact of broad, state
hit and miss. This year the fuel gauge wide, legislation appeared to be effective.
optimistically showed full as we set out… However, in India, politics can be very
and still full some hours later. Half way local. Despite delegations and letters
to Mawsynram she faltered and a hastily written, the village head man in the centre
improvised stick showed the fuel tank was of the unexplored limestone, refused us
empty. permission to explore.

Late that evening, some hours after the Going Caving
Lisette de Graauw in Krem Mawpun four wheel drive vehicles, Marissa rolled
into the campsite. The camp this year
anywhere else on Earth, averaging nearly was a series of platforms cut from the Krem Phud Rangshriew Entrance. Dave Cooke abseils
for the first time into an unexplored cave
12 metres per year. We were exploring in jungle hillside showing, if the view were
the ‘dry’ season. Once again, the team was ever to clear of mist and fog, the plains
truly international with nine nationalities of Northern Bangladesh. Contrary to
coming together with our Indian colleagues previous expeditions in which the catering
and friends to form a team of 27 cavers support team were integral to the camp,
and cave scientists. this year we had chosen to use the local
village to provide cooked meals. With the
The Indian expedition leader, Brian kitchens separated from the camp, we
Kharpran Daly, allowed his house in missed the team who had supported us So, the expedition turned its attentions
Shillong to be turned into a whirlwind so well in previous years. The benefit of north toward the steep ridges between the
of kit, greetings and loading as the three supporting the local economy, however, camp and Mawsynram. Some caves had
four wheel drive vehicles were stacked was hoped to build a greater trust with the been explored in these areas in the early
with personal kit. Marissa, the four wheel locals, raising their enthusiasm to share days of the expedition in 1994 and there
drive Tata truck owned by the expedition, reports of possible cave entrances. remained potential. The only difference
shouldered the generators and heavy between this and other Meghalayan
equipment and began her five hour drive caving was that the rock was sandstone,
south. not limestone, and we were uncertain of
the size, length or formation of caves in
this rough and crumbling rock.

My first day’s exploration showed how
caves are always changing – sometimes
dramatically. I started on a cave which
had been spotted on a recce the previous
year. Entering through a new entrance
by the path, we descended into the
streamway. Picking up on the survey
markings from the previous year we
were able to match this with the map
with the tantalising question mark at the
end. Inward and upstream we moved to
unknown territory. Returning that night
with over 200 metres of new passage
surveyed we realised this would require
a bigger team (and fresh batteries for the
survey kit).
Barry Lawton on the left and Dave Cooke on the right near the entrance in Krem Puri

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