KRANG WAH & Krem KRANG RIAT (Krem)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

The upper (Krem Krang Riat) and lower (Krem Krang Wah) -Cave at the Undermined Slope's Streambed- starts with several entrance pots, including an 80 to 93 m deep -Tiger Mouth Pot- (note 1), which all sooner or later drop into horizontal stream cave passages. ETYMOLOGY: -Krem Krang Wah- was understood to mean Upper Sloping Ground Cave (Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt after information from Raplang [Sukhlain?] Mss: Meghalaya Cave Log 2003, vol. XII, 11/2/04) but this is not the case. Compare the mis-interpreted Lower Sloping Ground Cave of Krem –>Krang Riat. SITUATION: The cave lies immediately below the camp [note 3] at GPS location 25°20'31- - 92°30'18.5' [note 3] … adjacent at 25°20'30.3 - 92°30'18.8- (Garmin Etrex, WGS84, acc. 10). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2004a (Jarratt 2004.02.10 Mss: Meghalaya Cave Log 2003, vol. XII): 10/2/04: … several entrance pots, one of which was free climbed to a partly open rift with a c. 5 m ladder pitch at one end. This led to c. 45 m of dry inlet passge and a c10 m ongoing pitch (Tea Pot) which was rigged with a rope. A c. 10 m length of fine horizontal passsage led to the superb second pitch (Twin Pillar Pot) of circa 25 - 30 m and a largish Jlorred chamber. A c. 5m free climb reached c. 30 m of descending -hairpin- passage to the third pitch, Carlyn's Chasms, of c. 25 m with a traverse half waydown to two undescended pots. At the bottom of a superb era-like rock eyehole provided by a superb hang for the c. 12 m Ear Hole pitch. At the bottom a descending dry streamway to the right led for about 10 m to an undescended pot and a c. 3m free climb to the left reached the head of yet another, shallower pot with a sound connection to the first. […] At the bottom of Twin Pillar Pot … a large, dry, walking sized canyon ending at yet another pitch. From the climb a sixth undescended pitch … and there is a possible aven above the climb. This series seems to be heading away from the vertical series. … not surveyed due to lack of a tape … great start to the expedition. 11/2/04 (2004.02.11): Robin and I [Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt] commenced the survey and Quentin [sometimes Cooper, sometimes Cowper] assisted. About 87 m was mapped to the head of Tea Pot. We then surveyed up to the open pot and on down to a deep shaft which Brian [MacCoitir] and Damien [Linder] had rigged –Tiger Mouth. They then changed the rigging on Tea Pot before heading off to explore their new series. We continued the survey to surface and across the field to close on the entrance of Krang Riat. After a snack and fag we carried on with the survey from the head of Tea Pot, down Twin Pillar Pot and through The Flat to the undescended pitch. Quentin managed to belay a rope… [etc]. CAVE DESCRIPTION 2004b: … within walking distance of the camp. …Krem Krang Wah… lay almost immediately downslope from the 2004 camp. Starting with an impressive 93 m deep entrance shaft christened ‘The Tigers Mouth’ due to its awesome nature it gave access to 2.2 kms of cve passage (Brooks 2004.05.11 Mss: Summary written for Descent Magazine). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2004c: Krem Krang Wah, almost immediately downslope from the 2004 camp. An impressive 93 m deep entrance shaft (The Tiger's Mouth) gave access to 2.2km of passage (BROOKS 2004a: 30). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2004d: … an extensive pothole system only some four minutes walk from camp! Krem Krang Wah (lower sloping ground cave) was a fine series of Yorkshire-style pitches and canyon passages with a miserable streamway at the bottom […] The adjacent Krem Krang Riat (upper sloping ground cave) was tied into the system and the impressive 80 m deep Tiger Mouth Pot -- part of Krem Krang Wah -- also connected to eventually yield 2252.22 metres of sporting and attractive cave (JARRATT 2004a: 26). CAVE LIFE: Bats (Chiroptera), crayfish (Crustacea), -heteropoda- spiders, a tiny snail, a centipede (Jarratt 2004.02.24 Mss: Meghalaya Cave Log 2003, vol. XII: 10/2/04).ve passage (Brooks 2004.05.11 Mss: Summary written for Descent Magazine). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2004c: Krem Krang Wah, almost immediately downslope from the 2004 camp. An impressive 93 m deep entrance shaft (The Tiger's Mouth) gave access to 2.2km of passage (BROOKS 2004a: 30). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2004d: … an extensive pothole system only some four minutes walk from camp! Krem Krang Wah (lower sloping ground cave) was a fine series of Yorkshire-style pitches and canyon passages with a miserable streamway at the bottom […] The adjacent Krem Krang Riat (upper sloping ground cave) was tied into the system and the impressive 80 m deep Tiger Mouth Pot -- part of Krem Krang Wah -- also connected to eventually yield 2252.22 metres of sporting and attractive cave (JARRATT 2004a: 26). CAVE LIFE: Bats (Chiroptera), crayfish (Crustacea), -heteropoda- spiders, a tiny snail, a centipede (Jarratt 2004.02.24 Mss: Meghalaya Cave Log 2003, vol. XII: 10/2/04).