WAHLONG CAVE (Warren 2004) (aa -)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A cave entrance (8 m by 10 m wide) gives access to a pit or pothole (in February 2002 easy tree rigging) that drops 19.5 m in fluted limestone with sandstone interbeds to a more than 20 m wide debris slope leading North for some 30 m to three too small to enter drains (Zawada 2004.04.21 personal correspondence). The rope was rigged to a nearby tree and Scott volunteered to descend the 20-meter drop. Landing on a rubble slope, he called -off rope- and began searching for virgin passage. Twenty minutes later he had returned back on top with an unfortunate lack of any going leads (WARREN 2004: 253). ETYMOLOGY: No autochthonous, indigenous or locally known name has been identified for what has been christened Krem Shely (note 1) -- perhaps due to the presence of -shaly- interbeds exposed on the cave walls or, again perhaps, in honour of Shelley A. Diengdoh from Shillong Mawkhar. SITUATION 2004a: Just behind one of the houses (no owner's name mentioned) in the lower (probably south-westen) part of Wahlong village (note 2) (Zawada 2004.04.21 personal correspondence). SITUATION 2004b: In what had been in December 2002 a relatively extensive -bri- (grove, estate, farm, plantation) or -ram- (jungle cleared for cultivation) above Krem –>Lyndad Pyngkat and at a location which had been reached by following one or the other rough trail in dense jungle off the main trail (WARREN 2004: 253).A cave entrance (8 m by 10 m wide) gives access to a pit or pothole (in February 2002 easy tree rigging) that drops 19.5 m in fluted limestone with sandstone interbeds to a more than 20 m wide debris slope leading North for some 30 m to three too small to enter drains (Zawada 2004.04.21 personal correspondence). The rope was rigged to a nearby tree and Scott volunteered to descend the 20-meter drop. Landing on a rubble slope, he called -off rope- and began searching for virgin passage. Twenty minutes later he had returned back on top with an unfortunate lack of any going leads (WARREN 2004: 253). ETYMOLOGY: No autochthonous, indigenous or locally known name has been identified for what has been christened Krem Shely (note 1) -- perhaps due to the presence of -shaly- interbeds exposed on the cave walls or, again perhaps, in honour of Shelley A. Diengdoh from Shillong Mawkhar. SITUATION 2004a: Just behind one of the houses (no owner's name mentioned) in the lower (probably south-westen) part of Wahlong village (note 2) (Zawada 2004.04.21 personal correspondence). SITUATION 2004b: In what had been in December 2002 a relatively extensive -bri- (grove, estate, farm, plantation) or -ram- (jungle cleared for cultivation) above Krem –>Lyndad Pyngkat and at a location which had been reached by following one or the other rough trail in dense jungle off the main trail (WARREN 2004: 253).