Sapek Chiring

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A seasonal stream, which sinks at the head of a karstified limestone surface (note 1) with estimated up to 20 m deep grikes (grykes, karren), disappears into a clean-washed, wide but low streamway passage that had been choked (February 2008) with flood debris and emitted a noteworthy air current. ETYMOLOGY: The Garo -chiring- means a sink or sinkhole (insurgence, swallet, swallow hole) and -sapek- is either the name of the disappearing stream or of the peak .369 m asl shown near N25°20'06”: E090°36'21” (WGS84 modified from N25°20'04”: E090°36'31” Everest 1830) on the Survey of India sheet 78-K/11 (edition 1973). SITUATION: According to Harper (2008.02.18 Mss: Sapek Chiring.pdf), a local guide is essential to explain the whereabouts of the Sapek Chiring as it was understood to lie somehow near one of the nine distinct Nengkhong villages in the vicinity of the confluence (N25°18'13”: E090°36'52” WGS84) of the Chibe River and the Rongdik. According to the recorded GPS positio (note 2), however, the cave entrance to Sapek Chiring lies only 46 m in a direct line approximately north-east (27.8 m north, 36.4 m east) from –>AA Cave (Harper 2008) no. 24 (but vertically about 30 m lower down) but at linear distances of almost 600 m approximately north-west from –>Dikkakol and 1.2 km north of the village of Nengkhong Sholadugiri (N25°19'25”: E090°35'35” WGS84) and 3.6 km NNW from Nengkhong Rangmatma (N25°18'15”: E090°36'35” WGS84). CAVE DESCRIPTION: The main shaft, which is obviously the sink for a large stream in wet weather, can be descended by a careful free climb, (or more prudently 5 m free climb and 15 m abseil), or by scrambling down the subsidiary shaft 15 m to the south-east to reach the floor of a large daylight rift passage. At the end of this passage is a 3 m free climb down into a clean- washed bedding passage, 0.9 by 2.5 m, which can be followed west for approximately 40 m to a flood debris choke, with a very strong draught (Harper 2008.02.1 Mss: Sapek Chiring.pdf). TACKLE: For anybody going to investigate the sink in dashing drill ground style, Harper (2008.02.18 Mss: Sapek Chiring.pdf) orders to consider 50 m rope advisable to protect free-climbs or for abseil. CAVE CLIMATE: Rob Harper (2008.02.18 Mss: Sapek Chiring.pdf) or Keith Sanderson noticed at an air current (no time mentioned) and recorded a very strong draught with no specified flow direction. Mss: Sapek Chiring.pdf). TACKLE: For anybody going to investigate the sink in dashing drill ground style, Harper (2008.02.18 Mss: Sapek Chiring.pdf) orders to consider 50 m rope advisable to protect free-climbs or for abseil. CAVE CLIMATE: Rob Harper (2008.02.18 Mss: Sapek Chiring.pdf) or Keith Sanderson noticed at an air current (no time mentioned) and recorded a very strong draught with no specified flow direction.