Due to our last intensive caving course’s (2012) success, we decided, it is time for the next one!
After the first course, some participants decided to join us, and they are still acive members since then. The courses in this form have a friendly athmosphere, so while participants learn about caving, it’s also a better way to get known each other rather than a course held on separate days of the year.
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The reason why we chose Bükk as the location is simple. It has got a large variety of caves for every difficulty level. There are caves where rope technics is needed, there are wet caves, sometimes with lots of mud, so beginners get closer to what is caving like in real-life. Maybe there isn’t another location (in acceptable distance) where so large palette of caves can be found, and also, is ideal for camping.
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After hard work with the organization, six people joined us as participants. Not everyone was equally fit for these hikes, but at least there were two organizers and guiders as well (Dóra and me as well) who could solve problematics, for example dividing the whole team into two smaller groups if needed… During the course we also continously watched potentional parts of the caves for further exploring. Thanks to our Panasonic DMC-FT5 camera, we were able to take photos in almost every conditions.
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Reward of successful refitting: some cherries…
For practicing rope-technics, an aged cherry-tree (which seemed at least 200 years old) was the ideal place, where everyone could simultaneously try climbing, refitting, descending and everything they would need in the planned tours. The more skilled were even able to practice refitting over ties. Of course, beside the ropetechnics, everyone also learned how to go, climb, move in a cave confidently, through the hikes, which progressively got harder and harder.
Finally, in the István-lápai cave I stinted that we didn’t brought all of our accessories, and couldn’t climb the Sárkány-fal (Dragon-wall). But at least we were able to spend some time with taking pictures, and after years, gregorian songs echoed through the mighty, huge Fekete-room…
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We were for example in the Kiskőháti-cave, where the Bükk’s largest in-cave room can be found, we were washed clean by the stream before saving some fire salamanders in Pénzpataki cave, got stunned by beautiful dripstones, and huge, manganese covered walls, eaten tons of cherry while practicing some ropetechnique on the cherry-tree, sang together near the fire at night, under the clearly visible milky way…
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After saying goodbye to the mountains of Bükk, we took a hot bath at Egerszalók, which is probably going to be a tradition after some adventures in Bükk.
We finally got home at a rather late time, fully tired, to (after a short break) continue our explorations near there…
All kinds of pictures mainly from the surface:
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Szirén-cave:
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Diabáz-cave:
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Kiskőháti-cave:
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Jávorkúti-cave:
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Fekete-cave:
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István-lápai cave:
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Written by György Slíz, translation by Ákos Bereczki
