I was introducing a new person to our activities, and so I decided to revisit a drain I didn’t have much opportunity to explore properly on the first trip: the Chedoke Falls Drain. Remembering that it had been relatively clean and accessible, I decided it would be an excellent introduction to the art of sewering.
We entered the same way as “Brian” and I had last time, by lopping a length of rope around a tree near the Chedoke Falls, and using it to support ourselves as we crept up into the drain mouth. Once inside, we followed a large rectangular passage for some time, perhaps 2km, before encountering a junction with two smaller R.C.P. style drains, at which point I knew I was now entering new territory.
We chose the course to the right, only because it seemed slightly larger, and thus more interesting. Our progress was slowed considerably by the new shape of the tunnel, and as it gradually shrunk down to a tight 1600mm, I had to walk (shuffle) with my head bent to avoid brushing it against a wide variety of mineral deposits.
Whether by design or malfunction, the Chedoke Falls Drain (moreso the Chedoke Creek Drain at this point) receives into it considerably more groundwater than any storm sewer I’ve been in since. While this made our passage somewhat cold and damp, it also produced some incredible mineral deposits, which you can see to the right. Thousands of small stalactites covered the ceiling of the drain, while every so often around a particually porous point, we would encounter some that descended as much as 8 inches. Watch our heads we did.
There were also some very impressive “slides” (for lack of a better word) where groundwater had entered the drain through seams in its sides, leaving large broad sections calcium buildup that spilled down from the walls and onto the floors. You can see photos of many of the types of formations encountered to the right
After spending a good four or five hours exploring the numerous side-passages and documenting the formations, the discomfort in our necks got the best of us, and we headed back. To save the rick of exiting out by the waterfall, we popped open a manhole about 300 ft. from the lip of the falls, and found ourselves in a field with a women’s softball league. Those who noticed us seemed quite surprised.
Photography
What this drain lacked in physical structure, it well made up for with its impressive formations. Unfortunately, most of these mineral accumulations were very distant from natural light, and I was hesitant to use a flash, for fear for ruining the rich subsurface textures that these formations exhibited. For those reasons, I chose to light the majority of these photos with only two handheld flashlights. Each photo you will see to your right took between five and ten tries to get an acceptable balance between its brightness and clarity.
Aside from the mineral formations, I experimented with a few long exposure shots of people walking through the circular passages, one of which I was quite happy with, and you can also see to the right.