vae1342
New member
Going in Circles
On Cardiff?s Halloween freshers? weekend, myself, Mesh, Alex and Beth headed off with great enthusiasm to attempt the Outer Circle trip in Aggy. With a description rapidly copied out of a caving book that morning after intentions to do the grand circle fell through, Mesh informed me it would be a ?Mesh and Alex special?, with the warning that I should have no intention of being back at the hut for any sort of reasonable hour.
Our group lead the way into the cave, followed by a group of freshers from Cardiff on their way to the music stand. We speedily made our way through the entrance series, straight past the passage down into the main stream-way and were very confused when we immediately reached a dead end. We retraced our steps and believed we?d found the way on. Headlights up ahead told us we had encountered another group. It quickly became apparent that this was Cardiff?s other group, but how did they get past us? Surely they couldn?t have gotten this far ahead just from our short detour?...As it turns out, no, they couldn?t. We had happily turned round and headed back straight the way we?d come in, obliviously making our way back through the entrance series on our way to some premature sunlight.
At this point, two groups were wandering, crouching, crawling and squinting to try and find the way down into the stream-way. Meanwhile, one fresher decided this would be the optimum moment to take a cave selfie?on their phone. How did a fresher manage to get their phone into the cave? I do not know. The phone was swiftly confiscated and stored safely in a Darren drum, with some laughing and disbelief that an iPhone had made it in a pocket.
Finally finding the way on, we bid the music stand trip farewell ? and one of our team members who had decided being lost once was more than enough and swiftly jumped ship to the other group - and continued down the stream-way. Not to fear though at our lack of a team member, we later bumped into yet another Cardiff group and acquired their member Rich. Rich had done the trip before and ?Couldn?t tell us the way, but might be able to say if we were in the wrong place? (thanks for that gem Rich). Rich also had a very helpful survey of the whole of Aggy in a small area in the centre of an A4 sheet of paper. Don?t worry though, the paper was waterproof, so at least water and mud would not impair our ability to see the tiny, illegible writing.
The description was very clear that we needed to take a turning that was easy to miss into Turkey Steamway ? we studied this paragraph, took a good luck around, and headed on along the route in what couldn?t possibly be the wrong direction?could it?
Yes it could. Only as the walls of Coal Cellar passage began to close in did we realise that we were now doing our route in reverse. We figured that wasn?t an issue though ? we?d just follow the description backwards and all would be fine. This was a decision that ? in retrospect ? definitely caused the majority of our later problems.
Being the smallest of the group, I took the bag and hefted it through the bottom of Coal Cellar passage. The guys decided the narrow bottom was not for them, and speedily climbed upwards in order to traverse along the passage. What started out as a good idea quickly crumbled as Alex got stuck attempting to climb back down. Refusing to accept the possibility of having to squeeze himself back along the passage, determination encouraged an extra few centimetres of forward movement, aiming for a ledge just out reach?this then led to a good few minutes of being stuck tantalisingly close to the ledge, but also unable to go back. After some pushing and pulling, and quite a number of expletives, our not so happy caver was free and we continued our journey.
The rift out of Coal Cellar passage sits at an angle where gravity is determined to ensure that you slide down the slippery rock into the tightest area where you can kiss comfortably breathing goodbye. It?s fair to say that a number of very original insults were aimed at the rocks, the tackle sack, ourselves and just generally the life choices that had led us to this moment as the tackle sack was shoved and punched through the narrow rift. Emerging from Coal Cellar passage had the elegance of a beached whale, however, brought an unbelievable feeling of happiness and relief.
Our journey then seemed to go well?for few minutes. Then we began rat racing every passage we could find, hunting for the right route to continue on. This went on for a while, and momentary glee was felt when we believed we had found the right route. This was short lived, however, when Rich spoke his dreaded words of wisdom: ?We?re in the wrong place?. We had found our way into St Paul?s, and apparently that was definitely incorrect?but when asked where St Paul?s was and how we might get back to where we should be, Rich had absolutely no idea and the illegible words on the survey were of no help.
So what were we to do? Disheartened and all feeling rather fed up and frustrated, the suggestion of heading out the way we came in was swiftly shot down with Mesh?s words of ?I would rather have cave rescue than go back through Coal Cellar?. It was suggested that we may be able to use the survey if we had a compass. Alas, none of us had brought one with us. But wait a minute?all apple devices come with a compass installed. Swiftly swallowing our previous jibes about a fresher who thought it would be a good idea to bring a phone in a cave, we delved into the Darren drum and gleefully plucked out our ticket out of here?or so we thought. Faced with a pin code and a lot of Chinese words that none of us understood, we put that (otherwise amazing) idea to rest and retraced our steps.
Having wandered aimlessly for almost three hours, the trip took an upturn as we found the route and the enthusiasm built back up at the prospect of eventually finding our way out. By the time we reached Turkey Pool, I was not prepared to attempt the traverse that would inevitably end in a faceplant ? and may actually have added a laugh to this area of the report, so sorry about that, next time I?ll do it for the story. I waded into the pool, quickly realising it was deeper than I had imagined, and floated my way to the other side. Mesh and Rich decided getting wet was not an option and so very skilfully traversed their way over the pool ? only to be faced with a welly full of water for their effort upon reaching the other side bone dry.
The remainder of the trip was relatively uneventful, just a steady trudge to the outside world, accompanied by talk of all the pasta we were going to eat when we finally made it back to the hut. We reached the entrance at midnight ? although this was really one o?clock as the clocks had been turned back, and so we were even more disorientated as we left the cave.
Despite the horrendous three hours of route searching and a conversation about who would be eaten first when the need arose, it was an amazing trip. If anything, the detours just gave us the opportunity to see some beautiful features of the cave?or at least that was the opinion once we were warm, dry and eating garlic bread back at the hut.
by Laura Bentley
On Cardiff?s Halloween freshers? weekend, myself, Mesh, Alex and Beth headed off with great enthusiasm to attempt the Outer Circle trip in Aggy. With a description rapidly copied out of a caving book that morning after intentions to do the grand circle fell through, Mesh informed me it would be a ?Mesh and Alex special?, with the warning that I should have no intention of being back at the hut for any sort of reasonable hour.
Our group lead the way into the cave, followed by a group of freshers from Cardiff on their way to the music stand. We speedily made our way through the entrance series, straight past the passage down into the main stream-way and were very confused when we immediately reached a dead end. We retraced our steps and believed we?d found the way on. Headlights up ahead told us we had encountered another group. It quickly became apparent that this was Cardiff?s other group, but how did they get past us? Surely they couldn?t have gotten this far ahead just from our short detour?...As it turns out, no, they couldn?t. We had happily turned round and headed back straight the way we?d come in, obliviously making our way back through the entrance series on our way to some premature sunlight.
At this point, two groups were wandering, crouching, crawling and squinting to try and find the way down into the stream-way. Meanwhile, one fresher decided this would be the optimum moment to take a cave selfie?on their phone. How did a fresher manage to get their phone into the cave? I do not know. The phone was swiftly confiscated and stored safely in a Darren drum, with some laughing and disbelief that an iPhone had made it in a pocket.
Finally finding the way on, we bid the music stand trip farewell ? and one of our team members who had decided being lost once was more than enough and swiftly jumped ship to the other group - and continued down the stream-way. Not to fear though at our lack of a team member, we later bumped into yet another Cardiff group and acquired their member Rich. Rich had done the trip before and ?Couldn?t tell us the way, but might be able to say if we were in the wrong place? (thanks for that gem Rich). Rich also had a very helpful survey of the whole of Aggy in a small area in the centre of an A4 sheet of paper. Don?t worry though, the paper was waterproof, so at least water and mud would not impair our ability to see the tiny, illegible writing.
The description was very clear that we needed to take a turning that was easy to miss into Turkey Steamway ? we studied this paragraph, took a good luck around, and headed on along the route in what couldn?t possibly be the wrong direction?could it?
Yes it could. Only as the walls of Coal Cellar passage began to close in did we realise that we were now doing our route in reverse. We figured that wasn?t an issue though ? we?d just follow the description backwards and all would be fine. This was a decision that ? in retrospect ? definitely caused the majority of our later problems.
Being the smallest of the group, I took the bag and hefted it through the bottom of Coal Cellar passage. The guys decided the narrow bottom was not for them, and speedily climbed upwards in order to traverse along the passage. What started out as a good idea quickly crumbled as Alex got stuck attempting to climb back down. Refusing to accept the possibility of having to squeeze himself back along the passage, determination encouraged an extra few centimetres of forward movement, aiming for a ledge just out reach?this then led to a good few minutes of being stuck tantalisingly close to the ledge, but also unable to go back. After some pushing and pulling, and quite a number of expletives, our not so happy caver was free and we continued our journey.
The rift out of Coal Cellar passage sits at an angle where gravity is determined to ensure that you slide down the slippery rock into the tightest area where you can kiss comfortably breathing goodbye. It?s fair to say that a number of very original insults were aimed at the rocks, the tackle sack, ourselves and just generally the life choices that had led us to this moment as the tackle sack was shoved and punched through the narrow rift. Emerging from Coal Cellar passage had the elegance of a beached whale, however, brought an unbelievable feeling of happiness and relief.
Our journey then seemed to go well?for few minutes. Then we began rat racing every passage we could find, hunting for the right route to continue on. This went on for a while, and momentary glee was felt when we believed we had found the right route. This was short lived, however, when Rich spoke his dreaded words of wisdom: ?We?re in the wrong place?. We had found our way into St Paul?s, and apparently that was definitely incorrect?but when asked where St Paul?s was and how we might get back to where we should be, Rich had absolutely no idea and the illegible words on the survey were of no help.
So what were we to do? Disheartened and all feeling rather fed up and frustrated, the suggestion of heading out the way we came in was swiftly shot down with Mesh?s words of ?I would rather have cave rescue than go back through Coal Cellar?. It was suggested that we may be able to use the survey if we had a compass. Alas, none of us had brought one with us. But wait a minute?all apple devices come with a compass installed. Swiftly swallowing our previous jibes about a fresher who thought it would be a good idea to bring a phone in a cave, we delved into the Darren drum and gleefully plucked out our ticket out of here?or so we thought. Faced with a pin code and a lot of Chinese words that none of us understood, we put that (otherwise amazing) idea to rest and retraced our steps.
Having wandered aimlessly for almost three hours, the trip took an upturn as we found the route and the enthusiasm built back up at the prospect of eventually finding our way out. By the time we reached Turkey Pool, I was not prepared to attempt the traverse that would inevitably end in a faceplant ? and may actually have added a laugh to this area of the report, so sorry about that, next time I?ll do it for the story. I waded into the pool, quickly realising it was deeper than I had imagined, and floated my way to the other side. Mesh and Rich decided getting wet was not an option and so very skilfully traversed their way over the pool ? only to be faced with a welly full of water for their effort upon reaching the other side bone dry.
The remainder of the trip was relatively uneventful, just a steady trudge to the outside world, accompanied by talk of all the pasta we were going to eat when we finally made it back to the hut. We reached the entrance at midnight ? although this was really one o?clock as the clocks had been turned back, and so we were even more disorientated as we left the cave.
Despite the horrendous three hours of route searching and a conversation about who would be eaten first when the need arose, it was an amazing trip. If anything, the detours just gave us the opportunity to see some beautiful features of the cave?or at least that was the opinion once we were warm, dry and eating garlic bread back at the hut.
by Laura Bentley
