experiences underground

[Fulk]

Thanks for posting that, wormster ? a cautionary tale indeed. I hope it all turned out alright in the end.

By the way, what's a sat nag ? a ride on a horse? 

 

[wormster]

By the way, what's a sat nag ? a ride on a horse? 

Satellite Navigation, that nags you home!

 

[Leclused]

A wee thing from back in 2011:

YES I KNOW it was foolish to only go as a pair, LESSON LEARNED

  Lights appeared at the top of Barnes loop, Whoop! the cavalry, in the form of Mark Helmore, Rich Marlowe and Sarah Payne, closely followed by Darny and Bob Clay. Rich gave me a quick once over whilst Darny and Sarah got the Heyphone set up. There was talk of what the 1st aid kits used to contain, as by this point both **** and I were gasping for a fag (no longer in the first aid kit! -along with the medicinal brandy!) ? Darny made some quip about ?How?s about each time you want a fag, I smack you in the face.? To which my reply was ?Ok then, I?ll wait until we?re out!? having ascertained the extent of my injuries and what pain relief had already been administered Rich, the team and myself decided that the stretcher was not an option ?You?re not a time critical injury? seems to stick in my mind, Some Morphine was administered to me and my now useless arm was immobilised in a sling and we waited for that to take effect.
...
Net result and lessons learned:

One broken right collarbone and no caving for a while.

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons because you are crunchy and go well with ketchup.

Only your true friends will help you out of the shit and will mercilessly take the piss whilst so doing.

ALWAYS leave a call out.

I miss one leason : Always have at least a first aid kit in each group/team with you. We have 4 ehbo kits in the club and every group/team is obliged to take one with them.

 

[Leclused]

A wee thing from back in 2011:

YES I KNOW it was foolish to only go as a pair, LESSON LEARNED

I?d expected lights to appear from in front of us (the arrival of rescue!) but we were both surprised to see lights coming from behind us, a party of 3 (SBSS) had also been on the short round, they stopped and we explained our situation, they then headed out to raise the alarm as well (by this time we were way beyond call out, and were hoping that best beloved had done the right thing, apparently she thought we were in the pub enjoying a post caving pint), a second party of SBSS then appeared from behind us and stopped, fortunately one of the members of this party is a paramedic and had some basic 1st aid kit, namely painkillers and a space blanket. Dosed up with painkillers and wrapped in a space blanket we 5 sat and waited for the now inevitable rescue to arrive.


  Lights appeared at the top of Barnes loop, Whoop! the cavalry, in the form of Mark Helmore, Rich Marlowe and Sarah Payne, closely followed by Darny and Bob Clay. Rich gave me a quick once over whilst Darny and Sarah got the Heyphone set up. There was talk of what the 1st aid kits used to contain, as by this point both **** and I were gasping for a fag (no longer in the first aid kit! -along with the medicinal brandy!) ? Darny made some quip about ?How?s about each time you want a fag, I smack you in the face.? To which my reply was ?Ok then, I?ll wait until we?re out!? having ascertained the extent of my injuries and what pain relief had already been administered Rich, the team and myself decided that the stretcher was not an option ?You?re not a time critical injury? seems to stick in my mind, Some Morphine was administered to me and my now useless arm was immobilised in a sling and we waited for that to take effect.
...
Net result and lessons learned:

One broken right collarbone and no caving for a while.

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons because you are crunchy and go well with ketchup.

Only your true friends will help you out of the shit and will mercilessly take the piss whilst so doing.

ALWAYS leave a call out.

I miss one leason : Always have at least a first aid kit in each group/team with you. We have 4 ehbo kits in the club and every group/team is obliged to take one with them.

Oeps, i've forgot the first part of the first aid kit    so my previous reply might be bit odd. But my case is ==> Always carry a first aid kit with you.


Anyway,on longer (colder) trips I also carry a speleoponcho with me as an extra to me rescue blanket. More info about the speleoponcho
http://arsip.fr/le-speleoponcho/

Sorry being a bot off-topic here

 

[mrodoc]

I have said in the past that the best piece of first aid kit is a large roll of duct tape. It can be used for so many purposes. Some clean padding might also be useful. After our experiences in Reservoir Hole we have a first aid kit permanently installed in the Frozen Deep. It has come in handy several times already!

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Mr O' Doc is quite right and you need only look at my avatar. High on my agenda is self rescue due to the agonising embarrassment you will suffer on a call out . I was a deep solo diver for many years and a caver now nearly 55 years. I am totally at home in both environments . Age 70 this year I am wondering when my time will come to stop. I actually spend more time underground now than I ever did. Digging for new stuff is my real buzz. To walk into something 400,000 years old that no human has ever seen is an incredible experience which moves me close to tears. Where else in the UK can you find such an experience. ( OK I contained myself when we found The Frozen Deep but had a good blub when I got home.) In the last four years 170 digging trips to Reservoir Hole plus 71 to Vurley. I still feel there is something left for me to find.

 

[David Rose]

Old Ruminator, may I say as a stripling of 57 that your are an inspiration, and I hope both of us have many years of underground adventure still to come. Ricardo Cassin repeated his route on the North Face of the Piz Badile at 81 (800 metres high, TD.)  There was a guide in Zermatt who did the Matterhorn at 94 and the Breithorn at 97. There is hope for us!

 

[ah147]

Trying to bring this back on topic:

I do a lot of solo trips. Normally, comparatively, a long way into systems compared to where most people go.

Recent excursions have included a solo trip to beyond a mile in an underwater cave at quite a deep depth as well as a solo trip taking me over 2 kilometres into a cave beyond multiple, deep sumps.

My general feeling is always one of a disconnect. A very very thorough awareness of how far from, not even help, but just anything at all I am.

 

[Alex]

Get  your self to Matienzo The Old Ruminator. You can get into passage no one has been to with far less effort (well more caving, but you generally don't need 70 digging trips to get into new stuff, just one or two is often enough)

 

[Leclused]

Get  your self to Matienzo The Old Ruminator. You can get into passage no one has been to with far less effort (well more caving, but you generally don't need 70 digging trips to get into new stuff, just one or two is often enough)

Or to any other large kart area on the globe

But the problem is always getting there.  You can't go over there for one day  I'm mostly doing one day digging trips in Belgium during the year. But our group also has project in france and spain. One is situated at 550km and the other at 1300km 

We try to go several times a year to the project at 550km. Mostly for a few days. The one at 1300k is Always at least for one week or more in the summer.

 

[Kenilworth]

Trying to bring this back on topic:

I do a lot of solo trips. Normally, comparatively, a long way into systems compared to where most people go.

Recent excursions have included a solo trip to beyond a mile in an underwater cave at quite a deep depth as well as a solo trip taking me over 2 kilometres into a cave beyond multiple, deep sumps.

My general feeling is always one of a disconnect. A very very thorough awareness of how far from, not even help, but just anything at all I am.

This is interesting to me, as I do a lot of solo trips too. I don't have the courage to be a diver, but I spend weeks at a time walking and caving solo, with no phone or communication with anyone as to my location or plans. Initially, there is always the feeling of disconnect that you describe, but that is soon replaced by a feeling of connection to the place I am in. To spend time in a place on its own terms, not as a visitor but as a member, is intensely rewarding.

 

[ah147]

Trying to bring this back on topic:

I do a lot of solo trips. Normally, comparatively, a long way into systems compared to where most people go.

Recent excursions have included a solo trip to beyond a mile in an underwater cave at quite a deep depth as well as a solo trip taking me over 2 kilometres into a cave beyond multiple, deep sumps.

My general feeling is always one of a disconnect. A very very thorough awareness of how far from, not even help, but just anything at all I am.

This is interesting to me, as I do a lot of solo trips too. I don't have the courage to be a diver, but I spend weeks at a time walking and caving solo, with no phone or communication with anyone as to my location or plans. Initially, there is always the feeling of disconnect that you describe, but that is soon replaced by a feeling of connection to the place I am in. To spend time in a place on its own terms, not as a visitor but as a member, is intensely rewarding.

Definitely a very different feeling to mine. For me it almost feels as if you're wrapped in insulation (not insulated from danger). Like the cave etc moves around me. Rather than me through it.

 

[Pitlamp]

On the occasions I've been that far into underwater caves I've been focussed very much on the job in hand and emotions don't really seem to come into it. I find maintaining a state of "relaxed awareness" is the best approach. One of the first impressions which often strikes me shortly after surfacing from that sort of venture is just how fortunate and indeed privileged I am to be involved in such things. A working dive of the sort of distance ah147 mentions, which (against all odds) has gone well, can be a very satisfying experience.

 

[The Old Ruminator]

I did say somewhere unseen in the UK. There are many places in the world you can experience that but on our overcrowded island it can only happen with caving. I just love digging but I also love to be home in time for tea ! It's my gym workout, my day out, my challenge , part of my social life and like I said wondering what is beyond that draughting boulder choke. I actually dont want to walk into something unseen I want to earn it with blood , sweat and tears. ( and sometimes a little pain ). I have never had a bad experience underground. I have had challenging experiences which I have found the strength to overcome. In retrospect I am proud of that. Same with diving . I have had almost every diving accident possible. I am still here at 70 and I always went back. So, keeping well on topic, I can say the old adage we used to use when diving. " The worst day caving is better than the best day working ". Not being able to go caving is a very bad experience. So seven trips already this year and, hopefully,  many more to come.