Alex
Well-known member
Mossdale caverns an "evening" trip with Simon Beck by Alex Ritchie
I have posted the below with some hesitation this might is a controversial place to visit and I also I hope you don't mind me posting this here Simon, I don't have your way with words as much.
Well I must say I was nervous, I met Simon with the intention of doing a short bit of exploration in the near series to look at a few rifts, but with the weather being so dry for some time now, Simon convinced me to go in further, to the end in-fact. The very idea of doing this on a Thursday evening was mad, but I was here now and Simon convinced me that we could do it.
Off we went on a clear but very windy evening, the wind blew in our faces all the way up as if trying to physically repel us before we had even entered. I was already starting to feel tired from the long march, how the heck could I hope to get to end of the cave in an evening? Eventually the long walk was over and we descended to the scar and made our physical and mental preparations.
I was still nervous, would I be able to keep up, would it rain? It shouldn't. I was lucky in a way Simon had just completed a Langstroth through trip the previous day (solo of course) from the top entrance and out through the sumps, would this slow him down to my level today maybe?
We entered the bouldery entrance, and in my eagerness I almost kicked Simon in the head once or twice and even before exiting the boulders I managed to rip a 10 inch gash in my over-suit leg and we had only been underground a few minutes.
The passage from here went quickly, through Blackpool sands, into the Drown or Glory ducks which had good amount of air space. We did not take a step wrong with Simon being a veteran explorer of these caverns.
Easy street passed quickly and before long we were blasting through Rough crawl and then into the Marathon series. Our pace was relentless but maybe thanks to my Neo-flece with extra knee and elbow pads built in I was keeping up. The passage was not easy, it often necessitated stooping, crawling, a short sideways walk then back to crawling, in the end I gave up and just crawled all the way. Then the passage went flat out. In this small, elliptical passage, the only thing I could to not to dwell on of those who passed through here before was to keep crawling. I found if you stop in this part of the cave, it quickly becomes an eerie and foreboding place, just keep crawling.... foam on the roof... just keep crawling...
Eventually the crawl lifted and before long we were clambering up the rocky slope below the High Level mud caverns and then back down the other side into what was for me was virgin territory. Simon said this was the fastest he had ever done the trip I looked at my watch and he was right we had been underground for not much over an hour.
At this point my heart really began to race, I knew there was a sump near the end that we would have to pass and I was not sure I would be able to follow, I am no water baby. A poignant artefact we walked by did nothing to put me at ease. Soon we were at the sump and I was ready to turn back, but then Simon said there was "loads of air space". This air space could not have been more than an inch but nevertheless it was air space and I manoeuvred my self into position to follow Simon through. I utilised the airspace, though it came at the price of the flesh of my nose.
We were in the far reaches now, the sand that had made this a sump on Simon's last visit had gone and been pushed downstream, instead making more easier ducks along the way in this mainly walking passage. The power of the water in this place is always evident, but no longer stopping further exploration. Then we saw it, the boulder slope leading into Stream End Cave itself. Simon dug at it frantically, he had wanted to visit here for so long and I was lucky enough to be invited along. He slithered through and extended his arm for me to join him.
"Welcome to Stream end cave" Simon said. The elation I now felt, it was as if we had discovered a new cave system we are probably the first people here in a very long time. This passage was big and we began stomping off down it.
Only the passage ended at a blank wall, the boulder choke on the other-side blocked from us by tons of sand, silt and water, we could go no further but still we felt privileged to be here.
It was time to return. The way out was a little slower, our knees and elbows sore, but still we were outside and in the dying light and all that was left was a long walk in the wind, the lights of civilisation beckoning us home.
A fantastic place, a scary place, a gruelling place Mossdale is all of these. Above all however, it is a place that should be respected.
To fulfil the media side of this here is a short video documenting the trip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMyoJ14plpg
Simon has also wrote some fantastic articles on this cave and other places too, I hope I complement it from another perspective, see below for his creations:
http://simonbeck.blogspot.co.uk/
I have posted the below with some hesitation this might is a controversial place to visit and I also I hope you don't mind me posting this here Simon, I don't have your way with words as much.
Well I must say I was nervous, I met Simon with the intention of doing a short bit of exploration in the near series to look at a few rifts, but with the weather being so dry for some time now, Simon convinced me to go in further, to the end in-fact. The very idea of doing this on a Thursday evening was mad, but I was here now and Simon convinced me that we could do it.
Off we went on a clear but very windy evening, the wind blew in our faces all the way up as if trying to physically repel us before we had even entered. I was already starting to feel tired from the long march, how the heck could I hope to get to end of the cave in an evening? Eventually the long walk was over and we descended to the scar and made our physical and mental preparations.
I was still nervous, would I be able to keep up, would it rain? It shouldn't. I was lucky in a way Simon had just completed a Langstroth through trip the previous day (solo of course) from the top entrance and out through the sumps, would this slow him down to my level today maybe?
We entered the bouldery entrance, and in my eagerness I almost kicked Simon in the head once or twice and even before exiting the boulders I managed to rip a 10 inch gash in my over-suit leg and we had only been underground a few minutes.
The passage from here went quickly, through Blackpool sands, into the Drown or Glory ducks which had good amount of air space. We did not take a step wrong with Simon being a veteran explorer of these caverns.
Easy street passed quickly and before long we were blasting through Rough crawl and then into the Marathon series. Our pace was relentless but maybe thanks to my Neo-flece with extra knee and elbow pads built in I was keeping up. The passage was not easy, it often necessitated stooping, crawling, a short sideways walk then back to crawling, in the end I gave up and just crawled all the way. Then the passage went flat out. In this small, elliptical passage, the only thing I could to not to dwell on of those who passed through here before was to keep crawling. I found if you stop in this part of the cave, it quickly becomes an eerie and foreboding place, just keep crawling.... foam on the roof... just keep crawling...
Eventually the crawl lifted and before long we were clambering up the rocky slope below the High Level mud caverns and then back down the other side into what was for me was virgin territory. Simon said this was the fastest he had ever done the trip I looked at my watch and he was right we had been underground for not much over an hour.
At this point my heart really began to race, I knew there was a sump near the end that we would have to pass and I was not sure I would be able to follow, I am no water baby. A poignant artefact we walked by did nothing to put me at ease. Soon we were at the sump and I was ready to turn back, but then Simon said there was "loads of air space". This air space could not have been more than an inch but nevertheless it was air space and I manoeuvred my self into position to follow Simon through. I utilised the airspace, though it came at the price of the flesh of my nose.
We were in the far reaches now, the sand that had made this a sump on Simon's last visit had gone and been pushed downstream, instead making more easier ducks along the way in this mainly walking passage. The power of the water in this place is always evident, but no longer stopping further exploration. Then we saw it, the boulder slope leading into Stream End Cave itself. Simon dug at it frantically, he had wanted to visit here for so long and I was lucky enough to be invited along. He slithered through and extended his arm for me to join him.
"Welcome to Stream end cave" Simon said. The elation I now felt, it was as if we had discovered a new cave system we are probably the first people here in a very long time. This passage was big and we began stomping off down it.
Only the passage ended at a blank wall, the boulder choke on the other-side blocked from us by tons of sand, silt and water, we could go no further but still we felt privileged to be here.
It was time to return. The way out was a little slower, our knees and elbows sore, but still we were outside and in the dying light and all that was left was a long walk in the wind, the lights of civilisation beckoning us home.
A fantastic place, a scary place, a gruelling place Mossdale is all of these. Above all however, it is a place that should be respected.
To fulfil the media side of this here is a short video documenting the trip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMyoJ14plpg
Simon has also wrote some fantastic articles on this cave and other places too, I hope I complement it from another perspective, see below for his creations:
http://simonbeck.blogspot.co.uk/
