My first CHECC and Mistral report ? Charlotte BoydAs a fairly new club HOPS (Harper Adams Outdoor Pursuits Society) had never been caving before, we heard rumours of an event where students get together and go caving so were super keen to get involved.
When I first heard about the event I didn?t really know what to expect, I only had the vague description from my friend Laura that it involved squeezing into caves, having a big party and meeting new people. I guess what she said wasn?t wrong but there were a few things she left out including the mud, cold and crazy shenanigans!
We arrived after a three-and-a-half-hour car journey and after that we were ready to set up the tents and go to bed, little did we know the party wouldn?t start until midnight and continue until the early morning. When we woke up the next morning, some of us feeling rougher than others our breakfast was waiting for us although a few couldn?t face the sight and smell of beans, sausages and eggs? Before long we were packed into two cars and on our way to the cave along quite a snowy and slippery road. After some expert driving from our team members we arrived at a caving hut where we got changed into our fabulous caving gear which was kindly lent to us by ULSA, EUSS and Plymouth universities, for this we cannot thank them enough.
This was our very first time caving, so getting into the suits alone caused enough hilarity between some of the group. There were mixed emotions as we set off walking across the snow covered Yorkshire Hills to get to the cave entrance, with no one sure exactly what to expect. With some not so great stories of students going caving never to return ringing in our ears from the night before, we were nervous but soon enough arrived at the entrance. We couldn?t quite believe the entrance because firstly it was quite a way down and secondly because it looked like quite a squeeze.
Our leaders, borrowed for the day, from Plymouth University rigged the entrance so we could climb down safely and begin our underground adventure. This proved to be a challenge as some of us were not keen on heights but after some persuasion we managed to get all our team into the narrow entrance. We crawled and shuffled through the tight network of tunnels until much to our relief the passage finally opened into a wide cavern called The Hobbit. Here we had a short break where we had a sugary snack and looked on the map to see where we were, and as it turned out although it had felt like miles we had only travelled a short distance.
The cavern was full of stalactites and stalagmites which were fascinating and showed that although caves may not be full of plants and animals, they can still be pretty spectacular. We continued to crawl through the mud deeper into the cave and it was easy to miss the uneven texture of the walls etched from years of wear and tear by water into an incredible pattern. We reached several other caverns which gave us time to appreciate our surroundings and get our breath back, I was not expecting how exhausting caving could be. By this point our caving gear was starting to look a little grubby but it was only going to get worse. The last part of our journey was definitely the messiest, with the ground getting gradually stickier as we went on until it finally opened up into a giant mud pit! Mud was thrown, dirty hand prints appeared on chests and helmets and someone had to be dug out because it was so sticky they lost both their wellies. We were tired from climbing through the thick mud but we still had to make our way back which a group of tired, dirty and grumpy cavers didn?t like to hear.
The way back didn?t seem as long, because we were all motivated by the thought of a hot shower and some dinner. When we emerged, we were expecting to burst out into the light but by the time we came out, it was dark so we really needed our head torches to make our way back to the caving club. After some quick but much needed showers we hopped in the cars and headed back to get some dinner and have a rest before the party began again at night. Everyone shared their caving stories and took part in various competitions where you had the chance to win some glory for your university. Being the smallest member in my team, I was ?encouraged? to take part in the squeeze box challenge which I had never heard of prior to this and I am still nursing the bruises from.
The games and antics continued into the wee hours of the morning and by then everyone had passed out or gone to bed. The Sunday was more relaxed and after breakfast we attended the AGM where a new chairman of CHECC was elected and prizes were awarded to the clubs that won competitions the previous night. We headed home and got a well-deserved McDonalds, sharing the stories and photos from the wild weekend we had all had. Overall although we may have been a bit miserable during some parts of the weekend, everyone had an amazing time and we?re already getting our team together for next year!
We would like to thank everyone for their enthusiasm and help in getting us into the caves and being so welcoming at the parties, for the equipment and general stories everyone shared with us, whether some of these were helpful to know as first timers or not shall be left unsaid.
It is amazing to have seen the enthusiasm and dedication of all the CHECC committee and the wider student caving community and a privilege to have been able to join in for the weekend. Thanks to all!
Great to hear stories of new cavers discovering our sport - hope to see Harper Adams competing for The Grand Prize next year, cheers, Pegasus 
