Goydenman
Well-known member
Smug Bunch - Have Another Good Digging Session in Guscott Pot
(Smug Bunch...nickname we gave ourselves since that how we felt when taking selfie after previous digging session here)
Nick, Chris and Tony after their last session in Guscott choke eagerly returned to the dig. It was good to get back and see the enlarged section recently opened up had not collapsed. But now was the time to consolidate their progress and scaffold the dig ready for the next push.
We had arranged to meet at How Stean caf? at 10am but Chris asked Nick to meet him at Blubberhouses to collect a long bent scaffold pole from his friend Mark Wright. Mark had donated scaffold before more than once. This time he was again generous filling Nick and Chris' cars with long and short lengths. By the time we had transported them to How Stean we were well late and Tony was nowhere to be seen. He had been going back and forth up the dale looking for us, Sorry Tony!
After an enjoyable breakfast at How Stean we went up and parked as close to the pot as possible to unload the scaffold, plus rock demolishing gear, generator and grinder plus other bits and bobs. Moving the cars to the roadside parking spot we changed and then went into Guscott pot.
Just over four hours were spent scaffolding with several trips in and out the pot to cut scaffold and grab gear. A scaffold fence was installed along the choked left wall and braces across to the solid wall on the right. At one point a huge boulder in the floor was demolished by Tony with the rock demolishing gear. At the end of the session it was agreed the dig needs to one more bracing bar fitted with retaining bar in the right wall plus another scaffold step in the floor.
There is a still a good cold draft and stream flowing into the void below. It would be great to have a large team now to remove the shingle and small rocks. Tony's tipping bucket can wash the mud away. We will then be left with a clean washed choke of rocks that can be removed. Some of these can be stacked behind the scaffolding whole others will need to be removed. There is already clear signs of voids beneath which should make for quicker progress after the shingle, rocks and mud have gone.
When more passage has been opened up we are toying with the idea of naming it 'Wright Way' for thanks to Mark and his generosity in providing scaffolding.
Saturday November 24th we want to have a big team to push on....fancy helping?
(Smug Bunch...nickname we gave ourselves since that how we felt when taking selfie after previous digging session here)
Nick, Chris and Tony after their last session in Guscott choke eagerly returned to the dig. It was good to get back and see the enlarged section recently opened up had not collapsed. But now was the time to consolidate their progress and scaffold the dig ready for the next push.
We had arranged to meet at How Stean caf? at 10am but Chris asked Nick to meet him at Blubberhouses to collect a long bent scaffold pole from his friend Mark Wright. Mark had donated scaffold before more than once. This time he was again generous filling Nick and Chris' cars with long and short lengths. By the time we had transported them to How Stean we were well late and Tony was nowhere to be seen. He had been going back and forth up the dale looking for us, Sorry Tony!
After an enjoyable breakfast at How Stean we went up and parked as close to the pot as possible to unload the scaffold, plus rock demolishing gear, generator and grinder plus other bits and bobs. Moving the cars to the roadside parking spot we changed and then went into Guscott pot.
Just over four hours were spent scaffolding with several trips in and out the pot to cut scaffold and grab gear. A scaffold fence was installed along the choked left wall and braces across to the solid wall on the right. At one point a huge boulder in the floor was demolished by Tony with the rock demolishing gear. At the end of the session it was agreed the dig needs to one more bracing bar fitted with retaining bar in the right wall plus another scaffold step in the floor.
There is a still a good cold draft and stream flowing into the void below. It would be great to have a large team now to remove the shingle and small rocks. Tony's tipping bucket can wash the mud away. We will then be left with a clean washed choke of rocks that can be removed. Some of these can be stacked behind the scaffolding whole others will need to be removed. There is already clear signs of voids beneath which should make for quicker progress after the shingle, rocks and mud have gone.
When more passage has been opened up we are toying with the idea of naming it 'Wright Way' for thanks to Mark and his generosity in providing scaffolding.
Saturday November 24th we want to have a big team to push on....fancy helping?
