50 Years!

[gus horsley]

Tomorrow (March 27th) will be the 50th anniversary of my first caving trip - Browgill Cave to Calf Holes and I can still remember it as if it was yesterday.

 

[Alex]

Is that because of the 50 years gap in your memory :ras:

Grats for surving 50 years of caving.

 

[tony from suffolk]

Well done for this topic Gus. My "50th" will be this Whitsun - a trip down Stoke Lane Slocker which I remember pretty clearly. All our lights went out...

It's really scary to realise how quickly the time's flown by.

 

[Pitlamp]

Congratulations!

My first was Dow Cave. Not quite as long ago mind; and I was extremely young at the time!

 

[Glenn]

Well done Gus. My 50 years was up on on February 3rd - Kittle Hill Caves.

 

[mrodoc]

Interesting thread as to what one considers first caving trip. I think our first trip with proper gear was 47 years ago but I can recall digging in the caves in Chard some time before that using candles as primary light source! Aged 8 I did a through trip at God's Bridge caves wherever they are (somewhere up north). It was just a crawl in a stream with daylight visible both ends but it created a deep and lasting impression!

 

[JeremyG]

Mine was as a young child in 1970. My parents took me to Goatchurch back in the days when it was muddy. I had no helmet and carried a bicycle lamp, I was told not to bang my head or it would hurt! A bit different taking kids caving in the modern World....

 

[graham]

You lot make me feel young again. My first proper trip was a mere 43 years ago. 

 

[The Old Ruminator]

My first log entry was Stoke Lane Slocker in July 1966 but I was caving whilst at school so its pretty much 50 years this year. ( And still caving every week ). Perhaps we should form a club.

 

[tony from suffolk]

There was mention made on here a while ago about the possibility of running an "Old Gits" trip for us more mature folk. I'd be up for it, as long as I could get my Zimmer into the cave.

Mrodoc, my first trip was with the East Devon Caving Group who, if memory serves me well, were originally based in Chard.

 

[gus horsley]

Perhaps we should form a club.

You can just imagine what it'd be like:  "I don't do SRT - back in the day when we did Gaping Gill Main Shaft in a thunderstorm it was just a good layer of oilskins, rope ladder, whistle and flares (and not the trouser type) - these youngsters have it too easy these days"  etc, etc...

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Aye. Stoke Sump in two wooly jumpers.

 

[Aubrey]

There was mention made on here a while ago about the possibility of running an "Old Gits" trip for us more mature folk.

Good idea! My first trip was in Goatchurch 52 years ago - I might just be able to manage that now if we exclude any tight bits

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Got me thinking.
Thinks have to be " learned " today.  Taught by " experts ".  Folks led around and shown what to do. We did everything our own way and learned as we went. When Daren Cilau went two of us went up and went down to the sump. Took 13 hours. Same with Dreanen. Two of us went up and did the round trip via Squirrel Rifts, pretty much lost most of the time. Never caved with a club and always did my own thing. Only then can the true sense of exploration be experienced. Most kids today don't even know what a blackbird looks like.

 

[Muddy Funkster]

What's a blackbird?

 

[Pitlamp]

Isn't it a motorbike?

 

[Goydenman]

No. It's obvious he means Lockheed's plane - the world's fastest

 

[The Old Ruminator]

What's a blackbird?

I absolutely knew that was going to happen ! :

 

[mrodoc]

There was mention made on here a while ago about the possibility of running an "Old Gits" trip for us more mature folk. I'd be up for it, as long as I could get my Zimmer into the cave.

Mrodoc, my first trip was with the East Devon Caving Group who, if memory serves me well, were originally based in Chard.

Was that with Ray Winch? If so were you involved with the exploration of Raider's Rift?

 

[tony from suffolk]

Yes, Ray Winch was one of the chaps. I'd forgotten all about Raider's Rift!