Bull Pot (Kingsdale) entrance rigging

[mikem]

There was an awful lot of Mather involved with ladders; but some good advice on thinking outside the SRT box in:

M

Thread 'Dot to dot cavers'

Jan 20, 2023

How many people only do srt on provided topos? Are we losing skill of improvising belays or working out where they'd like an anchor to locate the spit?

• mikem
• Replies: 25
• Forum: Caving Chat

• 

 

[IanWalker]

Yep I reckon people mathered in the old days too, but it was analogue mather and has been sadly lost from the historic record.

 

[mikem]

Although not entirely lost, as still recorded in some logbook entries - sometimes at great length and vehemence!

 

[hannahb]

There was an awful lot of Mather involved with ladders; but some good advice on thinking outside the SRT box in:

M

Thread 'Dot to dot cavers'

Jan 20, 2023

How many people only do srt on provided topos? Are we losing skill of improvising belays or working out where they'd like an anchor to locate the spit?

• mikem
• Replies: 25
• Forum: Caving Chat

• 

Given we couldn't interpret the topo or the description, and still rigged something sensible, I think we can say with some certainty that we are able to "think outside the box".

I find this concept of dot-to-dot cavers at worst mildly offensive and at best really irritating.

I regret asking now.

 

[mikem]

The title was intended to be incendiary, but most of responses were sensible suggestions

 

[Pitlamp]

"I find this concept of dot-to-dot cavers at worst mildly offensive and at best really irritating.
I regret asking now."

I think that "dot to dot" concept has historical origins Hannah, from the days when SRT was evolving.
It revolves around visonary Dave Elliot, who was in some ways ahead of his time in the mid 80s.

I don't think there's any reason to regret anything. Your was a perfectly reasonable question.

 

[hannahb]

We solved the mystery of running out of rope, at least, yesterday. @deffonotmaria and co started at a drilled thread at the point where the passage doubles back underneath itself, which is about 7 metres before the glued anchors begin, hence them being about 7 metres short of rope.

It's a bit of an odd cave, anchors-wise.

And we thought we'd got to the bottom (sump) but it turned out we were looking at a pool or a duck, sad times.

 

[langcliffe]

We solved the mystery of running out of rope, at least, yesterday. @deffonotmaria and co started at a drilled thread at the point where the passage doubles back underneath itself, which is about 7 metres before the glued anchors begin, hence them being about 7 metres short of rope.

It's a bit of an odd cave, anchors-wise.

And we thought we'd got to the bottom (sump) but it turned out we were looking at a pool or a duck, sad times.

The anchors for the second pitch are confusing. It's basically because one has a choice of following the ledges from the entrance, or following the stream, so there are two distinct routes. The former also has a plethora of bolts and drilled threads.

If you found a pool, it sounds as if you were following the fossil route.

 

[hannahb]

We've checked again, and we were at the bottom. Our confusion was that the lid has been taken off what was formerly the sump below pitch 5, which is now a duck leading very quickly to a too-tight rift. Phew. The former sump pool was absolutely crystal clear. Three of us only realised it was water when we saw insects on the surface.

We didn't go along the fossil passage.

All good

We've been so fortunate to go twice in really low water. I don't think I'd enjoy it in normal conditions.

 

[deffonotmaria]

2 photos of the literal crystal clear water (which maybe looks a bit green further back on camera). the second is outlined in red where the water was, but as @hannahb said, we only realised it was water when a florian insect moved across it!

 

[Ian Ball]

That's ace!
Even with the pointe out water I can't see it!

 

[deffonotmaria]

*floating (the spelling error was bugging me)

 

[Badlad]

I did wonder what a florian insect was

 

[mikem]

*floundering