BradW said:
Rather than just calling names and insulting people, maybe address the points I raise? (I also never claimed that the money went to DYO so I?m not sure where that point came from. I never said the power went anywhere but the rescue dump so not sure why you mention it).
1. Are you in favour of every cave charging >> ?5 for access (as you say that ?5 is cheap) ? If not, why just DYO?
2. Are you in favour of laying power cables deep into every cave that may need a rescue ? If not, why just DYO?
3. Do you think that laying power cables helps reduce risk to cavers? If so, how ?
4. If not, why pay for it and maintain it?
You have complained about any criticism of the access fee being due to ingratitude and that ?5 is a trivial amount.
I am sure you are very honourable, grateful and not a hypocrite. If ?5 is such a small amount and you want to be grateful for rescue provision, how much do you donate for every trip you go on that has a rescue dump somewhere in the cave? Do you donate ?5, ?10, ?20 (or do you think ?20 is a small amount?) or more whenever you enter Little Neath, Otter Hole etc ? (Os is it only DYO that you feel grateful for). Otter has a phone line and a well-stocked rescue dump but does not charge people access fees and never will. Have you ever been in there and how much did you donate?
Ps I do know what is at the DYO rescue dump. I certainly do think that spending ?7000 on a rescue dump is impressive. I also think that ?7000 to stock a rescue dump is ridiculous and to lay power deep into a cave is also utterly ridiculous and needs very costly maintenance. I cant imagine any demand from cavers and I cant see that it reduces the risk of death to cavers being trapped by flood water. Personally, I am able to boil a pot of water on a camping stove without needing a kettle. Do you know what the power is for? Maybe the power is there for heating or lighting? (I?m sure electric radiators and flourescent lighting will make the rescue dump much more homely).
Personally speaking, I think charging ?5 to access a system and to justify it by criticising rescued cavers and for an unnecessary power cable may not be the best reasons to start down a slippery slope towards commercial caving. I do not think this is just "ingratitude" or ?silly"