Return To Quarter Way Up Hole
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The Old Ruminator
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Now past last weeks stal flow. Going on down.
The Old Ruminator
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Current lowest point about 4m down.
The Old Ruminator
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Wall building at QWUH today.
The Old Ruminator
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Ladder fitted.
The Old Ruminator
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Horrible stuff in Poker's Progress.
The Old Ruminator
Well-known member
A bit from the group email. Slightly redacted.
So today it was me , Brian and Mr Goldie. Its bad enough with three having to lug everything in. So one 7.5ft ladder, one pole, one iron bar. Before lunch we tidied up rocks from Poker's Progress. Brian started the pillar below the roof bedding. I threw down all that I could reach behind the boulder then carefully set up the safety bar for a remote poke. Down came two big boulders. A big slab hopped over the safety bar and stopped two inches from my nose resting on my finger. A hurried retreat to check for injury. Just badly bruised.
PM. We struggled up the tube with the ladder. Eventually with an additional pole we got it fixed. With three digging was almost impossible. Brian capping, Mr Goldie hauling and filliing the tub. Me tub hauling. You need four for this and five would not be too many. We only managed eight loads before getting fed up and returning to the wall building.
PP. I had a tiny poke with two more boulders on the move. I fled and was banned by Brian to return. Hard to see whats happening but those two or three dont appear to be holding anything up. You could get higher to the left and drop them out. Above them it looks like bedding roof going up. The big boulder in the centre remains jammed against the wall.
So today it was me , Brian and Mr Goldie. Its bad enough with three having to lug everything in. So one 7.5ft ladder, one pole, one iron bar. Before lunch we tidied up rocks from Poker's Progress. Brian started the pillar below the roof bedding. I threw down all that I could reach behind the boulder then carefully set up the safety bar for a remote poke. Down came two big boulders. A big slab hopped over the safety bar and stopped two inches from my nose resting on my finger. A hurried retreat to check for injury. Just badly bruised.
PM. We struggled up the tube with the ladder. Eventually with an additional pole we got it fixed. With three digging was almost impossible. Brian capping, Mr Goldie hauling and filliing the tub. Me tub hauling. You need four for this and five would not be too many. We only managed eight loads before getting fed up and returning to the wall building.
PP. I had a tiny poke with two more boulders on the move. I fled and was banned by Brian to return. Hard to see whats happening but those two or three dont appear to be holding anything up. You could get higher to the left and drop them out. Above them it looks like bedding roof going up. The big boulder in the centre remains jammed against the wall.
The Old Ruminator
Well-known member
Big chokes are horrible things as you never know the true dynamics of the thing. Yes it all reached an equillibrium thousands of years ago but by removing one element you start a new progression of boulders until another temporary equillibrium is gained. Then it all starts again. The real issue is that you can't see what holds up what or how far the domino effect will run. In the past our " boulder gate " strategy has worked ( ish ) until Peter was jammed by the poking pole against the wall at Skyfall. Similiar escapades occurred at The Silo and Mr Trundle's Staircase. The mobility of rogue boulders broke my arm at Upper Skyfall and crushed my hand at Dingley Dell. The latter area did for another visitor breaking her ulna. So,of course, the sensible thing is to abandon the whole thing entirely. Yet the lure of caves measureless overides common sense. Thats the case at Poker's Progress. Ongoing airy choke heading SSW away from all known caves at FCQ. One member suggests abandonment though we may look at the boulder gate answer. In truth having a pole 100mm above the ground as I did this week was daft. Rogue slab did a neat hop to clear it though the one behind got trapped. Dont ever think that you can move in time cus you wont. So a review next week to see what to do. The downward dig looks ok though I sat on a rock to take the ladder photo and it fell out onto my foot. ( always have steel toecaps ). Robert the rhino skull seems to be out on tour at the moment heading for a local village hall some time soon. You do feel that academia sort of takes over these things leaving original finders and landowners out of the loop. One assumes that a landowner retains ownership of archeological finds though I am not clued up on that. So hopefully two trips next week as the old fellows in The Tuesday Diggers " team " hope to progress at the mine project and QWUH. I shall hopefully return intact to amuse and photo splodge here on the forum . Oh Mr O' Doc had a nice portrait in our local paper today. ( re Mastermind ). Its a shame his genious does not extend to mastering unruly boulder chokes.
The Old Ruminator
Well-known member
In the heart of the earth, where the shadows sleep,
Three old cavers dig, in the caverns deep.
Brian, Peter, and Nigel, with hands worn and rough,
Their backs bent by time, yet their spirits tough.
Brian hums softly, his lantern held high,
The glow of its flame flickers, shy.
His shovel digs deep where the echoes stay,
Whispers of ages long swept away.
Peter, with wisdom in his steady stride,
Marks the old maps, where secrets hide.
His lantern flickers like a fading star,
Guiding their path through the cave's cold scar.
Nigel, the quiet one, with a chisel's grace,
Carves the stone like it’s a tender embrace.
He dreams of the treasures that might be found,
In this ancient world beneath the ground.
The earth sighs softly, its voice so old,
As they dig for the stories the dark has told.
A century of time, but their hearts remain young,
Digging through history with their voices unsung.
Through tunnels that twist, through chambers wide,
They dig, with the quiet persistence of the tide.
Three cavers, old but bold, chasing the dark,
Each strike of their tools, a whisper, a spark.
And as the dust rises, so do their dreams,
A bond between men and the cave's quiet schemes.
Brian, Peter, and Nigel, with their hands in the clay,
Digging through time, with the earth as their stay.
Three old cavers dig, in the caverns deep.
Brian, Peter, and Nigel, with hands worn and rough,
Their backs bent by time, yet their spirits tough.
Brian hums softly, his lantern held high,
The glow of its flame flickers, shy.
His shovel digs deep where the echoes stay,
Whispers of ages long swept away.
Peter, with wisdom in his steady stride,
Marks the old maps, where secrets hide.
His lantern flickers like a fading star,
Guiding their path through the cave's cold scar.
Nigel, the quiet one, with a chisel's grace,
Carves the stone like it’s a tender embrace.
He dreams of the treasures that might be found,
In this ancient world beneath the ground.
The earth sighs softly, its voice so old,
As they dig for the stories the dark has told.
A century of time, but their hearts remain young,
Digging through history with their voices unsung.
Through tunnels that twist, through chambers wide,
They dig, with the quiet persistence of the tide.
Three cavers, old but bold, chasing the dark,
Each strike of their tools, a whisper, a spark.
And as the dust rises, so do their dreams,
A bond between men and the cave's quiet schemes.
Brian, Peter, and Nigel, with their hands in the clay,
Digging through time, with the earth as their stay.
The Old Ruminator
Well-known member
A good team of four; the usual suspects. Not a lot to carry in for once. I built a sturdy boulder gate at PP. Nigel poked. Down rumbled half a ton of boulders. The gate held. All still horrible up and beyond though the floor of boulders could be capped and removed. All over to the " deep dig ". With four of us all proceeded well with tubs of boulders and some mud coming out regularly. The dig is quite deep now. Some consternation when a big slab appeared in the floor but it might well be to our advantage. After Nigel left Brian exposed loose rocks on the south side of the boulder so the slab might stay in place. ( The video explains ). The loose rocks go on down and can easily be removed. All the mud has washed out here. A good draught was coming up through them so we left feeling quite happy with future prospects.
PP can be capped and cleared but not to be pursued whilst the deep dig looks good.
All four should be OK for next week.
PP can be capped and cleared but not to be pursued whilst the deep dig looks good.
All four should be OK for next week.
mrodoc
Well-known member
Give the poet a credit please!
The Old Ruminator
Well-known member
Poor Mr O'Doc is home with a baddy leg. He is in a pedantic mood so OK it was Chatgpt. It does somehow get the characters right. Nigel is fairly quiet and the other Peter likes maps. Anyway here is the video.
The Old Ruminator
Well-known member
Yes. The " Bolder Gate " held. ( Nigel's doggy gate ).
The Old Ruminator
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I was going to do a video in Poker's Progress but I was shaking too much.
The Old Ruminator
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The three large boulders top and right form an unstable arch. One goes they all go.
The Old Ruminator
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Brian at the bottom of the deep dig. He is stood on the slab. Forward ( south ) are loose rocks going on down. Hopefully the way on further south along the fault.
The Old Ruminator
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Structural fault control at Withyhill 1972. You can hardly see it now.
The Old Ruminator
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FCQ. Fault cluster at QWUH far left. Other fault related passages in yellow. Shatter - Withyhill capture at X. The dots the probable route from North Choke in Withyhill to Four Ways in Shatter. We dug the North Choke for a while until it became too risky without scaffolding. Note Shatter fault beyond Plug Hole Chamber which might offer a continuation though not acceptable to the management committee. Its doubtful that it would go beyond the surface valley though where the cave is truncasted.
The Old Ruminator
Well-known member
The lads today.
Ah. Now I understand why you find it such an interesting project!FCQ. Fault cluster at QWUH far left. Other fault related passages in yellow. Shatter - Withyhill capture at X. The dots the probable route from North Choke in Withyhill to Four Ways in Shatter. We dug the North Choke for a while until it became too risky without scaffolding. Note Shatter fault beyond Plug Hole Chamber which might offer a continuation though not acceptable to the management committee. Its doubtful that it would go beyond the surface valley though where the cave is truncasted.
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