Alex
Well-known member
I know all about the flooding potential of this place and I knew what could happen if it rained hard within the last few days. This was always in the back of my mind. However, after a week of dry weather with the exception of a few light showers on the day I decided it was still good for me to head down Sleets Gill. As usual my request for companionship on a weekday night trip was ignored so it was a solo trip.
After a very short drive, I arrived at the entrance and kitted up in my best "wet cave" gear. (Neo-fleece, diving hood, rash vest etc) and headed in. I practically swam down the entrance slope swimming through the cobbles on the steep downwards slope. Very easy going down but requires a bit of effort to reverse.
In the main passage I did as everyone should do, I checked on the Wharfdale sump sit was nice and low and the first half at least had air space something to look at again on my way out I thought. I set off on my objective of the ramp with the possible extension of the 68 series of what is suppose to be an easy sump. I however, was not convinced.
On my way there I noticed a small low passage on the left behind a mud bank. The bottom connector I thought. For those who don't know its the escape route from the bottom end of Hypothermia a very long and low wet passage. Why not I thought I have never done Hypothermia before it would lead me right to Hydrophobia passage and then on to the ramp.
Squeezing through the bottom connector I reached the main stream, even this bit of passage was committing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_F9RaCi7TLE
Heading upstream the passage did not seem that bad I was even walking at one point. Eventually however the passage lowered. Still not bad as it was mainly hands and knees with a few flat out bits a bit damp yes with quite a bit of water flowing but nothing I thought that was too bad. Soon I was at the end well I thought I was. I turned right at a dry junction thinking it would return me to the main passage but it choked. No the way on was in the low water. I still had some distance to go.
It was not long until I was removing my helmet with my ear in the water. It was becoming difficult to keep the rest of my head out of the water, the air space often diminished for short sections to just a few inches or a hidden hole in the floor caused me partially drop underwater for half a second as I scrambled for the surface. It was difficult to see where I was going as if I wanted to turn my head I had to duck under the water. My breathing was increasing, panic and the cold were beginning to set in. I just had keep pushing hoping for some relief or the passage would end, but it just got worse. Turning around was not an option the passage was far too small for that unless I wanted to do it underwater. At several points I felt like I should just go asleep or I wished maybe I could wake up from this nightmare I was now experiencing... I pushed that from my mind, just a bit further.
However, round the next corner the air space had all but diminished, perhaps that rain fall last night had raised the water just a little, enough to sump the next section or perhaps this was somewhere else entirely and I was crawling up an hither-to unexplored passage that no one had entered were all thoughts going through my head. I had to reverse, doing so I knew I would take on more water, I was already burping quite a bit from forced drinking of the stuff and was feeling rather dizzy due to that and the cold.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDXfKOgnrRI (shows the above)
I began slithering backwards 10m 20m, I hope I can keep track of the airspace. Then I went wrong, my legs slithered into an underwater off-shoot. However this was a blessing in disguise as it gave me just enough room to turn around and reverse the rest of the passage facing the right way around. It was again just a matter of pushing until I was out of this watery death trap, until I could leave all this. Finally, in larger passage I found moving difficult my limbs had become cold lumps, putting my helmet back on took several minutes and my left arm ached from carrying it for so long.
Eventually I made my way back to the bottom connector, if I got stuck here it would still be several hours before my call out. The cold had sapped my energy, did I have it in me to get back through?
I need not had worried, I slithered through easily and was out rather quickly. In my mind, I did not want to leave, I knew it was cold outside I had to warm up first I tried to run down the main passage and back but I found controlling my feet difficult and soon gave this up near the back of the main passage (not quite sure why I did this, perhaps it was because I knew exercise generates 20x more body heat, or I was just suffering from Hypothermia confusion?). However as I exited the feeling in my limbs began to return and I stopped shivering my stage 1 Hypothermia was dissipating thankfully from the effort of hauling myself up over the cobbles on the entrance slope.
I do not know if the passage was actually sumped what do you think? (around 12 min in) even as it was not my bottle had gone. However according to NFTFH I may had been just over 5 minutes away from the other end saving me reversing the whole darn lot!
After a very short drive, I arrived at the entrance and kitted up in my best "wet cave" gear. (Neo-fleece, diving hood, rash vest etc) and headed in. I practically swam down the entrance slope swimming through the cobbles on the steep downwards slope. Very easy going down but requires a bit of effort to reverse.
In the main passage I did as everyone should do, I checked on the Wharfdale sump sit was nice and low and the first half at least had air space something to look at again on my way out I thought. I set off on my objective of the ramp with the possible extension of the 68 series of what is suppose to be an easy sump. I however, was not convinced.
On my way there I noticed a small low passage on the left behind a mud bank. The bottom connector I thought. For those who don't know its the escape route from the bottom end of Hypothermia a very long and low wet passage. Why not I thought I have never done Hypothermia before it would lead me right to Hydrophobia passage and then on to the ramp.
Squeezing through the bottom connector I reached the main stream, even this bit of passage was committing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_F9RaCi7TLE
Heading upstream the passage did not seem that bad I was even walking at one point. Eventually however the passage lowered. Still not bad as it was mainly hands and knees with a few flat out bits a bit damp yes with quite a bit of water flowing but nothing I thought that was too bad. Soon I was at the end well I thought I was. I turned right at a dry junction thinking it would return me to the main passage but it choked. No the way on was in the low water. I still had some distance to go.
It was not long until I was removing my helmet with my ear in the water. It was becoming difficult to keep the rest of my head out of the water, the air space often diminished for short sections to just a few inches or a hidden hole in the floor caused me partially drop underwater for half a second as I scrambled for the surface. It was difficult to see where I was going as if I wanted to turn my head I had to duck under the water. My breathing was increasing, panic and the cold were beginning to set in. I just had keep pushing hoping for some relief or the passage would end, but it just got worse. Turning around was not an option the passage was far too small for that unless I wanted to do it underwater. At several points I felt like I should just go asleep or I wished maybe I could wake up from this nightmare I was now experiencing... I pushed that from my mind, just a bit further.
However, round the next corner the air space had all but diminished, perhaps that rain fall last night had raised the water just a little, enough to sump the next section or perhaps this was somewhere else entirely and I was crawling up an hither-to unexplored passage that no one had entered were all thoughts going through my head. I had to reverse, doing so I knew I would take on more water, I was already burping quite a bit from forced drinking of the stuff and was feeling rather dizzy due to that and the cold.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDXfKOgnrRI (shows the above)
I began slithering backwards 10m 20m, I hope I can keep track of the airspace. Then I went wrong, my legs slithered into an underwater off-shoot. However this was a blessing in disguise as it gave me just enough room to turn around and reverse the rest of the passage facing the right way around. It was again just a matter of pushing until I was out of this watery death trap, until I could leave all this. Finally, in larger passage I found moving difficult my limbs had become cold lumps, putting my helmet back on took several minutes and my left arm ached from carrying it for so long.
Eventually I made my way back to the bottom connector, if I got stuck here it would still be several hours before my call out. The cold had sapped my energy, did I have it in me to get back through?
I need not had worried, I slithered through easily and was out rather quickly. In my mind, I did not want to leave, I knew it was cold outside I had to warm up first I tried to run down the main passage and back but I found controlling my feet difficult and soon gave this up near the back of the main passage (not quite sure why I did this, perhaps it was because I knew exercise generates 20x more body heat, or I was just suffering from Hypothermia confusion?). However as I exited the feeling in my limbs began to return and I stopped shivering my stage 1 Hypothermia was dissipating thankfully from the effort of hauling myself up over the cobbles on the entrance slope.
I do not know if the passage was actually sumped what do you think? (around 12 min in) even as it was not my bottle had gone. However according to NFTFH I may had been just over 5 minutes away from the other end saving me reversing the whole darn lot!
