chriscastle46
Member
Thursday 29th June 2005.
Chris Castle, Matt Blount, Andy Pollard, Ken Passant
The lads wanted to see Sump 2, the end of the cave, and I'd told them to be prompt if they wanted to be out in time for the pub, so naturally some (no names.......) were late.
The dam was full up although the valve was open, a blockage somewhere, and I wondered if we'd have a wet climb up the Entrance Rift on our return.
We made good time down the wiggely bits of the Old Route, then made a diversion off Everest Passage to see some pearls. I'd not been there for some years, and suffered a senior moment, forgetting we had to negotiate Fingers Traverse which some people find a bit hairy. No problem with these tigers, we had a look at the pearls (if they really are genuine cave pearls) then climbed up to the Railway Tunnel to Rabbit Warren, the Streamway and Gour Hall. Here we had to climb down the great bank of stal to regain the streamway, which some made a great flaff about, and headed on to Sump 1, which is an ex-sump, as it was passed during a drought in the 60s and a gravel bank holding the water back was breached, making it a duck of about 5 metres. It can be unpleasant with limited air space, but was OK today.
Soon came the Stalagmite Barrier which has a bit of a squeeze. I'd noticed recently that the squeeze had closed a little due to isostatic adjustment (my theory, anyway) and I had to push to get through. Alas, Matt, being a Neanderthal survivor, could not get his chest through and had to wait while the rest of us quickly went on to Sump 2. I always feel a bit embarassed here, because it is littered with plastic bags of spoil from the various digs in the sump.
Heading back, we met Matt at Gour Hall and exited via By-Pass Passage and the Waterchute. The Entrance Rift was dry; the water isn't all stored in the dam; once it rises most of it sinks elsewhere.
We missed the pub.
Cap'n Chris asked me to write this, but if you've never been to Cuthberts you won't have a clue about the cave - Cuthberts is wonderfully complex.
Chris C.[/align][/align]
Chris Castle, Matt Blount, Andy Pollard, Ken Passant
The lads wanted to see Sump 2, the end of the cave, and I'd told them to be prompt if they wanted to be out in time for the pub, so naturally some (no names.......) were late.
The dam was full up although the valve was open, a blockage somewhere, and I wondered if we'd have a wet climb up the Entrance Rift on our return.
We made good time down the wiggely bits of the Old Route, then made a diversion off Everest Passage to see some pearls. I'd not been there for some years, and suffered a senior moment, forgetting we had to negotiate Fingers Traverse which some people find a bit hairy. No problem with these tigers, we had a look at the pearls (if they really are genuine cave pearls) then climbed up to the Railway Tunnel to Rabbit Warren, the Streamway and Gour Hall. Here we had to climb down the great bank of stal to regain the streamway, which some made a great flaff about, and headed on to Sump 1, which is an ex-sump, as it was passed during a drought in the 60s and a gravel bank holding the water back was breached, making it a duck of about 5 metres. It can be unpleasant with limited air space, but was OK today.
Soon came the Stalagmite Barrier which has a bit of a squeeze. I'd noticed recently that the squeeze had closed a little due to isostatic adjustment (my theory, anyway) and I had to push to get through. Alas, Matt, being a Neanderthal survivor, could not get his chest through and had to wait while the rest of us quickly went on to Sump 2. I always feel a bit embarassed here, because it is littered with plastic bags of spoil from the various digs in the sump.
Heading back, we met Matt at Gour Hall and exited via By-Pass Passage and the Waterchute. The Entrance Rift was dry; the water isn't all stored in the dam; once it rises most of it sinks elsewhere.
We missed the pub.
Cap'n Chris asked me to write this, but if you've never been to Cuthberts you won't have a clue about the cave - Cuthberts is wonderfully complex.
Chris C.[/align][/align]
There are tighter bits in Goatchurch!