Three Counties Grand Traverse

Badlad

Administrator
Staff member
.... and they're off.  Good luck Chris and Jason who set off down Large Pot around eleven this morning hoping to emerge at Top Sinks later tonight or the early hours of Sunday.

A big shout out to all the support crew who have organised and staged gear in preparation.  Also to the generations of cavers who have dug and dived the various connections over the last 70 years which has made a complete traverse possible.
 

Speleotron

Member
Wow it's finally happening! Will somebody post on here how it goes? I'm not on the facebook groups so it would be nice to read about it.
 

Pitlamp

Well-known member
Glad the adventure is finally underway, after all the preparatory work.

Good luck fellas; stay safe.  (y)

 

Badlad

Administrator
Staff member
Speleotron said:
Wow it's finally happening! Will somebody post on here how it goes? I'm not on the facebook groups so it would be nice to read about it.

Will do when I get some news.  They are expecting to take anything up to 20 hours but knowing Jason it may be sooner - As long as everything goes to plan of course.  I expect there will be a bit in the mainstream media too.
 

JAA

Active member
They left witches 2 headed for Poohs revenge at about 21:40. All going well so far I hear.
 

Badlad

Administrator
Staff member
The early morning news is that they headed off to Top Sinks from Dusty Junction around 12.15.  I imagine from there it was plain sailing - if not a bit tiring.  They were both going well anyway, one small technical diving issue in the sump otherwise pretty much to schedule.  I hope I'm not being too previous saying well done all.
 

Rob

Well-known member
Amazing effort. Looking forward to reading more about it. Would be a very worthy Descent article.  (y)

I guess the next challenge would be to complete it unsupported. Or maybe that's actually not possible?!? 
 

JoshW

Well-known member
Understand it was about a 4:30am exit for the guys. Felt absolutely privileged to have been able to contribute in some sort of ways (Go Burkey's Bitches!).

Massive effort from Jason and Chris, and everyone else involved in the logistics of it.

My only negative point (and I potentially understand the reasons for it), is that I only heard about this going ahead by chance. It could have been a great bit of publicity for caving, and I'm not sure it'll get the same level of coverage after the matter. Also would have massively increased the number of volunteers willing to come and help and carry, and would have been great experience for university cavers (something Russell actually pointed out to me at the start of the thinking for this).
 

Alex

Well-known member
y only negative point (and I potentially understand the reasons for it), is that I only heard about this going ahead by chance

Me too I only heard about it because I was staying at the farm anyway! So in in the end manage to help in a very small way with a quick carry trip out of Mystral.

Still anyway well done all, especially Jason and Chris, what an epic feat, I mean the dry caving alone is pretty tough.
 

langcliffe

Well-known member
JAA said:
They left witches 2 headed for Poohs revenge at about 21:40. All going well so far I hear.

Being a bear of little brain, I'm a little confused. Why did they have to go to Witches II?
 

mikem

Well-known member
I know some people want to promote caving, but others just want to get on & do it, so you can't expect to hear about everything before it happens.
 

Mr Dinwiddy

Member
Hey Badlad or any other northern caver who has the knowledge and 5 minutes
I know what the Grand Traverse is and where it starts and finishes and I have sampled some or many of the bits in between in years past. However I am not clear on how all of this now joins up so could you just remind me of the sequence of caves to make the linkup.
Thanks in anticipation
MrD
 

Loki

Active member
Large pot to new rift then to ireby through temple of doom. Ireby 1 sump to ireby 2 then through sump to Notts 1 then sump to Notts 2. Through Bruno kranskis choke to Lyle caverns in lost John?s. sump ds lost John?s to witches 2 then upstream sump to pippikin. Then stroll through the easegill traverse to top sink.
 

Badlad

Administrator
Staff member
In answer to JoshW

I think it very sensible not to promote these sort of adventures too much before hand.  It only serves to put pressures on those involved when it is already a difficult task.

By all accounts the planning of the traverse was superb and I think Kevin Gannon takes a fair bit of credit for that.  The weather in the build up has helped a lot compared to what could have been.  Most of all, the team was staffed with some highly competent cavers who knew the system well and could be relied upon to deliver the tasks they undertook.  In my opinion inviting student clubs or anyone with limited experience or a lack of knowledge of the system would have been a mistake.

I look forward to reading all about it in tomorrows newspapers.....
 
Here you go folks - the awesome threesome at Top Sink approximately 4.45 this morning not forgetting the 50 + support crew on the day plus those helping in the previous few months and as Badlad points out, all those who have gone before in opening up the 3Cs system over the last 75 years, not least George Cornes who discovered Lancaster Hole entrance almost to the day on 29th September 1946.
The magnitude of what has been achieved is hard to put into words.
 

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