What's your first trip of 2025?

[PeteHall]

As per the title, what's your first trip this year?

I started the year with a digging session at Rickford Rising with @mikekushy this morning.

We installing a new comms rope with float to provision easier communication between diver and hauler which was very successful, then cleared all the stacked rock from the last couple of sessions.

After months of work, I finally managed to pass the constriction at the end to a more open area amongst the boulders.

No obvious way on yet, but it looks like we'll have a bit of an easier time for a while, emptying the loose fill (mostly rocks) from the new chamber.

Here's some rather ropey footage showing the current status of the dig.

 

[Pitlamp]

Has that tacklebag washed through from Pierre's? (Just kidding.)

Well done lad - that's an excellent effort.

 

[Billy Evans]

Nursed my hangover with a lovely ramble to OFD’s collumns. Bumped into many friends along the way and it brushed off the Christmas cobwebs. Bloody luverly.

 

[Dont cut the rope]

Nursed my hangover with a lovely ramble to OFD’s collumns. Bumped into many friends along the way and it brushed off the Christmas cobwebs. Bloody luverly. View attachment 21522

You even manage to pick up a stray on the way out , my highlight of the trip had to be Isaac standing on me by gnomes

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Today I expect.

 

[mrodoc]

A trip into Shatter Cave with my daughter and granddaughter teaching her about cryogenic damage (and how to avoid spiders). Scarlett is the 4th generation of my family to visit the cave (and is was only opened up in 1972). There were photos of course.

 

[Goydenman]

Digging in Limley Mine Nidderdale. Strong draft found and good progress

 

[Badlad]

Sloping Hole, Kingsdale. It's just down valley from Yordas. It's a dig, bit of a mine to be honest, but potential to break into cave downstream of Yordas and upstream of Aquamole. Fingers crossed for a breakthrough.

 

[JAA]

Not a lot yet as I Aparently have come down with vertigo following a cold/infection! I don’t recommend it, although the neighbours enjoyed my comedy tumble into a hedge whilst walking/wobbling to the doctors this morning!

 

[legendrider]

2nd January, completed re-dig project at Hopper 13, Rampgill Vein.
Grotty mud crawl becomes show-mine quality walk-though!

 

[andrewmcleod]

OFD Columns warden duties (by the SRT route), as is becoming a New Year tradition for me.

 

[paul]

Moderator comment: Off-topic posts regarding Vertido moved to new thread in Idle Chat: https://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?threads/vertigo.32748/

 

[The Old Ruminator]

Yes. Got a night dig at The Hole In The Wall. Spooky in the dark woods.

 

[Tritim230]

Excellent progress at an old site with a new perspective by the Redhouse crew.

 

[aricooperdavis]

A proper mine exploration trip into some of the more off the beaten track sections of a sett near me. We went in hunt of some leads to push, and did not leave empty handed!

 

[wellyjen]

My first trip of 2025 was going to be today. Now it isn't.
When the trip to the cave would be harder and more risky than the cave itself, you know it is time to call it off.

 

[pwhole]

Same here! At least I have some articles to write

 

[David Rose]

Did Daren to Cnwc through trip yesterday with son Daniel. Snow when we started and then a thaw and lots of rain - we had to swim at one point in Antler Passage and there was quite low airspace in the unexpected ducks in the Cnwc entrance crawl!

 

[petecaves]

Took number one offspring into Valley Entrance with KarstKing on Friday. He mostly enjoyed it I think.

 

[Alex]

I guess it would be a rather unlikely cave called Ghar Marq Hamiem in Malta, situated on the end of a bit of wasteland underneath a construction site. Was feeling ill so wanted a simple trip. Except for getting to it, there's nothing to it really, just walk down some steps and enter a large natural cavern with a freshwater lake, about 20m across. If your a cave diver though, I believe it's not been fully pushed and stands at 54~m deep, which pushes it below sea level.

Ghar Marq Hamiem log

A few days later we did Dingli caves an far more exciting trip, though harder to get to as it required 2 buses and an hour's hike. This was a proper cave with squeezes, a pitch numerous climbs and lots of looseness.

Dingli caves log