WIN A BUNDLE OF CAVING EQUIPMENT!!

[badger]

caves dug by a west sussex members.  named "soup in a bag" in reference to the dead farm animal in a bag and thrown into a hole in the ground, subsequently a dig.
same trip cave named "mareserection" slip of the tongue, in reference to a male horse mistaken as a female horse with a impressive penis.
same trip, "prize cock pot" reference to the farmers cock chasing anything in his domain which seemed to be the actual road, so every time you drove past the car was chased.
same trip a passage named "89 cents tinto" reference to the cheapest bottle of wine we could find, and found the reason it was 89 cents, fit only as anti freeze. 

 

[cap n chris]

The Garden of Earthly Delights, in Grebe Swallet, was the dig straight down into the floor on the approach towards the then end of the cave, commenced in 2011 (blimey - a DECADE ago!!); it was so named because there is a famous triptych painting (a painting covering three panels - so you don't need to look it up) by the medieval artist Hieronymous Bosch. TGoED was so-named because it was (a) FAR from delightful and (b) resulted from multiple bang sessions which was done using my Bosch drill, hence it was a work of Bosch and that's the link.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Garden_of_Earthly_Delights

 

[Pegasus]

Ends this evening 

 

[Fjell]

I want to know who called something the Virgins Grip. Any takers? My wife is agog for the specifics.

 

[Andy Pringle]

In Matienzo the understanding of potential new cave passage to be found is increased with every new find.
So it was that the discovery and exploration of the 7.4km long Sumidero Cobadal added to this jigsaw.  The streamway  water from this cave was tested and shown to resurge at Aguanaz a large sumped river cave many kms away.
The surface landscape between these two sites is one of rolling limestone hills with the exception of surface streams.  Hence I spent many days combing this environment looking for a possible way in to the large system that must lie below.
It was the day before our homeward ferry after our Easter 2008 visit that this tale of new cave passage occurred.  As it was our last day people were not doing much.  Logistics with vehicles, separation from most of my caving gear and a dinner date that evening all added to this last day scenario which was spent in the gap between Cobadal and Aguanaz .  Simon and I were the first expedition members to find / see a particularly inviting  climbable entrance shaft.  We waited for John and James who were on their way over.  So it was that the four of us scampered down the wide 30 foot-ish shaft.  At the bottom John and James were dawn to a further drop which would require tackle.  Simon and I decided upon a slot at floor level  which lead to old walking sized passage.  Simon carried along this as I  investigated an easy climb on the left.  This lead to easy crawling and the passage got bigger.  I passed over a slot in the floor which I could see down for about 20 foot.  I soon came to a corner and looked to my left. WOW!  I  was looking down a walking sized sandy passage that went in a straight line as far as I could see.  There were formations and junctions.  This was fantastic.  I decided to go and get the other so we could enjoy what I had seen and more together.  I soon found Simon.  The large passage he had followed finished after less than a hundred meters.  Not to worry I said there enough for all of use where  I?ve been.  We both went to the daylight of the shaft to collect John and James.  We found them alright. John was at the bottom of the ladder they had rigged saying come on down here it?s ace.  I tried to tell him of the walking sized sandy passage that went in a straight line as far as I could see but he was instant that they had rigged the ladder and were on to a winner.  My negotiation was limited in success to agreement that we would do the leads I had seen after we had all been down the ladder and explored what lay below.  Simon joined John and off they went.  James then lifelined me down.  When we were all at the bottom Simon took us to a passage he had been part way along.  This was walking sized but going upstream and very muddy.  We survey back from a climb that would require bolting and more tackle than we had with us. 
I mentioned logistics and separation from most of my caving gear earlier.  These factors meant that I was dressed in thin Ron Hills, a tea shirt and wellies.  I also benefitted from a Bernie's bag that had been sacrificed with the addition of a hole for my head and smaller ones for my arms.  (Thanks James).  Whilst surveying back I started to get cold.  At one point we had a clino reading of plus 4.  This was unusual as we were going down stream.  In fact it was to go up and over one of the many mudbanks.  However + 4 resulted in this section of cave being called The Wrong Trousers.  This is only a starter for this cave passage names meal.  When we got back to the sight of the shaft I was itching to get back to the walking sized sandy passage that went in a straight line as far as I could see. Oh no the water from The Wrong Trousers continued in to further passage.  Moving quicker, now that we were not surveying, and moving along virgin passage increased my morale for a while.  However walking did not last and soon we were squirming through mud between boulders following the stream we were lying in.  A climb, possibly necky, was reached.  A good point to turn round I suggested.  The others were having none of it.  More misery followed.  At last we came to a sump.  Well when I say sump muddy puddle significantly less attractive than the sump in Knacker Trapper would be a fairer description. The good use was that we could all exit and head to the  walking sized sandy passage that went in a straight line as far as I could see.  Oh yes we had to survey the new find.  Survey upstream was not as pleasant exploring down stream.  It was slower and so colder.  Also being on the end of the tape I had to ensure a line of sight between stations.  Also going upstream meant that the Bernie's bag funnelled the cold water and mud down my back where it soaked my tea shirt before finding my arse crack.  I was soon coated in mud.  One hazard of this situation was that I had nothing to clean the tape that was also coated in mud. Lying in the bottom of the passage straining to see the other station I had no choice but to lick the tape!  My mood sank when I saw the feet and inches markings indicating that I had to lick the other side of the tape as well.  The dice was loaded or the tape jinxed.  The same thing happen at the next station!! and the one after that, little more than a metre towards the walking sized sandy passage that went in a straight line as far as I could see.  I lost it at this point expelling my metaphoric dummy with a gob-full of mud and stream water. We in Squalority Street! I declared and so the passage was named.

Footnote.
When we returned to the shaft it was almost midnight.  I was very cold & we were all hungry.  The others were not keen on going to the walking sized sandy passage that went in a straight line as far as I could see.  We could do it on the way to the ferry tomorrow.  Well we could have done if we spent more time between beforehand sleeping than drinking.  The cave we had found is Torca La Vaca with over 27km surveyed now.  We have all had far more enjoyable days finding new passage in the Vaca.  For a desert of passage names I will leave you with the official name of the walking sized sandy passage that went in a straight line as far as I could see ? It is 190m Rift.  Look at what you could have won John! 

 

[Badlad]

Can't help with that one Fjell but...

Shep Pot, Leck Fell.  The dig out of the 'Tranquility Base Chamber', named after the moon landing site (Neil Armstrong had just died), was called the 'Mariana Trench'.  It was a choked near vertical rift where we had to install eleven 1.2m steps to get to the breakthrough point.  The breakthrough was called 'Challenger Deep'.  See below for Wikipedia description.

The Mariana Trench or Marianas Trench[1] is located in the western Pacific Ocean about 200 kilometres (124 mi) east of the Mariana Islands; it is the deepest oceanic trench on Earth. It is crescent-shaped and measures about 2,550 km (1,580 mi) in length and 69 km (43 mi) in width. The maximum known depth is 10,984 metres (36,037 ft) (? 25 metres [82 ft]) (6.825 miles) at the southern end of a small slot-shaped valley in its floor known as the Challenger Deep.[2

This was all a good few years ago but today saw us bottoming out in the Tonga Trench in yet another dig.  Tonga is the second deepest in the world apparently....

 

[lumenchild]

POETIC-JUSTICE 

In Casterton fell, I'm not sure If I'm 100% right But the connection between Wretched Rabbit and County Pot was not found for over Decades of exploration, and when it was, it was it was the tiniest slippiest awkward Squeeze/Climb to get into,

 

[Pegasus]

Apologies for the delay in choosing the winner folks, too busy eating Easter eggs 

As ever, I grateful to everyone who takes parts in the UKC competitions, some interesting reasons behind cave/passage names.  My favourites are:

tamarole: 

Cave name rather than a pitch or passage:  A very obscure North York Moors windypit known as "Not Oxendale Windypit". When we discovered it I wanted to call it Oxendale Windypit  (it being a windypit in Oxendale) whilst Andy Brennan didn't.  The argument ranged back and forth that night in the pub until Andy in frustration said something along the lines of "Call it what you f - ing want, just not Oxendale Windypit".  Fairly nuff I thinks and off I go to draw up the survey which comes back titled "Not Oxendale Windypit".

 

Fulk:

Green and Smelly Passage in the Easegill System, which is neither green nor smelly ? in fact it?s a very pleasant passage.
It got its unfortunate name years ago when the original Easegill explorers were doing dye tests and smoke tests on the surface, while people were exploring underground. Apparently, the underground party were suddenly assailed by acrid fumes, just after (or just before) the water turned bright (fluorescein) green.

Gerbil007:

AWOL Aven in Upper Flood. So named because, on the day it was bolt climbed to find a small extension, I had gone AWOL from the RAF.

I?d told the Ops room at work that I had friends from Ireland coming over to visit (specifically to visit Upper Flood and help with the climb) that weekend and asked if I needed to book leave to guarantee being off. The reply from the tasking Sergeant was ?Don?t worry about it, I?ll ring fence you for that weekend.?

Lo and behold, on the Thursday prior to the weekend in question, I got called into the Ops room (by a different SNCO) to be told I was needed to cover the deployment of an Exercise. My protestations were not met with sympathy and led to a heated discussion, during which I explained that they might want to save time and prepare the disciplinary paperwork in advance, because I would categorically not be in work and good luck finding me where I?d actually be!

You?ve probably (correctly) surmised that I was a bit disillusioned with the military at this point in my life!

I stuck to my guns. Friends visited. Beer was consumed. Virgin passage was discovered. A good time had by all!

I never did face a charge, but the following week was invited to a ?meeting without biscuits? during which a ?one way conversation? took place. Oddly, my name was top of the list for some pretty crap taskings for some time thereafter!

Pitlamp:

The Ride of the Valkyries - a 60 m shaft in Peak Cavern's Far Sump Extension.

Found on a hard (round the clock) trip via Far Sump. The survey showed it ought to drop back down into known territory, making the longer route back out unnecessary. This left us with a dilemma; if we went back we might just make the pub. If we dropped the pitch and it didn't go where we thought, we'd definitely miss the pub - but if the compass was right we would be out well in time for the pub. Decisions, decisions.

In the end we went for it, soared down the big aven we'd hoped we'd recognise - and raced out triumphantly to stop a lot of ale going bad in the Peak Hotel. The name just seemed right, given the circumstances. 

Goydenman:

Eternal Optimist link between Manchester Hole and Goyden pot.
My digging friends nicknamed me the eternal optimist after spending years pushing for a link between Manchester-Goyden. It was emphasised when I told people there was about 25ft to go; we dug 50ft I did a better survey to find it was now 25ft so egged them on with that info; having dug another 40ft did yet another survey to find it was still 25ft...running parallel! It became a running joke 25ft to go. On the day we broke through they kindly let me go through first but then said 'you cant name this one it has to be the Eternal Optimist'!

Ed W:

Apology Passage lies at the bitter southern end of Sandy Hole on Portland.  Suffice to say that the name relates to the "pleasure" of discovering 125m of flat out crawling, the start of which lies 4.5 hours of crawling from the entrance.  Hence we were sorry we found it!

Wellyjen:

A pitch called The 260cm in the same cave. It was the last obstacle we reached that day and we had no more rope. Neither of us fancied free climbing down it, but a tape measure lowered down said it was 2.6m high. We agreed that centimetres were much more impressive than metres and didn't make us sound such wimps.

scurve:

We were exploring Fresnedo in Matienzo and I slipped on a traverse. Rather than plummet a few metres, I just sort of ran on the spot - in the style of Wile E. Coyote - and, by fate or good fortune, escaped uninjured. The passage we were pushing was then named Coyote Inlet and all subsequent discoveries from there were given Looney Tunes names.

We named a pitch Pepe le Puits, in honour of the cartoon skunk with questionable morals. An awkward squeeze in the passage was named Suffering Succotash, and no one has ever been through the squeeze without making this exclamation.

The passage came to an end in a large chamber, which we named: That's all, Folks!

Andy Pringle:

In Matienzo the understanding of potential new cave passage to be found is increased with every new find.
So it was that the discovery and exploration of the 7.4km long Sumidero Cobadal added to this jigsaw.  The streamway  water from this cave was tested and shown to resurge at Aguanaz a large sumped river cave many kms away.
The surface landscape between these two sites is one of rolling limestone hills with the exception of surface streams.  Hence I spent many days combing this environment looking for a possible way in to the large system that must lie below.
It was the day before our homeward ferry after our Easter 2008 visit that this tale of new cave passage occurred.  As it was our last day people were not doing much.  Logistics with vehicles, separation from most of my caving gear and a dinner date that evening all added to this last day scenario which was spent in the gap between Cobadal and Aguanaz .  Simon and I were the first expedition members to find / see a particularly inviting  climbable entrance shaft.  We waited for John and James who were on their way over.  So it was that the four of us scampered down the wide 30 foot-ish shaft.  At the bottom John and James were dawn to a further drop which would require tackle.  Simon and I decided upon a slot at floor level  which lead to old walking sized passage.  Simon carried along this as I  investigated an easy climb on the left.  This lead to easy crawling and the passage got bigger.  I passed over a slot in the floor which I could see down for about 20 foot.  I soon came to a corner and looked to my left. WOW!  I  was looking down a walking sized sandy passage that went in a straight line as far as I could see.  There were formations and junctions.  This was fantastic.  I decided to go and get the other so we could enjoy what I had seen and more together.  I soon found Simon.  The large passage he had followed finished after less than a hundred meters.  Not to worry I said there enough for all of use where  I?ve been.  We both went to the daylight of the shaft to collect John and James.  We found them alright. John was at the bottom of the ladder they had rigged saying come on down here it?s ace.  I tried to tell him of the walking sized sandy passage that went in a straight line as far as I could see but he was instant that they had rigged the ladder and were on to a winner.  My negotiation was limited in success to agreement that we would do the leads I had seen after we had all been down the ladder and explored what lay below.  Simon joined John and off they went.  James then lifelined me down.  When we were all at the bottom Simon took us to a passage he had been part way along.  This was walking sized but going upstream and very muddy.  We survey back from a climb that would require bolting and more tackle than we had with us.
I mentioned logistics and separation from most of my caving gear earlier.  These factors meant that I was dressed in thin Ron Hills, a tea shirt and wellies.  I also benefitted from a Bernie's bag that had been sacrificed with the addition of a hole for my head and smaller ones for my arms.  (Thanks James).  Whilst surveying back I started to get cold.  At one point we had a clino reading of plus 4.  This was unusual as we were going down stream.  In fact it was to go up and over one of the many mudbanks.  However + 4 resulted in this section of cave being called The Wrong Trousers.  This is only a starter for this cave passage names meal.  When we got back to the sight of the shaft I was itching to get back to the walking sized sandy passage that went in a straight line as far as I could see. Oh no the water from The Wrong Trousers continued in to further passage.  Moving quicker, now that we were not surveying, and moving along virgin passage increased my morale for a while.  However walking did not last and soon we were squirming through mud between boulders following the stream we were lying in.  A climb, possibly necky, was reached.  A good point to turn round I suggested.  The others were having none of it.  More misery followed.  At last we came to a sump.  Well when I say sump muddy puddle significantly less attractive than the sump in Knacker Trapper would be a fairer description. The good use was that we could all exit and head to the  walking sized sandy passage that went in a straight line as far as I could see.  Oh yes we had to survey the new find.  Survey upstream was not as pleasant exploring down stream.  It was slower and so colder.  Also being on the end of the tape I had to ensure a line of sight between stations.  Also going upstream meant that the Bernie's bag funnelled the cold water and mud down my back where it soaked my tea shirt before finding my arse crack.  I was soon coated in mud.  One hazard of this situation was that I had nothing to clean the tape that was also coated in mud. Lying in the bottom of the passage straining to see the other station I had no choice but to lick the tape!  My mood sank when I saw the feet and inches markings indicating that I had to lick the other side of the tape as well.  The dice was loaded or the tape jinxed.  The same thing happen at the next station!! and the one after that, little more than a metre towards the walking sized sandy passage that went in a straight line as far as I could see.  I lost it at this point expelling my metaphoric dummy with a gob-full of mud and stream water. We in Squalority Street! I declared and so the passage was named.

Footnote.
When we returned to the shaft it was almost midnight.  I was very cold & we were all hungry.  The others were not keen on going to the walking sized sandy passage that went in a straight line as far as I could see.  We could do it on the way to the ferry tomorrow.  Well we could have done if we spent more time between beforehand sleeping than drinking.  The cave we had found is Torca La Vaca with over 27km surveyed now.  We have all had far more enjoyable days finding new passage in the Vaca.  For a desert of passage names I will leave you with the official name of the walking sized sandy passage that went in a straight line as far as I could see ? It is 190m Rift.  Look at what you could have won John! 

lumenchild:

POETIC-JUSTICE

In Casterton fell, I'm not sure If I'm 100% right But the connection between Wretched Rabbit and County Pot was not found for over Decades of exploration, and when it was, it was it was the tiniest slippiest awkward Squeeze/Climb to get into,

Over to random.org...and the winner is 10, lumenchild - congratulations!!

Please PM me to arrange getting your prize to you 

 

[lumenchild]

Apologies for the delay in choosing the winner folks, too busy eating Easter eggs 

As ever, I grateful to everyone who takes parts in the UKC competitions, some interesting reasons behind cave/passage names.  My favourites are:

tamarole: 

Cave name rather than a pitch or passage:  A very obscure North York Moors windypit known as "Not Oxendale Windypit". When we discovered it I wanted to call it Oxendale Windypit  (it being a windypit in Oxendale) whilst Andy Brennan didn't.  The argument ranged back and forth that night in the pub until Andy in frustration said something along the lines of "Call it what you f - ing want, just not Oxendale Windypit".  Fairly nuff I thinks and off I go to draw up the survey which comes back titled "Not Oxendale Windypit".

 

Fulk:

Green and Smelly Passage in the Easegill System, which is neither green nor smelly ? in fact it?s a very pleasant passage.
It got its unfortunate name years ago when the original Easegill explorers were doing dye tests and smoke tests on the surface, while people were exploring underground. Apparently, the underground party were suddenly assailed by acrid fumes, just after (or just before) the water turned bright (fluorescein) green.

Gerbil007:

AWOL Aven in Upper Flood. So named because, on the day it was bolt climbed to find a small extension, I had gone AWOL from the RAF.

I?d told the Ops room at work that I had friends from Ireland coming over to visit (specifically to visit Upper Flood and help with the climb) that weekend and asked if I needed to book leave to guarantee being off. The reply from the tasking Sergeant was ?Don?t worry about it, I?ll ring fence you for that weekend.?

Lo and behold, on the Thursday prior to the weekend in question, I got called into the Ops room (by a different SNCO) to be told I was needed to cover the deployment of an Exercise. My protestations were not met with sympathy and led to a heated discussion, during which I explained that they might want to save time and prepare the disciplinary paperwork in advance, because I would categorically not be in work and good luck finding me where I?d actually be!

You?ve probably (correctly) surmised that I was a bit disillusioned with the military at this point in my life!

I stuck to my guns. Friends visited. Beer was consumed. Virgin passage was discovered. A good time had by all!

I never did face a charge, but the following week was invited to a ?meeting without biscuits? during which a ?one way conversation? took place. Oddly, my name was top of the list for some pretty crap taskings for some time thereafter!

Pitlamp:

The Ride of the Valkyries - a 60 m shaft in Peak Cavern's Far Sump Extension.

Found on a hard (round the clock) trip via Far Sump. The survey showed it ought to drop back down into known territory, making the longer route back out unnecessary. This left us with a dilemma; if we went back we might just make the pub. If we dropped the pitch and it didn't go where we thought, we'd definitely miss the pub - but if the compass was right we would be out well in time for the pub. Decisions, decisions.

In the end we went for it, soared down the big aven we'd hoped we'd recognise - and raced out triumphantly to stop a lot of ale going bad in the Peak Hotel. The name just seemed right, given the circumstances. 

Goydenman:

Eternal Optimist link between Manchester Hole and Goyden pot.
My digging friends nicknamed me the eternal optimist after spending years pushing for a link between Manchester-Goyden. It was emphasised when I told people there was about 25ft to go; we dug 50ft I did a better survey to find it was now 25ft so egged them on with that info; having dug another 40ft did yet another survey to find it was still 25ft...running parallel! It became a running joke 25ft to go. On the day we broke through they kindly let me go through first but then said 'you cant name this one it has to be the Eternal Optimist'!

Ed W:

Apology Passage lies at the bitter southern end of Sandy Hole on Portland.  Suffice to say that the name relates to the "pleasure" of discovering 125m of flat out crawling, the start of which lies 4.5 hours of crawling from the entrance.  Hence we were sorry we found it!

Wellyjen:

A pitch called The 260cm in the same cave. It was the last obstacle we reached that day and we had no more rope. Neither of us fancied free climbing down it, but a tape measure lowered down said it was 2.6m high. We agreed that centimetres were much more impressive than metres and didn't make us sound such wimps.

scurve:

We were exploring Fresnedo in Matienzo and I slipped on a traverse. Rather than plummet a few metres, I just sort of ran on the spot - in the style of Wile E. Coyote - and, by fate or good fortune, escaped uninjured. The passage we were pushing was then named Coyote Inlet and all subsequent discoveries from there were given Looney Tunes names.

We named a pitch Pepe le Puits, in honour of the cartoon skunk with questionable morals. An awkward squeeze in the passage was named Suffering Succotash, and no one has ever been through the squeeze without making this exclamation.

The passage came to an end in a large chamber, which we named: That's all, Folks!

Andy Pringle:

In Matienzo the understanding of potential new cave passage to be found is increased with every new find.
So it was that the discovery and exploration of the 7.4km long Sumidero Cobadal added to this jigsaw.  The streamway  water from this cave was tested and shown to resurge at Aguanaz a large sumped river cave many kms away.
The surface landscape between these two sites is one of rolling limestone hills with the exception of surface streams.  Hence I spent many days combing this environment looking for a possible way in to the large system that must lie below.
It was the day before our homeward ferry after our Easter 2008 visit that this tale of new cave passage occurred.  As it was our last day people were not doing much.  Logistics with vehicles, separation from most of my caving gear and a dinner date that evening all added to this last day scenario which was spent in the gap between Cobadal and Aguanaz .  Simon and I were the first expedition members to find / see a particularly inviting  climbable entrance shaft.  We waited for John and James who were on their way over.  So it was that the four of us scampered down the wide 30 foot-ish shaft.  At the bottom John and James were dawn to a further drop which would require tackle.  Simon and I decided upon a slot at floor level  which lead to old walking sized passage.  Simon carried along this as I  investigated an easy climb on the left.  This lead to easy crawling and the passage got bigger.  I passed over a slot in the floor which I could see down for about 20 foot.  I soon came to a corner and looked to my left. WOW!  I  was looking down a walking sized sandy passage that went in a straight line as far as I could see.  There were formations and junctions.  This was fantastic.  I decided to go and get the other so we could enjoy what I had seen and more together.  I soon found Simon.  The large passage he had followed finished after less than a hundred meters.  Not to worry I said there enough for all of use where  I?ve been.  We both went to the daylight of the shaft to collect John and James.  We found them alright. John was at the bottom of the ladder they had rigged saying come on down here it?s ace.  I tried to tell him of the walking sized sandy passage that went in a straight line as far as I could see but he was instant that they had rigged the ladder and were on to a winner.  My negotiation was limited in success to agreement that we would do the leads I had seen after we had all been down the ladder and explored what lay below.  Simon joined John and off they went.  James then lifelined me down.  When we were all at the bottom Simon took us to a passage he had been part way along.  This was walking sized but going upstream and very muddy.  We survey back from a climb that would require bolting and more tackle than we had with us.
I mentioned logistics and separation from most of my caving gear earlier.  These factors meant that I was dressed in thin Ron Hills, a tea shirt and wellies.  I also benefitted from a Bernie's bag that had been sacrificed with the addition of a hole for my head and smaller ones for my arms.  (Thanks James).  Whilst surveying back I started to get cold.  At one point we had a clino reading of plus 4.  This was unusual as we were going down stream.  In fact it was to go up and over one of the many mudbanks.  However + 4 resulted in this section of cave being called The Wrong Trousers.  This is only a starter for this cave passage names meal.  When we got back to the sight of the shaft I was itching to get back to the walking sized sandy passage that went in a straight line as far as I could see. Oh no the water from The Wrong Trousers continued in to further passage.  Moving quicker, now that we were not surveying, and moving along virgin passage increased my morale for a while.  However walking did not last and soon we were squirming through mud between boulders following the stream we were lying in.  A climb, possibly necky, was reached.  A good point to turn round I suggested.  The others were having none of it.  More misery followed.  At last we came to a sump.  Well when I say sump muddy puddle significantly less attractive than the sump in Knacker Trapper would be a fairer description. The good use was that we could all exit and head to the  walking sized sandy passage that went in a straight line as far as I could see.  Oh yes we had to survey the new find.  Survey upstream was not as pleasant exploring down stream.  It was slower and so colder.  Also being on the end of the tape I had to ensure a line of sight between stations.  Also going upstream meant that the Bernie's bag funnelled the cold water and mud down my back where it soaked my tea shirt before finding my arse crack.  I was soon coated in mud.  One hazard of this situation was that I had nothing to clean the tape that was also coated in mud. Lying in the bottom of the passage straining to see the other station I had no choice but to lick the tape!  My mood sank when I saw the feet and inches markings indicating that I had to lick the other side of the tape as well.  The dice was loaded or the tape jinxed.  The same thing happen at the next station!! and the one after that, little more than a metre towards the walking sized sandy passage that went in a straight line as far as I could see.  I lost it at this point expelling my metaphoric dummy with a gob-full of mud and stream water. We in Squalority Street! I declared and so the passage was named.

Footnote.
When we returned to the shaft it was almost midnight.  I was very cold & we were all hungry.  The others were not keen on going to the walking sized sandy passage that went in a straight line as far as I could see.  We could do it on the way to the ferry tomorrow.  Well we could have done if we spent more time between beforehand sleeping than drinking.  The cave we had found is Torca La Vaca with over 27km surveyed now.  We have all had far more enjoyable days finding new passage in the Vaca.  For a desert of passage names I will leave you with the official name of the walking sized sandy passage that went in a straight line as far as I could see ? It is 190m Rift.  Look at what you could have won John! 

lumenchild:

POETIC-JUSTICE

In Casterton fell, I'm not sure If I'm 100% right But the connection between Wretched Rabbit and County Pot was not found for over Decades of exploration, and when it was, it was it was the tiniest slippiest awkward Squeeze/Climb to get into,

Over to random.org...and the winner is 10, lumenchild - congratulations!!

Please PM me to arrange getting your prize to you 

I Actually won something 

 

[mrodoc]

I know the comp is over but I liked the name that was derided by the rest of my team for a spot in Reservoir Hole. The rest of them had decided that the ascending passage we were digging would when we broke through be called Skyfall (the 'Bond film had just come out).  At the time we were riddling a vertical choke then dodging the rocks as they fell. I suggested Chicken Licken Choke as it led to Skyfall was a most appropriate name. The choke has gone but I got my own back by describing it thus in the book. Shame OR didn't squash his hand there then it could have been Finger Licking Chicken Choke but there you go.

 

[lumenchild]

Thank you so much the sponsors of this competition, and the Forum owners, for all the marvelous kit that I have won, which I am elated,

Stephanie J