XandarBecause I have a two week lead time.
XandarIts a lead mine! I assume Coltrane was based on coal train, but its not a coal mine.
XandarI would have really enjoyed listening to some John Coltrane. It would have made the time go by quicker.
I would have thought Lead-zeppelin would have been more appropriate.
XandarThere was no beer or gin in sight, I was most disappointed. But thankfully there were plenty of pubs outside in Nenthead.
XandarMike Sharman: Now there is a scary combination.
I can’t believe you could not find the flat out crawl (especially since I took Shaman there when we were there last time) Just climb up the back of the chamber, follow the passage over the top, it then drops down a slope and finishes in said flat out crawl where cobbles need to be removed in solid passage.
Am happy to do some digging just need drag try and rope.
XandarI think on every log book you write my name gets loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooonger.
XandarThere was a chamber beyond, definitely un-entered though. The the width of the passage between the boulders was about 5 inch, no way though at it’s current size.
XandarAccurate and good report.
Minor corrections: The passage did not continue past where I was, unless you had capping gear.
XandarThe thing is Chirs, I let you start bolting the day before and you decided you did not want to. I asked again on that day before starting and you told me to go ahead. If you expect me to come half way down the pitch and then back up so you can have a go and swap all the gear etc, that is not practical, so I am not sure what you expected me to do? Bolting is not easy and is quite scary dangling up there balancing on dogey ledges with bits falling off all the time, I really don’t appreciate being told to hurry up and being moaned at and again moaned at on here, especially when you did not want to do it in the first place, having backed off when I gave you the opportunity.
I should say I too had spent an hour or two in the same place while James bolted into Haberdasheries 40m below. Cold yes, but it was important work and I did not moan at him, instead I was glad I was not doing it.
This was a complicated pitch with a long traverse and the drill was not playing ball for the first 15 minutes until I fixed it. It’s going to take time, so yes you should know! I know it took longer despite me being down as I had to put another couple of bolts in so I could get out of the firing line, something I would not have done if you were not waiting to come down, I would have swung out as I planned as the y-hang was positioned so I could do that, but I thought I best let you guys come down. Were you appreciative of this? Nope I was told you were bored and you were going back out again, all this after dodging all the shite you sent down.
3 hours is not a long time when you take into consideration the time it takes to get out of that slippery rope entrance series.
Xandar22/4/19
Drone Pot
Alex R, Chris sharman (Phil et all on the surface)
We spent a few hours trying to dig out the alternative entrance as the farmer had blocked the entrance with lintils. However, once Phile had arrived this dig was abandoned and a way under the sleepers was found. The debris blocking the shaft was then removed. Not certain of the rope condition we replaced the ent rope and a few of the hangers too which looked past the best. As well as placing a new bolt in a better place. At the main pitch we then bolted the traverse over the 80m pitch. The passage led to another pitch down, with solid floor below.
23/4/19
Drone Pot
Alex R, Chris sharman & A guy called Mark.
Continued the bolting and dropped the pitch, it required a lot of bolts for the rest of the traverse and then down the pitch. Drill ran out of battery and Shaman ran out of patience waiting for me to bolt (I did offer to let him bolt the previous day, but I got moaned at for not being helpful for some-reason). The pitch landed on the “top” floor of the shaft on a shoulder of rock. The large passage heading off was a dead-end, but there was an even more impressive shaft to the side, which unfrotunately looking at the survey dropped into the same passage. But you never know, what’s on the floors between. I left it rigged for someone else to finish off as I knew I would have trouble convincing someone else to come down with me for the rest of the expo. Surveyed was about 20m as Shaman also ran out of patience with the disto which he said was not working. (It would work fine if he had not covered it in mud!).
A side note is Drone pot is now gated, it will need a normal rigging spanner to open, which you need anyway to the first bolt with. Hopefully the farmer will be happy with that.
24/4/19 Alex and John P
Ride
Sharman went on a dig and me and John went on a 45mile bike ride which included a cave with a very impressive entrance above Remales (Cueva del Mur). Unfortunately, once inside we found it needed SRT and we did not have any with us.
25/4/19 Alex R, John P & Sharman
Drive-by-caving
We took a drive over the Eleesis and Ason gorge and pottering around a few of the known caves on route. It was a quite interesting day. Above the Ason george was a resurgence cave with water pouring out above a large cliff, after finding a grassy traverse to it, I stripped off my shoes and socks and braved the cold water, to find quite a nice river cave. The one at the bottom of the valley is suppose to be an even more impressive cave.
26/4/19 Alex R, John P & Sharman
Surface and 4680?
Surface prospecting in part of new area found bugger all, it was a “wild goose chase” as Sharman put it. However, we ventured south into known territory and re-discovered a cave found a few days earlier. We surveyed the known passage and pushed a flat out muddy crawl in our jumpers and t-shirts to find new 80m of quite nice passage (in places). We surveyed a total of 105m. There is a duck/sump at the upstram end that needs investigating as well as a few mud filled side passages.
27/4/19 Alex R, Sharman & Juan
“Shaft near pond”
Dropped a hole found in the last few days for the expedition. Juan had found a second pitch but had no gear to descend. So I with Sharman we descended it. It was a loose bloody place, but echoed enormously. At the bottom there was a passage into another chamber, a dead end but large echo chamber. A hole in the floor at the bottom of the pitch led to a third pitch which also crapped out. Nice way your spend our last half day.
XandarIn addition 18/04/2019
Me John and Shaman had a nice tourist trip (not a show cave, just no exploroing) into Pecon, a proper continental cave that put the time machine in Daren to shame, it was also far better decorated.
XandarIn addition 18/04/2019
Me John and Shaman had a nice tourist trip (not a show cave, just no exploroing) into Pecon, a proper continental cave that put the time machine in Daren to shame, it was also far better decorated.
XandarSylvester Pot to bottom of climb into Rocky Horror Show crawl:
I thought there was a lot of us on that trip, or did you have just one with Sharman?
Lords Top Hole:
Was that with me or are you saying just two people?
But yes, you guys are the aborters. I am sure my list is almost as bad but I don’t have the list here.
However me and Shaman did finish Barbon pot, even if I did have almost drag Sharman (Not literally) kicking and screaming through one or two of the squeezes.
XandarI thought it was tight because we thought there would not be enough rope and did not want to take the risk. It was fun getting back up it a week later. It was certainly some technical rigging there!
XandarChris Kelly rigged the entrance pitch – only his third ever time rigging
Really? He rigged the 1st 3 pitches in Boggarts last week, not an easy rigging challenge that is for sure!
