ScaifeSaturday 7/8/21
Fresnedo
Chris Scaife, James Carlisle, Alex Ritchie
Andy Pringle had told us about a potential lead in the Knotted Rope area of this cave, which the three of us have explored a fair bit in the past.
We went towards the Knotted Rope area (which is named after a formation shaped like a knotted rope, not an actual knotted rope) and found the only way up was a 30-year-old 20m rope, leaning against a damp wall with two rub points and the hangers at the top were out of sight. Like a bunch of cowards, we decided to look elsewhere.
We dropped down a couple of short pitches (I placed bolts for the first time in a few years) to look for ways on near the Howling. We didn’t find anything new, but it was all jolly exciting.
Next, we looked at holes in the floor and found quite a bit of unsurveyed passage at stream level below the main passage, including a lead down a short undescended pitch, which we have left for now. There’s always a reason to go back to Fresnedo.
ScaifeThursday 5/8/21
Socks
Chris Scaife, Carolina Smith de la Fuente, Lloyd Cawthorne, Oscar Scaife, Luna la perra Cawthorne, Pete Smith, Juan Corrin, Andy Pringle, Joe Holder
There’s a helluva draught at the entrance to Socks. Just sitting on the ground nearby you can feel it, and on my way down the pitch dust was blowing off my oversuit into my face.
Lloyd took some magicians’ smoke in to see where the draught comes from in the first chamber. This helped and we dug quite quickly through a sandy crawl to a small increase in size (you can almost sit up). The way on is tantalisingly close to not being too tight, but is going to need a little chemical persuasion to fit even the most svelte potholer. Good progress, and definitely worth pursuing this dig.
There are draughting holes all around it on the surface, but nothing of any size has yet been found in the immediate area.
ScaifeTuesday 3/8/21
4732
Chris Scaife, Phil Papard, James Carlisle, Lloyd Cawthorne, Juan Corrin
Pete Smith and Phil Papard had found this lead last year – they had been down a short, narrow pitch that opened out into a wide shaft, which they estimated as 100 feet deep. The shaft remained undescended.
On Tuesday, we took along a 45m rope and descended the pitch. On the way down, there was a real sense of excitement – the pitch is about 30m deep and a rift of at least 20m height was running off in both directions. Once gathered at the base of the pitch, we followed the tall rift downstream. All too soon it ended at a calcite blockage, with a very low, wet crawl the only continuation. Upstream led to a dead end after a short distance.
We explored side passages and found a few chambers, then James had a go at digging the low crawl. It was squalid, even for him, and without neoprene he soon became too cold and had to head out.
We derigged, assuming we wouldn’t be going back; but in the usual way of these things, after a short time in the bar afterwards we seem to have decided that we will go back and push it. There were a few problems with Phil’s survey instruments too, so I think we’ll need to survey bits of it again.
I was waiting to see the survey before posting this, so I would know what length and depth of new cave we explored, but I don’t think the survey is imminent.
ScaifeYou’re a YouTube sensation, Alex.
ScaifeWe surveyed 68m of new stuff in Mostajo on Saturday.
ScaifeSunday 1/8/21
Agua
Chris Scaife, Carolina Smith de la Fuente, Oscar Scaife, Lloyd Cawthorne, Lizzie Wilkins
After lunch at Pablo’s, we walked over to Agua and went just inside the entrance, then stopped at the Bakers Bar on the way back.
ScaifeSaturday 31/7/21
Mostajo
Chris Scaife, Lloyd Cawthorne, James Carlisle
We went down the Golden Void, hoping to connect this area with the MUSC extensions. It’s a real maze in there. We found plenty of unsurveyed stuff, but no connection so, whilst we spent a fair amount of the day in new cave passage, it still somehow feels like a defeat.
ScaifeI think it was about two and a half hours. Yep, don’t go there if you’re expecting rain!
ScaifeYes, my light unfastened itself from my helmet several times in Bosch Rift. It did worse than that yesterday though – the battery fell off the back.
ScaifeNo, I turned back when I reached a point where I’d need to soak myself to continue, still quite far from the exit. It wasn’t a low airspace or anything, but I was a bit cold and I knew I’d be a lot colder walking down the hill.
ScaifeI tried soloing Bull Pot a few years ago as well
Yes, I remember it well. As I was back at the car with Alex on Leck Fell after doing the Bye George round trip, you tried to persuade us to drive over to Kingsdale with you to look for ghosts. I’m so sorry I refused.
Did you experience any paranormal [phenomena]?
There were several times when I thought there might be another group behind me, because I could hear what sounded like voices. It was just the sound of running water – I find that running water underground, especially if you’re alone, quite often sounds like people talking in the distance. I suppose some people (the sort who spend all day watching YouTube videos and say they’re doing research, unlike all the sheeple who just believe the mainstream media) might mistake that sort of thing for ghostly voices.
ScaifeI don’t do much soloing at all. Fun though.
I was a bit apprehensive beforehand, but once underground I felt at ease. I suppose little things like your tackle sack being a bit stuck in a rift are more of a problem when you’re alone, and my light unfastening from my helmet would have been easier to sort out if someone else had been there.
And obviously I like caving with wonderful people. I have no plans to be solo a solo caver.
ScaifeI remember the cracking sound from my oversuit pocket in Armenia when I realised I’d taken my sunglasses underground.
Anyway, I’m looking forward to a full trip report from today’s Car Retrieval Pot.
ScaifeP.s. correction it’s called Lord’s Top not Lord Tots, but I like my name for it!
Tot Lord is quite an important figure in the history of Yorkshire caves.
https://www.cravenherald.co.uk/news/10641351.all-you-need-to-know-about-settles-famous-son-tot-lord/
ScaifeYes, I meant squeezing past the calcite just above the stream. You have to return to the stream, but it definitely seemed drier to go the way I did.
I was looking at the first hole we tried, thinking this doesn’t look right; but my memory is so terrible I’d had to check the Turbary entrance photo on the CNCC website and was surprised to see that it was a photo of Carol that I had taken.
