Weekend Meets 1999-2000 15-10-1999

Trips written up from the 1999 logbook

Wales 23 Oct

2nd Freshers Weekend

Saturday

OFD-Top: Andy Jurd, Martin McGowan, Bruce Drinkwater, Tetley, Tom Ayles

Drynan: Ben Johnson, Ben Ogborne, Helen Jones, Tim Wright (Shed)

Through choke to Tea Junction. Wandered up Gilwern Passage and back, then down White Arch Passage looking for Lamb + fox chamber. This was the wrong route so we turned back after 20mins. Wet on the way back, especially with tackle sack - no hard feelings Shed.

Ben

This trip was plagued with lighting problems. The leaders (me and Ben) both bought low quality Welsh batteries which were almost dead after half an hour.

Shed?

Cwm Dwr: Jan Evetts, Ed Austin

1230: Ladder entrance, no, no. Catch group in front up at boulder choke they let us in front. We get lost in boulder choke, they overtake. We guess our way to the Confluence and head up-stream meet other party coming back, admit we got lost. Carry on. Excellent streamway, deep pools, waterfalls, formations the works! Highly recommended. Reach Marble Showers (1515) 20ft high waterfall, turn round, head out. (1630) 4 hours easy.

Jan

Sunday

Cwm Dwr: Ben Ogborne, Bruce Drinkwater

OFD Top 1: Andy Jurd, Ben Johnson, Helen Jones, Jan Evetts

OFD Top 2: Tetley, Ed Austin

PnP: Martin McGowan, Tom Ayles, Adi Hooper

Yorkshire 5/11

Red Rose - Fireworks

Saturday

County/Pool exchange: Andy Jurd, Jan Evetts, Jim Evans, Anna Kelly, Henry Hunt-Grubbe, Paul Wilcox, Kathryn Atherton

additions to report in [] by Anna K

Well to cut a long story short, WE GOT LOST. Which is surprising. NOT. Obviously it was Shaggy's fault, he had been there before and said he knew the way.

What is surprising, we found a completely different way to Poetic Junction thanks to Jan what a guy. [Hmmm who's writing this!?!]

So we arrived at PJ one and a half hours after setting off. Only to meet Paul + Kath coming the right way. The fact Paul had been to Clapham station to meet Kath, Dent to pick the barrel, back to the hut to change, over to County to meet us 20 min later!

We reach the streamway and look for connection to Pool sink.

Meet the others. Carry on upstream. Paul is sent ahead to verify our route, after the wet bit, we read the guide book and decided it is written by someone who can't stick the point and digresses without warning!

I get miles ahead, very cold, so go out and head back to hut, catch Jim et al up. [impossible not to get lost!!!] Unfortunately we get lost again! on way back, even though it is completely clear night. There are some deep ditches on the moor and Henry disappears down one which is entertaining.

Jan

[Strange wild animals were roaming the moors that night!]

Anna K

Fireworks + beer

Steak + kidney pie mmmm. We let off fireworks + Shaggy builds his own with the small + twatty ones. We then drink beer. Huggy, Dave, Rob turn up. We drink more beer. Anna introduces the Lemon-Coffee-Vodka Slammer, I modify to include raw potatoes [NICE!]. Someone gives us a bottle of Bacardi with red warning signs on it, apparently it's from Mongolia or something is 70% alcohol! We drink more beer. Suddenly someone runs in with a frying pan and starts fighting someone else with a frying pan as well??? Someone then chucks a pint of water over Shaggy. We're doing good business on the beer, people come in to buy our Dent Bright, despite having 4 BARRELS of their own. Shaggy, Alex, mark, Henry start a drinking competition. Shaggy then tries 'the squeeze' a 4 inch gap under a partition wall [leaving scratches all over his back].

Eventually we all go to bed and sleep soundly, except Shaggy who is throwing up all night. Nice one!

Jan

[Lightweight! Jan forgot to mention Henry & Shaggy swaying merrily together & Mark dancing all night.]

Anna K

Sunday

Lancaster -> Stake Pot: Jan Evetts, Paul Wilcox, Kathryn Atherton

We investigate a bit of the Ease Gill system, whilst everyone else go for a MUD-FIGHT down Mistral (well Anna, she has a thing about mud). We get just past Stake Pot which is really big + impressive.

Jan

Mistral: Andy Jurd, Jim Evans, Bruce Drinkwater, Anna Kelly, Henry Hunt-Grubbe

[And what mud it was! Had a fantastic mud fight.]

Anna K

The Firebreather

Our first encounter with guy who fell down Cow Pot, is on Fruday night. He's fire-breathing with petrol. But it all went wrong and ended up with 2nd degree burns to his face!

Jan

Yorkshire 19th November

Marble Steps: Tim Wright (Shed), Ed Austin

Lancaster Hole: Andy Jurd, Ben Johnson, Tom Ayles, Ed Austin

Shaggy says write something, so I will! Saturday went down Marble Steps with Ed and Shed. Shed talked a lot, Ed spent half an hour pissing about trying to derig a deviation that Shed had somehow managed to fix to a P hanger about 50' from the rope. NOTE: whoever put P Hangers in marble steps should have put arrows in or something - like flippin hide and seek with those buggery hangers. Sunday went down Lancaster Pot - Shaggy said he knew where he was going (yeah right!!!), found some interesting digs (nice pictures on wall etc), had clay fight at a squeeze (i.e. pelt Shaggy when he can't move!)

unknown

Derbyshire 2nd December

TSG

Saturday

Let's just say that Scandinavian trip needs more training.

Andy?

What? Okay, it was a blizzard!

unknown

Sunday

Peak Cavern: Andy Jurd, Ben Johnson, Mike Rogerson (Goaty), Tim Wright (Shed), Fabienne Marchard, Ed Austin, Henry Hunt-Grubbe

Despite having to pay, a very decent cave. The hardest in the region, it's really a piece of piss. Entrance ducks leads to fantastic streamway which is great fun. Meet Jenny Powell's father in the pub! Uh... that's about it, folks!

unknown

Bunch of TSG faffers almost convinced us to go down Lead (?) mine, but we weren't having any of it. PS not ducks at entrance to Peak, didn't get my ear wet.

Andy?

Yorkshire 22/23 Jan 2000

NPC

Saturday

Lost John's' Pot: Andy Jurd, Ben Johnson, Jan Evetts, Jim Evans, Tim Wright (Shed), Tom Ayles, Iain McKenna, Ed Austin, Garry

Centipede: Shed / Ben J / Shaggy

Cathedral: Jim / Mike / Garry / Iain

Monastery: Jan / Tom / Ed

Monastery

After everyone stormed off down the entrance, we quickly realised we weren't sure of the route and there was a period of consultation between CATH./MON. parties where it was decided the CATH. group were on the wrong route. Having sorted themselves out both groups set off, this still left the CENT. group who were trying to locate a missing tackle bag (later found to have been left at the entrance in the excitement).

We continued to the top of monastery pitch approached via a high level rift traverse, followed by a swing into an oxbow, then a 30m free hang down this magnificent pitch. A rift lef to a small pitch (Piscina) then we were stopped short by what looked like a sump! Ed poked his head in but was dubious due to its extreme shonkyness so after some umming and arring we decided that we...

didn't want to get wet, so turned round and set of to try and cath up Jim and Iain's group.

Jan

Centipede

Very nice pitch, the peace and sernity only broken by Shed's theory of pissing, and his farts echoing round the shaft. Got right to the bottom and walked around the master system up to Rumbling Inlet. On the way out decided we had too much rope, approx. 120m per tackle bag, and it was wet too. Wrapped it around the bag, because it didn't fit. They weighed too much. Shed/Shaggy most displeased with p-hangers on Battleaxe Traverse: needed to use spits and hangers, and final Y hang very dangerous to derig/rig due to being 2m above the previous P-hanger. Shock load risk. Also, hang is good - as long as you don't move/prussik (otherwise absolutely lethal rub point).

Andy

Sunday

Diccan/Alum (SE route) xchange: Jim Evans, Iain McKenna, Andy Jurd, Ben Johnson, Jan Evetts Jim Evans, Iain McKenna, Andy Jurd, Ben Johnson, Jan Evetts

After a leisurely start (out of bed by 11am) an Alum exchange was decided on so Jan/Shaggy could redeem their previous aborted attempt and Iain could tick off his last pot in the Elliot SRT Book. So after the obligatory visit to Spurt+Bernies to fondle shiny kit we set off to Alum Pot.

Alum Pot party gave Diccan a head start, double bowline rigging off the forked tree an easy descent (40m) via rebelay to a big ledge and another rebelay to the bottom of the waterfall, SRT guide recommends 65m but we only had 5m left on an 80m! Really nice view of shaft in evening sunlight, We meet Jim + Iain just as they reach the bottom of Diccan (1530), takes them half-hour to get out, we eventually get back to car 2 1/2 hrs later. Good Sunday trip.

Jan

How the fuck did Ben J (fresher) get himself on this trip? Only actually spent 3 1/2 hours underground due to open shaft nature of Alum. 2 points to note:

Second time I derigged this I got wet - Tom can rig better than Jim
Not as cold due to (a) TSA oversuit (b) no snow (c) exchange (d) Jan derigged first pitch (the wet one)

Andy

Blatant caving fascism from Shaggy!

Ben J

Ben is a fascist - he was banned from going down Long Churn when he was 7.

Andy

Wales

Saturday

OFD: Andy Jurd, Ben Ogborne, Jan Evetts, Martin McGowan, Tim Wright (Shed), Eric Anson

Leader: Eric Anson (with a very old helmet). OFD II to I with Eric 4ish hours.

Early start 10am at SWCC. Hammer down OFD to main stream. Fairly lo-water, follow stream for 1 hour to Cwm Dwr outlet, passing Marble Showers and Sump Bypass. After Cwm Dwr stream disappears.

unknown

Sunday

Bridge Cave (10 mins): Andy Jurd, Ben Ogborne, Jan Evetts, Martin McGowan, Tim Wright (Shed)

Yorkshire 19th-20th February

Saturday

Flood Bar - Stream Bar Exchange: Andy Jurd, Ben Johnson, Pete Jurd, Tim Wright (Shed), Duncan, Anthony Woods (Pants)

Twatty trip. This was due to excessive novices down Stream/Flood and bloody twats. Piss off.

unknown

Sunday

Tatham Wife: Andy Jurd, Ben Johnson, Pete Jurd, Tim Wright (Shed), Duncan, Anthony Woods (Pants)

V. efficient down Tatham's Wife by 11:00 (it's at top of Ingleborough). Got wet - due to Pete making me do a duck. Got v.v. wet. Refused to let Duncan do the duck so went out. Out by 3.30pm.

unknown

Got brother to rig/derig cave. V doss.

Andy

Mendip 4/5 March

Saturday

Training day with A. Sparrow

Up early to tea and breakfast 'a la Shaggy'. Before a swift exit to see the sights at Mendip with our tour guide Ben. We stopped at Cheddar by the 500ft lift at "Coronation St". Passed the Yeo resurgence, drove past Ben's place (nice view) before arriving at the Blue School 20mins late.

Jan

Training: useful stuff like pulling people out of waterfalls. Ben was hanging on a rope gradually cutting through it. He got to third of a strand and was jumping up and down and it didn't break. Passed deviations blindfolded and messed around with prussik cords.

Andy

Sunday

St Cuthbert's: Andy Jurd, Jan Evetts, Tom Ayles, Henry Hunt-Grubbe

2 1/2 Doss trip. Leader: Rich Long, "Pirate"

V relaxed start walk to entrance 20 yards from Belfry, go down at 11am after setting the dam, giving us 2 1/2 hours to cave before it starts flooding!

Wicked entrance pitch, entrance series to chamber with Kangchenjunga boulder down to Curtain Chamber (v beautiful).

Curtain Chamber -- Everest -- Fingers -- Streamway -- Cerberus -- Dining Room -- Stal Pitch -- Beehive -- Gour Chamber (-Gour Rift) --Plantation inlet -- Struggle Passage -- Railway Tunnel -- the Cascades -- Harem Passage -- Upper Traverse -- Wire Rift.

Coming out of Entrance Pitch water flow increased a lot, bit of wet struggle up 25-30ft. Come out into beautiful sunny day. Wait until everyone is out then Jan opens the valve and entrance becomes seriously flooded.