Given the weather forcast any my own availability I decided the only way to get the gear out was to do it an evening before all the rain came.
Expecting to do this solo as what normally happens when I ask for help at short notice, I was most surprised to have Rob shout up and volunteer to help me and I definitely needed his help.
We were changed and underground not much later than 6:45 and soon flying down the Notts2 entrance series. Once in the main stream it was remarkable how low the water was compared to last weekend, especially given how much it was still raining outside (but this was 3mm, compared to 8mm that fell just before the previous trip).
The 60m~ pitch was soon de-rigged and the extremely tight y-hang,re-belays were not much hassle as it was possible to just clip in and climb up walls to the next bit of rope, rather than do two knot passes, to pass each one.
Then came the mud, it’s just horrible pushing a bag full of rope and crabs through the slurry, it made things so slippery I punched my self in the face a few times trying to push the bag. Eventually we came to the short up pitch, which we both free climbed as we could not be bothered to put our gear on only to take it off again right afterwards.
We were soon in larger passage and what reached the 3rd bag at the bottom of the 23m and some staged water. From there on-wards it was a slog with 3 bags between 2 through thankfully easier passage.
We surfaced at exactly 10pm meaning it was a 3 and a half hour trip, far quicker than my last effort.
Thanks Rob, without your help I seriously doubt I would have managed to derig that place on my own.
.
