Cavers: Chris Scaife and X Ritchie
As it’s still wet everywhere, the world is quite literally not our oyster for now, so I went to Lancaster Hole with Xaaaaandah, while Mike, Chris K and Neil went to Aquamole. Don had been the first to suggest a trip for the 29th of February, but must have decided he had a better chance of being proposed to if he stayed at home, so shat this one out. I mean, sat this one out.
We had a permit for Lancaster (obviously) but there were two other ropes on the entrance pitch when we arrived. Xaaaaandah opted for austere rigging with a 39m rope for a pitch that needs 55m according to the CNCC guide, but we made it down. We took some photos and videos all along the way, at a relaxed pace, stopping at the Collonades, Fall Pot, Painter’s Palette and the Minarets. I had asked young Xaaaaandah to tell Carol our callout was 9 or 10pm, but he had overruled me and told her 7pm, so we had to run out through Wretched Rabbit, out into the World within 55 minutes of leaving the Minarets. I then quickly dropped down and de-rigged the Lancaster entrance pitch, where yet another rope had appeared, then we went to the Whoop Hall hoping to find Don. But he was nowhere to be seen.
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