[Don]

When I came into work today someone told me that I would need to move out of my current office and into a different office on the floor below before tomorrow morning, which entails me boxing up and shifting roughly 400 books by myself. I have a feeling I’m going to be in a wheelchair by the end of the day.

I suppose it’s all worth it considering the mega-fantastic super-duper awesome trip we did yesterday. If my calculations are correct we descended and ascended roughly 1000 feet of rope. Awesomeness has to be quantified, as we all know.

[Don]

Why was it rubbish? Were people leaving trash in the cave?

[Don]

The sunburn must just be on your face then, considering we were wearing oversuits the entire day! I really think we should have just gone on a nice, long proper walk instead of ‘caving’. It was such a nice day.

[Don]

We should do more trips where we end up having to sit outside in the warm sunshine because no one can fit through the entrance constriction (except you, of course).

[Don]

Alex Ritchie was unable to find his way underground? This is a first. It’s probably just a sign that you’re getting older. First the memory goes, then the knees.

[Don]

I’d like to do it in reverse as well. It would be interesting to exit the inlet crawl above the 12 foot climb.

[Don]

Here’s my trip report for Saturday:

Don Mike Alex, Don Mike, Mike Don, Don Mike, Mike Don, Don Don Don, Mike Mike Mike, Don Don Don, Mike Mike Mike, Don Mike, Mike Don, Don Don Mike, Mike Mike Don, Alex Don Mike, Mike Don, Don Mike

[Don]

It was a fun day. Guscott, though very short, is still well worth a visit. I think we spent a total of about 25 minutes in there. The tubular crawls are actually quite fun in their own way.

The Frog Pot – New Goyden – Thrope Pot through trip was fantastic. Very enjoyable with a bit of everything – squeezes, flat out crawls, free climbs both up and down, a decent sized pitch, a big stomping streamway, and a somewhat scary exit from the cave under large, loose boulders. Not a long trip though. Only took us about an hour and a half. Still a lot of fun though. Combining the through trip with an exploration of the many side passages would make an excellent day’s caving and take several hours.

As for the Low Eglin’s Hole trip, not worth it in my opinion. The entire trip consists walking/stooping/crawling in a small stream passage that is rarely any taller than 2m. It’s very boring and monotonous. The only (marginal) excitement is the very brief crawl traverse just beneath the entrance, and the two climbs, both of which are relatively short (around 3m or so). Otherwise, not really worth the trek as far as I’m concerned.

[Don]

I think the real heroes on Saturday were the two young gents who valiantly derigged and carried all of the tackle bags up to the top of Blasphemy Pitch (with the exception of a measly, small blue tackle bag), and then pushed those bags through Reluctance Crawl, together with their SRT kits. Those fine young men are the REAL heroes.

[Don]

I missed the Y-hang on Squeezy pitch. I didn’t even know there were bolts for a Y-hang.

I didn’t know that you got stuck in the crawl, Sharman. By ‘upper end’ do you mean the beginning of the crawl, or the end near the pitch head?

[Don]

We were. The place that we (you, me, Rob and Sharman) stopped before we turned around to head out – due to the heavy rain forecast for later that day – was the way on. If I remember correctly you and Rob checked out the flat-out crawl, while Sharman and I waited, but you didn’t think it was the correct way on. The Fat Man Filter (Chris K’s apt name for the squeeze) is definitely interesting. It took me a couple of tries to get through. Chris K is pretty brave to have gone through first.

[Don]

Thanks for making Chris Kelly and I look like vaginas as well. The reason Chris Kelly and myself were ‘reluctant’ at the fourth pitch is because a) Scaife’s light was really playing up and he understandably wasn’t happy with this and Chris Kelly and I were thinking of the team (i.e. stay together and don’t leave someone to go out on their own), and b) it took you and Sharman roughly 45 minutes to get through 30 feet of passage, which is long enough to make anyone nervous. We didn’t have any issues getting through though. This section of passage is far more intimidating looking than it actually is. Also, Chris Kelly and I turned around at the duck, not because we were afraid, but rather because we were already exhausted and couldn’t face the prospect of another mile of crawling. Crescent is by far one of the most physically demanding trips that I’ve done.

Chris Kelly + Don + Scaife = Vaginas

Alex + Sharman = Super Awesome Studs

[Don]

Sharman and I saw those types of hangers when we did It’s a Cracker a year ago (according to the website they’re in use in Long Drop, It’s a Crack and Rift Pot). Neither one of us had ever seen any hangers like that before. And now we know why.

[Don]

I basically have to fill my car up once a week if I go caving. It’s not a cheap hobby, that’s for sure.

[Don]

It’s 95 miles exactly door to door from my house to the place I normally park in Ingleton. It’s about time somebody recognised the efforts that those of us up north take just to go caving. Dedication.

[Author]

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