[Xandar]

Echo pot video

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You need both arms extended. I fit through it so I’m sure you do.

True, but then you have nothing to push off and your leg gets stuck in the passage behind you as I found out, prob works better doing that feet first and I think Pete almost managed that approach. I was only able to get through feet first this time and it felt far less scary.

You also did not fit on our last attempt Sharman, maybe in the past your over suit had fallen apart as normal and made it easier to get through with less width lol.

P.s. Been editing the video together and you will be glad to know it don’t feature you at all, Chris (Scaife). (As you requested).

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4 inches air space on this trip was it? Luxury for me! Try 1-2 inches.

Must have really badly rigged the first pitch last time, as this time it was piss easy.

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Not certain I would go that far.

Anyway here’s his vid:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aObVqGFnwdg

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Cool, awaiting gov announcement, if it’s good will see you Saturday. (I arrive early so could do caving in the afternoon). See for your eyes only to see what I have been up to.

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Here is the long awaited video. None of the duck footage came out unfortunately but some of the squeezes and pretty bits did.

Dry Gill cave

[Xandar]

Despite me struggling with the squeezes more than you, my chest though a little sore is not that bad, just a little bruised sternum.

One thing Chriss missed off is that tight crawl to the pretties in the upper series took it’s tole on both of our over suits, it completely ripped out my right leg, creating a 5 inch tear and damaged chris’s in the same place too.

We also did manage to sit out in the sun outside of Whitescar, enjoying coke and orange juice.

Can do with going back for a photograph trip, I doubt any of my HD hero footage would have come out due to mud.

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Me too in Mossdale when I did that solo. It’s 99% likely it’s the water and on the video I recorded of it I even said on the video “I hate it when I think I can hear people”. I don’t think I recorded much voices but several commenters (who did their research as Chris put it) did, though they might just be hearing me lol. Someone even featured my video on there spooky mystery channel on you tube, I can’t remember who exactly.

I did hear a weird rumble on he trip with Don after coming out from knee wrecker, which Don did not hear. Interestingly I think you heard it too Dunc at the same place, though it could have been Pete or Rob. I did not hear it that time. I suspect there is some strange hydrology at work around there, perhaps self emptying sump or something like that, where the water disappears down that too small hole.

[Xandar]

It was really low water levels I think the lowest I have seen the place, you did not even need to take your helmet off in Drown or Glory and I never bothered with my Neoprene hood.

Our trip took in places like Confusion cavern, Rough chamber and we made it all the way. Rather than taking the easy way to knee wrecker down the correctly named easy passage we took a low crawl down pararrel stream (straight way) to reach Rough chamber. We then did Knee wrecker where as you can see from the video it was rather wet due to shingle build up at the end.

We then explored up the northern relief passages which were actually more extensive then they seem on the survey. One ends in a too tight squeeze with possibly more passage beyond. The other ends at a too small passage (no hoper) and finally one ends at a boulder choke were a tight squeeze seemed to lead into more passage, but I did not fully commit and it felt like it was blocked when I probed with my feet.

Then we went south to south relief and through the wettest bit of the cave so far to reach 4 ways. Again it was wet due to a shingle build up. Finally in our attmempt to get to Tunnel caves we ended up in Imperial way and decided to turn around at a muddy dead end. If we had turned left we could have gotten to our destination oh well. We returned via Easy passage.

Trip time 5.5 hours I think. I drew in on the survey our trip.

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Nice one Chris, I doubt it will ever be something I will ever be fit enough to do despite John suggesting it to me more than once during lockdown to get around the rules (as its exercising lol). I did once cycle as far as the closest cave Whitewell pot, but did not bring caving gear with me and even that was bloody hard. It’s like 50 miles to the Dales, where as Whitewell is about 25 – 30 so I doubt it will be happening for me.

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Nout stopping him doing it in his car, but Shaman, likes being Shaman lol. (I needed em back as they are my Fell rescue waterproofs and belong to the team so are not strictly mine in the first place).

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Yeh that’s what mine has done a while back, into 3ft deep water no-less. I had to go fishing. Luckily I was not alone at the time, so I was not fishing in darkness.

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My memory is not very good either, I seem to recall stripping off my oversuit when stood on a narrow ledge half way up the second pitch. It’s bloody hard to reverse that bugger, next time I will use my hand jammer as an extra hand and foothold. Hardest bit of the cave in my opinion at least according to my crap memory.

My memory tells me there was also lots of swearing from one of us in Bosche Rift but it could be wrong too ;)

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I was thinking Chris was stringing you along and was not really tired.

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Was a scouting trip, so we only had one bag of rope and one bag for SRT kits, and I used my thinnest rope (8mm for two pitches and 9mm, and 10 mm) so it only was half full. Did not think it was worth bringing all the gear when I heard the spits on the big pitch where shot and there was a good chance I would not fit. So yes big bags through there would be a knightmare. So the spits would have to be sorted and I would have to have purchased a lot more 8mm to make it to the bottom of this cave.

Still I intend to get to the top of the big pitch at some point.

P.s. Nice to hear from you again, Dan. Been reading about our exploits in the new Matienzo book. That books going to keep me going all through Christmas. Thankfully mine’s not the version that falls apart, as I heard 50% are.

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