Logbook edited 2024-07-29b

years/2024/logbook.html

@@ -1447,8 +1447,22 @@ I am a very sad man with too much time on his hands...
 <div class="tripdate" id="2024-07-29b">2024-07-29</div>
 <div class="trippeople"><u>Colin</u>,Aidan,JamesM,</div>
 <div class="triptitle">homecoming - Welsh Engineering</div>
-I was sold a nice easy surveying trip with a short pootle down a stream way. little did I know how wrong we were. we packed a single drill battery some short ropes and a few hangers just in case a few short drops were encountered. Once underground I was given the guided tour of what was known as the below Radagast series. James and I surveyed what we thought was the final pitch while Aidan added a deviation. I complained greatly while surveying much to Aidan's entertainment who had bolted it. Once in the stream way bolting kit was packed up as we prepared for an easy surveying waltz down a stream way. Aidan found another pitch where I asked if I could bolt. Of I went expecting a short pitch nice and easy. I got to a re-belay and started yelling it keeps going as there was another hole below me little did we know how big it actually was. I got to the ledge and started to prepare to abseil into a rift bolted the pitch head and then went why am I doing this walked over to the edge of the ledge to set up a much nicer hang, very scary. I shouted at James and Aidan that its huge and keeps going and we don't have enough rope. Neither quite realised how big. I kept asking if Aidan wanted a look and he seemed uninterested until I pestered him enough where he promptly looked over the edge where he told us that we didn't realise how cool our find was as we had found a 80m hypo-genic tube. Our 30m rope got  barely a 1/3 of the way down. I was sent out of the cave to tell people of our find and collect food, water bolts, batteries and rope. With eguipment acquired I ran back to homecoming to see the others exiting. Bags were packed flapjack was eaten, cooling down was required and once everything was ready to go I had to try and get a call out. After much hair pulling and phoning round I got a call-out so we were good to go. James had decided he wanted to go back to base which was probably a sensible decision so me and Aidan pushed on. Aidan added an extra bolt to the top of the eye of Sauron where he handed me all the heavy bolting kit in case he needed to prussik out. Our 40m rope which was now down the pitch was still very short so a 30m rope was taken down by Aidan. Much bullying was required to get Aidan to go down the pitch as he was being a wus his words not mine he thanked me alter so its all good. Once the rope was free it was my turn where I was equally terrified but couldn't back down after bullying Aidan down. Descending was relatively straightforward until the knot pass. Doing a knot pass 40m below a pitch head and 20m above the floor makes a simple manoeuvrer terrifying. At the bottom of the pitch Aidan asked me to swing over a boulder where I was like, what do you mean, as I'm hanging in free space. I descended onto solid floor which was a relief where we clambered onto the boulder to make another pitch down into another big chamber with a false floor. The new pitch head was bolted with a combination of me and Aidan resulting in lightning bolting. This is where we decided to call the series Welsh Engineering due to all the people bar James, sorry James, were from a Welsh university. At the next pitch another deep hole opens out into nothing where we has high hopes of going deeper than the rest of the cave which was not to be. midway down the next pitch as I was looking for a re-belay. I spied a bolt in front of my face to much confusion and annoyance. I quickly realised I had been here before as I was at the bolt traverse I had pushed with Dickon 2 days before. I proceeded to have a 5 minute tantrum that our lead did a big loop collected myself and dropped to the bottom of the pitch to say I was at the bottom. This bottom bit was bolted badly due to my frustration although it is still safe. We promptly called it a day and ran out of the cave trying to conserve energy. Exiting at 11:30. The eye of Sauron is pleasantly easy on the way out even with the knot pass. Resulting in an exit in less than 45 minutes. Once at garlic we clattered around trying to get to bed as quickly as possible waking Adam and disturbing Fiona sorry guys.
-<div class="timeug">T/U: 10.0 hours</div>
+I was sold a nice easy surveying trip with a short pootle down a stream way. little did I know how wrong we were. we packed a single drill battery some short ropes and a few hangers just in case a few short drops were encountered. Once underground I was given the guided tour of what was known as the below Radagast series. 
+<p>
+James and I surveyed what we thought was the final pitch while Aidan added a deviation. I complained greatly while surveying much to Aidan's entertainment who had bolted it. Once in the stream way bolting kit was packed up as we prepared for an easy surveying waltz down a stream way. 
+<p>
+Aidan found another pitch where I asked if I could bolt. Of I went expecting a short pitch nice and easy. I got to a re-belay and started yelling it keeps going as there was another hole below me little did we know how big it actually was. I got to the ledge and started to prepare to abseil into a rift bolted the pitch head and then went why am I doing this walked over to the edge of the ledge to set up a much nicer hang, very scary.
+ 
+I shouted at James and Aidan that its huge and keeps going and we don't have enough rope. Neither quite realised how big. I kept asking if Aidan wanted a look and he seemed uninterested until I pestered him enough where he promptly looked over the edge where he told us that we didn't realise how cool our find was as we had found a 80m hypo-genic tube. Our 30m rope got  barely a 1/3 of the way down. 
+<p>
+I was sent out of the cave to tell people of our find and collect food, water bolts, batteries and rope. With eguipment acquired I ran back to homecoming to see the others exiting. Bags were packed flapjack was eaten, cooling down was required and once everything was ready to go I had to try and get a call out. After much hair pulling and phoning round I got a call-out so we were good to go. James had decided he wanted to go back to base which was probably a sensible decision so me and Aidan pushed on. 
+<p>
+Aidan added an extra bolt to the top of the eye of Sauron where he handed me all the heavy bolting kit in case he needed to prussik out. Our 40m rope which was now down the pitch was still very short so a 30m rope was taken down by Aidan. Much bullying was required to get Aidan to go down the pitch as he was being a wus his words not mine he thanked me alter so its all good. Once the rope was free it was my turn where I was equally terrified but couldn't back down after bullying Aidan down. Descending was relatively straightforward until the knot pass. Doing a knot pass 40m below a pitch head and 20m above the floor makes a simple manoeuvrer terrifying. At the bottom of the pitch Aidan asked me to swing over a boulder where I was like, what do you mean, as I'm hanging in free space. I descended onto solid floor which was a relief where we clambered onto the boulder to make another pitch down into another big chamber with a false floor. 
+<p>
+The new pitch head was bolted with a combination of me and Aidan resulting in lightning bolting. This is where we decided to call the series Welsh Engineering due to all the people bar James, sorry James, were from a Welsh university. At the next pitch another deep hole opens out into nothing where we has high hopes of going deeper than the rest of the cave which was not to be. midway down the next pitch as I was looking for a re-belay. I spied a bolt in front of my face to much confusion and annoyance. I quickly realised I had been here before as I was at the bolt traverse I had pushed with Dickon 2 days before. I proceeded to have a 5 minute tantrum that our lead did a big loop collected myself and dropped to the bottom of the pitch to say I was at the bottom. 
+<p>
+This bottom bit was bolted badly due to my frustration although it is still safe. We promptly called it a day and ran out of the cave trying to conserve energy. Exiting at 11:30. The eye of Sauron is pleasantly easy on the way out even with the knot pass. Resulting in an exit in less than 45 minutes. Once at garlic we clattered around trying to get to bed as quickly as possible waking Adam and disturbing Fiona sorry guys.
+<div class="timeug">T/U: 12.0 hours</div>
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