From c537216a8a3fefdeb389a87844f5f7b2a4b0b3ff Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Buck Blake Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2025 10:21:49 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] Online edit of logbookentry 2025-07-11b --- years/2025/logbook.html | 27 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 27 insertions(+) diff --git a/years/2025/logbook.html b/years/2025/logbook.html index 1b03531e3..275a1b235 100755 --- a/years/2025/logbook.html +++ b/years/2025/logbook.html @@ -575,6 +575,33 @@ With time ticking on we thought it best to begin our return journey, especially
T/U: 1.0 hours

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2025-07-11
+
Buck, Ash, Charlotte, Russell
+
KH - Country for Old Men - In Search of Ash's A-lead
+Yet again, the morning was a wet one, the swells in downpour timed perfectly with Russell's attempted grike trips. Somehow despite this, I felt much more optimistic than I had at any point in the last couple days, and hopped on yet an other KH trip with Ash. This time we were joined by Russell and Charlotte. The mission: reach Satan's Sitting Room so Russell and Charlotte could begin rebolting a traverse, then Ash and I might head back to Repton to work our way towards a drafting A-lead pitch in Country for Old Men that Ash had discovered in the depths of the expo website. +

+Unlike the previous two days, we set off rather efficiently, and were underground by 11:30. Even just heading down the pitch, I already felt so much better than I had during the past two trips. This was no doubt partially because I was getting so used to the entrance pitches that I didn't have to think, but even considering that, I just for whatever reason felt so much more energised and ready to cave. +

+In no time at all, we were down and heading through Triassic Park and Knossos, pausing briefly to snack on kaninchengummies as we went. We stopped briefly at Staircase 36 to pick up tackle before heading up and onwards, eventually reaching Strange Downfall/Upfall. Downfall was a lovely pitch, but Upfall is possibly my least favourite part of KH. It has several rebels, but the rock is quite loose towards the top so you have to wait for anyone ahead to fully clear the pitch before starting up, and it's also an absolute pain to get off of at the top, especially with two bags. +

+After struggling up, I soon found myself passing through Repton, through some lovely wiggly passages, and finally crossing a tyrolean to reach Satan's Sitting Room. After appreciating the in-situ traverse (the rope was from 2003!) Ash and I left Russell and Charlotte to rebolt it, heading back to Repton. Once there, Ash went up the old in-situ hanging from the ceiling and rigged a new one, adding a few bolts in the process. I then headed up and derigged the old rope (which involved some spannering of particularly rusty maillions), and we continued on, soon reaching Country for Old Men. This is a large and lovely passage with a fascinatingly black stream running through it. After following this stream for a couple minutes, we found ourselves at the top of a short climb downtown the left, leading to a mud slope pitch. Ash hopped down before realising it looked rather annoying to get back up again, so we decided to 'quickly' bolt a handline. Since I was at the top, Ash passed the drill up to me and I got to work. My first hurdle: all the rock was absolute shit. Everything was covered in a layer of mush, sometimes as much as a centimetre or two thick. After hammering the place to Razordance and back, I eventually found some rock around a corner that, while not ideally placed, was at least solid. I hesitantly got the drill out (this being my second time putting bolts in, and the first using through-bolts rather than pulses) and set about drilling. +

+And drilling. +

+And drilling. +

+Huh. This drill really isn't moving very much. That's weird. I called down to Ash, and he suggested blowing the dust out. Still not drilling. Ash suggested maybe the rock I'd chosen was too hard. Maybe there was a chert nodule there or something. So, after a bit more hammering around, I tried another spot. Same result. The drillbit painstakingly made its way about halfway into the rock, and refused to go any further no matter how much I pushed it. Eventually, I faffed around long enough that Ash made his way back up the climb to come help, and, to my dismay, immediately identified the issue: I had the drill spinning the wrong way. Well. That would do it. Sorry Ash! Sorry drill. +

+With that finally sorted, we bolted and rigged a handline down. Miraculously, Ash still trusted me with the drill enough to let me go on down and start bolting the pitch below, but unfortunately my earlier drilling issues still managed to catch up with me. I drilled half a hole, decided it was too close to an edge, started drilling another, and then the drill battery died. Alas, we'll have to save reaching the pushing front for another trip. We packed up and began heading out. +

+Passing through Repton on the way back, we noticed that the pitch down from Country for Old Men into Repton could benefit from a sling/loop of rope. We left a sling there, then once at the bottom we cut and tied a loop of rope from the old in situ we'd derigged earlier (the rest of this rope came out and back to topcamp with us). +

+After a bit of faff from me on the way down Strange Upfall (I really hate that pitch), we quickly found ourselves back in Knossos, where we had a quick drink from a pool near the base of the pitch (no one brought a water bottle on this trip due to some minor miscommunications that morning). I also desperately tried to wash the mud off my pantin here whilst Ash headed up (I was only partially successful). +

+The rest of the return journey went pretty quickly, and soon we were heading back to Topcamp to enjoy some warm food and hot chocolate.. And the ground was dry! More than anything else, this one thing rejuvenated my expo hype that day. +

T/U: 10.5 hours
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2025-07-14
c. densham, chris-densham, chris-densham
topcamp - Fire and water