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98 lines
4.9 KiB
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<title>1989: Cambridge Underground: Camping</title>
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<center><font size=-1>Cambridge Underground 1990 p 25</font>
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<h1>Underground Camping</h1>
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<h3>by Mike Richardson</h3></center>
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<p>The big problem with underground camping was the dark. Basically, morning
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doesn't exist. Without the arrival of daylight, the body doesn't seem to
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realise that it ought to be getting up, and just lies there, waiting for
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something to happen. Getting the brain into gear is seriously hard work.
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<p>For the first time since Stellerweg was bottomed in 1982, C.U.C.C. decided
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to camp in Kaninchenhöhle in 1989. Not that it was strictly necessary,
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you could get to the sump and back in 16 hours or so, and there was nowhere
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to camp below -300 metres, but people thought it might be fun. Anyway, it
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seemed like a good idea to have a go where you could still escape if
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something went wrong, or if you just couldn't face it any more.
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<p>The first camp was in the Toilet Block, off Yapate Inlet, near Tower
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Hamlets. Juliette, Wookey, Del, Jeremy, Joe and Dave set off to do two days
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pushing and surveying below Knossus. The author joined them, mainly for the
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hell of it, that night. The Toilet Block is a metre wide passage, quite long
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and fairly draught-free, leading to a grovel into a sandy chamber. The
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latter had no ways on (once Tina had persuaded Jeremy to have a look down a
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dubious free climb), and served as the bog. Beware of buried treasure! This
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camp was occupied for a single night.
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<p>The second camp, populated by Julian, Jeremy and the author, lasted for
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two nights. It was to have been on the Black Lagoon at the bottom of
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Niflheim, but after getting sidetracked when we discovered the Pot Of Gold,
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we ended up in a rather draughty side passage just off the Left Hand Series.
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The campsite itself was suitably sandy, and led to a boulder slope which
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provided easy hidey-holes for nasty deposits. Unfortunately the draught got
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up on the second night, so it was excessively cold. Fortunately, Jeremy's
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bowels started to play up the following morning, so there was a good excuse
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to leave.
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<p>So, what did we learn? The biggest problem was keeping warm at night. The
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air temperature is pretty low, but the main problem seems to be the draught.
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Unlike 1982, we did not use any tents. These would improve the camp
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considerably. An inner would almost certainly be enough, and following the
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destruction of top camp, we have a two-man inner for next year.
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Alternatively, any sort of cheap tent would do, or a breathable bivvi bag. A
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survival bag was used, but was horribly sweaty. A tent or bivvi bag would
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also keep down the sand, which threatens to get everywhere.
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<p>Cooking presented no problems. Both meths and pressurised paraffin stoves
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were used quite effectively. Food really needs to be warm and filling, and
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needn't be particularly nutritious, unless it is going to be a very long
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camp. The usual diet of chocolate bars and the like keeps you going.
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<p>Apart from the horror of getting back into furry suits in the morning, the
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damp wasn't a problem. Everybody took down spare clothes to change into on
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return to the camp, and to sleep in. Thermal gloves and balaclava are a good
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idea even if you don't use them at any other time.
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<p>The more nights the camp is occupied the better. A lot of effort is
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expended in getting gear down to the camp and out again afterwards, so the
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less times you do it the better. Gear was carried in ordinary tackle bags,
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with sleeping bags and spare clothes being bundled up in polythene bags and
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stuff sacks. Kaninchenhöhle is not wet, so there were no real problems
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in keeping gear dry in transit.
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<p>We'll be back in 1990, and it will be fun to see if we can make it a bit
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more civilised. Now, a music system would be really nice.....</p>
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<hr />
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<!-- LINKS -->
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<ul id="links">
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<li>Cambridge Underground 1990,
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<a href="http://cucc.survex.com/jnl/1990/index.htm">Table of Contents</a></li>
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<li>1989 Expedition info:
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<ul>
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<li><a href="index.htm">Index</a> (more detail than in this list)</li>
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<li><a href="log.htm">Logbook</a></li>
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<li>Cambridge Underground Expo Report:
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<ul>
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<li><a href="diary.htm">Diary</a></li>
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<li><a href="rescue.htm">The Rescues</a></li>
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<li><a href="cavegd.htm">161 Description</a> to date (ie. 1989)</li>
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<li><a href="survey.htm">The 1989 survey</a> of Kaninchenhöhle</li>
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</ul></li>
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<li><a href="sumup.htm">1976-89 summary</a> of caves found</li>
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<li><a href="bcracc.htm">BCRA Caves & Caving Report</a></li>
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<li><a href="sponsr.htm">Sponsors</a></li>
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</ul></li>
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<li><a href="../../pubs.htm#pubs1989">Index</a> to all publications</li>
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<li><a href="../../index.htm">Back to Expeditions intro page</a></li>
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<li><a href="../../../index.htm">CUCC Home Page</a></li>
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</ul>
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</body>
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