01/05/22
First trip with Sampo. After explaining the ins and outs and the best way of negotiating the squeeze/pitchhead, he shuffled on down and got to the chamber easily, which is very good news. The more people that can reach the chamber the better, as there’ll hopefully be a lot of hauling to be done from there soon.
Rob then took the hauling role at the top of the shaft and I brought the bags from there to the next stage, utilising the insitu rope as a tension line with a pulley – with reasonable success. We did this for a very sweaty few hours, with Sampo able to have a few naps between hauls as we struggled to keep up with his rock bagging. Rob then exited as he was getting quite kanckered and I headed on down with the drill etc to breakup and remove the one remaining danger rock from part way down the 2nd pitch. This done we set about back to the surface whilst Rob broke off a flake at the entrance squeeze making it that little bit roomier, hopefully to enable Sam to get down.
We headed off back down the hill, all pretty tired. Pint in the Peak Hotel, then home. We’ll need another trip shifting rocks from the chamber as there’s still plenty more to move. (Mike, Rob, Sampo)
25/05/22
Quick evening trip on a wet Wednesday night in lieu of climbing. The stemple snapped underneath me on my way down the entrance pot, plummeting me about 1m, luckily I landed okay with no harm done other than a shock.
Rob continued to break up rocks in the chamber and I hauled them up and stacked them in the squeeze for our next visit. Used a 2:1 this time and it was certainly easier, although still tiring on the arms pulling directly up on the rope. 3 ropes down that shaft also makes it a bit of a cluster, but it works.
Out about 9.30pm. No pics this time. (Mike, Rob)
Derbyshire Pennine Club 