A Grand Day Out

By Tom1

This Saturday me Edd, and Jeff were convinced by Rob 2 to accompany him down the Assault Course in Peak Cavern to help look at the pitches that need re-bolting.  This is by no means a short trip but having said I would help out when it was first suggested shortly after new year I decided I should probably go along. I was feeling ready for a hard physical challenge and I was not to be disappointed.

Waking up felt like the hardest part of the day, far too early for a Saturday in my opinion, but at that point I hadn’t left the bed yet so was to be expected. I later realised although hard it was definitely worth the effort of leaving a duvet for a near freezing house.

Anyway to the trip itself. Me Rob and Edd arrived at the TSG shortly before 9 and rob began planning how the trip would happen. Eventually it was decided that we would go down Titan (yay) and rig it for a group of UBSS visitors with their rope (again yay, fast as you want, just don’t tell them).

After going down Titan at a very responsible speed we made our way down past the bottom of JH into Speedwell streamway shortly  before turning off towards the Assault Course. This was where the trip really began. Simply put it definitely deserves its name. An hour and a quarter of clambering over, under and between boulders which seem far too large to be in that size of passage along with a copious quantity of crawling makes you feel quite warn out and very frustrated with tackle bags. Then after a little too long of horizontal you finally get some vertical in the form of the pitches which need re-bolting. After some gentle prussiking(I hate word why won’t it let me spell it right) to the top I became quite glad that I am the lightest of the group.

After Rob had finished making the pitches a little safer with a few new bolts the rest of us were starting to get a little chilly so we elected to head out. So before the long haul back through we consumed a vast amount of sugar in various forms so we could fly through on a sugar rush.

I am not quite sure how to describe the immense sense of both relief and accomplishment on sight of speedwell streamway which is one of many reasons for everyone to go at least once, not to mention that It will all be much safer at the other end thanks to Rob. From here out was simply the rest of the through trip only feeling as tired as if you’d been through 3 or 4 times already.

All in all a hard but rewarding trip. Hopefully this hasn’t put you off too much so all I can say is if you can do this trip , and by all means you should, and still make it to one of Sema’s parties after then you are a proper caver indeed.


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