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Well it has been about 8 months since I last updated my website...!! Have I really got an excuse for leaving it this long?? probably not and I'm going to have a go at getting back into updating it regularly now - well at least once a month!
So, what have I been upto the last 8months?? Well how about the highlights rather than the full weekend by weekend?
Working from oldest to most recent I did another Hirlatz trip over Christmas/New year, this time with Joel, Lump, Ian, Peachy, H, Ali and Teagle. We were setting up for their February trip and finding the way to Schwebern land (clearly not spelt like that!!). The trip was pretty good, we got all the gear into the cave and set up for their Feb trip, Lump and I even had a scamper around trying to find another sump and we were underground for New Years eve - which was a first for me.
At Easter I went back to Fermanagh, this time with Dave Garman and we also me up with Artur Kozlowski and Alistair ...? we did some good trips but nothing as exciting as the previous year. All the reports are written up in the CDG news letter. Most of all I really enjoyed meeting both Artur and Al - and look forward to diving with them again.
Jason Mallinson and I have also been busy in P8 - we've made lots of trips but I've still not been any further than part way into S7 (when I pulled out a load of loose line). The main reason has been the crap weather as quite often we've found the sumps backed up and have wasted several trips! We have now managed to sort out the sump 5 bypass however, and there is a nice set of metal stemples leading up over the top. Nex time the weather is good we'll be in there for a trip to the end!
We've also each managed a dive in Roaring and most of our gear is in place for a push once the weather plays ball. My dive was over the cold spell at the end of Jan when it was snowing on top. I dived in a 7mm wetsuit in 5 degree water - and got down to 24m, with the line intact. It was hard work climbing up out of the water on the ladder though.
I've started a dig in Ellerbeck - a feeder for Hurtle which is an interesting site, although I'm surprised at the lack of flow at the end and would rather there was more there to help me find the way on and clear the water as I'm digging.
Wigmore is still carrying on as normal, though as it stands I've not been down for quite a while. We'll see what happens later in the summer but we need to keep going at that boulder choke.
In amongst that lot there have been the usual amount of parties, tourist caving trips, CDG dinners, training camps and fun dives (I've even been off to the Lot for 4 days with John Volanthan) etc.. All in all quite a busy time. More recently all my time has been take up with planning, organising, preparing and training for the Culiembro Expedition - follow the link on the left hand side of the page.
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Mike Bottomley give me a hand with my gear into Roaring on Sat - and waited patiently whilst I dived. This is an awkward site, with a rift you need to negotiate in your dry suit and a pitch down into the sump pool. I used a 5lt stage bottle and 2 x 10ltrs EANx30. Had to do some line patching at 30m at the bottom of the shaft, then headed off between 30-31m, hitting thirds just as I dropped down to 34m - presumably not far from the end of the line - but frustrating not to have got to put some new line down!