161 - France
Clive George
This time Nick was being keen. Once more the intrepid team of finding ability (first take a compass bearing, then walk in a random direction anyway, viz.: Juniper Gulf, Juniper Gulf again, the right way out of Salzburg, S'not, Rucksack Cave, the list is seemingly endless) set off, rucksacks lightly loaded with rope coz we were feeling clever this time with the intention of rigging the first 130m of rope down France. At first we thought we'd broken the jinx. Wandered from KH, down and to right and lo and behold: 161c or "Guess what I've found". Change, Nick wanders off with bolts, I'm left to pack 137m of rope into _my_ tackle sack (sigh, forgot to tell people this morning). Ooops - horribly tangled as predicted. Never mind - some later (3.20 pm) off down cave. Nick begins rigging [??] finds devn eventually. Then he bored so I have a go - Nick mysteriously tied his dangly bag round the rope - how silly - and had to go up rerigging as he went to untangle himself. Clive meanwhile on failing carbide, goes slowly down & runs into rub - I want a deviation ! or was it Nick first. Anyway, much faffing and looking later, Clive pissing off out for a piss & carbide change, we get pissed off. Wish we'd had a bolting kit - so much easier ! and I leave to find greedy bastards had eaten all the food and the rest of the world all appearing very drunk !
Previous trip (1992 France derig)