161 - France - The same Likewise
Pete Lord
After a burst of sumping, we were all _too keen_ and went caving again to survey and de-rig up to Algeria. Donning of wet gear was followed by a quick descent to Algeria where Ali & Petel started to survey & Julian started bolting some of the other leads, promising to follow the surveyors shortly. After 3½ hrs we'd surveyed to the streamway, where Julian joined us. Surveying eventually took 4+ hrs, after which I (Petel) pissed off to Titfield Thunderbolt whilst Ali & Julian derigged all the pseudo-Yorkshire bits below. When they turned up I took a tacklesack & went up Orient Express, now measured as a freehanging (well almost) 52.1 metres. I dumped this in Algeria & carried on to the entrance, prussiking the top 200m one footed (.·. slowly) due to blisters and leaving Ali & Julian to derig T.T. & O.E.
After waiting 45 mins at entrance, I was a bit worried, and decided to start for rescue. Fortunately I heard a shout from below so stuck about. At +1hr Julian emerged & I found that derigging O.E. had taken 1½ hrs due to the epic boulder that Ali had dislodged 2 trips ago having landed over the rope; it was too big for 2 cavers to lift, so 50+m of rope had to be pulled underneath it - then remained the task of hauling 150m of rope up O.E. Rope was left at Algeria to be derigged and used in further pushing of leads. 8½ hrs Julian H, Ali
Rigging: [ sketch ]