Tunnocks - crossword passage
Frank
Rain and misery at the Stone bridge. Becka and Steve left early to do Gravity Always Wins, while Frank faffed and Julian enjoyed the hours of not being in the cave while at the same time looking forward to trying out his inspiration of pouring boiling water into his wetsocks. The first lot was poured out after a long soak and the fear that too many nasty bugs would have been breeding. Frank asked if I was using custard. The second filling scalded my toes. As Frank considered completing the whole cave in nice dry woolly socks, I realised I had made a mistake and had soggy wet feet for the whole trip. Frank rigged 2 pitches until scared off while I froze and took an action picture of the wrong drill. I looked into Andy As horrid lead at the north end. We derigged. I strolled down from starfish junction to Blind and Broken where Becka and Steve had dropped a pitch (blind) and now had rigged a free-hanging traverse across to a second pitch. I crossed, stupidly, and found rope on next pitch heading down at 45 degrees (it was pulled tight to get down next pitch) and shouted. Not much conversation with echoes. Frank arrived. I told him to go away as I crossed the 9mm rope traverse to prevent him from lighting the space below me. Technique was to have short cows tail from one bolt to next due to lack of faith in skinny rope. Took some funky pictures of self on ice shelf. Returned in the dark. Becka and Steve arrived within 10 mins of their callout.
[Frank continues...]
Trip back to cropscicle (crosswords) to rig pitch. Put bolt in below boulder which is ok then on to pitch - lots of cracked rock and thin flutes put bolts in.
[rigging diagram]
Wibbled off at 18.30 headed out to get back to top camp at 21.00 after some photos - spoke to Becka on pitch on way back 20.00 ish. Becka arrived back at camp 10.50 ish - callout 11pm - bit too close. All ok though.