107 - Gemshohle - Attempt to push Wookey & Jess' lead at North end of China

Fri 01 Aug 2014
Elaine



Attempts to go caving from base camp are not a great idea if you want to be underground at a reasonable hour... Rather a lot of faffing and a diversion to the mobile phone shop later, we were en route to 107 and underground at ~1:30pm. It was Elaine & Sophie's first expo caving trip. Progress was somewhat slow, and since it took 4 hours to reach a point just before TOO BOLD FOR THIS SPIT, the decision was taken to turn round at 5:30 pm.

Elaine and David decided to retrieve the hand bolting kits which were left just before Pop Across. David grabbed the kits then D&E caught up with M&S who were making their way out. Once M&S had gone past the squeeze, E derigged the pitch which bypasses the squeeze while D. rebolted & rerigged the traverse at the bottom of said pitch to make it safer. All reached the surface at ~9:45pm. D&E decided to go ahead to top camp to cancel the callout and outrun the thunderstorm which was snapping at our heels. S&M arrived, rather damp, 1.5h later.

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Survex files on this date:
    caves-1623/258/ducksonice
    caves-1623/264/entrancepitch1
Wallets on this date:
    2014#09 Balcony Entrance Pitch ['notes2', 'notes1', 'elev1', 'notes3', 'plan1', 'elev2']
    2014#17 Ducks on Ice ['notes2', 'notes1', 'elev1', 'plan1']
    2014#24 Becka prospects ['notes1-14-NP-01', 'notes-1-876', 'notes1-234+237', 'notes1-777', 'notes2-copiā€¦
Logbook trips on this date:
    107 - Gemshohle - Attempt to push Wookey & Jess' lead at North end of China
    Tunnocks - Rigging Coldfinger by Champagne on Ice
    prospecting - Surface prospecting, NW of Tunnocks
    2005-05
    Tunnocks - Ducks on Ice / Tacklesack retrieval