Valley Entrance
K. Lewis, A. Fletcher & M. Woodhouse.
Having hibernated throughout the winter months, Alec came out of his festerous cocoon &. decided to go diving. By middle afternoon we were ready for the off & we soon reached the master cave. At the master junction we took a long flat out crawl in the stream (fun with bottles) till we finally arrived at the canals. Keith & Alec reckoned I didn’t know the way because there is an easy oxbow to this crawl, but I knew about it all the time really; I just wanted to see Alec struggle. Keith threw stones at a certain part of Alec’s anatomy to try and speed him up, but it was to no avail.
The
pleasant part next - wading through the canals as far as the Mud River Sump.
We left Alec kitting up & went fur a quick duck through the last Rowten “sump”, returning just in time to see Alec’s bubbles
trailing up the canal in 18 inches of water. Next he got down to the serious
business & left us shivering on a mud bank, whilst he reached an unexplored
static sump - not pushed because it was too tight.
Alec was tested yet again, this time at the Roof Tunnel pitch where we pulled
the ladder up on him. He made a pig’s ear of it, although I concede that the
free climb isn’t at all easy, especially as the fixed rope is 8 foot short of
the floor. And so back to the duck & on out to the pub
nice and early.
M. Woodhouse.