Grinding
Away
When The Grind was originally surveyed by R.F. Matthews, J. Griffiths
and R.J. Shackleton in 1973, it was quite an achievement. Eventually the Red
Rose decided to re-survey the whole system and an attempt was made in 2011.
However, this led to the discovery of the ‘Dark Side of the Grind’ and the team
got waylaid by the discovery of Pickle Passage, the link between the Grind and
Easy Street that created the Grind Circle, for ‘officianados’ only.
After the wonderful summer of drought of 2018, the survey was re-started
in the wet September, Emma Wilson and Tom Clayton, ventured into the Grind to
carry on surveying into the Clean Passage. Joined by James Carlisle, out of retirement, and on a later trip
by Becka Lawson and Peter Warren the passage was finished, well nearly!
Unfortunately, someone looked up a side passage and thought it might need
‘pushing’, it’s still waiting for the push! Maybe another Pickle Passage awaits
discovery and they haven’t even looked up Zeppelin Aven yet so who knows what’s
left to be found.
Interestingly though, one of the Dark Side passages gets very close to a
passage leading off from the bottom of the Serendipity pitch and both passages
end in calcite pooled low crawls. Is there more to this area than was
originally thought? I’ve not been in The Grind myself, having been repelled by
the initial squeeze and rumours of even tighter stuff beyond, so I can only go
from the surveyor’s reports that there’s not much standing-up in the whole trip
but our misery merchants seem to like the place.
There are now only a few bits to polish off and we’ll have a complete
set of notes for the next survey sheet, Sheet 5 of the "Ease Gill,
Pippikin, Link and Mistral" set.
Well done to all concerned in this
epic venture!
Ray Duffy
