Better late than never...

I was supposed to begin the first leg of my journey down to Grenoble today. However, due to a delayed flight and packing my motorbike, repacking my motorbike, then eventually deciding there is not enough room on my motorbike - I am running late!

Not to worry though - it just means that tomorrow will be a very long day and I will have to go in my car :(

Any ideas what the picture is?

Please comment before clicking on the answer.

Titan B.E.S.T.

The SWCC kindly invited us along to meet and greet them all before we all meet up in France. The venue was the Peak Cavern (a.k.a. The Devil's Arse) and our expert guides for this journey were Henry and Clive. They guided us around the following route:

James Hall's Over Engine Mine Shaft - Leviathan - Workshop - Speedwell Streamway - Wirlpool - The Bung - Block Hall - Leviathan - Coral Aven - Stemple Highway - Boulder Choke - Far Sump Inlet - Titan Shaft

James Hall's Over Engine Mine Shaft is an old lead mine leading down into the Peak/Speedwell system. This section of cave is like being on the set of an Indiana Jones movie!

We abseiled down the entrance shaft, a 50m freehang off a single iron bar cemented into the entrance. This dropped us into the first level where you walk, climb and crawl along the mined out vein.

Below this we dropped down the narrow Bitch Pitch and into a natural cave, where the remains of an old ore cart can be seen with all the wood rotted away.

Two further pitches took us down into a horizontal cave where we explored the canals that were dug out to move the goods to the surface.

Next we headed off to find Titan. Henry led us through muddy crawls, muddy streamways, down muddy ladders, through heavy iron gates, over muddy traverses, though a muddy sump and regularly wallowing in muddy water and/or watery mud.

We wriggled through the last climb that took us to the bottom of Titan Shaft, where a rope disappears into blackness above your head. I cannot describe how impressive this place is. So here is a picture of the shaft from above and here is a picture of the shaft from below.*

Alistair and I sat and watched as Henry climbed the rope, his light gradually fading until he had completely disappeared from sight! Surely the top cannot be that far away!?

It was.

The 170 metre rope seemed to be double that! But what a way to finish such an exciting and tiring trip.

Thanks to the SWCC (especially Bridget, Henry and Clive) for organising an absolutely cracking trip. Bring on the Berger... :)

* The pictures are taken from this website.

The Steed

After 3 months of waiting, my method of getting to the Berger has finally arrived! Check her out - she's a beauty :)

One Thousand Metres Down

Fifty four years to the day since the Berger Chasm was discovered, I have started reading One Thousand Metres Down by Jean Cadoux and others.

This book is something better than a story of record-breaking, it is the story of a team, as every one of them has demonstrated with simplicity and absolute sincerity. Would you, without complete confidence in the unity of purpose that binds you to a man, trust your life to him as he lowers you at the end of 160 feet of thin nylon rope, or, what is an even greater trial, hauls you up rung after rung of a ladder though worn out by four days of unremitting effort. Or how endure, but for the comfort of a kindly shoulder, the long vigil in utter darkness under some 1600 feet of limestone rock?

André Bourgin

108 Bolts

Here is a good description of the Berger. Sounds easy, doesn't it!?

Lost John... Found!

We headed back to Lost John's Cave for another training session. This time our route was:

Hampstead Heath - Monastery - Piscine - Pinnacle - Sink Chamber

The Monastery is a big pitch. Probably just as big as any we will face in the Berger. It was hard work and, if I'm honest, a little scary as you are only hanging on one bolt!?

At the final sump lay 'Lost John', now found :)

The Confession

Now we have permission to descend the Berger, the planning is starting in earnest.

It is also time for a small confession...

We are hitching a ride down the cave with the South Wales Caving Club {SWCC}.

Do not think that this means we are being carried in and out of the cave! We will be doing our fair share of the rigging and de-rigging - we just did not have enough rope to do the trip on our own :)

The SWCC is taking on the important role of getting all the gear sorted. On their shopping list is 1200m of rope!

Quite a few of the SWCC have done the cave before in 1993. I don't know if this makes me feel more or less nervous!?

Let's get training!?

News from the Berger...

We have permission! We have been given our first choice dates of the 1st to 10th August 2007.

SO now firm plans can at last be made :)

Change of Plans...

Whilst watching the first sunset of 2007, we discussed our summer adventure. The plan is to still go down the Berger, however instead of climbing Mont Blanc, we will attempt, amongst others, the Barre des Écrins (still a 4000m peak!).

The main reason for the change is that the weather is more likely to be good in the Écrins...

Oh, and there will hopefully be less people there :)

Return to Lost John's

During this trip we completed a different variation of the New Route Traverse. The route we took was:

No. 1 Hole - Pulpit - Cathedral - Dome - Shale Cavern - Sink Chamber

This time, Alistair rigged the whole trip and I de-rigged it - all under the watchful eye of Dick (the expert).

All the gear...

...and very little idea :)

Having just bought all my caving gear for next summer (which set me back £400!), we went to Leck Fell to go caving. We went down Lost John's Cave to complete the New Route Traverse (grade III). The route we took was:

Hammer Pot - Mud Pot - Centipede Route

I needed this trip was to refresh my knowledge of the Single Rope Technique (SRT). This is the method used to get in and out of the cave with large vertical drops (the longest here was 30m). Going down the rope was easy :) but I never realised that ascending a rope was such hard work!

Where?

Gouffre Berger, Vercors (deepest in the Alps)

Mont Blanc, Chamonix (highest in the Alps)

The real question should be 'why?' - any ideas?

The Challenge

See if you can figure out from the title what the challenge is this time...