Far Pinnacle Streamway
Party:- R. Ellwood, A. Walsh, H. Rothwell
& Friend
The mystery of the link between the two giants, Pippikin and Lancaster, lies in Border sump in Far Pinnacle Streamway at the far end of Earby Extension. In this place lies a perched sump that has been greatly lowered by numerous trips by U.L.S.A. We decided, with only 11/2' to lower, to pay a visit. Heavily armed with knee pads and anything else to protect our knees - in my case, wet suit trousers worn the wrong way round - we set off prepared for Ramsdens crawl that guards the Far Pinnacle Streamway. Our quick start was thwarted by a mass of bods slowly going down Lancaster, but soon we were away - pick in hand - up the vast caverns to Stake Pot. Soon Stake Pot saw four people steaming and dripping sweat arrive to meet a large party nearby. We all sat down, gasping for a drink. Suddenly, out of the ammo, box jumped an orange - it could have been gold, everyone jumped up to catch it. Slowly it rolled down, narrowly missing a few people, then to sick looks it jumped over the edge and dropped 100’ to the master cave. We then set off up the Earby Extension and the awkward Barlick New Road. At one point the narrow traverse has a drop of 6’ which I started to descend but my foot was wedged at the top. Not thinking I was so firmly wedged I carried on. Soon I was upside down with one foot stuck in a cleft at the top of the climb and one foot nearly at the bottom - like a belly dancer. The more I struggled the more it wedged. The only thing was to take the boot off or reverse the climb. I did the latter. With that I wondered about Canuck climb but a permanent ladder made it easy. Now we were in the high level passages of Earby, not unlike Montague West. Brew chamber was soon entered and after a stop we dropped down to the middle level, then passed the 80’ drop to the lower system to Maple Leaf Junction. Ramsdens crawl began very low and wet till after 100' an annoying squeeze over flowstone lead to a low chamber. Soon the crawl, developed into the 500’ long 12” - 15” high downhill muddy tube with tight squeezes. This place, every few yards had the remains of departed, groveling cavers - bits of cloth, neoprene, buttons, bits off lights, etc. - like a trek in the desert the cave had taken its toll. The electric light became a curse, soon, clunk..click,. it was out. Despite the spare lights I had in the ammo box I did without. There was nothing to see anyway. However after a few hundred feet I crawled into a pool full of water, head first. We had reached the pools. Eventually the height increased and suddenly we broke into a keyhole shaped passage 20” high by 3’ wide with pleasant formations. We went upstream to the dig, a pleasant place with rock pendants and a wide canal, Here we dug to try and drop the sump finding digging reasonable After an hour we had dropped it 4-6”. On resting a strange hollow rumble could be heard, like cars going overhead, which eventually stopped, It may have been an air bell opening up or the witch of Easegill, or someone's stomach.
Well, how about some food - roast ham, cheese sandwiches, or German sausage. Four mouths watered. Soon we were well in, a feast from the ammo box rounded off with a yogurt, nuts and raisins, mixed biscuits apple, umpteen cigarettes and plenty of pineapple juice. Well fed we proceeded out, finding Ramsdens crawl went uphill! We eventually got out and back to the farm 3 hours later in a pitch black night. A fine 8 hour trip. In Lancaster hole another foot or so needs to be dug but it is now mainly in firm clay just below the shingle so that a fine spade full can be dug. If further barriers exist, baling or siphoning may be easier.
A. Walsh