Pool Sink - 26th. February 1970
Party:- K. Lewis, P, McDade
& M. Woodhouse.
Keith had ageed to take me
up to Magpie Grotto on a photographic trip & we would then proceed
downstream to take photos on the pitches. Barry was enlisted to pose for us and
also to sherpa.
We set off from the farm about mid-day and soon arrived at the hole. Keith
crawled off in front, followed by Barry, then myself. Apart from a bit of stuck
leg trouble from Keith at the double bend, we made unhampered progress to the
first pitch.
At this point Jim, Bob &
Dave arrived so we left them to tackle up the downstream route while we
squirmed upstream to the grotto. We spent about half an hour photographing
there & then traversed up in the roof to some fine untouched formations.
The next pitch we reached was ridiculously wet & there was no way any of us
could avoid a thorough soaking. The third & fourth pitches weren’t much
better, although with a bit of swinging about on the ladder you could keep out
of the full force of the water.
Keith & myself now wanted to take photos of Barry climbing the pitches, so
ho was given instructions and was about to set off, when I skillfully kicked my
flashgun over a ledge into the booming streamway. After groveling on my hands
& knees for a few minutes in an icy pool I found it. Unfortunately, very
wet and minus an important bit. Thus disarmed and not being able to flash (Oh yes. Ed.), I hoped Keith wouldn’t
ask me to pose on the ladders for him. Luckily, I was spared the ordeal. By the
time we reached the second pitch, Baz was pigged off with climbing wet pitches,
so we re-rigged it on a drier hang. No problems on the first pitch, but when
Baz got to the entrance & started shouting about the amount of water
rushing right past our front door & Keith decided to take it nice &
steady through the bends in the crawl, I began to wish I wasn’t so hopelessly
marooned behind him.
Nevertheless, we got out O.K. & marveled at the way the gill had risen in such a few hours. The fact that Jim was didn’t seem to cause too much concern, for as Keith said, “If it floss, he’ll have to come out of bloody County, won’t he?’. Hope you made it O.K. Jim,
M.
Woodhouse
Yes we were O.K. & thanks for re-hanging the second pitch. I must
admit feeling a bit perturbed when we saw the 50 running with water.
Incidentally I shared your worry in the entrance tube, stuck behind Dave &
hearing the loud drumming of the flood water, not too far away. Certainly good
for the bowels.
J .H.