An Appointment with the Past
Devotees of the club meets list will remember that we should have done Washfold on August 10th. The weather and its effect on the big pitch put an end to that. I had teamed up with Johnny Wi1kinson (SFHM) for a day on his dig up on Conistone Moor on the 9th. , and with Washfold obviously off we headed for t’Heifer on Saturday night to fix up a trip Sunday.
At the door we met Jim ”We-were-just-leaving-because-we-don’t-know-anyone—but-now-you’re-here-I’1l-have-a-Newkie-brown”
Eyre & John “I’ll-have-one-too” Frankland, With great originality we hit on
the idea of a classic Lancaster to County through trip, mainly for the benefit
of John’s sons It was not the trip itself that sent me to bed with pulse racing,
but My Appointment with the Past scheduled for the rnorn. Has the through trip ever
seen a line up like Eyre,
Anyway, along with countless others including the harpic squad attempting to
pass S bends where no brush can reach, at Fall Pot we picked our way trough the
expensive granny’s knitting dangling down the main shaft and were off.
I’ll say this for it, caving
with your boyhood heroes certainly increases your knowledge of who blew what
lid off what pot, who found what, when &
where and so forth. I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon. Jim Eyre demonstrated
a crafty little climb to the upper series at Oxbow Corner, and just to show
that you can teach an old dog new tricks, he was introduced to the bypass at
the Minarets.
An otherwise uneventful exit was enlivened by the unusual experience of
climbing up the pitch in County, three abreast. I’ve heard of popu1ar trips but
this was more reminiscent of
Swildon’s on a Bank Holiday. The stroll back to the farm in the late afternoon
provided another opportunity for turning over events of long ago, an demonstrated
that to enjoy your caving you don’t need an appointment with fear:. just with the past.
Incidentally; talking of appointments with the past, I’m sorry that I shall miss the 30 anniversary party, presumably hosted by Ron, in the P.J. crawl, on. October 20th.
J. Sheldon.