Another blast down Cussey to tick off some low-water boxes in Doom. Unlike last week, Loper Lust was now totally “dry”, so now the sludge that is left is horrific and energy zapping. I was glad my SRT kit was in a bag; Jon was wearing his, maybe cos it was his birthday, maybe cos he's an idiot…
We arrived at today’s objective quickly and we got straight to work. Last trip was halted at the top of the pitch after were we unable to get the 12 year old nuts off the original bolts. This week, armed with a drill, we wacked a couple more in a headed down. Probably should have used stainless but I was too disorganised and I couldn't find any in my shed, bad Rob.
The pitch down is actually mega, initially dropping through a funky natural shell bed that’s been water eroded lots (where has that water come from!?) and then opening into a decent sized chamber. A small slope leads to the head of the next pitch so a single rebelay went in and I landed in a small stream. Jon came down to join me and we first headed downstream, northeast. Funky walking sized mined passage, lined with drystone walls through which Jon was ferreting for artefacts, but it soon ended in a sump.
Then we headed upstream into a stooping passage hilariously nearly full of water with deep, sinking mud below. Jon had insisted on furries which now for the first time felt a poor choice, but we smashed on anyway. After about 40m it opened up into a really interesting chamber with loads of different ways off, mostly up. We ran about poking various bits. I started climbing a dodgy aven and then waited for Jon to join me hoping he’d bring some helpful enthusiasm, which of course he did. Climbing carefully to not touch most of the pack walls I eventually reached a natural choke with water coming out. I looked hard for black holes beyond but it all looks really closed up unfortunately. I think this may well be water from Cherticle Aven which is not too far away, making it less important to risk dying in, so I carefully retreated before thinking about moving anything.
Back in the chamber Jon had found another way on upstream although this was now dry with huge mud cracks in the floor. After not too long this also ended in a terminal choke. Feels like this is below a large mined chamber in the original Wet West section, so makes sense.
We got some content on the way out and then derigged. The trip heading back through Cussey was one of the hardest I’ve encountered, owing mainly to the extra 20kg of mud stuck to each of us! Still we were out to a warm evening and joined by Luke in the Mechanics for birthday beers. Pretty mega.
