Rob E, Dylan K, Joe B, and Sam P 16/03/23
What is HDM?
A question I held on to. Rather than reading the previous trip report from Jon Luke and Rob, I decided to stay naive to the whole ordeal of the Thursday night trip. Turns out HDM is a unique and amazing mine underappreciated in all best of ways. After picking rob up with the mood high we arrive at the layby to be greeted by Sam and then Joe. All Suited and Booted. The goal for tonight was set out with the following. Survey the mine shaft and bolt traverse/climb up to various levels perpendicular to explore and find any more offshoots. Making our way to the lid I realize it’s not a lid in nature at all but rather a Tomb. Huge Concrete sleepers hold sentry to the 70m Shaft below. With four bodies wrestling whilst using the magical power of the crowbar and leverage, we are granted access. With a sling tied around the sleeper with a safety line, Rob lowers himself into the shaft to find that the sling was never secured properly and thus with some Team Awesome acrobatics pins himself over the 70m drop arm wrapped around the not-so-safe safety line and re clips the sling! But you didn’t come out tonight because you wanted to be safe.
Looking down the engine shaft
With Rob on his way to the Chain ladder ledge about 50m below we hear rope free and send the next man Sam down. Joe and I just chat away as I wait for the next call. As I lower myself onto the rope, I'm greeted with a precarious at best arch somewhat waiting to collapse on whoever/whatever is below. So, without touching it I carry on down. The Shaft is all built around a main slab of stone that from its amazing pick marks resembles a neolithic ruin stone perhaps, just a couple of stories high. Although its story is one of sweat and Lead as the miners ran their picks down a line of ore striking with amazing accuracy and creating long clawed grooves against the rock. From my experiences, this is one of the most vivid examples of this pick work. A well-worth sight for anyone willing. Passing the rebelay I come to a ledge about a meter away from the middle of the shaft and use the traverse line to exit the pitch. On the level, a great Chain Link ladder is hung over a stemple. Truly one-of-a-kind sight that can be seen on Jon Pemberton’s Trip report of “Three and a half men”. Reaching a fine Planning ground, we wait for Joe whilst I drink from a lovely rock fountain. With all of us together, we decide that Joe and Sam can bolt climb around while Rob and I survey the workings below. Off I jump back on the pitch and descend 20m further to a slope veering off into more passage at the bottom workings of the mine.
With Rob at the top of the pitch, we initiate our surveying adventure by marking the first leg. Too bad we messed up and then had to get it on the way out. This actually worked out better though. Just enough water to cause slight discomfort I was pleased to see Rob and continue our survey into a known section of mine at an offshoot of the slope into a Slab roof passage. Continuing down this section you arrive at a fun little chamber with an ore shoot into the ceiling held together by stemples to the left of the ceiling when walking In as well as a continuing passage straight on that makes for a round trip connecting to a lower section coming into the room 90 degrees right of the continuation. We go for the survey of the small round trip to tick it off. After surveying the room, we move forward into a junction that is filled with spoil only allowing for a right turn. Now looking back, I get a good visual of the structural integrity of the passage and it does not look good to say the least. This however does not mean it lacks in the level of coolness the miner had in mind when building it. “Sometimes best not to think about it” Rob light-heartedly says. This a perfect description of our mindset in the events to come. Arriving at another junction there is a pit to the lower left and then a continuation straight ahead. I decide to free-climb down the pit to find it is a dead end. Sand starts to shift in from the walls onto my legs. We both chuckle and then I give a go to free climb out. Now more sand from the walls dislodges itself and closes in. I laugh again not yet feeling the danger this really could pose in hindsight burying me in. At this point, Rob above me states “Mabey you should get out of there” Then “Climb Climb Climb!”. I jump on the walls and pedal my legs against it reaching the lip as now the walls are really sliding in. I have escaped the Sand Pit of Doom and if anyone else wants to play it's down there waiting as if it is a Venus flytrap. Reaching the small chamber, we connect the round trip and decide not to journey further down as from experience Rob knows it is not worth it.
Dylan climbing into the unknown - by RobE
Now back in the main lower junction the plan if there had been one might have been to survey back out and see if Sam and Joe had found anything interesting. Although I already have. I state that I'm going to climb up the ore shoot as it looks enticing. Slowly and proud to say methodically I ascend the boulders that are held up by stemples realizing that it opens up above me I tell rob that this is a great lead and definitely should follow up and survey above. Reaching the top you enter a chamber filled with clogged footprints from the miners with a section of ceiling held up with stemples that are magnificently strained and bent from bearing the weight above. Rob Ascends behind me into what Is Dubious at best. Dare I even say that? Without caution, it will fall and so will you about 5-7m back where you came from. A two-person-sized hauling chamber then leads to an opening in the roof. As I climbed through, I was ecstatic and now knew we were in uncharted territory a big chamber with a passage to the left and two ways on the right.
Dylan enjoying the newly discovered pipe vein - by RobE
Once in we build a stupa (cairn), I run around the corner to find a slab wall rising into the ceiling with stemples and another ore shoot leading to another lower section as well as a mined vein Underneath an amazing arch. Now hearing the voices of our fellow comrades, I run forwards to find our rope greeting me. Now we have joined back with the engine shaft and upon reflection at the Anchor decided that it is now the best way to enter this mid-series to circumnavigate the lower free climb used to gain access on this trip. With a few photos included in the report taken, we head off to explore the other two passages. One of which descends, the latter ascends slightly. Opting for the latter we make our way to another arch. Might as well be called the baby brother. Limestone walls sit encompassing the arch with a unique pattern resembling marble leading into a free climbable traverse over another lower section that will need exploring. I take to my non-existent climbing skills and hop over Rob right behind me doing it with ease. Over the precarious section, I find a nice big pink rock giving me a foot stand into a chamber to the left. The chamber then leads to a false floor at the end. Beyond the false floor is a drop into a lower section of tight workings but more enticingly is a path that seems to wrap to the left. With little consideration of our ability, we shimmy across reaching the bottom and come to an uphill sand pit. With a second given for the survey integrity, I crawl in feeling the upsurge of air drafting more heavily than anything noticed so far. Upon looking up it is an Ore shoot about 7m high leading into god knows what but very keen to find out. Just about ready to free climb up Rob maturely suggests that we should leave this lead for the next trip as we have been away surveying much longer than expected. I reluctantly agree although it is a perfect place to end.
Making our way back our moods are at a high and I run on after a horrible attempt at traversing to let the boys know they can leave for the pub. With a few more pictures taken on the way out we carefully descend through the stemple steep climb into the roundtrip chamber and back to the base of the main shaft. With Sam just giving the call for the rope free Rob ascends and shows a bit of stylish rope running. At the ledge of the first pitch, we then redo our first leg and get it bagged and up we go. Rob is now at the surface waiting for me. On the way up I see Joe's bolting into a horizontal level with a climb leading to “imminent death” maybe a possible future connection to the section found tonight. I enjoy the last pitch admiring the walls and singing Pirates of the Caribbean because... yeah. Reaching the no-go arch of the top of the shaft I recall saying well at least on the way out you won't touch it. Guess what I almost annihilated it with a Spartan kick, but it was lucky, and I was a little low.
Now with two people putting the lid back on the sarcophagus is quite the sight. Dumb and Dumber perhaps just Rob is doing the only useful bit with the crowbar as I try to deadlift the sleeper and match his efforts. Although after all, we are Team Awesome not team strong. With the sleeper back on we make our way to the Anchor to express our find to the rest of the team who was meeting us after their trip from Bagshaw.
A successful night with about 80m of brand-new mine to add to the peaks. I'm, sure there is a bit more to come as well!
Dylan Kocher.