Below Boom, Peak Caver - JRP, French Jeff, Lil' Luke
As always we start our evening with a quick pre-beer at the TSG (when we're in Peak anyhow) then made our way swiftly to Peak with official access! We wasted no time and soon split away from Rob and Dave and made our way up Watershed Aven, I actually remember how to do an "SRT" and thoroughly enjoyed shouting "Rope free to the deviation lads!" Once at our intended digging spot in a small chamber just off the base of Boom where all the water seems to flow we de-kitted and Lil' Luke took first go under the spray of water. We had no hilti's as the previous trip report would suggest so Luke gave some large rocks a pound with his little hammer and managed to break them down to a manageable size. French Jeff got stuck in for seconds and made progress to where he could see into the continuation passage which was the limit of the previous weeks exploration. Unlucky for us the wall which Rob and Luke had cut through gave way in the proceeding week hence little progress made on tonight's sesh. I took thirds and soon found myself shoveling slurry around at the base of the pot. Deciding this was not for me and 5mins past pub time evacuation we retreated towards The Cheese for a post caving beverage.
Fin.
Surveying & Science, Peak Cavern - Dave Harley, Rob Eavis
First me n Dave ran off to Lake Passage and installed some radon monitors along way for DCA to earn some brownie points. Then on to Treasury Chamber and we started surveying our way along SEP Passage. I'd only ever been down this once, with Jeff back in 2006, before John Cordingley reopened it in 2013. Then we only got about 20m before it was blocked with rocks and water. Now there is a low crawl there followed by a comfortable hands and knees crawl for the rest of the ~50m passage, before reaching the "sump". This is only short and was open so we went through into the wet rift beyond. The passage only goes another few meters, with a too tight rift in the roof mostly full of boulders. Not a fun place for a dig, if i'm honest. Luckily our Boom dig is almost directly above, albeit 10m higher and heading away, so that is a much more promising location. We then legged it out and got back to the TSG only 3 minutes after the others.