“Who is this stranger… It’s been bloody ages since I’ve last seen you” exclaimed Chris as I entered his car to meet the crew for pre-session drinks.
“Thanks mate… Been busy, with like work and family stuff”… but it has been ages, hasn’t it? Little Waterfall Swallet was the last project I’ve helped out on. Since then, I kind of fizzled into the background risking the humiliating removal of your rights to call yourself a member of Team Awesome!
Having followed the reports over the last few months I knew that tonight would be a very special night and it was only right to be part of this and grab some glory.
After a little catch up we got dressed and headed to the entrance, only Rob sporting a wetsuit this time round as he was aiming to cap away from the far sump side whilst Chris and I would stay on the dry side.
This being my first time into Waterfall Hole I wasn’t sure what to expect, the entrance is something which was never discussed, but the low flat our crawl was actually quiet cool… Completely smooth and easy to manoeuvre through. Within less than a minute we reached the junction where the wet meets the dry and Rob didn’t bother hanging around before going headfirst into the sump, as soon as his face touched the water, he realised this was a stupid idea. But Rob being Rob, he went off and it was rather eerie hearing him literally 5m away through the rock.
Chris and I focused on the dry side and started capping our way towards the anticipated right tun whilst Rob and Jon came the other direction.
One thing I realised that Rob’s earmuffs attached to his helmet although looking absolutely manic would have actually come in very handy. Capping microwave sized boulders inches from your head with no ear protection adds another level of awesomeness… or stupidity?
A little bit of stuck capping rods, change of drills and especially replacing the little toy hammer Jon used on his side with a proper piece of metal to finally allow him to join the club of cappers.
Whilst Chris was at the dig face and me supporting at the rear by stacking broken boulders into every possible gap to ensure we have an easy access/egress, I frequently looked down into the sump pool and was toying with the idea of just going for a push through and meet the other guys to say Hi.
But then I heard Rob shout “Are you coming through then?”, wait what? They’ve done it?
I quickly abandoned the idea of going for a drunk and raced towards the dig face only to see Chris’s legs peeking around the corner and the rest of his body being contorted into some weird exorcist pose in order to make the dogleg bend. A few kicks against the wall and he managed to get himself to the other side. Cheering was heard echoing through the cave as if England has just won the World Cup (you wish!).
Shortly after I was beckoned through the section to join the team, on your left, bend yourself in half, kick the wall and push like a madman. And you are through! Entering the slightly bigger chamber I was impressed at how quickly the rocks changed from what I’ve seen so far, this area was very clean washed, a lot of water must go through here.
And then I felt it… this feeling of euphoria, that you’ve been part of achieving something amazing. Not everyone may appreciate the impact this has on further explorations in this cave by achieving a dry route and bypassing the sump. Now digs can happen every week despite the sump being closed.
That feeling of being a selfish glory grabbing wanker… Especially when you turn up on breakthrough night, can’t get any better than that!
I was quickly shown the way on into the deeper cave whilst the rest were packing up and started to head out. I followed through the amazing new dry section (having completely forgot the idea of the sump) and we exited into a lovely white coating of snow making this an extra special night.
Post-beers were enjoyed at the pub by the team, but I instead opted to make the long journey home, grinning to myself of what I have been part of… whilst still hearing the ringing in my ears and the smell of gun powder from the caps…
I shall update you on the next breakthrough in this cave when some glory is to be grabbed.
Fabian