Sep 02 |
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This weekend, I have not only learnt the delights of Bar Pot and Grey Wife, but also, how committed and absolutely crazy my friend Colin is. Seriously, this man is nutty. Caving is one thing, cave diving is another thing. However cave diving in Grey Wife is a completely different matter. The amount of effort to get oneself and ones diving equipment to Paradox Pond is extreme to say the least. So, before I start the tale of this particular journey, all respect to Colin and his longing for new passageway (quite frankly I went through more than enough of Grey Wife without needing him to find any more!)
HVS (Handclimb Via Shower) Grey Wife Hole
Although the first intention had been for Colin to dive in Grey Wife, the weather would not allow this time, so we opted to go in anyway and drop off his dive cylinders. An early start was required from the NPC hut as I wanted to return to Birmingham in time to collect Richard from the airport. So at 7.30 we arose and by 8 we were at the “car park”, by 9 we had climbed the steep ascent to the cave and were entering the small hole on the hill. The first obstacle after climbing down through the entrance was a rather tight squeeze, through which Colin’s dive bottles just about fitted and I also just about fitted. Colin was already down there, so obviously he had fitted, which was a good sign. This was the sort of squeeze downwards where it does cross your mind how the hell you will return, but I have decided that it is better not to consider these things on route. One more such squeeze followed and then we were faced with a hole … on the floor, about 35 cm high and about shoulder width wide. This was to be scaled whilst lying on your belly, feet first. Lying there with a cylinder in front of me, both shoulders almost touching the walls and my feet only kicking a boulder that I couldn’t see … I wondered what I was doing. Colin had just given me the talk on what to do if the cylinder exploded … and I was wondering what I would do in this position. Moreover it amused me that my helmet was touching the ceiling and if I had stuck my tongue out it would have touched the floor. I called to Colin to check he had actually got out of this tomb and carried on backwards. The next passage was great. I could stand up, it was almost pretty and there was space horizontally. And then slowly, it got narrower and then it got narrower and narrower and seemingly every few metres Colin would say this is a narrower bit … and I was wondering how narrow it was actually going to get. At this point, Colin was having to use extreme energy to force himself up the rift into a horizontal position before thrutching through at 1.5 m off the ground before lowering himself in a pretty painful sounding manner. To Colin’s utter dismay, with a little breathing in I could walk through the rift normally. Colin’s face was a picture! Shortly after these sections we arrived at the pitch head, where I stayed lowering the cylinders down to Colin at Paradox Pond. Following this we headed out … a journey that was so much easier and so much quicker than the journey in. The squeeze near the entrance did indeed call for some perserverence and I do indeed have a rather large bruise on my leg to show for it.
This cave was my tightest yet. When you’ve travelled for 40 mins in such tight conditions you do have to tell yourself that this is not a problem … Colin tells me that the cave doesn’t change character in the sump …. eeeek.
In retrospect, I enjoyed the trip. It was different to any other cave I have been down and although I hope Colin doesn’t find any tighter passages in this cave to take me down, it was an interesting trip and has left me feeling like I achieved something … although nothing compared to Colin’s diving in there! Respect to fatter people who have been down there though.
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Entry for Sunday, 2nd September 2007 by 
Rachel,
filed under 
Cave Diving, Caving.
Location 
(England).
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16 Responses to “Grey Wife Cave”
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Monday, September 3rd, 2007 at 10:26 am
Great write up Rachel!
Made me smile from to ear to ear. I haven’t done Grey Wife (would like to though), but I have carried Colin’s diving gear before! Yes it is a massive effort and respect is due to Colin. Not for carrying the gear though - he “employs” us as donkeys for that! The respect is due for just going under the water where no one can hear you die!!! 
Monday, September 3rd, 2007 at 11:14 am
Hey Colin look Pete’s volunteering to fetch your dive bottles back
You could just leave the bottles down there after a dive & he could do a regular weekly pickup, get em refilled & drop them back down there for you again, after all he only lives just down the road - give him something to do mid week 
Monday, September 3rd, 2007 at 11:44 am
I think Pete should help Colin get his compressor down there. Job done once and for all!
Monday, September 3rd, 2007 at 6:24 pm
Rach, my compessor wouldn’t fit down Grey Wife, nice idea though
Petepoos, you are most welcome on any Grey Wife trip, I can orgainise a pair of 7’s at very short notice just for you
. You should consider the effect such a trip will have on your Git rating. It could be good 
Sloth, I’m not sure about getting Pete to carry the cylinders in and out plus getting them filled mid week, it seems a little unresonable. Perhaps every other week
Monday, September 3rd, 2007 at 6:48 pm
How kind! Maybe I should carry the big ones tough?
Monday, September 3rd, 2007 at 8:52 pm
You mean colin carried his own cylinders in. I recall a time (isn’t that right Colin?) that i carried nearly all the gear in and all the gear out, while Colin made his slow progress through the tight bits.
Are my ladders looking ok in Grey Wife still?
On the matter of Pete coming to collect the cylinders mid week, I think that would be a little unfair unless someone decided to pay for his return ticket from London.
Monday, September 3rd, 2007 at 9:56 pm
Hi Dave, my memory must be going. I remember you carrying all the gear at some points of the cave on that trip whilst I suffered in a two piece wetsuit. Your ladders are still there and looking in good condition. I coil them so they are away from the rope.
I thought Pete didn’t like being in London? The cylinders would be a good reason for him to leave early each week
If fact for such a service he should pay me 
Pete, the 7’s are the big ones, you haven’t ever had the pleasure. The biggest you have carrier is a 4 and that was only a low pressure light weight thing. For the record Rach carried a 232 bar 3 and it didn’t seem to slow her down
.
Monday, September 3rd, 2007 at 10:10 pm
Doh, I know the 7s are the big ones - that’s the point, why not give me something really challenging? It’s called sarcasm - something this article seems to be short on…
Like; why would you keep the ladders clear of the rope?
Monday, September 3rd, 2007 at 10:11 pm
Ah, before you thought of me paying for the privilege of travelling from London to get your cylinders, were you thinking that you’d pay me?!
Monday, September 3rd, 2007 at 10:20 pm
I like it that you are taking Sloth’s idea seriously. We must talk
(I do have some 10’s)
Keeping the ladders and rope separate is a way of reducing the chemical reactions between the materials in the damp environment which is thought to lead to weakening of the bla bla bla… As boring as ice axes I guess
.
Monday, September 3rd, 2007 at 10:30 pm
I didn’t mean to cause so much aggro!
Monday, September 3rd, 2007 at 10:31 pm
Not at your hourly rate Petepoos. I’d only be able to afford one trip a year
Monday, September 3rd, 2007 at 11:17 pm
Hey Colin, you must be a bit of a closet climber if you know a lot about ice axes? What type do you have, and can we see an article on the times you have spent considering ice axes and why you have come to a judgement that ice axes are boring. I think perhaps that if you have tried talking to one then, yes, you may find them boring, (and before you ask, no, i haven’t talked to an ice axe).
I would have put a smiley in here if Pete had created one for boredom. :-yawn
Tuesday, September 4th, 2007 at 12:21 am
Rachel - no aggro, but great banter!
But wait, so you will pay me for one trip a year?
Dave - you and Colin both seem to want more smilies, but first you have to think of what it might look like, then I can create them…
Colin - yes, very serious indeed, not!
Tuesday, September 4th, 2007 at 5:35 pm
Pete - bring on the smileys, could be good
Dave - err, yes, I confess, I have an ice axe. Wooden, straight handle and steel head; one spike and one flat end. My choice was driven by cost - it was free…
I now need a smiley for embarrassment.
Tuesday, September 4th, 2007 at 7:22 pm