Trapdoor Pot - 16th May 2009
Saturday May 16th 2009
Members present: Gary Douthwaite, Mark Sims, Matt Ewles, Thomas Blakey
Report by Gary Douthwaite
An efficient breakfast in Bernies (and purchase of a new Omni main mallion for quick release of the SRT kit in the promised awkwardness of trap door) lead us to the cave for about 12pm. Nice sunny weather (contrary to the report) for getting changed and a brisk walk up the hill. Naturally the heavens opened and it was time for hoods but it didn’t last long.
I had opted for a tourist trip, leaving Mark to get on with the rigging while I followed leisurely behind. A small entrance hole in the bottom of a shake hole lead on to the short descent into a roomy chamber, the way on dropping down to the lowest point in the floor to an interesting limbo under a ledge. This dropped into another roomy boulder filled chamber with some interesting expanding foam holding some otherwise gravity defying blocks in the rift right over the way on. An easy climb down leads up to the head of the first pitch – “That’s Better” – via a tighter-than-it-looks squeeze known as “The Ripper”. This was the first of several removals of my SRT gear.
“That’s Better” pitch drops down onto some very dodgy looking boulders propped up with wood of dubious vintage directly above a dug route down to a narrow shaft. This drops on to the very awkward head of the second pitch – “FTSE pitch”. Some squirming leads onto a scaffolding bar for a free hang down the short pitch into a spacious area with water entering (sadly above the way on). Hoods up and SRT gear down for the drop through a tight slot into a short crawl to emerge at the head of the next, far more spacious “Ready to Roll” pitch.
Some welcome easy SRT down to the floor to sounds of Matt attempting the crawl at the bottom (anyone who knows Matt will know what kind of sounds I mean!) I arrived at the crawl in time to see Matt reversing out to remove his SRT gear. He also decided that he didn’t want to face it head first so entered the other way dragging a very full tackle sack and his SRT gear. After more ‘Matt’ noises, Tom and I followed (Tom having no trouble fitting with his SRT gear on) to emerge at Millennium Pot.
Next came much discussion about how to tackle the tight bit ahead referred to the Not For the Faint Hearted as an “esoteric squeeze”. Despite yet more even louder ‘Matt’ noises, it wasn’t half as bad as it seemed at first. The biggest pain was getting the two tackle sacks through.
On with SRT once again then much easier going to the head of next pitch; an easy descent onto a ledge above what is probably the most impressive shaft I have ever seen. The lights from Matt and Mark at the bottom illuminated the whole thing which looked incredibly impressive; I only wished I’d had my camera! A quick descent down the 38m pitch ends on a huge boulder slope with a tiny stream at one edge.
After some well deserved nibbles, Mark set off back up the rope far too enthusiastically with his foot jammer, putting everyone else to shame. Next was Tom’s assent of catastrophe! Half way up he exclaimed that the deviation had come off but we thought nothing of it and let him carry on. Next came a HUGE bang which Matt and I couldn’t work out but later found that a massive chuck of the wall had fallen off the top! I started my assent to find that Tom was right; the deviation indeed had come off, in fast the whole anchor had come out of the wall! Thankfully the deviation wasn’t required and was one of the old original bolts so we didn’t worry too much. Take care on the top of that pitch though as some of the wall is still quite loose.
A quick and uneventful exit (although rather a lot harder than on the way in) made for a very happy group of cavers. Trapdoor is a very satisfying trip and I was really glad to get to the bottom of it. I found it just the right length with good variation, and not as hard as the description makes out. Defiantly want to return with photography gear.
