Wizards Chasm

Sunday January 3rd 2016

Members present: Adam Walmsley,  Rachel Findlay,  Sarah Jefferys

Well it was two years to the day since I last tried to find this cave, so a second attempt was called for. After much faff with grid refs, GPSs, maps, ismartphonewotsits and the like, we rested our navigational hopes on a screenshot of the map on Rachel's phone. As we drove to Langcliffe the rain intensified and 'twas somewhat inclement when we arrived. I watched in amusement as Findles performed some inexplicable manoeuvres in her pimpmobile, slipping and sliding hither and thither on the sodden wet ground.

Then there was no movement. I waited and watched, but no soul emerged. What a sorry state of affairs. After 20 minutes, I went to ask what was occurring, and found them to have fallen into the gumption trap. However when Findles said it was my decision, I decreed that we should go caving. Unfortunately, I then had a brain fart as I reversed back up the hill and over my SRT kit and wellies. TrueDoyle.

We tromped across the moor in the driving rain, faces numb but spirits high. Despite the map, we stumbed across the entrance more by accident than design. I climbed into the hole, dodging spiders, bones and water as I went. At the bottom of the entrance pot, the continuation to the second pitch required a fairly immersive experience in this water. The subsequent chamber, though, was dry and roomy.

We dropped our SRT kits and first looked up to the higher end of the chamber and beyond. The formations were lovely and mostly in good nick. Matt and Gary had suggested I bring a bottle of water and a brush to clean up some recent mud smearings on various pretties. Not having a squirty bottle I adapted my mouth for this purpose to squirt the overhanging formations, and this proved quite satisfactory. This passage soon deteriorated to a downward sloping muddy tube which became too tight.

We next followed the water down a climb and into another nicely decorated chamber. Again, this quickly led to muddy tchoobs galore and we became thoroughly caked in it. That was that. We climbed back up to the pitch, turning the water chocolatey as we went. At the entrance pitch, the flow of water had increased considerably and a thorough soaking was now inevitable.

As I climbed out of the hole, I think someone was saying something along the lines of "at least we won't have to do it again". However it seems that we will have to do it again, as it has come to my attention that we somehow managed not to see the beautiful blue flowstone formations seen by Gary et al in this cave: http://www.yorkcavingclub.org.uk/photos/1421782092_1/full/p1040638edit.jpg

What a massive pile of Doyles we are.