Maskhill Mine - 01 Dec 2007
Saturday December 1st 2007
Members present: Charlie Dixon, Josh Vale, Matthew Chubb, Simon Herrod
Report by Simon Herrod
After three wrong caves and three hours of walking around on the hillside we decided to give up and head back to the car. Basically we couldn't find the cave. However, on the way back to the car we accidentally stumbled across the cave entrance only now the time was just after 2 and we'd agreed with the other group that morning that they should turn back and ascend Oxlow if we hadn't met them at the bottom by 3.30. Not wanting the cave to get the better of us we decided to do it anyway.
Descended the entrance pitch, clambered down a muddy tube and got to the dry stone wall. One tackle sack down, two to go and it was looking like we might just hit the bottom in time. Through the Jumbles to Trebuchet Corner then down Murmuring Churn pot and I was at the Balcony. Now two tackle sacks down and only one to go, unfortunately the one to go was still some distance back up the cave and it was coming up on 3.30 so it was time to turn back.
Charlie de-rigged and we made our way back to the surface getting out at about the same time as the Oxlow team. Even with all the faff this trip was great fun and I look forward to going back and actually making the exchange at some point in the future.
