Trapdoor Pot - 16th May 2009

Saturday May 16th 2009

Members present: Gary Douthwaite,  Mark Sims,  Matt Ewles,  Thomas Blakey

Garys description is a spot on recollection. I think I would suggest the cave is a little harder than he does, however my legs are longer than his and much less bendy, which poses greater challenges in some of the more restrictive sections.

The esoteric squeeze was so much fun as it provided some great manoeuvering challenges without being unpleasantly tight. My purchase of a Petzl Omni (screwgate main maillion for quick release) was worth every penny as my SRT kit went on and off six times in total during the trip. This allowed instant removal of your harness, it snaps shut so you don't have to then screw it up to stop things falling off, and then the gate is quite large to make slipping the harness back on easier. And given the fact that the places you have to put your harness on/off are less than roomy, anything to make it easier was very nice indeed! Mark and Tom, being thinner, I think kept their SRT kit on for most of the cave.

We had an amazing feeling of teamwork, with two or even three people often being required to get tacklesacs through some of the passages and squeezes.

Despite all the stuff above, and the numberous strenuous bits, none of the tight bits were unpleasant and all were short-lived. I enjoyed myself throughout the entire trip, and I have to agree with Mark and Gary that this is one of the best and most satisying trips I have ever done, offering a bit of everything! Megatron pitch was amazing and the perfect end to the cave making all the hard work worthwhile.