CCRC Y Newsletter October 1994 JUST FOR INTEREST. No.4 The Longest Caves in the Wontd (1985). Metres 1. Mammoth Cave System 530,000 2, Optimisticheskaya 153,000 3. Hokfoch 133,000 4. Jewek Cave 114,300 5. Ozernaya 107,300 6. O40 Guanena 85,000 F. ZokLushka 80,000 8. Siebenhengstehohgen system 80,000 9. Reseau de fa Coume d’Hyouexnedo 75,000 10. Faian’s Hole System 68,070 11. Wind Cave 67,800 12, Oxgan Cave System 59,840 13. Fishex Ridge Cave System 57,500 14. Reseau de La Dent de Craoltes 53,800 15. Ease Gig Cave System 52,400 16. Mama Kananda 51,820 17. Reseau de L’ALpe 51,770 18. Gua Aix Jeanih 51,600 19. Sistema Purifcacion 51,170 20. Reseau de ta Pierre Saint-Martin 50,000 USA Kentucky ussR Switzertand USA South Dakota USSR Spain USSR Switzertand France USA West Virginia USA South Dakota USA West Virginia USA Kentucky France Great Britain Papua New Guinea France Sanxawak Mexico France Taken $xom The Undexgxound At£a4 by John Middéeton & Tony Wate} ( Coukd it be possibke that 21 witk be Lumb Hote - With Nigeg& banging it who knows | NEEDED URGENT, ARTICLES FOR YOUR NEWSLETTER I, As arule I don’t like using articles of my own, but when I saw the meets list Darren had put together, an article I wrote over twelve months ago came to mind. A trip last summer to King pot. Its not really about the cave, but more about the people, and caving for enjoyment, which is what it is all about, But hopefully for anyone who hasn't had the pleasure of this superb cave it will encourage you to make an appearance at this meeting. 8 KING POT. by T. Conde. Seven o’clock saturday night, and the phone rings. * Hi it’s Neil, King pot tomorrow we will pick you up at half past seven in the morning, and DON’T be late.” “ Yeh o,k, see you in the morning ". Sunday morning, ten too eight and round three of the Bruno v Lewis fight on the video is just finishing and I am bursting for a shit. Have I got time, course I have Neil’s always late. Just got comfortable, descent in hand and in walks Neil. Typical. Four people, on what you would call a normal Conde epic. I think its an unwritten rule now, that every trip we do has got to be an epic, or we don’t get out of bed. The four are Pip and the three Coddy's, or that’s how most of the club know us, which is wrong really for I am the only Coddy. The other two are only mere copys and poor ones at that. Quite an uneventful journey. Nobody missing and nothing left behind which must be a first. First port of call Ingleton, T.C. phone home, because nobody as told anybody were we are going, then Burnie’s. Out of Burnie’s and into Inglesport, leaving Darren’s standing outside, he won’t go in because he’s bought his carbide from Burnie’s. Neil’s inside telling one of the staff that his brother is the news editor for ccpc and have they got any news for the news letter, also could he have any equipment at a knock down price for is trouble. " Bless him,” and Pip’s disappeared We met back up with Pip, only too loose Neil. One of these days we will go up Yorkshire without calling at Ingleton, and so not having to go through the farce of shop hopping. We parked the car, sorted the ropes into bags, and put on our kit, all ready except Neil, who is standing in just his furry suit stuffing his face. Nothing unusual, I think he does it because he’s kinky and wants us to watch him getting ready. Darren shoots off to fill his carbide with water, but it’s not working, a quick once over and the problem is solved, he’s not put in any carbide, so he returns back to the car. In the mean time Pip and I are climbing the hill. The other two catch us up near the top were the fells open out, they inform us that the farmer sends his regards and next time he would appreciate being asked. We never gave it a thought. Des King Pot is awful, its hard, muddy, tight, and as got one of the most horrendous crawls come traverse’s I’ve done, but above all a dam good trip, worth doing. About two thirds of the way into the cave Darren suggests, after Neil had gone down a pitch mind you, it’s “three o’clock and if we turn back now, we could go for an Indian tonight” Not one to miss a good indian I agreed. * Pip and I volunteered to derig, which must be a first for me, I never derig if I can help it, I will have a go at rigging anything, but derigging scares me shitless, At the bottom of the first pitch we find that the rope has been dragged half way up the pitch, HELP, panic. After a lot of shouting, crying and deciding whose eating who first Nei drops the rope back down amidst bellows of laughter. We had been well and truly had. Being able to take a joke, out we climbed and returned to the car. Neil and Darren were already dressed, so there was just Pip and I to get changed. Now I have known Neil for more than a few years and I still can’t work out how his mind works, For at this point Neit jumps into his car and drives off leaving Pip and myself half naked at the side of the road, and with his tail gate up and all Pips clothes hanging off it, he drives for about half a mile, turns around and returns back to the three of us. With two of us not knowing which way to turn. When we asked him the reason for this sudden brainwave, “ I thought I would turn the car around and save time “ was his answer. Well we set off home at ten past six and were in the pub washed and changed for ten o’clock. I have never seen the M6 so busy, three and a half hours to get home. But the curry was worth it. The reason for this story is, even though it was an epic and there were more set backs than caving the Condes did a trip without any lamps failing. Could this bea first. Answers on a postcard. MEETS. October. Sat 15th King Pot. Yorkshire. Sun 23rd Training Circus, Whitehall, Buxton. Sun 30th ~~ Cherrytree Hole. Yorkshire. November. Sun 6th = Giants Hole. Derbyshire. Sat 12th Ron Christmas Dinner & Dance, Trent Squash Club. S.0.T. Sat 19th Juniper Gulf, Yorkshire. Sun 27th Lancaster Hole. Yorkshire. December. Sat 10th am Knot low-Hillocks, exchange. Derbyshire. Sun 18th = Tathams Wife Hole. Yorkshire. 3 PRACTICE, 171 JULY 94. PIPIKIN Ralph J. On the 17th July 1994 Paul Holdcroft and yours truly decided to hold a mock exercise in Pipikin. To simulate real conditions we told no one about the event but simply abseiled into Pipikin pulling the rope after us. To make conditions really life like Paul decided to twist his knee-unfortunately he was a little over enthusiastic ending up in hospital for a cartilage operation (and I thought he was simply over-acting ! }. We then decided to get thoroughly lost, cold wet and tired ( just as if we were really in difficulties }) ignoring the painfully obvious connection to link we crawled into every imaginable passage particularly those looking muddy and wet ( sumps we ignored ). Having got thoroughly cold we climbed into our bivvy bags, pretended to be thoroughly disorientated, and waited for our rescuers to arrive (having previously located their tackle sacks), Completely ignoring our whistles the group continued to enjoy themselves caving for a couple of hours or so, eventually returning to reclaim their kit - now being used to insulate the victims from the cold rock. Tracy did a superb bit of acting by pretending not to recognise the pair of us while he searched fruitlessly for his tackle sack. After a few moments the whole group arrived - ignoring the two victims after they had extracted any edible goodies from their tackle sacks ( which they ate ) i rapidly came apparent that with failing lights they only had a vague idea of the way out through Minstrel, so Paul and I decided to end our simulation and rather than complete our intended trip through Link into Lancaster we would shepherd this dismal band to the surface. Not a good day. PS. The names of most of the team under test have not been published in order to protect their reputations! ( "Ed":- and the dish ran away with the spoon ) STONEY MIDDLETON DALE. A BIG rock (really big!) has been placed in the entrance to the main track upto the terrace on which Carlswark Caverns Gin Entrance and Ivy Green Cave lie. Don’t try to turn into the track from the 4623! The track nearest the petrol station is still open but care is needed if your car’s exhaust pipe is to survive on this route. NORTHERN CAVES. Work on the final volume of the new series of Northern Caves guidebooks is now well underway. The copy date for entries and updates passed in mid-june and, with the initial compilation process now complete, it is anticipated that the new guidebook - The Three Counties System and the North-West - should be on sale around October 5