Depth through thought

Editor: Peter Devlin: peter.devlin@jpmchase.com

Note from the editor

This looks to be the thinnest DTT I've put out, but I'll do so anyway to advertise the party at Tim and Lou's. (Please)⁴ send me something to include. Never let it be said that three eight or nine year old girls were better at writing up caving trips!

For those not going to Derbyshire this weekend there promises to be a gathering at Blackwalls to celebrate Ben's birthday.

Tim and Lou are hosting a party on 22nd November (7th week). The party is at 98 Holywell street, possibly with video early evening (7:00ish) if people want.

Here are the trips for the remainder of Michaelmas Term '06.

• Week 6, 17-19 Nov, Derbyshire staying at TSG, permits: Titan/JH Saturday, Peak Cavern Sunday, coordinator: Jonathan Cooper, pod the Oxford coordinator
• Week 8, 1-3 Dec, Wales staying at SWCC, permits: Craig A Ffynnon Sunday, coordinator: TBD
•  22 Dec - 1 Jan 07, Dales staying at BPF, permits: Deaths Head/Big Meanie, Penyghent

Su Jia Ba

Rich "Tie me up in gaffer tape" Gerrish

Question: What's big, black and goes down on you like nothing else in the world?

Answer: Strangely it is not Oprah Winfrey in the grips of a deep throat binge... It is Su Jia Ba in Tian Xing, China!

Si Flower, Duncan Collis, Erin Lynch and myself spent 7 days continuing the exploration of this hole. From a previous limit of approx -100m we wrestled it down to about 680m leaving it within 30m of a connection to Qikeng Dong. Currently it stands as the third deepest cave in China but that ain't the half of it. The vast majority of the depth in this little puppy is lost in one continuous shaft 500m deep. By our reckoning that makes it number three in the world and seeing as the top two are both surface shafts I think that makes it the deepest underground shaft on the planet. Anybody know any different?

I'm off now to mend my tattered nerves and apply vaseline to my harness sores.

Listening to an eight second freefall drop, on your own, whilst standing on a small ledge already 250m beneath the lip of the pitch can only be described as a profoundly spiritual experience.

Ripping protective gaffer tape off the inside of your own legs, after a 21 hour pushing, surveying and derigging trip, yanking out great clusters of pubic hair and tearing open bloody sores could also be described as a profoundly spiritual experience. I'll spare you the incantation that accompanied this particular form of enlightenment, but the photos of it should soon be available to see at www.hongmeigui.net .