The Tweets:
Short reports from the field, via "Twitter".
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14 Jun |
Only 17 days to departure. We've packed tacklebags to Flat Iron and beyond.
Sponsorship goodies starting to arrive. Getting excited now! |
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15 Jun |
Yummy stuff coming from
Tunnocks, Blackfriars
flapjack & Your Piece
Baking Company for starters. Thanks guys. That'll keep us prussicking. |
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15 Jun |
New survey notebooks arrived. All ready for sketching the dry way to
Culiembro. |
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16 Jun |
Thanks also to our gear sponsors: Lyon
Equipment, Starless River,
Inglesport and
Beast. Cheers guys. |
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19 Jun |
Less than two weeks to go....... big pile of shiny new rope. |
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24 Jun |
Ferry sails a week today. Last week of exams and packing mania. Mixture of
stress and excitement all round. |
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30 Jun |
Got a nice new drill to place those 200 stainless steel bolts. Instructions
say "for indoor use only". |
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30 Jun |
Also thanks to Hot Pack Meals
for sending us some "instant" nosh. And not forgetting our long term
supporters Mornflake Oats. |
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1 Jul |
Today's the day. |
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1 Jul |
And we're off! Chris, Ben, Callum & and HUUUGE mound of gear have left the
hut in Oxford. Very low on the wheels on Chris' car. |
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1 Jul |
Portsmouth. Waiting for the ferry. |
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2 Jul |
Watching dolphins in the Bay of Biscay on route to Bilbao. |
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3 Jul |
First six tacklebags up the hill and in Xitu |
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4 Jul |
First caving trip today |
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5 Jul |
Rigged almost to end of entrance series |
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6 Jul |
Callum manning through with acute boulder-to-toe syndrome. |
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6 Jul |
The A team have arrived: Andrew, David, Vicky & Jamie at Ario, 2
carries down. Can confirm the sods are still here. |
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7 Jul |
Huge new phreatic series found through window in pitch above Customs Hall.
Heading for 2/7. Dave Rose: "I am utterly gobsmacked" |
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8 Jul |
Chris D just rang me from Spain re Xitu: "there is no shortage of leads" |
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11 Jul |
More on the new lead: 30m above Customs Hall, initially a crawl, forks then
gets big, 1 way prob connects back, other off into blank space |
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11 Jul |
....ends with 2 open leads, a 50m pitch and a traverse
level.....meanwhile rigging continues..... |
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11 Jul |
Flat Iron should be rigged by now, camping equipment going in today,
plan is for first campers to go in tomorrow and rig to Pythagoras. |
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12 Jul |
Dave Rose: "Back in the day we were bonkers not to have rigged the drops
that now are! Insane." |
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13 Jul |
Immobilised by storms for 2 days. Hoping forecast for improvement is
correct. |
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14 Jul |
Two days of storm have given way to lovely sunshine. Andrew, Dickon &
Ben at underground camp; Dave, Steph & Callum about to relieve them. |
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14 Jul |
Hoping to reach Chunder Pot and glorious new leads by Saturday,
assuming the cows don't eat any more of our gear. |
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14 Jul |
Jamie looking extraordinarily dashing. Unwashed, unshaven caver chic suiting
Andrew less well. |
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16 Jul |
JJ just surfaced after two days in a dark hole; CD & George not far
behind. Made it to the top of Dampturation before drill batteries died. |
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20 Jul |
Underground camp now equipped with all modern amenities, including
stalactites and mud. Truly a home from home for the discerning caver. |
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20 Jul |
Fleur, Ben & Callum surfaced last night after rigging trip + flood-enforced
stay at UG camp. Rain in Spain does not fall mainly on plain. |
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20 Jul |
Chunder Pot playing hard-to-get. Life would be significantly easier if Xitu
would stop flooding, but morale kept high by JJ's charm & wit. |
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20 Jul |
Dye tracing reveals that Xitu upper streamway emerges... in my tent.
Everything. Is. Green. Green-mouthed cow providing solid entertainment. |
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21 Jul |
Weather forecast is for more light rain today but then fine for the next
week. Let's hope this is the window for the big deep push.... |
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21 Jul |
Tony, Jamie & Pete off to underground camp. Hoping water levels now
acceptably low. Clag, clag and more clag on the surface. |
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22 Jul |
We can see the sun! |
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24 Jul |
We're at Chunder Pot! Tony, Pete & Jamie hand-bolted through Friday night
after drill died; 3 days underground, -900m reached. |
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24 Jul |
Fleur, Paul & Dickon took over Sat morning & pushed from The Flyer to
Chunder. Nick, Ross & Harvey about to go lead hunting. |
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24 Jul |
Most importantly: can confirm that there is now decent coffee at underground
camp. On related note, dire lack of coffee on surface. |
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25 Jul |
Vicky, Rosa and Jamie gone down to check out lead at the Flyer. Fleur and
Pete listening to TMS at refugio waiting for weather to turn. |
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26 Jul |
Guess what? Its still raining. The local shepherd, who has been here all his
life, says he has never seen it so bad. |
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27 Jul |
Last push down deep has limited success. Jamie, Vicky & Rosa did well in
more high water below camp. Sun now out at least & settled forecast |
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27 Jul |
Rich Gerrish, if you were here you would be obsessed by the weather. Deep
leads crapped out, but will be more time to look properly in 2012. |
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27 Jul |
A momentous few days: we've made (probably) the world's deepest ever
espresso, -550m at underground camp. Awesome. |
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27 Jul |
Big thanks to
Handpresso for helping us to bring the dream alive. Utterly fantastic
product. |
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27 Jul |
Jamie, Vicky & Rosa pushed lead at head of The Flyer: JJ broke into new rift
via interesting free climb, but route closed down after ~ 20m |
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27 Jul |
Exciting exit from pushing front to UG camp in high water, but got through
Marble Steps safely thanks to CD, GH & JJ's pro rigging skillz |
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27 Jul |
Gear destroyed/worn out by Jamie thus far: croll, descender, foot loop,
shock cord, 2 sets of cows' tails, oversuit, lamp, knees... |
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28 Jul |
Weather providing another severe impediment to caving: it's too sunny to go
underground. |
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28 Jul |
Fleur & Dickon currently derigging; Jamie & Ross to take over tomorrow
(read: sit at underground camp and make espresso). |
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30 Jul |
Derigged back to camp. A mountain of metal emerges from the cave. Very
interesting phreatic roof tube spotted opposite the top of the gap. |
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31 Jul |
Ross, Vicky & Jamie derigged 450m & carried camp to top of The Gap; coffee &
Pro Plus proving more effective fuel than Mars Bars. |
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1 Aug |
Time to say farewell to sun; many tacklebags to be hauled before tomorrow's
storm hits. |
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2 Aug |
Xitu detackled ahead of impressive thunderstorm last night. Beers in the
refugio and now just carrying (and a spot of shaftbashing if time). |
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3 Aug |
Prob last sunny day and a party are going to investigate area D (again).
Desparately short of wine and petrol at Ario but we struggle on. |
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4 Aug |
Cows have mounted a series of devastating assaults on camp. All of Jamie's
spare clothes eaten; wine & coffee mercifully safe. |
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7 Aug |
After final cow attack, final clag, mud fights on last carry, and beers in
Cangas, the expedition has returned; just don't smell the trailer |
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8 Aug |
Jamie still trying to escape Spain and the ravenous cows. Easyjet has other
ideas... |
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8 Aug |
Attempts at shaft bashing in the airport hampered by obstructive
antispeleological ideologies of Spanish police. |