Prov to Dow
Friday, 19 August 2016
In Kettlewell at around 11. After changing we went up the wrong track and had to roll down a hill until we reached the correct path. En route to the cave Amy was mildly traumatised after witnessing a rabbit being killed by a weasel. We got underground after 12, with Amy having a very sweaty belly button. The caving was very straightforward and route finding uncomplicated using the NFTFH description. Amy experienced a couple of difficulties, lying on her back in a crawl like a flipped beetle and shouting ‘I’m stuck!’ repeatedly.
Soon we were in Dowbergill Passsage, after having been to look at the upstream sump. The passage was relatively very dry and offered some excellent traversing practice for Amy. The Narrows proved to be a bit of a struggle for her, but she stuck with it and was through with only minor upset. I went over the top of the Narrows, which I found much quicker. We had decided, given the low water conditions, to follow the traverse at stream level all the way to Hardy’s Horror. This lead to us getting very cold and wet. At one point I fell off a climb and was fully submerged in the stream because I was shivering so much, but it was all good fun because soon we were passed the duck and over the climb, back into the rift and heading for the Buddha’s Temple flowstone, which is very impressive.
Dow cave came as a source of major relief for Amy, who by this time seemed a bit fed up with the whole thing. It soon imoproved further for her as the earlier act of violence and animal cruelty was redeemed by the fact that we were able to rescue a lost frog and re-introduce him to the outside world. Back at the car for 6pm and off to the Blue Bell Inn after investigating the excellent scarecrows that adorned the whole village.
Excellent trip. Big well done to Amy for sticking out the trip, it was by far the most challenging trip that she had done so far and she blasted through it. A trip to repeat many times into the future.