Just me n Jon today (TAP). The light was beautiful down in the shakehole and the cool of the cave was most welcome. Jon took his little Peli case with camera for the trip whilst I fought and swore my way in with a big, lumpy, saggy bag. Defs nearly ruined the trip for me!
We eventually got to last week's dig and sure enough quite a lot more had fallen in from the roof. Unfortunately this was really muddy crap and with no appropriate tools Jon spent the first shift passing ice-cream scoops of mud back to me. As he got deeper into the dig i crouched close to spot for any movement in the roof. It's a weird mix of big rocks and mud that seems to show no indication that it's delicate, until it's falling at you! Once most of the mud was cleared and he started clearing the face properly his enthusiasm rose, especially once the "streamway" washed floor came back into view.
The rocks got bigger so we swapped and i warmed up by hitting, chiselling and capping my way forwards, all the while watching the walls and roof! Eventually it was clear enough for me to squirm down and into the void and look beyond; crap. The open passage only lasted a metre before being totally blocked with calcited, muddy boulders. Not quite the open streamway we were hoping for.
We stopped for a discussion. Sure this could be dug more, but it's never going to be an easy or safe dig, and will take a lot of effort. The draught was still there enticing us, but not as much as last week and it's almost certainly just circular. Sod it, let pack up and leave it. As we turn we agree nobody's ever coming back here, for our eyes only.
With the now even heavier bag, my Butter Knife crowbar, and Jon's still unopened Peli case, progress out was even slower. It took us 80 minutes from the dig face to the surface, and we were very ready for a pint. Thankfully we'd lost the football so the pub was a bit less rowdy than it could have been!