Inlet 14

Rescaled into the inlet, pushed to the end and noted the strong inward draught. Monday 25th September Started digging, created some very squalid conditions. Thursday 28th September Continued as above, have decided that full wetsuits are required in order to remain comfortable. So far about 5m of progress has been made. Monday 2nd October Once more unto the breach. About 10m of progress made, despite frequent collapses of banking entombing the diggers! Addition of water would help to make the … Read More

Monday 9th October 2006 Dave Ramsay, Neil Pacey, Richard Bendall. Thinking we needed more water adding to the slurry in Inlet 14 and spotting a possible supply about 25m downstream from Inlet 13 we bolted up to a very muddy alcove(could be dug)with a tiny trickle of water entering. Leaving it rigged we went downstream to Inlet 14 and installed a ropeladder for easy access. God answered our prayers for more water but we got more than we bargained for. … Read More

Monday 9th October Notts II, Inlet 14 Dave R, Rich B, Neil Pacey After checking out a small dribble immediately downstream of inlet 13 (completely mud chocked) we moved on to inlet 14 armed with a standard mud miners rope ladder to save carrying SRT kit on future trips. The hoped for water had arrived, during the previous week the water in the passage had definitely flowed but this had filled most of the recent gains very nearly to the … Read More

Thursday 2nd November 2006 Dave Ramsay, Richard Bendall. Started the capping to take out the floor, reducing the barriedr to pushing porridge glupe bacck from the front which has a nice pool in it now. Monday 6th November 2006 Dave Ramsay, Richard Bendall Continued capping the floor and have it to a stage we are happy with to continue digging the front and hopefully also increasing the washing out effect when the inlet becomes more active. A quick wallow in … Read More

Thursday 16th November 2006 Dave Ramsay, Neil Pacey, Richard Bendall. Fully neoprened up, further ground was gained by bicycling in the squidgy mud, liquifying it and dredging it back out. Estimated as 15- 20m beyond the original limit, progress has certainly been made easier with the floor capped out last visit. Draft not descerned but we were all hooded up. Roll on next visit!

Inlet 14 – Notts II, Friday 9th November. George North and James Carlisle. Had heard great things about Inlet 14 in Notts II and was delighted when Dave, Neil and Richard kindly offered to subcontract their dig out to me for a bit. Being busy at the the weekend meant that an evening trip was necessary, so I spent the week frantically checking the weather forecast for the best night to arrange a trip. Friday was forecast to be a … Read More

Excellent report, but you are mad! Did Dave not explain the bit where having wriggled and kicked forward a meter or two we would dredge the orifice penitrating chocolate out as a bow wave behind the shoulders thus leaving it a bit clearer for the next person and so on and so on. To boldly go the distance you did and not get trapped behind a slumped mud bank your mental capacity for distraction over perdicament is truely praiseworthy. With … Read More

Great to hear inlet 14 is being worked. I remember bolting upto it shortly after the breakthrough in Committee was made. I understand now why we were so reluctant to push it any further at the time, sounds horrifiic! All the Dales digging news is making me seriously homesick so I am going to retaliate by telling you about China. Dong Ba and Qikeng Dong have been connected so the total depth in the system is now 1014m or something … Read More

As you may or may not be aware, last night I had a proverbial ‘epic’ in Inlet 14 and as a result I came *very* close to not getting back out alive. Although I eventually managed to extricate myself from my predicament, this was not before cave rescue had been called and a lot of people needlessly dragged out of bed. All this because I failed to listen to the sage advice I’d received during the previous week (from Dave … Read More

The good news is you are out and reflective. As we drove off the hill last night at about 9:45 and saw your two cars parked up I did share a thought for you and wondered how you had got on. Thinking there would be an updated report I could access at work in the morning I didn’t expect this. But you’re out and that’s the main thing. Full accounts can wait but I bet there’s a tale to tell.

Good effort James, both on pushing through and more so on getting yourself together and out! Sounds like the tale could be a good one! And one to rival Colin Boothroyd in P5. Titled perhaps “How I was Stuck, entombed etc. (see Descent issue for correct recycled title) and got myself out” Want to join us in Rumbling next week? Dave

James, You’re looking for a name? I think the title of your Email says it all! Sam.

24/11/07 – Inlet 14 James Carlisle, Tom Clayton and George North Having been let off the hook on a trip to Cripple Creek (Neil was called in to fix a problem at work) we decided to take another look at Inlet 14, maybe do some digging, and recover my back-up light. Water levels in the streamway were entertainingly high and we were a bit suprised to see a waterfall cascading out of the entrance to Inlet 14. Once at the … Read More

Yes, the amount of water in there was a complete surprise. It was a veritable torrent! Btw, I should reiterate that we are now approaching the Inlet 14 problem from a ‘safety first’ point of view and the intention isn’t to push back to the chamber at the far end in one go like last time. Lots of trips, lots of bailing/siphoning and lots of dredging are anticipated. This will hopefully make passage through to the far side much more … Read More

26/12/07 – Inlet 14 (Shit Creek), Notts II. James and George Seeming as the weather was nice and dry there was only really one choice of location for a Boxing Day dredging session. Unfortunately the water level in the canal was an inch or two higher today than on our previous visits – this meant that after about 25m further progress became unwise as the water started to lap around our eyes. Not wanting either a repeat perfomance of a … Read More