22nd December. The exchange trip that wasn't.

The first email read, 'Anyone up for a Christmas  trip?  Exchange trip down Lost John's.  Cross over at Dome Junction.'  One reply said 'can't its my works do that night'.  Another said, 'it'll be too cold'.. deafening silence was the reply from the other three members but still, Al and Tony were coming and Tony had a mate who could make up the 4 to do the exchange... and then the final straw.  Al succumbed to the dreaded winter vomiting bug and was going to be unable to make it as well.

So three of us made our way up to the changing spot in the cold and wet on the last trip of the year with ropes packed for a there and back trip down Dome route to the head of Battleaxe Pitch.  Once the stream passage was dispatched Tony took on rigging duty and set off down the first pitch just as Nat realised that he had been there before on his level 2 training.  It was also about this time that I realised that I had forgotten the camera so no photos this week.

Down, down, down we went with Tony rigging and particularly enjoying the deviation into the eye hole that leads off Dome pitch and into the passage that ends up at Dome Junction.  No 'other team' were there to meet us so I rigged Candle and Shistol pitches and we soon ended up at the head of Battleaxe where the sound of the water emerging from the upstream sump was deafening due to the large volume of rain that had fallen recently.  After a quick look along the Battleaxe traverse we headed back up with Nat derigging.

Once out we headed to the Whoop Hall Inn, which was suprisingly quite subdued as it was the last week before Christmas.  Over a fine pint of Black Sheep the bartender bemoaned the fact that people don't seem to have mid week Christmas  'do's' anymore.


No photos so heres a thought for the day instead :-)

 Get well soon Al.