Caving: Swildons Hole (09-Jan-05)

• Swildons Hole


• 10:00 hours
• 1,635:45 cumulative hours

A trip to Desperation Extensions in Desolation Row where everything that could go wrong went wrong. To start with I managed to break the tap on the cylinder in one of the sumps so I couldn't turn it off, had I needed to. Fortunately the journey up into Desolation Row all went OK. We then got some very impressive photos of the Canyon and Sandwich Chamber for the new Swildon's Hole Guidebook using Gavin Newman's Digital Camera. We left all the gear (because it wouldn't fit) and headed off into Desperation Extensions. Phill and I made it to the end (a boulder choke) and both agreed that it was a thoroughly miserable place and we didn't want to come back here again. On the way back through the Desperation Extension squeezes which are right on the limit of what I can actually physically get through I got a nose bleed. So there I was in the tightest part of a cave I have ever been, a very long way from the surface, and beyond 11 sumps with a nose bleed. Eventually I got through and sorted myself out. Once back at the sumps I was glad to see that my cylinder hadn't leaked (as I couldn't turn it off) but I was not very happy to find out that I had broken the zip on my wetsuit. I now had to dive through all the sumps to get out with my wetsuit undone - not very pleasant (especially in January).