Went back down to get my gear. I could not get anyone to come with me, probbably because they did not want to get stuck with me. This was mission impossible to get my gear back, with no SRT I had to use a ladder to boot!
I wrote at the time:
It has been two weeks now since my last err visit. My gear is still rusting in the bottom of
Stemple Rift. Tried as I might, by contacting all my contacts from three different clubs, I
could not find anyone who was free or willing to help. So there was nothing for it but to do a
solo trip. I managed to borrow a ladder and a couple of slings from “Bog” of Northern
Boggarts who happened to live just round the corner from me. So off I went, alone.
I had constructed a device consisting of a 3ft long pole and a hammer wedged into the end of
it to act as a grappling hook, this I hoped could be put to use in getting my gear back.
I made slow progress through the entrance crawls owing to the things I was carrying. I arrived
at the first pitch. After a quick drink I rigged the ladder and descend the pitch. I was soon
dragging the pole and the slings through the rift but dragging them both quickly became too
awkward so I stuffed the slings into an alcove and carried on with my hammer device.
I headed on through the rift sliding from stemple to ledge to stemple before I reached the
corner where I lost my tackle sack. Disaster! It was much further away than I thought there
was no way I was going to reach it. I returned through the rift to have a re-think. I had an idea
but I thought it probably would not work but it was at least worth a try. I knotted the slings
(with a hook on the end) to the end of my hammer and headed on back through the rift, this
time I found the rift more tiring my strength already starting to wain slightly.
I leaned out from the last stemple almost in mid air and spent the next ten minutes doing
something that I can only describe as fishing. I was casting my line through the rift each time
either missing or not taking hold until eventually I got one lucky hit and landed my SRT kit
attached to the outside of my bag. Nailed IT!
Now I had the tricky task of removing both tackle bag and my “fishing pole” out of the rift,
unfortunately I got so hung up on not dropping my tackle sack, by the time I was turned
around my fishing rod was at the bottom of the rift. Oh well no way I will be getting that but
at least I got what I came for.
I slowly made my way out of the rift, up the pitch where I spent 10 minutes de-twisting the
ladder (did I mention I hate ladders) and then moved two tackle sacks through the entrance
crawls. Along the way as I was sliding my self onto a stone slab, I heard a tinkle noise as
though I had dropped something but I thought it must had been my cows tails as I could not
see anything.
Near daylight now I noticed the spanner I brought in for rigging lying on the floor. That’s
funny it should have been in my pocket. I looked at my pocket and there was a huge hole in it
bugger! I did a quick check for my car keys they were not there! “S***e I thought, I don’t
want another call out because I cant get into my car to tell Dunc I am safe”. I quickly chucked
my two tackle sacks onto the surface and went back in, part way along I remembered I heard
the tinkling noise, now I know what that was!
I retrieved my car keys from the stream, where I heard the noise and went through that entire
rocky crawl again to exit calling the cave names along the way. On the surface now time was
not looking as bad as I thought I still had well over an hour.
I got back to my car rang Dunc and cheered, mission complete! Even when writing this I am
still surprised I managed to get my tackle back I thought I had no chance.
