With Nick and Alex.
While Alex remained at the surface to do some ‘gardening’ Nick and myself headed off to the current dig going north from the ‘T’ Junction. Our plan was to try and remove the large boulder in the floor halfway along the passage so that it will be easier to move a skip to and fro. With the two of us working at shifting the boulder it wasn’t too long before it succumbed. While Nick then set about reducing the boulder to a more manageable size(s) I continued to dig, removing more rocks and bagging sediment. After reducing the boulder Nick returned to assist in the digging effort. Nick then removed a small rock revealing a small open space below, some loose sediment falling away into the hole and a faint draught detected – seems very likely the way ahead is downwards. Funny thing was that Nick and I had just been having a conversation regarding vadose development and the possibility that, given the nature of the sediment, it would be relatively easy to block a [potential] lead. I placed a rock over the hole and we then proceeded in shifting a considerable pile of debris and bags back to the ‘T’ Junction before calling it a day. Nick’s final defiant act was to brave the duck and go into Trick or Treat? to retrieve the new skip there in readiness for the next digging session. We made our exit satisfied with the effort and excited about the prospects. We all adjourned to the Hunter’s Lodge for refreshment.
