Vince, Jake, Nick, and Will (?)
Got the wheels back from the garage so set off for an early start. It has been quite wet for the last few days so wanted to see what (if any) effect this might have at the current dig site (and bone deposit). At the farm tarried a while to have a chat with the farmer.
Underground, it was evident that water had been flowing down from the entrance into the pot. It was surprising that there was not a pool of water at the bottom of the pot although the buckets were full (water is used to lubricate the skip hauls). The NE passage was mostly free from dripping water, however, in the chamber (Trick or Treat) there were pools of standing water and pronounced drips throughout this section to the E dig. The question is does this suggest a sediment-filled route to the surface allowing faster ingress of surface water? Also, of concern is at the SE alcove there was dripping water. Started to tidy around last weeks digging to better expose the calcite layer and potential ‘bone-bearing’ deposits.
It wasn’t long before the team arrived. A discussion with Will to explain what was going on here and then continued to clear around the dig face. Will clearing away the filled bags to Nick and Jake, who proceeded to shift the spoil back through the cave. Digging was a slower process today so some of the bags were moved back towards the entrance. At the dig face more small fragments of bone were recovered and a ‘tiny’ phalanx.
At around midday digging was wrapped up and the cave cleared of spoil. A total of 33 bags filled, hauled, and emptied. Time to go to the Hunters’ Lodge Inn for some refreshments.