Present: Tom Green-Plumb, Lydia Miller, Jakub Dominikowski, Rosie Hendriksen
Duration: 5.5 hours
I would first like to preface this by saying I am a rather dramatic soul and as such can sometimes be quick to start leaking from my eyeballs. These outbursts are best ignored as I’m having a great time really. Promise.
The tale starts on Burns Night, where fuelled by Irn Bru and cheap Whisky (mixed together of course), I agreed to a Peterson-Pippikin Saturday trip in a months time. Having only done Peterson before, I quickly invited myself on an upcoming Pippikin trip to give it a go before putting them together. My first mistake was then bailing out of this Pippikin trip run in favour of DND and so I arrived blissfully unaware of the perils of Pippikin when the fated through-trip day arrived.
And arrive it did, although not without first being reorganised to Sunday by Tom. My first thought was that the McD’s Sunday wrap of the day is so much worse than Saturday’s and my second was that I was going to lose my most likely needed Sunday recovery day. If only to add insult to injury, Tom then announced we would be leaving Durham at 7am. I was not happy.
After our bright and early departure, we kidnapped Jakub from his York Uni weekend away and whisked off to Inglesport for some proper breakfast. 4 cavers were quickly consumed (and 2 hot chocolates – remember the hot chocolates) and after some minimal faff getting ready, Jakub was rigging the first pitch by 11:30am.
Upon careful consideration we came up with an order to get through Roly-poly passage, namely: put Jakub at the back as the only person to have not gone through before and the one with the largest femurs.
After the first slither, the error of the hot chocolate and large breakfast combo made itself known. I became rather grateful for the fact that the keyhole passage would allow any sick produced to fall down and not be directly inflicted on Jakub behind me. This was a sentiment I later heard was shared by Lydia who had also made the mistake of the hot chocolate combo.
Roly-poly itself was as grim as always and I decided whilst battling through that it could be categorised by 4 sections.
The first; tight up top and small keyhole rift- awkward to get through but at least the bag isn’t getting wedged every 2 seconds.
The second; larger up top, but bag sized rift – The extra space is appreciated for the acrobatics needed to get around the S bends and allowing for some form of lever from above to get the constantly stuck bags out with marginally (infinitesimally) less effort. Hearing Jakub having a decidedly less fun time around the S bends could potentially mean it’s not quite so roomy for those of a taller disposition.
The third; tight up top, still bag sized rift. – This is where the teeth began to grit. It was just a long time of shoving the bag ahead and fighting against every sharp edge trying to claw it, and myself back. At least the ceiling had good spikes to push off of I guess.
And finally, the forth; tight, human sized rift. – I was not happy by this point. Every shove forward was trying to prevent the bag from becoming wedged whilst becoming more wedged myself. Even the calls from Tom and Lydia below that it was almost over could not make the pain any less.
And no joy could be found for reaching the end of Roly-poly either, as the sky dive down was much worse than my memory had made it out to be. I managed to wedge my knee in whilst trying to slide down, which led to me holding myself up by shaking arms with the provided sling whilst fighting to get my leg out of the rift. A very panicked call to Tom had him standing beneath me to try and give a foothold so I could push my other leg out of the rift, however upon doing this I quickly realised that the jammed knee was the only thing holding me up and in a sequence of events that can only be described as cartoonish- I went from unexpectedly standing on Tom’s shoulders, to trying to sit on his head (whilst he tried to escape) to slide-collapsing to the floor.
His response to the near decapitation- “Its a team sport”. My response – a couple of silent tears of embarrassment. And so exactly an hour after entering Roly-poly passage, and exactly 1.5 hours after entering the cave; I had my first cry.
Not long after, Jakub appeared and gracefully descended the skydive and we all enjoyed a rather prolonged regroup to get us fed and watered (in my case with a sympathy KitKat from Lydia).
I was first off down the first pitch (which got a bit tight at the bottom) but quickly relegated myself further back after realising I had last read the route description 6 months ago. Tom led through a chill traverse and down the next pitch leading up to Svengland. We originally planned to do the muddy tube bypass so we would not have to bring a 50m pull through rope. However, seeing a lovely in situ down the Hall of The Mountain King pitch and not trusting myself on the muddy climb up, I opted to go down this rather than the bypass.
I then enjoyed the time to look at the mud statues in my first visit to the Hall of the Mountain King whilst Tom and Lydia made their way through the muddy bypass.
We were quickly off to Hall of the Ten with Jakub at the lead, where we had a bit of a break to prepare for Pippikin ahead. This break was complete with restorative chocolate bars and lucozade and I also upgraded to full passenger princess mode as my small personal kit bag was added into Jakub’s much larger rope bag.
Upon entering the connection, I realised my days of being dry had come to an end as my boots quickly filled with water. The traverse and first couple of climbs of Pippikin made me appreciate this fact even less as my tired soul couldn’t handle the extra foot weight. Saying that, I found the traverse tamer than expected (most likely as I didn’t have a bag to negotiate getting through) whilst the climb out of the streamway was a rather embarrassing acrobatics show including several jammers and quite a bit of cursing.
The exhaustion and extra weight only became more of a problem upon reaching The Stemple. Now, I had no idea how to get to the bar, let alone the rift- but after some careful climbing (and once again the use of many jammers) I was on the bar and ready to dive in.
And dive in I did, although seemingly far too low as not only was I in the tight bottom of the rift, but also my legs were too low to reach any of the footholds in the ceiling needed to propel myself forward. Any attempts I did make just seemed to wedge myself in further and also apparently empty my water filled boots right onto Tom’s head below. After 10 minutes of useless floundering, Tom made his way onto the bar and provided a lovely surface to push against. With Jakub pulling from the other side and helmet removed, progress became minutely quicker and eventually I was free. As I sat in shame in the corner, cry session number 2 took place and Tom joined us in the chamber. His time on the bar had taken its toll with seizing legs and after a large round of apologies from me, he returned to his adage of ‘It’s a team sport’. Lydia quickly followed (honestly, the kudos I have for the people at the back. Like the fear I would have knowing there was noone to push off of. Major respect) and we were off up the next pitch.
The next squeeze brought with it a debate on whether to take SRT kits off, and in a perfect demonstration of hubris, I did not. I was rewarded for this by getting completely stuck and having to back pedal in order to take it off and pass it through. This time Lydia acted as my back board to kick off to get though and the cry count reached 3. The only way the situation was slightly improved was that Tom had turned on his White Girl Bangers playlist and the ethereal tones of Rihanna, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift could be heard echoing from behind.
This proved a rather lovely backing track to Jakub warning me about the massive hole coming up and how I really didn’t want to slip down it. Of course my contrary nature then meant I just had to slip down, however luckily the scaffold bar across it proved a lovely landing spot and my pre-emptively clipped in cows tails didn’t even get weighted. (I mean, at this point can we even call it a slip?)
By the time we reached the final squeezy rift, I had given up all pretences of not making it as easy as possible for myself and immediately de-SRT’d. This made for an easy slide through the final squeeze and I was very grateful for the visible sunlight after.
Exiting 5 and a half hours after first going in, we were rewarded with a blustery Leck Fell. Tom and Jakub volunteered to derig Peterson and Lydia and I were quick to start the long trudge back to the car. After a (not very) brief search for Tom’s car keys in the wall (why he hides them so well each time, I will never know) we were changed and only slightly damp by the time the guys arrived. This, unfortunately, was when the rain and mist also arrived- making their changing experience a little different from our own.
Jakub was quickly dropped off at Clapham for his train home and following a coin toss on whether we should go to McDonalds (lets be honest- we were always going to go to McDonalds) we were off home. I can confidently say that it was the most destroyed I’ve ever felt in a cave and I truly vow to never exit Pippikin again in the next year. I would also like to thank the bag carriers of the group (aka everyone except me) for their exceptional strength in both getting through with the bags and putting up with my glacial pace and seemingly constant waterworks.
The day ended with Tom asking as to my next Black Book aspirations and after telling him to give me at least a week to recover before I even had to think about such things he rather helpfully reminded me that I had already agreed to Trapdoor next Sunday. Huh – I guess I had.
Rosie Hendriksen
Slightly over a year ago I had my first experience with Peterson’s narrow hole. Looking down Roly-Poly passage was quite literally like looking down a barrel of a gun, it was terrifying, bloody tight and if a bullet came at you there would be no way to avoid it. After an unsuccessful trip the idea of doing a Peterson-Pippikin through trip has been circulating about the club, mostly as a joke. So when I heard about this trip 2 weeks ago, all my brain cells were focused on this amazing opportunity to get high on caving and reach ecstasy.
During the morning I sat peacefully, sipping my tea from Rachel (a mug at the NPC) when Rosie, Lydia and Tom arrived. After a quick chat about the plans and the possibility of pulling through on spits, I said goodbye to my friends from YUCPC (well I awkwardly waved at them) and we were on our way to Inglesport. Sadly, I missed club breakfast at the hut (which is kind of my fault so I can’t complain). Following a short session of looking at shiny gear that we cannot buy and a cooked breakfast (with some people making themselves feel sick from hot chocolate…) we were on our way to the glorious Leck Fell. There was a suggestion to park at Bull Pot farm. I have very strong opinions about this. Feeling a breeze in my hair whilst getting changed is an essential part for my mental well-being and hence I voiced my anti-bullpot farm propaganda (and it worked, yay!).
Leck Fell was gorgeous as always, well at least I assumed so given that there was a thick fog obstructing our view. In fact Leck Fell is most enjoyable when it’s cold, windy and wet. You just can’t stop yourself shaking from happiness! Anyway, after a minimal amount of faff we were on our way to visit Peterson and his narrow opening. As we were walking, Tom said something about me not leading the way. At first I thought this was about my navigation (which I have proved multiple times is flawless (2 days before this trip, I literally found the cave without looking at a description with no navigational aid and in thick fog on a featureless fell)), but it turns out that it’s preferred I’m at the back. Which is fair enough given I was the only one who has not fully explored the inside of Peterson. We quickly located the entrance and I went off to rig the first pitch.
Unlike Jean’s naturals (this is me telling you to read the trip report) Peterson offers a massive spike at the entrance. As agreed, I would go at the back. Whilst waiting for everyone to bypass me, I sat transfixed at the wall and contemplated how my life choices have led me to this exact spot. It’s kind of crazy how we end up crawling underground for fun. We descended the 2nd pitch, unSRTed ourselves and started the fun. Tom led the way, followed by Lydia, Roise and myself. At this point I was staring down the barrel of a gun.
The first part of the Roly-Poly passage is quite nice compared to the rest, it has a solid floor. Most of it is just simple sideways thrutching with a short constriction part way through and ending in a 90 degree bend to the left which ends in a small chamber. The starting crawl is easiest laying down on one’s left side and then when you reach the bend, there is just enough space to rotate and contort yourself around it. This is a good spot to consider whether you should continue as it only gets harder from here. Reversing the whole thing would not be fun as there is no real place to turn around until the end (2 spots but both of them are close to the beginning/end).
At the far end of the chamber the 2nd part of Roly-Poly begins with a key hole-shape passage. Initially the rift in the middle does not cause too much trouble, you still slip down into it but it’s narrow enough that you can somewhat stay up and bags don’t get stuck. After a few meters you pass a hole in the floor which connects to the streamway and shortly after the first bullet is met. Judging by eye, this is at least a 120 degree bend to the right. Last time we turned around here. It’s quite difficult if you are not tiny. I’m 176 cm tall and I could barely get my right knee around the bend. Perhaps my technique was not ideal as apparently you can utilise the hole in the floor better (which was occupied by my left leg). At this point the thought of getting stuck deep in Peterson’s Hole plagued my mind (I was actually kind of scared). After 8 unsuccessful attempts I shouted up the tube asking if it gets any tighter and received some mixed replies. I decided to commit to it and thankfully managed to get by without dislocating joints or breaking any bones. This is roughly at ⅖ of the way in.
Ahead all I could hear was grunts, heavy breathing and occasional slurs aimed at Albert*–joyful sounds of pain, quite fitting with the void beneath if you ask me. It’s quite difficult to interact with others whilst you’re in the tube. There is no real way to help the person in front or behind and to be honest, if someone was having an emergency I don’t see how you could rescue them without removal of limbs. Following this tight bend things get pretty serious. The Roly-Poly passage continues as a narrow crawl-traverse along the rift and stays consistently tight; it requires a lot of energy to keep yourself high enough to move forward. There are occasional resting spots but nothing big enough to even lay on your back. The next 2 bullets are the S-bends. In general you want to approach them facing the same direction that it curves. As you pass the first part of the bend you can rotate yourself in the straight bit and repeat. I found this easier than the 120 degree bend, but it’s still hard work.
Shortly after the 2 S-bends there is a double S-bend which is slightly trickier to get by. Thankfully the same technique works and leg length was not really an issue for it.
This gets you about ⅔ of the way, but this is where an encounter with the penultimate bullet is inevitable. Suddenly, the passage changes from being tubular at the top to being a vertical rift. The walls quickly close down on you, crushing any hope you have left and the void beneath you opens up, waiting to suck up whatever is left of you. At this point your only friend (the bag) becomes your worst enemy- you start wishing that Newton had never invented gravity. Progress along this is very slow and screaming at the top of your lungs becomes a coping mechanism. This is really hard work but knowing what is behind leaves you with no choice but to continue.
I heard some very concerning sounds from Rosie ahead, which got me really worried. Not really knowing what was happening I waited and laid there hoping to hear good news (you can read Rosie’s point of view to hear what happened, I only know a small portion of the story). Thankfully, the issue was resolved and all was good (excluding the trauma suffered by everyone, but I guess there could have been a much worse outcome). At this point I looked down the rift and saw two wellies below, which looked like there was a person hanging upside down, they probably have been there for quite a while. Quite hilarious, although the thought of going through Roly-Poly passage without wellies is quite a daunting prospect.
Due to the rift getting wider my bag got stuck and I couldn’t get it over a small lip. Trying to get it unstuck was the definition of torture. I was laying on the wrong side of my body, meaning I could not bend my right elbow around the corner in order to lift it up. Rotating myself was also not an option unless I reversed a bit, but not remembering how far the wider bit is I decided reversing was also not an option. I spent the next 10-15 minutes using my left arm to force it out, getting absolutely covered in sweat. Eventually I managed to lift it over the lip and push it with my right hand. These are the kind of issues that make black book trips hard, if you did not have to carry tackle they would be much easier.
Following this the last bullet is reached. Nature decided that a torturous narrow hole is insufficient to make Peterson hard, so of course the ending has to be the most committing sequence of the whole trip. In the black book, the final climb is described as “an intimidating 2 1⁄2 m, skydive drop”. I think skydive is quite an accurate description of this. What it fails to mention is that there is a narrow squeeze leading into it. Going head first into a big drop is usually not a good idea, but here there is no other way of doing it. I took my helmet off and passed it to Tom to get past the constriction. Then, I leaned with my hands on some slippery holds with my head tilting downwards and my body forming a 30 degree slope. Then, I desperately try to swing my legs down through the narrow rift before I run out of energy to support my weight. Thankfully the in-situ rope makes this possible, the fact that the original explorers did this without a rope is remarkable. Finally, after an hour being sideways and drenched in sweat Peterson widens out and gives an opportunity for a well deserved rest.
The next pitch had some potential to cause us trouble. We intended to pull through this on spits, which is not the greatest idea. Thankfully, there was an insitu rope which was safe enough to use (it did have a damaged bit that was isolated by an alpine butterfly). For future reference, it looks like it’s possible to pull through on the natural and I believe the pitch is free climbable, hence through trips do not require any spits! A small snack helped to reduce any side effects from the physical trauma suffered and we were ready to continue. The pitch is quite narrow all the way with some broken ledges. At the bottom the 4th pitch is quickly encountered, which has an in situ (of good condition), leading into passage towards Svengland.
I expected this connection to be horrendous, in the sense that it would be very muddy, full of loose rocks and uninteresting. I could have not been more wrong. There is one tricky climb but apart from that it’s quite enjoyable caving, some crawling and a big passage. The 7 meter pitch is quite cool as well. Once we reached Svengland there was a choice of routes. We initially intended to go via the Firkin Chimney and Wellington traverse, but the direct pitch had an in situ. Tom climbed up and shouted something about the Firkin Chimney being muddy and uncomfortable. Not wanting to suffer and get more muddy myself and Rosie decided to go down the pitch whilst Tom and Lydia stuck to the original plan. I have to say, this pitch is really cool and I’m very happy with my choice.
We took another break in the Hall of the Ten. The connection to Pippikin was the wettest I have ever seen it, getting soaked was unavoidable. Our way back through Pippikin was quite eventful, I think everyone was quite tired and coming back out was really hard work but we all helped each other which made it somewhat manageable. The first time I did Pippikin we went down and back up, clearly I have completely forgotten how hard this is. Seeing the familiar shape of the first chamber was a huge relief and I think everyone is quite pleased that the trip ended. However, before getting back to the safety of the car a short detour to de-rig Peterson was required. What a day, I hope I don’t have to come back for a while…
*(Albert is my precious green bag, in fact if anyone ever swears at Albert again, there will be consequences… consider this a threat)
Jakub Dominikowski