Titan/J.H./Peak Cavern - 17/01/2009

Titan to Peak via Speedwell - Cavers: Jules Barrett (EPC), Clive Hockenhull (EPC), Jim Lister (EPC), Toni Murphy (EPC), Sam Pemberton (EPC), Leann Rennie (EPC), Tam Rennie (EPC), Sharon Abbott (YSS), Bernie Maddison (EPC), Julian McIntosh (EPC), Gary Noble (YSS), Ann Soulsby (TSG), Colum Walsh (EPC), Colin Woodley (EPC)
J.H. To Peak via the White River Series - Cavers: Dunka (EPC), Pete Pollard (EPC), Jase Rider (EPC), Nige Strong (EPC)
Down J.H. -> Ride of the Valkyries -> Up Titan - Cavers: Dan Hibberts (EPC), Bob Toogood (EPC), Sam Townsend (EPC)
Down J.H. and Up Titan - Cavers: Jim Alder (OCC), Jon Pemberton (EPC), Clive Westlake (EPC), James Wood (EPC)
Peak entrance to Speedwell/JH/Titan - Bog Bergmann (EPC), Geoff Knight (EPC), Steve Norman (EPC), Jim Thompson (EPC)

I'd got an idea that a few of the Eldon were keen to do a variety of trips in the Far Sump Extension and Peak Cavern and suggested Saturday 17th of January at an EPC monthly meeting. Moose and Nick Williams kindly obliged with making the key available and we started to think about numbers. In the end we had twenty nine cavers in six groups doing a variety of trips and it all started to look quite complicated with teams entering and exiting by different routes and crossing over in the Far Sump Extension. We wanted to minimise the amount of time that people would be waiting around so teams would enter at different times. Bob Dearman contacted me the previous weekend suggesting that Clive Hockenhull who's a founder member of the Eldon fancied doing the Titan to Peak trip. Clive hasn't caved much for about thirty years and Titan to Peak at seventy two years of age would be a good effort! Plenty to think about then and the previous weekend a few of us rigged J.H in preparation. Titan was rigged on the Friday morning and we were ready to go.

Arrived at the TSG at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday morning and people started arriving. Martyn Grayson and Ann Soulsby at the TSG were a great help with collecting day fees for the hut and Peak fees. Wayne Sheldon offered to have a look at the level of the water coming out of Peak and despite some overnight rain the water was still relatively low. We had a quick briefing session at about 8:45 a.m. and our group of seven drove up to the parking for Titan. Opened the lid and descended. SamP descended first and I went down to wait on the Event Horizon. Clive, Leann, Tam and Toni came past with no problems at all and finally Jim and I descended to the bottom. All very smooth and didn't take long either. Once at the bottom of Titan we made our way down through the famous Titan choke and into AI passage. After stepping up out of there we bumped into the J.H. to Titan team almost immediately in Stemple Highway. Continued to the bottom of J.H. where we took SRT kits off and had a bit of food. Started the climb down through the boulder piles and met Bog's team who were on the way up. Bog and Jim fancied spending a bit more time around here and went to have a look at the Miner's Toast etc. in Speedwell. Geoff and Steve joined up with our group whilst SamP went to the Miner's Toast with Bog and Jim. Our group headed downstream in the Speedwell streamway past Pit Props Passage to arrive at the top of the Bung. Plenty of water going down the ladder today and we all got pretty wet. Continued downstream past Block Hall to pick up the Dry Bypass and eventually arrive at the bottom of the fixed ladders at Egnaro Aven. Up the ladders and then the long crawl along the Trenches, Liam's Way and Colostomy. Eventually we emerged at Treasury and through the cave to the downstream end of Buxton Water Sump. Here we washed off and made our way through the showcave and out to the TSG. A superb trip (I'd only done it in the other direction before) and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

By the time we got to the TSG Pete, Dunka, Nige and Jase were already in the pub as were the J.H. to Titan team. The other Titan to Peak team arrived about an hour after us and Bog's team not long after that. Jim Lister and I got a lift up to the Titan parking with Jim Alder and they went to shut the lid and lock up at J.H. We could see lights on the surface at Titan so I walked over to help Sam, Dan and Bob carry the Titan rope back to the car. Titan lid got locked at 5:00 p.m. at the end of a superb days caving!

Click on the images above to enlarge.
1. Leann Rennie traversing in Stemple Highway. Photo by Clive Hockenhull.
2. Jim Lister and Toni Murphy in the Boulder Piles above the Speedwell streamway. Photo by Clive Hockenhull.
3. Clive Hockenhull at the bottom of The Bung. Photo by Jules Barrett.
4. In the Speedwell. Photo by Clive Hockenhull.