2021

Mitchell’s Dig 2021

Saturday 3^rd April 2021. John Cooper, Nigel Graham, Pete Hann, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank (Barry Wilkinson brought the rock cakes over). Whilst Nigel removed his ropes for cleaning and inspection Adrian capped a bit at the bottom which was hauled up by Pete, Jude and John and stacked at the bottom stacking space. Probably a bit of cord next time. 2 hours.

Saturday 10^th April 2021. John Cooper, Pete Hann and Adrian Vanderplank. Took drill and some cord down. Whilst Pete drilled 3 x 600mm holes Adrian and I moved the small amount of spoil up to the alcoves. After a problem with the firer it was fitted with new batteries and Adrian descended again. Only just heard on the surface. 1½ hours.

Saturday 17^th April 2021. John Cooper, Pete Hann, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. One mix of cement taken down. Some rocks hauled up to the alcoves, not full yet. Wall built at bottom. Needs widening again. 2 hours.

Saturday 24^th April 2021. John Cooper, Pete Hann and Adrian Vanderplank. Capping at the bottom to make it a bit wider then more rocks hauled up to the bottom stacking space. Spoil now needs moving on up. 2¾ hours.

Saturday 1^st May 2021. Claire Cohen, John Cooper, Pete Hann, Wayne Starsmore, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. One mix of cement to the bottom with Pete. Meanwhile the rest of us hauled spoil up. First from the bottom stacking space to the tunnel stacking space then on up to the bottom of the entrance stacking space and finally a somewhat heavier 17 loads up to the surface. 3 hours.

Saturday 8^th May 2021. John Cooper, Pete Hann, Wayne Starsmore, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. First rocks were hauled from the bottom to the alcoves. Then Adrian was sent to the bottom to cap whilst the rest of us moved the rocks on up to the tunnel and then on up to the bottom of the entrance shaft. By then Adrian had run out of battery. Pete wanted to leave the surface hauling to next Saturday to be done whilst he was cementing. 2½ hours.

Saturday 15^th May 2021. John Cooper, Pete Hann, Wayne Starsmore and Adrian Vanderplank. One mix taken to bottom. Pete used first bucket whilst rest of us hauled 15 good loads up the entrance shaft to leave it clear. Then second bucket taken down with capping kit. After Pete had used up second bucket Adrian capped some rocks for Pete to use in walling next time. 2 hours.

Saturday 22^nd May 2021. John Cooper, Pete Hann, Wayne Starsmore, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. With Jude at the bottom muddy rocks were hauled up and stashed in the lower alcove. Adrian was then sent to the front to cap more rock which was stashed in the upper alcove. Walling now required. 2 hours.

Saturday 29^th May 2021. John Cooper, Pete Hann, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. One mix of cement taken in. Started with all four hauling the rocks from the alcove to the tunnel. Then Pete was sent on down with the cement whilst the remaining three hauled the spoil from the tunnel to the bottom of the entrance shaft. Once completed we moved on up and hauled 17 loads up to the surface. By then Pete had finished and followed us out. 2½ hours.

Saturday 5^th June 2021. John Cooper, Pete Hann, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. One mix of cement taken in and used by Pete Hann walling at the bottom. Then a bit of capping by Adrian with spoil being left at the stacking step below the alcoves (Jude had already gone out being cold). 2½ hours.

Saturday 12^th June 2021. John Cooper, Pete Hann and Adrian Vanderplank. One mix of cement taken in and used by Pete Hann walling at the bottom. Then a bit of capping by Adrian with spoil being left at the stacking step below the alcoves. 2 hours.

Saturday 19^th June 2021. John Cooper, Pete Hann and Adrian Vanderplank. One mix of cement taken in and used by Pete Hann walling at the bottom. Whilst Pete was doing that Adrian and John moved the existing spoil up to the bottom alcove. Then a bit of capping by Adrian with spoil being left at the stacking step below the alcoves. 2½ hours.

Saturday 26^th June 2021. John Cooper, Pete Hann and Adrian Vanderplank. First we moved rocks from the stacking step to the top alcove. Then we moved rocks up from the bottom to the stacking step. Now we need to move it all on out. Adrian trying out his blood oxygen meter which showed we all had at least as much oxygen in our blood stream when we came out as when we went in. However both Adrian’s and Pete’s heart had virtually stopped on exit (?cold fingers meant readings could not be taken?). 2 hours.

Thursday 1^st July 2021. John Cooper, Wayne Starsmore, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. Moved the spoil up from the bottom step and then the alcoves to the tunnel. Then moved it all on up to the bottom of the entrance. The majority of the team then decided it was necessary to leave the spoil there as both Barry and Nigel would be along on Saturday and needed something “easy” as a re-introduction. John and Wayne were forced to visit the Hunter’s instead 2½ hours.

Saturday 3^rd July 2021. John Cooper, Pete Hann, Mike Kousiounis and Adrian Vanderplank. No Nigel nor Barry. First we cleared all the spoil to the surface, 21 good loads. Then Adrian capping at the bottom. Finally his spoil moved up to the alcoves. Cementing now required (Pete had the sand but no cement today!). 2½ hours.

Saturday 10^th July 2021. John Cooper, Nigel Graham, Pete Hann, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. One mix of cement taken down and used by Pete walling at the bottom. Meanwhile the alcoves were cleared with Jude filling, Adrian hauling and John hauling and stacking. Then moved on up and cleared the tunnel with Jude filling Adrian then John hauling and Nigel stacking. Finally cleared 11 loads to the surface with John and Nigel on the surface. 2½ hours.

Saturday 17^th July 2021. John Cooper, Pete Hann and Adrian Vanderplank. Two mixes of cement taken down. One third used by John doing remedial work just above the tunnel. Two thirds used by Pete walling at the bottom. Some holes in the floor and excellent draught coming out. Probably have to be the same again next week. 2½ hours.

Saturday 24^th July 2021. John Cooper, Nigel Graham, Pete Hann and Adrian Vanderplank. The drill with some short lengths of rebar and two mixes of cement taken down. One third used by John doing remedial work just above the tunnel. Two thirds used by Pete walling at the bottom. John dug out some rocks from the soakaway for use in his walling. Then John took a load from the soakaway to the surface before another 4 loads were dug out by Nigel which John hauled up to the space opposite the Naughty Step. Nigel then went out whilst John went to the bottom to join Adrian and Pete. After Pete had fixed the rebar Adrian went out. Pete used up the remaining cement and then John and Pete went out with the drill and cement buckets. More cementing required. 2½ hours.

Saturday 31^st July 2021. John Cooper, Nigel Graham, Pete Hann and Adrian Vanderplank. One mix of cement taken to bottom and used by Pete wall building. Capping kit taken in and after Pete finished wall building Adrian capped the floor. Some rocks hauled up to bottom ledge. Nigel, escorted by Adrian, got down to just below the bottom ledge today. More cementing and capping required. 2½ hours.

Saturday 7^th August 2021. John Cooper, Nigel Graham, Pete Hann, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. One mix of cement taken to bottom and most used by Pete wall building. John used a bit doing maintenance. Capping kit taken in and Adrian capped the floor. The rocks from the ledge were hauled up to the alcoves by John and Adrian. Nigel, John and Jude then moved them on up to the Tunnel. 1½ hours.

Thursday 12^th August 2021. John Cooper, Richard Marlow, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. Broke up some rocks at the bottom. These were then hauled up to the ledge and then on up to the alcoves. Now ready to drill and bang. 1¼ hours.

Saturday 14^th August 2021. John Cooper, Nigel Graham, Pete Hann and Adrian Vanderplank. Took in drill and long bits for Pete to use at the bottom. Came back up and Adrian, John and Nigel cleared the alcoves and then moved on up and cleared all the spoil to the bottom of the entrance shaft.  Then went back and collected the drill and bits and took them out. Still below the entrance stacking space when it went “thud”, 2 and a half 1m deep holes with 12gm cord. Should be spoil at the bottom of the entrance shaft and the bottom itself for next time. 2 hours.

Saturday 21^st August 2021. Richard Carey, John Cooper, Nigel Graham, Pete Hann, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. Took in capping kit to use at the bottom. Came back up to alcoves then hauled debris up until they were full. Leaving Pete at the bottom we then moved on up and cleared all the spoil from the alcoves to the top of the tunnel. Adrian then went back down to see how Pete was getting on whilst the rest of us hauled all the spoil on up to the bottom of the entrance shaft. Jude, Nigel and Richard then went out whilst John went back down to see how things were progressing. The drill battery having just died John brought out the capping kit leaving Adrian to bring out a dead bucket and the bang wire from last week. 3 hours.

Thursday 26^th August 2021. Ann Brady-Vanderplank, John Cooper, Richard Marlow, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. Jude loading at the bottom of the entrance shaft, Adrian and Richard at the Naughty Step, Anne and John hauling on the surface. 23 loads were moved on up leaving the bottom of the entrance shaft clear. 1 hour.

Saturday 28^th August 2021. John Cooper, Nigel Graham, Pete Hann, Mike Kousiounis, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. Took in capping kit but it wasn’t used. Came back up to alcoves then hauled debris up until they were full. Leaving Pete at the bottom we then moved on up and cleared all the spoil from the alcoves to the top of the tunnel. We then went back down and repeated the process until Pete had had enough (bottom alcove full and top one part full). Moved on up and then hauled the spoil from the alcoves to the top of the tunnel. Then we all came out. 2½ hours.

Thursday 2^nd September. 2021.Clair Cohen, John Cooper, Mike Kousiounis, Wayne Starsmore, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. Mike forgot his helmet so remained on the surface. Initially all spoil was moved from the end of the tunnel to the bottom of the entrance shaft. John and Wayne then returned to the surface and 23 loads were hauled up to leave the shaft clear. 1½ hours.

Saturday 4^th September 2021. John Cooper, Pete Hann, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. Took in 2 mixes of cement split over 3 loads plus the capping kit. Pete used first bucket of cement walling before Jude left heading for Upper Pitts. Adrian then capped more rock for Pete. Pete then used second bucket of cement continuing wall building. Whilst John took out the two empty buckets Pete used the third before breaking his wall and having to redo it. Decided to let the mortar set before doing any more. Brought up one wee rock from the drain hole dig. 2½ hours.

Saturday 11^th September 2021. John Cooper, Nigel Graham, Pete Hann and Adrian Vanderplank. Took in capping kit. Nigel only made it to the tunnel. At the bottom we hauled some rocks and stacked them on the bottom ledge. Adrian then capped more which were also stacked on the bottom ledge. Some clatch was stored in various nooks and crannies just up from the bottom. Some cementing required now, to be done next weekend when only John and Pete about. 2½ hours.

Saturday 18^th September 2021. John Cooper and Pete Hann. Took in 2 mixes of cement split over 3 loads. Pete cemented at the bottom. Not so much draught today. 1½ hours.

Thursday 23^rd September 2021. John Cooper, Wayne Starsmore, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. 15 loads came up from the bottom ledge to the tunnel but somehow changed during the haul up to the base of the entrance shaft to the 13 that were hauled to the surface. Whilst hauling the middle section a fist sized rock fell out of the roof just below where the rope is anchored. Rocks appear to be held up by mud, needs a bit of cementing. 2 hours.

Saturday 25^th September 2021. John Cooper, Nigel Graham, Pete Hann and Adrian Vanderplank. Took in capping kit. Nigel only made it to the tunnel. Pete forgot the sand so no cementing today. Lots of capped rock stacked on the bottom ledge and some more left at the bottom for walling. Some clatch stacked in an alcove a couple of metres up from the bottom. Still a nice outward draught. 3 hours.

Tuesday 28^th September 2021. Richard Carey, John Cooper, Wayne Starsmore, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. 17 loads came up from the bottom ledge to the tunnel and were then hauled up to the base of the entrance shaft. Here the flatter building rocks were separated from the rounder rocks so they could be used to hold up the roof as noted last Thursday. As it was windy and wet we left the final haul to the surface to Saturday. 1½ hours.

Saturday 2^nd October 2021. John Cooper, Nigel Graham, Pete Hann, Adrian Vanderplank and Mike Wise. Raining heavily so no cementing done today. Took in capping kit. Nigel only made it to the tunnel. First cleared rocks from the bottom and stacked them on the bottom ledge. Then a load of clatch hauled up a couple of metres and stuffed in an alcove. Then Adrian capped rock. Some went OK but a lot did little damage. Kept moving the bits up to the bottom ledge. Stopped when the battery ran out. At the bottom Adrian took pictures through a gap between boulders. Looks interesting. Finally 9 loads were hauled up the entrance shaft in the rain. 2½ hours.

Saturday 9^th October 2021. John Cooper and Pete Hann. Double mix of cement taken in. One third used by John just below the entrance and two thirds by Pete at the bottom. More walling still required at both sites. Not quite as drippy as Thursday. Slight outward draught. 1½ hours.

Saturday 23^rd October 2021. John Cooper, Pete Hann, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. Rock from last week’s bang hauled up until the bottom ledge was full and Pete hurt his side. A bit drippy and very little draught today. More hauling required. 1½ hours.

Saturday 30^th October 2021. John Cooper, Nigel Graham, Pete Hann, Rich Marlow, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. Went and looked at the water shooting across the shaft and hitting the ladder on the opposite side then went for tea and cake at Upper Pitts. Got wet feet just getting across the pool to the entrance.

Thursday 4^th November 2021. John Cooper, Tom Williams, Wayne Starsmore, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. Tom and John to the dig face for a look and to retrieve the hammer. John then broke up the largest rock on the bottom ledge before Adrian and Jude arrived. We then hauled the rock from the bottom ledge up to the Tunnel. As large rocks arrived John broke them up with another hammer that Adrian had retrieved from Spider Hole on Tuesday. Once the bottom ledge was clear the spoil was moved on up to the bottom of the entrance. It was a bit drippy tonight but no noticeable draught. The scaffold frame was frozen over when we came out. 2½ hours.

Saturday 6^th November 2021. John Cooper, Nigel Graham, Pete Hann, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. One mix of cement, half sent in with Pete whilst the rest of us cleared 25 loads of spoil from the bottom of the entrance shaft to the surface. Then Jude took the rest of the cement down to Pete whilst the capping kit was carried in. Pete was wet and miserable so once he had used the cement up the capping kit was carried out unused. 2½ hours.

Saturday 13^th November 2021. John Cooper, Nigel Graham, Pete Hann and Adrian Vanderplank. Took in capping kit which Adrian used for about 10 holes before the battery was flat. However Pete then went to the bottom and cleared loose spoil for another 90 minutes until the bottom ledge was full. A bit of clatch stacked in the hole a couple of metres up from the bottom. Pete says there is still lots of spoil available but we need to clear the bottom ledge first. Gentle outward draught today and not so drippy. 2½ hours.

Saturday 20^th November 2021. John Cooper, Nigel Graham, Pete Hann, Wayne Starsmore, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. Hauled the spoil from the bottom ledge to the Tunnel then on up to the bottom of the entrance shaft and finally 19 loads were hauled to the surface. Very little draught but still a few drips. Adrian, Jude and Wayne had a good look at the bottom trying to decide which direction to dig. 2½ hours.

Saturday 27^th November 2021. John Cooper, Nigel Graham, Pete Hann and Adrian Vanderplank. Capping kit taken in. Hauled spoil up from the bottom to the bottom stacking space until pretty well full. Adrian and Pete not sure they have been digging in the right direction at the bottom! There was an upward draught from the bottom to the Tunnel and a very strong cold draught coming down the entrance as far as the Tunnel! Where does the combined draught go? 2½ hours.

Saturday 4^th December 2021. John Cooper, Nigel Graham, Pete Hann, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. Hauled the spoil from the bottom ledge to the Tunnel then on up to the bottom of the entrance shaft and finally to the surface. 19 loads came up from the bottom, but Pete reckoned 21 came to the surface. I don’t believe that count. I reckon the vibration moved the counters along as it’s always a lesser number that reaches the surface. Very little draught but still a few drips. 2 hours.

Thursday 9^th December 2021. John Cooper, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. Drill taken in to place anchors. While Adrian placed bottom anchor for Nigel (still needs tightening up) John and Jude moved half a dozen loads of  clatch from bottom to a hole a couple of metres up. During exit another hole drilled so top rope can be moved up a few metres to the soakaway area. Drippy. 1½ hours.

Saturday 11^th December 2021. John Cooper, Nigel Graham, Pete Hann and Adrian Vanderplank. Spoil moved up from bottom to bottom ledge and some clatch stuffed in hole a couple of metres up from the bottom. Both recently placed anchors tightened up ready for use. No real draught for testing so difficult to decide best way onwards. 2½ hours.

Saturday 18^th December 2021. John Cooper, Nigel Graham, Pete Hann, Wayne Starsmore, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. Spoil moved up from bottom ledge to Tunnel (24 loads according to Wayne). Then we moved on down and spoil moved up from bottom to bottom ledge (now about half full) plus a bit of clatch stuffed in hole a couple of metres up. Probably going to bang the boulder in the floor. 2½ hours.

Thursday 23^rd December 2021. John Cooper, Wayne Starsmore, Adrian Vanderplank and Jude Vanderplank. After a delayed start because John forgot the ladder, spoil was moved up from the Tunnel to bottom of entrance shaft and then on up to the surface. Twenty one loads each time, well judged by Jude who was loading, meant the magic number of 42 was achieved. 2 hours.

Tuesday 28^th December 2021. John Cooper, Pete Hann and Adrian Vanderplank. A rather drippy day, foam on the soakaway. Pete drilled holes in a couple of boulders at the bottom which were then banged, 40gm and 12gm. Will look at the effect on Saturday. 1 hour.