Boxhead

[bif]

Bif, Clive, Lou, +

Boxhead Pot on Leck fell is rather interesting. It's positioned in a shake hole just above Lost Pot and drops directly into the top of the NPC Avens in Lost Johns. I believe that the Lost Pot connection with Lost Johns was originally made by Batty, Chester, Eski and some others that I don’t know in the early 80s. At the time the Brook brothers from ULSA were pushing a lot of tight stuff, helped by the appearance of neoprene. They were having a go at Lost Pot, while NPC attention was on a nearby shake hole. The latter went and the connection with Lost Johns established. However, on a first exchange trip Jim Newton of the Red Rose (who incidentally is still active today) was injured by falling rock and a bit of a rescue was necessary, with the rescue team also coming under attack. One can only presume that the new entrance was fairly scary, as shortly afterwards the NPC kicked it all in. Boxhead Pot was opened some time later and the through trip was once again possible.

The Entrance to Boxhead is through 15 foot of vertical plastic tube, just small enough to make prussiking difficult for tall people A rebelay just below the pipe drops some 30 metres via a deviation, to a floor if you could describe it as such. This slopes down at maybe 45 degrees to the top of the main hang of 70 odd metres. I have no idea how to describe how dodgy this 'floor' is without drastically understating its impending doom potential (disturbed rocks rolling over the edge). Suffice to say, it makes the Eastwater boulder ruckle look about as scary as a Marks and Sparks Security guard. Therefore I generally opt for the alternative route that drops to the floor via a parallel shaft. However, Clive was keen to photograph the big hang, so that was that. Lights turned to low, don’t breathe etc. Anyway, this is a fantastic pitch and part way down I felt the urge to wind my lamp up for a look around. I was rather pleased to get the loudest 'Hells teeth' that I believe Ive ever heard from Clive, though I did think for a moment that the roof may be heading South.

Prussiking out was not helped by forgetting my Pantin, or from wrenching my ruddy shoulder in Bakers Pit last weekend, but at least it wasn’t me getting cold at the bottom while waiting for me Grand trip all the same and it’s been a while since I remember better winter changing weather on Leck Fell (or Summer for that matter). Got back to cars just in time to pull Mongo, his Mrs and offspring out of the bog that they’d parked their car in. Fortunately we had a good stash of SRT rope for the job, otherwise they may still be there now.
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nobody said nothing about locking horns with no tigers ....
www.littlemonkeycaving.co.uk

[Emsy]

Aw, I'm jealous Bif ... the Lost Johns / Boxhead exchange is one of my all-time favourite Yorkshire trips and the Boxhead shaft is really impressive.

I agree with you about the evil-ledge-of-loose-nasties

[bif]

We didn't go through, water and all that.... and had a Dinner to attend. In and out Boxhead.
_________________
nobody said nothing about locking horns with no tigers ....
www.littlemonkeycaving.co.uk