NCC Shafts - Alan Brentnall

A few weeks back a couple of cyber messages dropped through my portal. One was an email from Simon Brooks, asking for a key-holder for a Tuesday evening trip into Peak Cavern for a group of visitors to Hidden Earth from Pakistan, and the other was a report of a TSG trip involving losing a nut from the P32 which was holding the new deviation on the down pitches of the NCC shafts. I was also looking for a suitable trip for the Tuesday Night Gang, so it looked as though all three requests could be satisfied, and I wrote back to Simon saying it was on.

After spending part of the morning finishing off the work in Whalf Climbing Shaft, I decided that the rope used on that would suffice for the down pitches in NCC shafts, so I arrived at the Chapel early to clean and wet the rope for the trip. Shortly afterwards, Simon and his group arrived, and, at 7.00pm, I escorted them up to the Cavern let them in and locked them in before returning to the Chapel.

Back at the ranch, our numbers were now eight; a big group for an evening romp through the NCC Shaft entrance series. Would this work? Well I put it to the group that it was a gnarly, muddy trip and we'd need to see how we were doing before we could commit to doing the full tour of the shafts. But we agreed that whatever we did, if we went to the Balcony and back, it would be a good trip, and a new trip for most of the eight.

In we went, through the Wallows, through the Mucky Duck and along the Upper Gallery to Surprise View. Opting for the Squaws Junction route gave us a quick passage to Wigwam Aven, and thence the "knees crawl" to the sharp right into Galena Rift - where the story really began!

The journey in, up muddy ropes, past EMT Aven, through Focal Recall and out onto the Balcony was every bit as muddy and gnarly as folk had been led to believe, but progress was being made and we all arrived satisfied with managing all the obstacles en route.

By the time the last made it through to the Balcony, I was already descending to the gulley, where the errant nut had jumped off its bolt. Before I set off, I told Louise and Edvin that there wouldn't be time for everybody to descend the full shaft and get out, and suggested that folk should look at the up pitches instead.

Down at the gulley, I had great difficulty spotting the stud of the P32. I had been on the trip when Lee Langdon had placed this, but I was watching Lee from the hanging re-belay above, and only had a vague idea where the bolt had been placed. Eventually I spotted it way above me in a place I couldn't believe that Lee (a real short-arse) could have reached. But he did, and so must I.

Initially, trying a bridge, both my thighs cramped up, so I left both my feet on the near side of the gulley and leaned across so my hands could just touch the bolt, and that seemed to work, and I got the Petzl Couer hanger on OK. Except I nearly dropped the only nut I had brought!! But I didn't, and with a bit of clever finger work I eventually made threads connect and screwed it finger tight, following up with a spanner tighten (using half spanner-length to avoid over torquing) and the addition of a sling.

When I returned to the balcony, some had sampled the ropes up to Mark & Anglea's Wedding Present, but most had been satisfied to sit and marvel at the sight of the location.

Returning through the entrance pitches was, as usual, easier, and we took the Galena Chamber route back to Surprise View before stomping through the Upper Gallery to the ducks, arches and exit. Simon's group had already passed through and we met them all back at the Chapel. A great trip, with an essential job done in great company!! (But too late for the pub.)