...and not just because we had Tony back again this week.
Despite it being the second time we'd done it, we'd loved last week's Mancunian themed trip and with the weather not quite being right for other trips on our list, it seemed a perfect opportunity to get to know it really well.
Being drier than last week, rather than taking the Manchester bypass to get to Mainline Terminus, we opted to go via the Trident series. I'd also asked if I could try navigating, under normal circumstances this could lead to a potentially very long trip, but knowing I had Mike just behind me meant we wouldn't be missing last orders.
Having successfully found my way to Battle of Britain chamber I pointed out where I thought the way on to the Bypass lay and Mike sagely nodded in agreement. We then headed up the slope to the start of the Trident, explaining to Mike what I expected to see next and having my fairly loose and sketchy description turned into something actually useful by the Easegill oficionado.
The route to Eureka junction through Trident is fantastic, clean washed streamway interspersed with interesting rope assisted traverses and drops. To try and help link things together we passed the junction where the Wretched Rabbit water joins and went down to see the junction with the main drain before retracing our steps.
This isn't a section of Wretched Rabbit we use very often and despite finding "a" way up into Four Ways Chamber, I'm sure it wasn't "the" way. A moment of befuddlement followed and thanks to Mike we were quickly heading via Depot chamber to Stop pot, rather than back out of Easegill via a return to Wretched Rabbit.
With an ascent of the Stop ladder and a relatively easy ride around the boulders that follow we were soon at a junction with last week's route at Mainline Terminus. The silence and darkness of the gaping caverns now ahead in stark contrast to the loud and light coloured streamways we'd recently left behind.
In my head I'd completely missed out one of the big chambers and at the sight of a rope ascending into the gloom I thought I'd gone to far, but no, I just hadn't noticed it when I'd walked right by it 7 days previously. Even when I saw a likely looking boulder on the left I convinced myself it wasn't the right one until Mike headed behind it and into the Mancunian way.
The next bit to Easegill aven seemed to pass without too much issue and at the top of the pitch Tony looked a little bemused. "I bet he's now wondering why we bother with harnesses and descenders too", I thought as I wrapped a sling around me and clipped an Italian hitch into my krab.
Once again the navigation seemed to flow, but it was reassuring to glimpse over my shoulder and see the glow of Mike's lamp not far behind. A quick up and over at Molluscan hall and we were back at the streamway contemplating the slot from which the stream flowed. Things would be better this week. One, I actually knew which way to go this time and two, I took my fantastic Aunty Liz knitted merino beanie from my pocket and put it on under my helmet. This meant that it wouldn't be getting wet and I was now significantly warmer for the short and aqueous crawl of Dismal junction.
At Platypus, Tony took over the navigation as he's learning a shorter County round
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