Hon. Sec: A.R. Thomas. Allens House, Priddy, Wells,
Hon. Editor: – S.J. Collins, Homeleigh, Bishop Sutton,
Contents
- 1 Editorial
- 2 1970 A.G.M.
- 3 And Dinner
- 4
- 5 Hut Wardens Report
- 6 Caving Secs Report
- 7 Belfry Engineers Report
- 8
- 9 Financial Statement for the Year to the thirty first of July 1970
- 10 Treasurers Report
- 11
- 12 Monthly Notes Number 35
- 13 News from Austria
- 14 Last Ditch
- 15
- 16 The Altra Trail
- 17
- 18 Monthly Crossword Number 4.
Editorial
Black Mark
In general, the reports from the club officers reflect the
praiseworthy efforts of the many members who have given so freely of their time
and money to help the club to recover from last years disaster. It thus seems a pity to read in the Hon.
Treasures report that there are far too many subscriptions outstanding. Appeals to pay subscriptions appear regularly
in the B.B. Chairmen at the A.G.M. have pointed out in no uncertain terms
that the days when it was fashionable to delay paying subs are dead and gone. In this column, it has been said that the
least that any member could do for his club, if he was not able to supply
materials, time or donations, would be to pay his or her subscription
promptly. For many months, the club has
been literally balanced on a financial knife edge. Thanks to the generosity of some members and
the hard work put in by others; this has now been overcome no thanks to those
who have ignored every appeal to their corporate spirit. It would not be surprising if the Committee
next year decided on a get tough policy towards those members who have done
nothing to deserve the benefits which others have worked for on their behalf.
A.G.M.
Elsewhere in this B.B. will be found details of the A.G.M.
and Dinner. Please make an effort to
attend the meeting as well as the dinner. Your advice, comments, criticism or praise could have an important
bearing on the way our club is run in future.
Alfie
1970 A.G.M.
The 1970 Annual general meeting will be held on SATURDAY,
OCTOBER 3RD at the SEVEN STARS and will commence at 2PM.
Application has been made for a special licence to cover the
meeting.
For the benefit of members not normally in
the Seven Stars is in
STREET
block just by
The Seven Stars will, of course, be open from normal opening
time on the Saturday, so that members who arrive early can obtain a drink while
waiting for the meeting to begin.
DONT FORGET! SEVEN STARS
OCTOBER 3rd at 2pm.
And Dinner
The 1970 Annual General Meeting will be followed by the
Twenty First Annual Dinner of the Bristol Exploration Club, which will be held
at WOOKEY HOLE CAVE RESTAURANT at 7.00 for 7.30pm. Attractions should include a free barrel of
tartan and some sort of entertainment in the B.E.C. tradition.
PRICE 25/- The Dinners which starts off the Mendip Social
Season. Applications as soon as
possible with money to Bob Bagshaw,
Wells Road
Note: Tickets
are never issued for the B.E.C. Dinner. Bookings and money are taken by Bob Bagshaw and your name on his list
gets you in. Dont miss the dinner this
year! Only 25/-
Hut Wardens Report
The main thing that has influenced the job of Hut Warden
this year is that for more than half of the time we have had no Belfry for
anyone to be Hut Warden of, and in consequence, quite a few people who used to
stay at the hut have got used to not staying. Now we have the hut more or less finished, the long and complicated job
of luring the people back to stay at the hut for weekends has begun, and at
last the bed night figures are beginning to improve.
In the sixteen weeks since the official opening on May the
ninth, there have been 417 bed nights of which 91 were by guests; the total
takings were nearly £80.0.0 This, in my
opinion, is a good start considering the conditions under which we have
operated up till now and represents a yearly bed nights total of 1,355.
However, when you realise that over half this total has been
made up by the guests and by two club members, it shows that we urgently need
more members staying at the Belfry regularly if we are to present a good total
which reflects steady use of our new building.
The fixtures and fittings are being completed slowly, and I
would like to take this opportunity of thanking all the people, and in
particular Prew and Doug, for all the work that has been and is being done.
I would like to conclude by saying that the job of running
the hut at this time is a fairly complex one and one which takes some time
getting used to. Still, things are
improving and the next year should see a great change in the fortunes of the
Belfry and the B.E.C.
Pete Franklin, Hut
Warden
Caving Secs Report
The burning of the Belfry had a severe effect on the clubs
caving activities, which is only just beginning to be balanced by the
completion of the new Belfry. A mixture
of lack of accommodation and cold weather apathy resulted in a very small
nucleus of regular cavers during the winter months, and it was probably only
the Cuthberts digging and the discovery of Cuthberts II that kept us
recognisable as a caving club.
However, that small nucleus of regular cavers during the
winter months, in partnership with S.M.C.C. members, has been very active
throughout the year, both on Mendip and in other areas. The by now traditional Tuesday night Digging
Teams trips to
and successful. General club meets,
however have not flourished. Most people
who wanted to go northern caving went off on their own bat and when a
Derbyshire trip was organised by myself, no one wanted to go. We have therefore not had a complete success
in terms of organised club meets, and to have not bothered to organise others,
but in the event of members wanting them and being prepared to attend, the next
Caving Secretary may be inclined to do so.
We have not so far had a practice in St. Cuthberts, but I
hope to rectify this in September. A
very necessary activity in view of the caving ability of a minority of the people
who go on tourist trips in spite of the no novices rule.
R. Wickens, Hon. Caving
Secretary
Belfry Engineers Report
The Committee decided soon after the last A.G.M. that the
club had sufficient funds to contemplate building the new Belfry without the
help of a government grant, and building was commenced by Fred Owen without
delay. Meanwhile, a few stalwart members
roughed it in the old stone hut, and regular midweek caving took place from the
Shepton Hut. We are indebted to Pat
Ifold for his help and advice during the construction of the new building,
which was more or less completed by the end of March. Walts new track was in operation when the
building started, and a cattle grid was put in at the Belfry entrance.
With the new building handed over, work really started and
Alfie fixed up temporary lights so that work could continue during midweek
evenings. Wednesday was set up as a
working night and all the old bunks salvaged from the fire reclaimed and installed. All the walls and ceilings were painted with
emulsion paint and the floor treated with sealer.
Prew Albert and Doug agreed to take charge of the plumbing
and wiring, and the work is now well under way with all the showers installed
and working, but not supplied with hot water as yet until the electrical system
is completed. The showers will be
operated from separate coin boxes.
Petty Precision Products installed a marvellous working top
along two walls and this has two sinks included in it. Jok Orr constructed a beautiful
indestructible Belfry table which has been admired by all. A great deal of time and effort has been out
in during the past year, and the club is indebted to many other than those
mentioned above, who turned up faithfully on Wednesday evenings, particularly
in the yearly part of the year. There is
still plenty to be done, but in twelve months we have a fine new hut which is
undoubtedly the finest on Mendip.
John Riley, Hon. Belfry
Engineer.
Financial Statement for the Year to the thirty first of July 1970
Subscriptions |
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£ 236.17.6 |
Seven Stars Levy |
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£ 28.12.0 |
Sales: |
Carbide |
£ 2. 4.6 |
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Car Badges |
£ 2.12.6 |
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Ties |
£ 3.12.0 |
£ 8. 9. 0 |
Post Office Savings Bank Interest |
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£ 14.10.11 |
Annual Dinner: |
Receipts |
£ 179. 1.0 |
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Less Costs |
£ 177.19.0 |
£ 1. 2. 0 |
Refund of cost of Swildons Door |
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£ 6. 0. 2 |
Stop the Watch: |
Receipts |
£ 113. 6.8 |
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Less Costs |
£ 47.18.7 |
£ 68. 8. 1 |
Claims on insurance: |
Building |
£1,149 |
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Contents |
£ 183.12.3 |
£1,332.12.3 |
New Belfry Fund |
Donations |
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£ 635.16.7 |
Loan |
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£100 |
Interest on Deposit account |
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£ 35. 3.2 |
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£120 |
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£2,584.11.8 |
DEFICIT FOR THE YEAR |
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£ 670. 2. 2 |
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£3,254.13.10 |
Belfry |
Building |
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£3,074 |
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Plumbing |
£40 |
£ 28.12.0 |
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Electrics |
£ 41.15.9 |
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Expenses |
£ 127.19.6 |
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£ 209.15.3 |
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Less Receipts |
£ 170.11.0 |
£ 39. 4. 3 |
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Spelaeodes |
Costs |
£ 3.12.0 |
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Less Receipts |
£ 46. 6.7 |
£ 11.17.1 |
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Other publications, stationery etc. |
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£ 54.16.11 |
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B.B. Postage |
£ 33.11.11 |
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£ 88. 8.10 |
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Less sales |
£ 43.15. 9 |
£ 44.13.1 |
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General postages and stationery |
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£ 13. 2. 5 |
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Tackle: |
Expenditure |
£ 8.15.9 |
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Less fees |
£ 7. 3. 6 |
£ 1.12. 5 |
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Public liability insurance |
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£ 26. 2. 0 |
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Income Tax |
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£ 20. 2. 0 |
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British Mountaineering Council |
(two years) |
£ 5.10.0 |
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Library |
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£ 7. 7. 0 |
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Sundries |
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£ 10.13.9 |
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£3,254.13.10 |
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Total Club Monies @ 31.7.69 |
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£1,265.18.11 |
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Less I.D.M.F. accumulated income |
to 31.7.69 |
£ 30. 8. 8 |
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GENERAL ACCUMULATED |
FUNDS @ 31.7.69 |
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£1,235.10.3 |
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Less deficit for the year |
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£ 670. 2. 2 |
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GENERAL ACCUMULATED |
FUNDS @ 31.7.70 |
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£ 565. 8. 1 |
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I.D.M.F. accumulated income to |
31.7.70 |
£ 30.17.8 |
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£ 596. 5. 9 |
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Post Office Savings Bank Deposit |
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£ 174. 9.10 |
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Lloyds Bank Ltd Deposit Account |
£ 366. 3. 4 |
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Cash in hand |
£ 55.12 7 |
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£ 596. 5. 9 |
NEW
BELFRY FUND
In hand @ 31.7.69 |
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£1,162. 0. 9 |
Donations: |
Bankers Orders |
£164 |
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Others |
£471.16.7 |
£ 635.16.7 |
Loan |
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£100 |
Interest to 30.6.70 |
£ 35. 3. 2 |
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Half Annual Subscriptions |
£ 118. 8. 9 |
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Half Belfry Dues |
£ 85. 5. 6 |
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Insurance Claim |
£1,149 |
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£3,285.14.9 |
Payments to builder on account |
£3,074 |
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BALANCE IN HAND |
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£ 211.14.9 |
IAN
DEAR MEMORIAL FUND
Accumulated income to 31.7.69 |
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£ 30. 8. 8 |
Interest on £310 5½% National |
Development Bonds |
£ 17. 1. 0 |
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£ 47. 9. 8 |
Income tax |
£ 6.12.0 |
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Grant from Fund |
£10 |
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Accumulated Income @ 31.7.70 |
£ 30.17.8 |
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£ 47. 9. 8 |
Treasurers Report
As you will see from the Financial statement, the Ian Dear
memorial Fund is now show separately from the general club funds. This was the only change which I considered
necessary to show the New Belfry Fund as a separate item in future, but if the
necessary information is forthcoming, grater detail might be show for
publications.
As regards the New Belfry Fund, although there is a balance
of £211-11-9 in hand, a further payment of £160 is due to the builder, and a
loan of £100 should be repaid. The balance
can, however, easily be taken from Pete Franklins Stop the Watch surplus.
The amount received in subscriptions is inflated by three
life memberships and one joint life membership. There are, however, still far too many outstanding subscriptions. Although one of the reasons for increasing the
annual subscription form 22/6 to 25/- was to help raise money for the new
Belfry, I do not think it appropriate to consider making a reduction at least
until the club has a reasonable reserve. By that time, no doubt rising process will mean that the rate of 25/-
will have to be maintained. I think,
however, that the levy at the Seven Stars might be dropped. Its collection does give rise to criticism,
even if most of it is habitually good natured.
The generous donations to the New Belfry Fund included Swiss
Francs; German DM and Canadian Dollars. I have already mentioned some of the outstanding payments since the date
of the accounts; I have paid a further £25 towards the plumbing. There will be further expenses on finishing
the interior of the building and also possibly for surfacing the car park. In addition, although we are insured, our
brokers have not yet been paid.
We have sufficient money to cover out foreseeable expenses,
a position which I must regard as satisfactory after spending over £3,000 in
the year. Thank you all for your
support.
R.J. Bagshaw, Hon.
Treasurer
Monthly Notes Number 35
by Ben
St. Cuthberts Sump II
Over the last month or so, the B.E.C./S.M.C.C. digging team
has been able to make some progress at this sump, which has been showing the
same odd tendency to leak as Sump I. Cutting off the stream flow by, means of the Gour Hall dam causes the
water level to drop slowly, permitting access to the first twenty feet or so of
the sump. This was horizontal, ending in
a small bell where the water filled part continues choked and steeply
descending. John Palmer penetrated this latter section for an estimated further twenty feet,
but found no way on during his original dive. Much, material has already been dug out, to give room to work at the
end, but more recently the sump refused to drain. The team are now considering building g a
concrete dam and resorting to bailing to enable the work to go on. Anyone who would like to come along would be
welcome. Meet at the Belfry any Tuesday
evening at 6 6.30pm. There are also
weekend trips.
B.E.C. Exhibition.
This has been much delayed for various reasons, and certain
items are still required. Will anyone
with good quality black and white negatives of St. Cuthberts which they could
lend, please contact Mike Palmer.
Little Neath
River
Cave
Because of the high risk of being flooded in this system,
the U.B.S.S. have installed an emergency flood dump in Genesis Gallery. This is fifty feet from the far end of Pebble
Crawl which leaves the Main Streamway at the top of the mound of debris three
hundred feet downstream from Junction Chamber on the right bank. There is drinking water nearby. The following advice is offered: – Never
descend in rain; when rain is forecast or if the river is high enough to flow
under the bridge in any quantity. If
caught by rising water inside; attempt to leave the cave if near the entrance
(Tributary Passage; Canal; Mud Hall). If
in the Main Stream passage, attempt to leave the cave via the Canal Bypass, and
remain in Genesis Gallery if this is not possible. Do not remain in the main streamway below
Bouncing Boulder Hall. Inform the U.B.S.S.
if food has been used and take adequate supplies down in any case.
Bats.
According to Descent, rabies has been found in bats in
Europe and could spread to
immediate medical attention.
News from
Austria
By Alan Thomas
Our friends in the Landesverein fur Hohlenbunde have discovered
a new cave at Feichter which is approximately a kilometre north of the
Raucher-bar system. It is situated at
about 1600 metres altitude and is so far 100 metres long, and it terminates in
a six metre pot. They are sure that this
is not the end and many bones have been found in it. The Raucher-bar systems surveyed length is
now 16 kilometres, 200 metres incidentally!
This summer, a party of eight Austrians and twelve Poles
have spent fourteen days in the Gruberhornhole near Saltzburg. Because of its extreme depth they are
abseiling and prussiking.
Last Ditch
We felt that the following
extract from the Last Ditch by David Lampe which was published in 1968 and
dealt with the time when Britain faced the prospect of imminent invasion, would
be of interest. The extract is from page
37 of that book
.
In December 1940, the Ministry of Works began to have
second thoughts about the Aberystwyth hiding place. If the Germans occupied Eire, would they not
land in
most treasured exhibits were transferred to uninhabited
Gloucestershire and Haigh Hall,
to a Tudor house in Warwickshire. At the
same time, caves in a disused quarry near
which for some years had been used for the growing of mushrooms, were fitted
with air conditioning units and shelves by the Ministry of Works so that they
too could be used as a hiding place, primarily for treasures from then
and the
provided altogether some 25,000 square feet of floor space, is still a secret
because it could, officials say, be used again for the same purpose.
This quarry was also used as a storage place by the
following institutions: – Aberdeen University; The Society of Antiquaries; The
Athenaeum; The British School at Athens; All Hallows Church, Barking; The
Bodlean Library, Oxford; The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge; The Colonial
Office; Corpus Christ College, Cambridge; The Egypt Exploration Society; Exeter
Cathedral; The Free French Government; The Museum of National Antiquities;
Glasgow University; Gloucester Museum; Hereford Cathedral; The Imperial War
Museum; Lambeth Palace Library; Litchfield Cathedral; The Guildhall, London;
Maidstone Public Library; The National Portrait Gallery; Rochester cathedral;
The Royal Academy; Salisbury cathedral; Somerset House; Stonyhurst College;
University College, London; The Welcome Medical museum; Westminster Abbey;
Winchester cathedral. In addition,
various objects owned by the Ministry or Works also went into the quarry. Many other museums, churches and art galleries
had hidden places of their own which they still prefer not to disclose.
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Keep saying this to yourself: – SATURDAY OCTOBER THE THIRD. 2PM. SEVEN STARS. JUST
BEHIND THE ROBINSON BUILDING BY
STREET
EXTENSION APPLIED FOR.
7 FOR 7.30PM. WOOKEY HOLE RESTAURANT. ANNUAL
DINNER FREE BEER. PANTOMIME.
ONLY 25/-. APPLY TO
BOB BAGSHAW.
SATURDAY OCTOBER THE THIRD. A.G.M. 2PM. SEVEN STARS.
The Altra Trail
By Dave Irwin
The
is situated some two hundred miles north of
a large part of the Sierra Nevada, which ranges from the famous Yosemite
(pronounced Yo-sem-it-e) National Park on the north and the
Mountains
Californian Redwood or big tree (Sequoia Gigantica).
Having visited the parks during July and wondered at the
enormous size of the redwoods the largest, the General Sherman has a base
diameter of 36 feet and the tapering trunk rises to a height of over two
hundred and thirty feet with the foliage mainly in its upper reaches. At a height of one hundred and forty feet,
the trunk of the tree is still over fourteen feet in diameter! Being the true Weegee, yours truly bought a
small handbook of the area and found that only a very small portion of this
national park was accessible by car and that trails could be followed to the
inner regions. The longest is the High
Sierra combined with the John Muir trails which have a total length of a
hundred and sixty miles and include the summit of
out, but the
interesting. Now to find somebody to
accompany me. As it happened, a
Frenchman working in the Anglo-French Concorde team in
agreed to join in.
Thus, on Saturday the twenty second of August, we arrived
late in the evening and bedded down in a small log cabin in the heart of the
Sequoia forest. Awake at 6am and having
breakfasted by 7.30am we set off for the Sherman Tree two miles down the road
and on to the start of the trail. At
8.30, we reached the
point. The path ran steeply uphill for
the first three miles through the forest. Here and there were the massive sequoia trees, some singly and some in
groups of six or more, their orange trunks contrasting with the general
background greenery. As we climbed
higher, the character of the forest changed. Fewer redwoods were to be seen and the Sugar Pine and Lodgepole Pine
abounded. Clearings were passed with the
brilliant greens dotted with yellow alpine flowers. Nearly at the top of the first ridge we were
able to view the westerly range of the sierra and able also to look down on the
giant forest some two thousand feet below us. The next mile of so was fairly easy going except that the dust trail
never altered its character, causing a dust cloud behind each of us. After two hours and four miles from the
forest, we reached Panther Gap and an impressive view of the Great Western
Divide lay before us. Some five thousand
feet below lay the
Having taken our fill of the view, we pressed on upwards
and, leaving the forest, the trail winds up above Panther Creek basin for the
next two or three miles until it plunges down into a red fir forest near
Mehrten Meadow. Shortly after, that
alpine meadow was reached at a height of ten thousand five hundred feet. The meadow a sloping spread of grass and
lupine (a purple flower of the lupin family) lay near the parting of the ways. The
(eleven thousand, two hundred feet) was our goal but could we find the
junction? Could we h—! Distances being what they are, we had
travelled another four miles and ended up in a very large meadow the Altar
Meadow, but it was worth it. Here, less
than three miles from the Great Western Divide, a high granite massif rose up
from the valley in a series of high glacier basins the whole producing a
ripple effect along the western face. Just above the near peaks could be seen the scraggy Mount Witney
(fourteen thousand, four hundred and ninety five feet) bare of snow except for
a few small ice fields.
Having missed the trail to the
only seven hundred feet above the meadow, we began the long slog back to the
forest. However, we were rewarded with a
sight of five deer two stage, two hinds and a spotty fawn. The antics of the little ground squirrels
kept our humour up and the magnificent views were reward enough for our
efforts. The only thing wrong with the
day was the temperature about ninety Fahrenheit in the shade! And no Hunters
to take care of our thirst. However,
seeing nobody during the twenty odd miles walk gave us heart that there were
still un-commercialised places in the States and at 4.30pm we were back in the
restaurant sinking numerous milk shakes.
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FOR
Climbing boots and crampons virtually
new and unused size 9. Offers to
Graham Watts,
Road
Monthly Crossword Number 4.
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Across:
1. Describes vertical or collapse
of cavers moral (5,2)
5. Chamber or rift in Longwood (5)
7. Little
medicinal draught type of cave formation (6)
9. Diphthong in caving word (2)
10. Sounds like endless pub (2)
11. Up and down this in caves. Up this
and down this beheaded in childrens game (6)
13. Reverse 12 and add three points colloquially thick (5)
14. The rats cave Mendip (7)
Down:
2. Desired cave with muddled
doctor (6)
3. 22/7 2240 climbing aid (5)
4. Reciprocal Spelaeodes (7)
5. Rag Lyle for something associated with the other partner. There are two in G.B. (7)
6. Thanks! (2)
8. Credit muddled cavers shortest route (6)
9. Staid horizontal workings (5)
12. Little journal arranger (2)
Solution To Last Months Crossword
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Stencils prepared 15.9.70