GCPWKZ

26/01/2013

Well then..... After a lot of joint discussion, furrowed brows, and cooperation with Chris (rickardclan) and a reassuring email from CO, I decided I had enough to go on, although the precise coords still eluded me, and made the crossing today.

Please be aware: The obvious car park to use is currently untenable. I was lucky to get my 4x4 out of it today.

That little adventure aside, I got everything together and got all the way there, minus about ten feet. I was alone. The only bit of gear was already in situ, looked very old, and I could not effectively judge it's safety. So I got to eye-level and was a very big boy and turned around, and came all the way home again.

I will not be beaten. I have a plan.


23/02/2013

And the tank did return, and once again a meal was made of the whole thing....

Right... So last time I visited I figured that maybe a descent from above would be easier (and dryer) than one from below. I did speak to CO about that and he suggested I reconsider that and as evidence pointed me towards some earlier logs. Yup. However, I did happen to bring a sackful of climbing gear and this morning was SO cold I thought I'd try that first, regardless.

And what did we learn? Well, one thing was that a 50m rope isn't long enough, even if you boldly reascend and tie it off lower down.

So I reverted to boat mode and had cadged what seemed to be a critical bit of kit, and paddled it all the way across. BUT... On approach I spotted another of the key features mentioned in the cipher and thought I'd try that one first.

BINGO!

And there it was. So it turned out I was in somewhat the wrong place during my last visit and didn't need the other bit of kit. The bit of kit that made the kayak oh-so-very-unstable for the journey across and back.

What else did we learn? Well, that the excellent descending approach with a longer rope would still have been disappointing, as it would have arrived in the wrong place.

Oh, and never trust that the millpond ocean will still be a millpond for the journey back. In particular don't extend that misplaced trust into a decision to just leave your only set of dry clothes on for the trip and hope for the best. The launch from GZ was hairy, but successful, but the journey back was highly precarious, and, inevitably, I got dumped fully clothed into the drink just metres from the beach.... Resulting in a trip to M&S in Hayle wearing nothing but a towel and a cagoule..!

You live and learn. Thanks for the adventure!

(Number 29 of my personal 30x5/5 challenge. Woo!)