During Flooded Mine Operations this weekend, Dan Wright asked me If i could set the Piton at the new cave opening so that the rest of the team could follow up and set permanent lines. Having spent thousands of hours on the Rockface as a Climber, I figured no problem. Dan hands me a hammer that weighs as much as a small child, and I am on my way. 75 feet and dark as night, under a overhang with no surface illumination and slightly in the tunnel opening, with my light in one hand and the Piton in the other, I start probing for the perfect setting in the rock. Then it dawns on me, I forgot my third hand on the surface. How the Hell am i going to swing a hammer, hold the piton in position, while lighting my way??? Answer, Im not. Knowing the rest of the team if going to be headed down fully expecting a point to tie off, i dropped the light at my side, which in this darkness disappears altogether, and began the operation of setting the Piton basically with my Eyes closed. what should have been a 15 minute operation took me 53 minutes. At the end of it, Piton is set solid, I didn’t drop the Hammer, And i finished up just as the rest of the team arrived. Another great day of diving.
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