29 May 2018

Dig update

Time for a session in the dig again! The last time, we had done a blast just before we left. It's always nice to start by having a look at how well that went! And so we did. One of the blasts hadn't really worked. The others had! I could clear out a fair amount of stuff. But then we had to decide what to blast next. And after some deliberation we chose a rock that seemed to have a fair amount of stuff leaning on it. We were a bit nervous about one specific rock. Miles suggested propping it up with a piece of rebar, and I did so, to the best of my abilities. Then I drilled a hole. It was too short! I got the drill into position for a better-placed hole but I was in such an awkward position I had to use my head to push the drill. I asked Miles if he could give it a go. He did!

After a while I heard disconcerting sounds. The rock had come down! Luckily, most of its weight was taken by the rebar, and most of the rest by Miles' helmet. So no actual harm done! But it was scary nonetheless. He managed to throw the rock down, charge the hole, and come down. We had some tea while we waited for the resin to dry and then we blasted. So next time we'll have one of those sessions again that starts with cleaning up after a blast!

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