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 | First time underground
entry by Mosher
1/6/2016 2:21 AM
| Somewhat of a continuation of my first post.
Determined to finally explore that storm drainage system through the manhole room I found, I waited for a dry, warm day to finally infiltrate. That day came on November 28th.
I filled a small backpack with everything I thought I'd need. Several flashlights, drinking water and some work gloves were my keys to the underground. It only then started dawning on me that I didn't have any rubber boots. Damn. I searched high and low through the house, and the best alternate I could find were a pair of chest waders that belong to my dad. They would have worked in a pinch, and quite well mind you, but I wasn't about to be walking around my neighbourhood in waders. Just a tad suspicious.
My salvation came in the form of two Longo's bags, which I put between the liners and shell of my winter boots. Not pretty or effective, but they might just keep me slightly drier if I ran into any substantial water.
It was time to go. I stepped outside, gave my emergency contact a brief outline of my plans, along with a promise that I'd be in touch when I reached my POE to provide coordinates. Walking through the neighbourhood streets, I did my best "walk confidently" impression, as if I was doing exactly what any responsible member of society would do. Finally I reached the forest on my side of the tracks, known as Windrush Woods. I could relax a bit, as hardly anyone was around.
I wandered through the trail systems and bike jumps to find a known hole in the fence. Shortly, I was through this hole and onto the railway property. Luckily I come from a background of interest in trains, so I was able to confirm nothing was coming. It was a walk of maybe 150 feet down the tracks before I was able to cross to the other side and walk up to the manhole room. A quick survey around revealed only two people nearby, but they were busy working on the back of a building and would not even notice me.
Lifting the manhole cover was an interesting challenge. I did not want to bring any tools with me, both to thwart the risk of a "forced entry" charge and to, well, not be walking around with a massive crowbar. I had to improvise my own solution.
While I couldn't find anything online to get me in (most of the Cave Clan literature doesn't apply to our manholes, or requires dedicated tools), I put my mind to it and came up with a viable solution. It only involves rope and a coat hanger. If nobody has done this, I'm very tempted to give it a cheesy name like the "Mosher Method," but I feel like that's a pretty awful idea. Anyways:
1. Straighten out a coathanger, leaving a loop at one or both ends that is still partially open. The opposite end should have an upwards bend to it.
2. Put a loop in a length of rope, at one end.
3. Thread the rope into the loop of the coathanger.
4. Fish the non-rope, bent end of the coathanger into one of the cover's holes, and work it out of the other hole.
5. At this point, you can let go of the coathanger at the entry hole, and simply pull the rope through the other end until it's about equal on each side.
6. Get a good grip on the rope with both hands, stand with feet on each side of the manhole shaft, and lift straight up.
That was probably not worded the clearest, but I'll try to do a recreation with photos or a video. The cover was much heavier than I anticipated, so I'm glad I had a strong enough rope.
I finally did it. I was about to get my first taste of the underworld. After one further check of my surroundings, I fired off a quick text with my location, and started for the ladder rungs. Step by step, I said farewell to the waking world and embraced the darkness. After about ten steps, I hit the gravelly floor of the room. Looking back up, The open manhole cover let in light, next to the prison cell-type window as described previously. A small black mouse or two were laying in the corner, motionless. I wasn't about to wake them.
The pipe was a lot smaller than I perceived from the window at the top. Not small enough to be impassible, but it certainly required a crouch. Daylight faded to an inky blackness down the center of the pipe. Time for lights.
Armed with my headlamp, I began the stooped-over trek into the tunnel. The air cooled, my breath began clouding in front of me, and my eyes slowly acclimatized to the utter lack of natural light. I was finally going in.
My hopes were dashed in a hurry unfortunately. After what seemed like only 50 feet, the pipe dropped downwards at a 45-degree angle. It must have carried on for at least 16 feet at its steep rate. I could have probably scaled it. It was bone dry and I could have pushed my back against the roof. However, I was by myself and had no idea where the system led. If it had no easy outlet and I couldn't climb back up, I would effectively be trapped until someone realized I was gone.
Defeated, I turned around and climbed back to the surface. Lifting the cover back over the manhole shaft, I sealed up the room once more. The walk home was bittersweet: on one hand I had entered my first drain; but on the other hand, I wouldn't be able to go further unless I found someone to go with. However, my first proper exploration was under my belt, and from that point, the sky was the limit.
That was pretty wordy, if you made it this far then thanks for reading! I'll try to get those photos up at some point. Cheers!
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