Karen was accompanying a group from a Caving Club along with a fourth caver into the new sections of Water Icicle Close Cavern while I was attending a Casualty Care Course being run at Edale Mountain Rescue's base at the cement works in the Hope Valley.
I left the EMRT's bas and stopped off at Hitch 'n' Hike to buy a couple of screwgate karabiners then I planned to drive to Monyash for a meal at the café and wondered if Karen would be back on the surface and join me there.
I was just approaching Monyash from the direction of Bakewell when my mobile phone rang. It was the ringing tone for Karen's mobile phone, so I though that was good timing, she must be back on the surface and would soon be at the café.
But, two minutes later, my phone went again – this time with Bill Whitehouse's number: there was a shout – at Water Icicle!
He told me the caller's name which I didn't recognise, so I knew it didn't involve Karen, Keith or Pete. He said there was a caver at the bottom of the entrance pitch with a shoulder injury who was having trouble prusiking back up the entrance shaft.
Derby Lane was very muddy and slippery, and Karen's car was parked with others at the last bit of solid track. Karen was in her car and she told me the same story – it was the last person to come up and one of the Caving Club members.
I told her I would continue to the end of the lane as Bill was waiting for more news.
I managed to get to the end of Derby Lane, just, in my Nissan X-Trail, after passing the other two in the Caving Club party walking back down the land towards their cars. They also told me the same story.
After parking, I walked over towards the shaft in the field and saw a caver sitting in the shelter of a drystone wall – it was very cold and had begun to sleet.
As I got closer, I saw it was Keith. He was waiting for Pete to come up and said that the others had all re-ascended, one taking a very long time, and all were getting cold. They realised that the remaining Caving Club member, whose name was also Paul, was not going to get back up under his own steam so as they realised they wouldn't be able to get him back up by themselves, suggested all get changed to warm up and call out Cave Rescue. Meanwhile Paul was warm enough and happy to wait for assistance.
Karen walked up and joined me in the car once Keith and Pete left and we waited for others to turn up.
The next vehicle also managed to get to us and it was the doctor, from this morning's Casualty Care Course, who was joining DCRO and was already a member of EMRT.
I briefed him on the situation and we decided it would be wise for him to abseil down (I had no caving gear) and check on the casualty's condition as he had now been waiting for about an hour.
While I had been talking to Bill earlier, he said he didn't think they would get the DCRO van up Derby Lane, and as he had mentioned that Mick was on his way, I suggested he meet Mick and put the required gear in his four-wheel drive vehicle. Mick arrived next and I said to bring the Multipod, some ropes and rigging kit.
A little while later, two more DCRO members arrived on foot, having left their cars further down Derby Lane: Katie and Lisa.
We waited until Mick arrived back with Bill and the gear. I walked across to the shaft carrying some of the gear and met the doctor who had prusiked back up. I told him Bill had arrived and as he was the Controller, he should report to him about the casualty. He confirmed that the casualty had an old shoulder injury and had aggravated that by trying to prusik back up.
More Team members arrived and we began setting up the Multipod. I set up five ground anchors, fairly close because it was getting dark and as we only had two ropes of 100 metres and 95 metres in length, I tied one end of each to the ground anchors and there was still plenty of length for each to act as either a haul line of a lifeline.
Mick had abseiled down to assist the casualty and he accompanied him by prusiking up their SRT rope. We very quickly had hauled Paul back up to the surface, none the worse for wear and surprisingly quickly had all the gear packed up and back in Mick's vehicle.
We set off for home, arriving at around 17:30.
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