This year’s spring VAR was combined with the annual SERA event; the event was held in Bristol TN. Since I was leading a tour into Rowland Creek cave, I thought it best for Joe and I to rig the rope and check the lower stream passage depth. The stream passage is affected by precipitation. While in the cave Joe wanted to spend some time exploring the new passage opened up since he’d been here last.
The stream was low, but present. We checked out a few leads throughout the cave; saving the most promising for last. The lead had good potential. And in fact the lead did produce more cave, estimated to be around 200ft worth (a follow-up trip to survey is in order). The passage is rather challenging as there is a tight squeeze followed by an eight-foot drop. The new passage seems to wall out, the only thing left is the pool of water that extends around a corner.
Friday night at camp an unexpected down pour provided some relief from the heat, though added to the humidity. The combination of humidity and people talking into all hours of the night yielded a sleepless night.
Saturday I met up with the crew I was taking to Rowland; four individuals. Joe met his team going to Berry Hill; Joe decided that since he had seen Rowland the day before he would check out another vertical cave in the area.
The tour of Rowland’s went smoothly; a group of five is slow due to the technical challenges presented in the cave. Josh Rubinstien really enjoyed the cave; so much so he volunteered to survey the short, muddy section in the stream passage I have been holding off on doing. Approximately 100ft of cave was added.
Joe said that Berry Hill cave was a great cave; he was however stuck with a large group trying to get through the cave and the vertical challenge at the entrance.
Saturday evening consisted of listening to some music, drinking a few drinks, and generally just milling around. It was surprising to see how quiet our neighbors were; must have been the previous night of partying and today’s caving.
Sunday we drove over to check out Bristol caverns, on someone’s suggestion of a short, easy, guided trip before heading home. However the caverns hadn’t yet opened; in the end we decided to drive home and clean gear during the daylight hours.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Sunday, June 08, 2008
SERA/VAR Trip
I arrived at Bristol Campground for the joint SERA/VAR at the same time the rain arrived. It poured, and then I set up my tent. The rest of the weekend was warm but not unbearable.
Saturday I led a horizontal, intermediate trip to Hancock Cave with Dave and Nick Socky, Andrew and Ann Hindman, Witt Reddinger, Karen Willmes, Susan Burr, Patrick Simms, and Winnie Miller. After the drops the group traveled to the Octopus Room and waited for me to lead. In order to start them off right, I led them into Harrington Hall and up the long slope into the Anastamoses Maze (I know that some TriTrogs recognize that this is the harder way into the maze). We then slid down the Corn Cob Crawl and discovered that Nick has outgrown his cave suit.
Pat, Nick and Susan checked out Echo Hall and Hickory Dickory Pit (through the tight slot), then we headed down to the junction between TJ's Trap and the Breakdown Staircase. Nick and Witt followed me down one tight slot that appears on my map. The survey notes had been confusing but were quite accurate. Unfortunately the other seven laughed at us as we struggled our way out of the slot. So I sent them up into the High Root as a punishment; I think the seven that climbed it found a short climb considerably challenging.
Everyone dropped successfully down the Breakdown Staircase, but few recognized Harrington Hall. I ran them out toward the back entrance, and Karen was the only one silly enough to follow Nick into a hole back near the Long Room. I remember when that hole was marked by a wooden dowel to remind a nutty traveler of a hard way to close a Hancock loop. They rejoined us shortly back into the crawlway, and then everyone went down the sliding board.
From the overlook we watched the group shrink. I then asked the remaining group to find their way back to the Corn Cob Crawl; close enough. We dropped down it again and headed for the top of Which Glob Pit. Susan wasn't willing/able to squeeze into the blowing hole at the top of the pit, but Karen Willmes was able to get inside. She found a virgin room within the breakdown, but the blowing lead would require a prybar to go further. To get Karen out, I had to reach in and pull her by her coveralls. That is one tight lead.
We slid down TJ's Trap and then crawled upstream back to Harringon Hall. I then led the group up into the Vertical Maze. I had forgotten that the easiest route through the maze required me to crawl on my side, but Karen asked "What tight passage?" I found my way back to the lead that Melanie McCullough, Yu Liu, Dave Duguid, and Mike Davidson had surveyed last year. The way out of the maze from there was supposed to be straight ahead, but all I saw was a tight canyon. I worried the whole group when I consulted my draft of the map; could the passage have gotten thinner? I slowly pushed my body into the slot and stepped over an old beer can. It opened up after it couldn't have gotten tighter.
Susan followed me through, and I asked her to kick the beer can in my direction. It seemed like a good idea, but her kick punctured the can. I picked up the Bud Lite can that started spraying all over me. I held it up to my mouth, but the spray covered my face. The group found it easy to follow the smell of beer back to Harrington Hall where I packed up the can. Easy trip out followed by dinner at Marion's Tuscan Italian Grille.
On Sunday Dave West wanted to borrow my chair for the VAR meeting, so he traded Karen for the chair. We ended up going to the Gray Fossil Site Museum (just opened). I know that the five rhinoceroses, the pandas, unhumped camels, tapirs, etc. should've really impressed me. However, it was also fun to challenge my dung beetle against George Dasher's, to learn that elephants poop my weight every eleven hours, and to discover that Karen can identify every type of scat you throw at her. The fossil site and its incredible discoveries are really a must see for everyone in eastern Tennessee.
Saturday I led a horizontal, intermediate trip to Hancock Cave with Dave and Nick Socky, Andrew and Ann Hindman, Witt Reddinger, Karen Willmes, Susan Burr, Patrick Simms, and Winnie Miller. After the drops the group traveled to the Octopus Room and waited for me to lead. In order to start them off right, I led them into Harrington Hall and up the long slope into the Anastamoses Maze (I know that some TriTrogs recognize that this is the harder way into the maze). We then slid down the Corn Cob Crawl and discovered that Nick has outgrown his cave suit.
Pat, Nick and Susan checked out Echo Hall and Hickory Dickory Pit (through the tight slot), then we headed down to the junction between TJ's Trap and the Breakdown Staircase. Nick and Witt followed me down one tight slot that appears on my map. The survey notes had been confusing but were quite accurate. Unfortunately the other seven laughed at us as we struggled our way out of the slot. So I sent them up into the High Root as a punishment; I think the seven that climbed it found a short climb considerably challenging.
Everyone dropped successfully down the Breakdown Staircase, but few recognized Harrington Hall. I ran them out toward the back entrance, and Karen was the only one silly enough to follow Nick into a hole back near the Long Room. I remember when that hole was marked by a wooden dowel to remind a nutty traveler of a hard way to close a Hancock loop. They rejoined us shortly back into the crawlway, and then everyone went down the sliding board.
From the overlook we watched the group shrink. I then asked the remaining group to find their way back to the Corn Cob Crawl; close enough. We dropped down it again and headed for the top of Which Glob Pit. Susan wasn't willing/able to squeeze into the blowing hole at the top of the pit, but Karen Willmes was able to get inside. She found a virgin room within the breakdown, but the blowing lead would require a prybar to go further. To get Karen out, I had to reach in and pull her by her coveralls. That is one tight lead.
We slid down TJ's Trap and then crawled upstream back to Harringon Hall. I then led the group up into the Vertical Maze. I had forgotten that the easiest route through the maze required me to crawl on my side, but Karen asked "What tight passage?" I found my way back to the lead that Melanie McCullough, Yu Liu, Dave Duguid, and Mike Davidson had surveyed last year. The way out of the maze from there was supposed to be straight ahead, but all I saw was a tight canyon. I worried the whole group when I consulted my draft of the map; could the passage have gotten thinner? I slowly pushed my body into the slot and stepped over an old beer can. It opened up after it couldn't have gotten tighter.
Susan followed me through, and I asked her to kick the beer can in my direction. It seemed like a good idea, but her kick punctured the can. I picked up the Bud Lite can that started spraying all over me. I held it up to my mouth, but the spray covered my face. The group found it easy to follow the smell of beer back to Harrington Hall where I packed up the can. Easy trip out followed by dinner at Marion's Tuscan Italian Grille.
On Sunday Dave West wanted to borrow my chair for the VAR meeting, so he traded Karen for the chair. We ended up going to the Gray Fossil Site Museum (just opened). I know that the five rhinoceroses, the pandas, unhumped camels, tapirs, etc. should've really impressed me. However, it was also fun to challenge my dung beetle against George Dasher's, to learn that elephants poop my weight every eleven hours, and to discover that Karen can identify every type of scat you throw at her. The fossil site and its incredible discoveries are really a must see for everyone in eastern Tennessee.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
April Showers
One of the most prevalent events affecting the weekend to varying degrees was the weather. Mother Nature taunted meteorologists, which in turn hampered planning from a technology dependent group of cavers. Rain it did, and significant amounts; surprisingly enough the rain had little effect on the caving. In the end the weather provided comic relief as the weather related jokes and playful jabs were plentiful.
The basic plan was to cave with several Duke students on Saturday and exploration on Sunday. Ok for those that know me, the plan was more elaborate than that. But as we all know, plans change…my excuse; it was the weather’s fault!
We (Ken, Mike, and Dave) met the Duke students (Jake, Justin, and Charlie) Saturday morning as planned and drove to our predetermined destination, James cave in Pulaski County Virginia. After a quick rundown of the cave and the perceived objectives, done with a significantly reduced cave map, we entered through the main entrance.
We took the passage toward the “original” entrance first, said direction as a few options. As expected, we ended up in the low, crawling passage rather than the walking passage. Fortunately the crawl was brief, back in the walking passage we traversed the downstream passage with ease; popping briefly out into the daylight. Back in the cave we retraced our steps, well not the low crawl. Soon we were at the culvert used years ago to gate the pretty section of the cave off.
The upstream side is more expansive than the downstream side and generally contains two levels. To stay out of the water we chose the upper level whenever possible. The upper level was actually fun; it provided an interesting array of walking, climbing, crawling, and canyoneering. It also provided many formations to admire. There were several cascades of water where rim stone dams overflowed into flowstone. Further back in the cave, the formation become more prevalent and more pristine.
One interesting observation was a monitoring station in the cave; the exact intent of the setup was not known. But the general conclusion was the intrusion of water entering the cave through the ceiling was logged; how much water flowing through several formations was being tracked as well. We later found a monitoring station on the surface used to monitor precipitation.
The tour of the cave lasted approximately five hours; the cave was a cave worth returning too. The Duke students enjoyed the caving, but had to retreat to Durham as final’s are rapidly approaching.
Ken, Mike, and myself continued to Marion Virgina for the evening. Saturday evening resulted in enjoying some fine home brew and hours of fun playing the “Cave Game”. The revised plan for Sunday was rather adhoc; check out a possible new cave and go over to Rowland to determine what we could do there.
The new cave lead was, as Tanya mentioned, across a swollen Holston River and quite high on a steep hillside. We would not be getting to the cave today; the river was the major deterrent. But rather we conjectured whether or not the entrance would actually result in a cave; that discussion would only be settled when the possible cave entrance could be reached.
After confirming a topographical map of the hillside Rowland Creek cave is in, we opted to do some ridge walking. Ken, having an eye for possible dig locations, found two potential spots rather quickly. I worked on one while Ken and Mike on the other. I stopped the dig I was working on, slow going, in favor of checking out the other dig.
Mike broke into a small passage before calling it a day. There is more digging needed; but it was exciting to find there could be more cave passage on the hillside. The new found cave has been named Sentinel cave; named such as Mike was describing the two formations one has to squeeze through, it was like two sentinel’s guarding the cave.
A quick peek in the upper section was done; Mike had not been in that portion of the cave. The screech owl was inside the cave; the cave must be his/her nesting ground as it has been seen in the cave multiple times over the last 15 months. Also a quick peek in the lower section was done; wanted to check the stream level given the amount of rain over the last few days.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Weekend Ending in Tragedy
From Chapel Hill to Staunton we traveled
To watch how plot twists slowly unraveled.
Characters were scheming but phony
In Ben Johnson’s play called Volpone.
Just a short distance to Grand Caverns Park
Did we find cold cavers camped in the dark.
We rose next day to find frost-covered tents,
Clear sign that we lacked any good horse sense.
Next morn past tour groups did we travel
As we hauled our buckets of gravel.
We spread the stones beneath the tourists’ feet
Whilst staying silent to remain discrete.
Free lunch did salve the strain felt in our arms.
Repainting stairs to stop rust’s future harms.
Limestone walls tightly clenched the screws of old
With our vise grips we cried “Out, out damn bolt.”
A sumptuous feast of shrimp and beef burgundy,
An evening tour that lasted near to Sunday.
Some guesses at my age did flatter me,
Enjoyed Easter breakfast at Batterby.
From Grottoes to Staunton did we make way
To relish performance of the Bard’s play.
The ASC matinee was splendid
And so our Shakespeare weekend was ended.
To watch how plot twists slowly unraveled.
Characters were scheming but phony
In Ben Johnson’s play called Volpone.
Just a short distance to Grand Caverns Park
Did we find cold cavers camped in the dark.
We rose next day to find frost-covered tents,
Clear sign that we lacked any good horse sense.
Next morn past tour groups did we travel
As we hauled our buckets of gravel.
We spread the stones beneath the tourists’ feet
Whilst staying silent to remain discrete.
Free lunch did salve the strain felt in our arms.
Repainting stairs to stop rust’s future harms.
Limestone walls tightly clenched the screws of old
With our vise grips we cried “Out, out damn bolt.”
A sumptuous feast of shrimp and beef burgundy,
An evening tour that lasted near to Sunday.
Some guesses at my age did flatter me,
Enjoyed Easter breakfast at Batterby.
From Grottoes to Staunton did we make way
To relish performance of the Bard’s play.
The ASC matinee was splendid
And so our Shakespeare weekend was ended.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Paxton’s Cave: February 23, 2008
After nearly two and a half years and nine caving trips, I am finally writing my first trip report. I suppose it is time…
Howard and Hayden Holgate and I had all had to cancel a caving trip just three weeks earlier, so we were anxious to get underground. Ken Walsh was gracious enough to organize a photography trip to Paxton’s Cave in western Virginia for Saturday, February 23.
The four of us met on Friday evening and began our adventure. After stopping for dinner at Los Tres Magueyes, where Hayden dined on a plate of rice, we continued our journey to Covington, Va.
Words can’t really describe what awaited us at the lovely and rustic Pinehurst Motel. Really, they can’t. I should have taken a picture so that I can share it with all of you. However, with my camera buried in my Pelican case with my caving gear in Howard’s truck, I will just have to rely on the memory of the décor emblazoned in my mind.
The first thing that Hayden noticed was that the dark wood paneling on the walls was actually real wood. That wood paneling was on the bottom four feet or so of the wall. It’s what was on the top portion of the walls – and the curtains – that have my eyes still straining to see a 3-D image in the patterns. Yes, that’s plural. The wall paper was a very busy pattern consisting of two- or three-inch shapes in brown , turquoise and black. The curtains, surrounded on three sides by the lovely wallpaper, was a very different – and also very busy – pattern in various shades of red and blue. It was a sight to behold. Next time you take a trip to Paxton’s Cave, I recommend room 32 (I think) at the Pinehurst Motel.
While the decorations were not what I would have chosen (which is good, since those patterns have not been sold during my lifetime), the room was comfortable and clean, so we got a good night’s sleep before heading into the cave the following day.
After loading up on carbs for breakfast on Saturday, we headed to Paxton’s Cave. We briefly met the landowners, signed the log book, and headed to the cave. There was a nice waterfall at the cave entrance, but we managed to get into the cave without getting wet.
Ken had studied the map, but warning us that this was a cave he struggled with finding his way around, turned over the navigation duties with a shrunken map to Hayden. The first objective was to find the Throne Room.
Well, we didn’t exactly accomplish that mission in a timely manner. After what I would guess was about two hours of walking around in various circles (and watching Ken trip over the same rock three or four times), we finally pulled out a compass, studied the map (which was not overly helpful) and determined to head generally southeast. That got us on track. We moved away from the rock that kept jumping out and tripping Ken, and eventually found some passages that did not look familiar to us. Well, to me, Howard or Hayden, who were in our inaugural voyage to Paxton’s Cave. We welcomed Ken’s shout of “This looks right!” as we finally neared the elusive Throne Room.
We had enjoyed exploring along the way and had paused for a few photo opportunities here or there, but the Throne Room was a welcome sight. It did not disappoint. The Thorne Room had all kinds of interesting formations. Ken and I pulled out our cameras and started taking a lot of snapshots. Climbing over breakdown while trying to protect my camera proved to be the greatest challenge of the day. But it worked, and I took photos of helictites, soda straws, bats (there were quite a few in this cave), various unknown formations and a couple of stalagmites. As Ken and I snapped away, Howard did some exploring and Hayden rested. Eventually Ken and I recruited Howard and Hayden to pose for some photos as we attempted manual cave photography. I’m definitely a novice at this, and my snapshots on auto function still turn out better than those in manual settings. I’ll keep working on that, though.
Once on his feet to pose for photos, Hayden joined in the exploration. He discovered a stalagmite that glows for a couple of seconds when illuminated with a flash, so he and Howard showed that off for us a few times.
We took a few more pictures, explored some more and then headed out of the Throne Room and back, we hoped, toward the cave entrance.
Ken had told us upfront that he had an easier time finding his way out of the cave than into it, and this held true. While we managed to throw in a few more wrong turns, and gave Ken the opportunity to trip over the same rock one more time, we did get back to the entrance without too much trouble. We noted the breakdown that looked (a little) like a set of jaws. As you enter the cave turn right there, toward a passage with a very large rock, and you’ll be going toward the Throne Room.
Anyway, after a few wrong turns we pulled the compass back out and headed northwest. We got to the entrance with just a little bit of daylight remaining. Ken took one last picture at the cave entrance and we headed back to the Pinehurst Motel.
After taking a few minutes to get cleaned up at the motel, we feasted on pizza (except for Hayden, who continued his all-carb diet with plain spaghetti) at Cucci’s. With full bellies, we went back to the motel, enjoyed hot showers and a game of movie trivia that Ken had brought along for entertainment.
The trip back on Sunday was uneventful. Hayden put his new driver’s license to good use and drove us home, and Ken helped me compile a list of all the caves I’ve been in. With his help in recording those caves, I decided it was time for me to give him a break from writing the trip reports and give it a shot for the first time. I still have a lot to learn about cave photography, but the exploration and photo attempts were a lot of fun.
Howard and Hayden Holgate and I had all had to cancel a caving trip just three weeks earlier, so we were anxious to get underground. Ken Walsh was gracious enough to organize a photography trip to Paxton’s Cave in western Virginia for Saturday, February 23.
The four of us met on Friday evening and began our adventure. After stopping for dinner at Los Tres Magueyes, where Hayden dined on a plate of rice, we continued our journey to Covington, Va.
Words can’t really describe what awaited us at the lovely and rustic Pinehurst Motel. Really, they can’t. I should have taken a picture so that I can share it with all of you. However, with my camera buried in my Pelican case with my caving gear in Howard’s truck, I will just have to rely on the memory of the décor emblazoned in my mind.
The first thing that Hayden noticed was that the dark wood paneling on the walls was actually real wood. That wood paneling was on the bottom four feet or so of the wall. It’s what was on the top portion of the walls – and the curtains – that have my eyes still straining to see a 3-D image in the patterns. Yes, that’s plural. The wall paper was a very busy pattern consisting of two- or three-inch shapes in brown , turquoise and black. The curtains, surrounded on three sides by the lovely wallpaper, was a very different – and also very busy – pattern in various shades of red and blue. It was a sight to behold. Next time you take a trip to Paxton’s Cave, I recommend room 32 (I think) at the Pinehurst Motel.
While the decorations were not what I would have chosen (which is good, since those patterns have not been sold during my lifetime), the room was comfortable and clean, so we got a good night’s sleep before heading into the cave the following day.
After loading up on carbs for breakfast on Saturday, we headed to Paxton’s Cave. We briefly met the landowners, signed the log book, and headed to the cave. There was a nice waterfall at the cave entrance, but we managed to get into the cave without getting wet.
Ken had studied the map, but warning us that this was a cave he struggled with finding his way around, turned over the navigation duties with a shrunken map to Hayden. The first objective was to find the Throne Room.
Well, we didn’t exactly accomplish that mission in a timely manner. After what I would guess was about two hours of walking around in various circles (and watching Ken trip over the same rock three or four times), we finally pulled out a compass, studied the map (which was not overly helpful) and determined to head generally southeast. That got us on track. We moved away from the rock that kept jumping out and tripping Ken, and eventually found some passages that did not look familiar to us. Well, to me, Howard or Hayden, who were in our inaugural voyage to Paxton’s Cave. We welcomed Ken’s shout of “This looks right!” as we finally neared the elusive Throne Room.
We had enjoyed exploring along the way and had paused for a few photo opportunities here or there, but the Throne Room was a welcome sight. It did not disappoint. The Thorne Room had all kinds of interesting formations. Ken and I pulled out our cameras and started taking a lot of snapshots. Climbing over breakdown while trying to protect my camera proved to be the greatest challenge of the day. But it worked, and I took photos of helictites, soda straws, bats (there were quite a few in this cave), various unknown formations and a couple of stalagmites. As Ken and I snapped away, Howard did some exploring and Hayden rested. Eventually Ken and I recruited Howard and Hayden to pose for some photos as we attempted manual cave photography. I’m definitely a novice at this, and my snapshots on auto function still turn out better than those in manual settings. I’ll keep working on that, though.
Once on his feet to pose for photos, Hayden joined in the exploration. He discovered a stalagmite that glows for a couple of seconds when illuminated with a flash, so he and Howard showed that off for us a few times.
We took a few more pictures, explored some more and then headed out of the Throne Room and back, we hoped, toward the cave entrance.
Ken had told us upfront that he had an easier time finding his way out of the cave than into it, and this held true. While we managed to throw in a few more wrong turns, and gave Ken the opportunity to trip over the same rock one more time, we did get back to the entrance without too much trouble. We noted the breakdown that looked (a little) like a set of jaws. As you enter the cave turn right there, toward a passage with a very large rock, and you’ll be going toward the Throne Room.
Anyway, after a few wrong turns we pulled the compass back out and headed northwest. We got to the entrance with just a little bit of daylight remaining. Ken took one last picture at the cave entrance and we headed back to the Pinehurst Motel.
After taking a few minutes to get cleaned up at the motel, we feasted on pizza (except for Hayden, who continued his all-carb diet with plain spaghetti) at Cucci’s. With full bellies, we went back to the motel, enjoyed hot showers and a game of movie trivia that Ken had brought along for entertainment.
The trip back on Sunday was uneventful. Hayden put his new driver’s license to good use and drove us home, and Ken helped me compile a list of all the caves I’ve been in. With his help in recording those caves, I decided it was time for me to give him a break from writing the trip reports and give it a shot for the first time. I still have a lot to learn about cave photography, but the exploration and photo attempts were a lot of fun.
Monday, February 04, 2008
New River Cave Beginner Trip February 1-3, 2008
So I was really aching to get back into caving and now I am just aching. Thank God for knee pads and gloves! My name is Andrew Donadio and I have the pleasure of telling you about our trip of Feb 1-3, 2008, to the New River Cave near Blacksburg(the true location being a tightly guarded secret). We started out with 9-10 interested cavers and left with 5 in one car. This was actually nice in terms of money and camaraderie, as four of us had never really met.
We left from the Cisco parking lot at 6:00pm on Friday headed to Chapel Hill to pick up Matt Lubin. Matt L. had organized a little navigation quiz to see if he really wanted to trust Ken in a cave. Ken(I got something against cell phones) Walsh fell for the old left turn at Albuquerque, but recovered and we found Matt after just about ten minutes. I asked every Carolina girl I saw, "Can you take me to Matt Lubin?", but they were totally useless! So we picked up Matt and headed north on 86 to good old Martinsville and a tasty Mexican dinner at Los Tres Maguyueres or something like that. All I understood was that Mag....whatever it is, is part of the Guava plant, which has something to do with Tequila.
One highlight, we did stop at a gas station with a remarkable amount of electronics associated with the Men's room. They had an unusually large"OCCUPIED" light/sign above the door and a big red button (like you would push to launch a torpedo or WWIII) to push inside if you were in any way displeased or without anything. It was so tempting!! According to the attendant, they were planning one of those bank drive thru suction tubes to deliver emergency TP but they needed to find a way to plug that pesky hole in the middle of the roll. So it would be a pleasant place to drop the kids off at the pool, if you know what I mean. And then we all discussed the many ways you could say that like sending an ambassador to Iraq...etc., etc.
So we got to near Blacksburg and it was just cold and windy, so we(Andrew, Matt W., and Ken) thought, "Gee, we need some beer." We hoped we could find some close by, but alas Christiansburg was aptly named, so we drove into Blacksburg where we found an aptly named bar, "The Underground". After a few beers, we decided that sleep might do us all good and we returned to the hotel around 1am. I think the beds at the Knights Inn were super! Matt, Matt, and Mark also thought so. Ken on the other hand said the floor was not quite up to his standards. Something woke me up Saturday morning and it sounded like a Walsh Horn. After 4 hours of listening to us sleep like angels, Ken had had enough!
Denny's gave us just the right mix of protein and carbs for breakfast.
We arrived at the cave which is near a beautiful, almost ideal, camp ground by the New River, I am guessing, and we started putting our equipment on. We started up the railroad tracks but before we could get to trail we were overtaken by a really freaking long freight train -- that's why the campground is nearly ideal. Ken says the trains come through every 20 minutes all night long!
We hit the trail and went up a good distance, found the entrance and went in around noon. We saw lots of really neat things, but the thing that stands out the most for me is the really tall waterfall room and the climb/crawl from there into another very large room where we would like to start next time when my teleporter is complete. At that point we crawled and climbed back to the waterfall using Ken as an anchor to belay us all. Then Ken came down with out belay, shame on him!
We then started the walk, climb, crawl out, which went pretty well until the second to last room where we found the way to forrest room rather than the exit. Eventually we kept following the room in the right direction and found the exit. We came out at about 6:30pm. We went down the hill and changed into our Guns and Roses outfits(Ken and I) and then went to dinner. Matt L. decided to wear his dirty clothes and skip the whole clean thing, so I gave him the name "Pig Pen" and by the way that jacket really was a pretty shade of blue! His before and after pictures are going on the "what to bring" page of our new website.
We all ate like we had never seen food before at BackStreet? I think it was called BackStreet. I don't remember much cause I got really hypothermic and peaceful until all that Pizza warmed me up again.
I am thankful to Ken for leading and standing guard through the night. I am thankful to Mark for helping us climb and making sure everyone -potentially-had a bed. I am thankful to Matt L. for the great conversation we had. I am thankful to Matt W. for incessantly talking about how great married life is. Check better be in the mail. And I am thankful that I found the Triangle Troglodytes and got back into Spelunking.
Andrew "My left arm works again" Donadio
We left from the Cisco parking lot at 6:00pm on Friday headed to Chapel Hill to pick up Matt Lubin. Matt L. had organized a little navigation quiz to see if he really wanted to trust Ken in a cave. Ken(I got something against cell phones) Walsh fell for the old left turn at Albuquerque, but recovered and we found Matt after just about ten minutes. I asked every Carolina girl I saw, "Can you take me to Matt Lubin?", but they were totally useless! So we picked up Matt and headed north on 86 to good old Martinsville and a tasty Mexican dinner at Los Tres Maguyueres or something like that. All I understood was that Mag....whatever it is, is part of the Guava plant, which has something to do with Tequila.
One highlight, we did stop at a gas station with a remarkable amount of electronics associated with the Men's room. They had an unusually large"OCCUPIED" light/sign above the door and a big red button (like you would push to launch a torpedo or WWIII) to push inside if you were in any way displeased or without anything. It was so tempting!! According to the attendant, they were planning one of those bank drive thru suction tubes to deliver emergency TP but they needed to find a way to plug that pesky hole in the middle of the roll. So it would be a pleasant place to drop the kids off at the pool, if you know what I mean. And then we all discussed the many ways you could say that like sending an ambassador to Iraq...etc., etc.
So we got to near Blacksburg and it was just cold and windy, so we(Andrew, Matt W., and Ken) thought, "Gee, we need some beer." We hoped we could find some close by, but alas Christiansburg was aptly named, so we drove into Blacksburg where we found an aptly named bar, "The Underground". After a few beers, we decided that sleep might do us all good and we returned to the hotel around 1am. I think the beds at the Knights Inn were super! Matt, Matt, and Mark also thought so. Ken on the other hand said the floor was not quite up to his standards. Something woke me up Saturday morning and it sounded like a Walsh Horn. After 4 hours of listening to us sleep like angels, Ken had had enough!
Denny's gave us just the right mix of protein and carbs for breakfast.
We arrived at the cave which is near a beautiful, almost ideal, camp ground by the New River, I am guessing, and we started putting our equipment on. We started up the railroad tracks but before we could get to trail we were overtaken by a really freaking long freight train -- that's why the campground is nearly ideal. Ken says the trains come through every 20 minutes all night long!
We hit the trail and went up a good distance, found the entrance and went in around noon. We saw lots of really neat things, but the thing that stands out the most for me is the really tall waterfall room and the climb/crawl from there into another very large room where we would like to start next time when my teleporter is complete. At that point we crawled and climbed back to the waterfall using Ken as an anchor to belay us all. Then Ken came down with out belay, shame on him!
We then started the walk, climb, crawl out, which went pretty well until the second to last room where we found the way to forrest room rather than the exit. Eventually we kept following the room in the right direction and found the exit. We came out at about 6:30pm. We went down the hill and changed into our Guns and Roses outfits(Ken and I) and then went to dinner. Matt L. decided to wear his dirty clothes and skip the whole clean thing, so I gave him the name "Pig Pen" and by the way that jacket really was a pretty shade of blue! His before and after pictures are going on the "what to bring" page of our new website.
We all ate like we had never seen food before at BackStreet? I think it was called BackStreet. I don't remember much cause I got really hypothermic and peaceful until all that Pizza warmed me up again.
I am thankful to Ken for leading and standing guard through the night. I am thankful to Mark for helping us climb and making sure everyone -potentially-had a bed. I am thankful to Matt L. for the great conversation we had. I am thankful to Matt W. for incessantly talking about how great married life is. Check better be in the mail. And I am thankful that I found the Triangle Troglodytes and got back into Spelunking.
Andrew "My left arm works again" Donadio
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Exploring Peacock
Tanya McLaughlin had insisted for years that she had explored the back way into Hancock Cave (not beyond the Funnel Tunnel) back in 1999. She, Paul, and Linda had found a place high on the rock wall thatled underground and dropped down a steep climb. It seemed like a reasonable Sunday goal to help me improve the map to Hancock Cave.
In our streetclothes, Dave Duguid, Tanya, and I were greeted by the landowner's dogs, and we discussed his hunting season with him for a while. Then we started poking around at the rock wall. High up Dave and I found nothing but wet leaves and slippery slopes. We circled around to explore the area where the water disappeared.
I found a crack that seemed to head into the hillside, not too far from the ice column. I tried to maneuver sideways over a rock to see if the crack opened up low. No luck, so I took my wallet and keys out of my pockets and tried again. This would've been an easier effort in my caving coveralls and boots. This still didn't work, so I thought I would slide my legs over the rock first and shove myself in.
Dumb idea but the right direction! When I slid my feet in, I noticed a hole in the floor of the passage where I had been sitting. It dropped down about six feet and out onto a balcony. Time for coveralls.
We suited up and surveyed the cave, despite the freezing temperatures. At the bottom of the balcony, the passage widened out to six feet but ended in a muddy drain in the floor. At least it mapped out at sixty feet.
I came back home and looked at the 1985 sketch (in meters) by Tom Moss of the Peacock Entrance to Hancock Cave. Tom Moss, Greg Kramer, and Jay Cox didn't use back sights or sketch to scale, but their drawings looked as though they had entered the cave near the garbage dump at the left side of the wall. We found no signs of cave there any longer.
Two days later, I wondered how their sketch would close with our survey of Hancock Cave (because we had completed a surface survey). I entered their data into the computer, noticing a lot of downhill shots. However, how could they be shooting down five meters below stream level? I shifted their data over to find that it matches reasonably well with our survey of the new cave.
It turns out that Tanya, Dave and I surveyed to the drain that is just about fifteen feet travel distance away from our survey inside the cave (based on the 1985 survey). Just a short dig to connect!
In our streetclothes, Dave Duguid, Tanya, and I were greeted by the landowner's dogs, and we discussed his hunting season with him for a while. Then we started poking around at the rock wall. High up Dave and I found nothing but wet leaves and slippery slopes. We circled around to explore the area where the water disappeared.
I found a crack that seemed to head into the hillside, not too far from the ice column. I tried to maneuver sideways over a rock to see if the crack opened up low. No luck, so I took my wallet and keys out of my pockets and tried again. This would've been an easier effort in my caving coveralls and boots. This still didn't work, so I thought I would slide my legs over the rock first and shove myself in.
Dumb idea but the right direction! When I slid my feet in, I noticed a hole in the floor of the passage where I had been sitting. It dropped down about six feet and out onto a balcony. Time for coveralls.
We suited up and surveyed the cave, despite the freezing temperatures. At the bottom of the balcony, the passage widened out to six feet but ended in a muddy drain in the floor. At least it mapped out at sixty feet.
I came back home and looked at the 1985 sketch (in meters) by Tom Moss of the Peacock Entrance to Hancock Cave. Tom Moss, Greg Kramer, and Jay Cox didn't use back sights or sketch to scale, but their drawings looked as though they had entered the cave near the garbage dump at the left side of the wall. We found no signs of cave there any longer.
Two days later, I wondered how their sketch would close with our survey of Hancock Cave (because we had completed a surface survey). I entered their data into the computer, noticing a lot of downhill shots. However, how could they be shooting down five meters below stream level? I shifted their data over to find that it matches reasonably well with our survey of the new cave.
It turns out that Tanya, Dave and I surveyed to the drain that is just about fifteen feet travel distance away from our survey inside the cave (based on the 1985 survey). Just a short dig to connect!
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