Type: Edumacatshione'
Location: Grottoes, VA; Grand Caverns
Why: 'cuz a) set this up, b) wanted to avoid storm and chaos with it, c) bored with surface life, d) all of the above
It was one good way to get some practice from an old salt of caving like Bob Thren. He has done some caving and surveying
for sure. Start of trip, Friday. By self, drove up. I got to Grottoes, again by interstates. Out of Wilson, took I95;
transferred over to I64W at exit 79. Drove on to find I81N and made the small jump on that north to find Grottoes. It's
easy for me the half awake zombie revved on caffeine, so I go that route. Got there at 0230 Hrs, the oh being Oh Good god,
it is late as hell! I slept in the car, being that late I was not gonna pitch a tent in a drizzle of rain with
breakfast emminently being set at or near 0800hrs. Nope, just not at all my cup of tea or joe or whatever.
I got up via the usual knock on the window from Bob. I chugged some leftover cold triclosan laced coffee from night before.
Headed over for breakfast at Batterbee's. Found out that they do cook dinner as well for us hungry mud covered lot.
From there, went back to the Grand to begin things. With me being at first the only student, class was almost canned.
Until, Bill Biggers decided that he was not going to do much in the cave so, he did not need as much help as he had. Since,
the regular muscle for trenching and tunneling was MIA due to storm presence, tunneling work would have to wait.
With that and two more students, class got started. Equipment used were compasses and clinometers. Compass had a window on
the side to alot for viewing the reading while staring at the desired target. Nice if you ask me.
Class time was spent at the golf course getting used to fore and back shots. Those are done typically as station 1 to st#2
for the forward. Think reverse for the back, yeah. Simple. For a big room, where to get a good representation, one must
do the splay shot. This is done as one point to many, and no need for back shots which saves time, not for the sketchman.
Ok, this is simply distance to, bearing, vertical angle to, and location in three space in reference to the surroundings.
Distances are taken generally from a tape measure or similar device. This is low tech, low cost, and hey, what can I say..
Electronics cost and die from mud exposure.
See below:
Example: To walls Ceiling Floor
Station Distance Bearing Vertical angle Vertical HT Lft Rght Up Dwn
S-2 5.7' 46/227 -3/+7 5' 4.2' 4.2' 3.3'
The above was ripped from the survey trip into Dante's Inferno. It's been surveyed, but still a good point for practice
in the cave environment. What is better than a cave with well made stairs, paths, and other things to facilitate ease of
travel? It was kinda like the survey teams who resurvey a road for the highway commision, is how I felt. Though, they
generally do not have someone to draw the details of the survey on paper and act as second data logger.
Post surface class, we grouped up geared up and went up. I
went in the traditional fashion of mil-surp and broad beam light. Came in handy for the sketching later in the cave.
Note to those who will want to do this, it is a good idea to have the symbols at hand in one's sketch book. I found my
reference pages useful for the work ahead. Still shoulda put more in, but hey, I'll get it right on the next go.
Sketch work is easy and best done with a keen eye for detail. Basically, you sketch down what and how the passage strikes
you. How it moves in the space ahead. Does it narrow and so on. Even the details of stalactites, and such..Especially those
and other things in the cave like um pits! This work went on for a while. About 1300 to 1550, I think. Then, it was egress.
Once on surface, there was little rain and some wind. Bob, of course, cussed. I found he hates wind with a passion.
Dinner was buffet style at Batterbee's. It was chicken and plenty of fixings for the sides. I ate hardy. Didn't do much
physically, but cave survey will give one an appetite from trying not to freeze to death; caves do have a chill and all, even
if they are dry. Watched the details of the Irene havoc, as they came up on Fox, I think.
Went back to park afterwards, shot more bull over NSS happenings. Found out that conventions are best attended to by those
who plan well and comfortably ahead. If you don't, boy are you in for it! It being anything from high floods washing
your tent and you down stream somewhere..to sudden loss of car, infestations of all kinds, especially from hail, wild animals
and not just those in hardhats.. It being windy and rain, I slept in the car again. and Mistake #2. That I still have
a kink in my neck from.
Of note for those who may want a go at it..I'll let ya know when I know. I'm on the Baltimore grotto's mail list, now.
So ifn there is interest in doing something like a class on survey as they hold it or helping Bill in Fountain to hear the
occassional "Oh
a caterer who wants the extra scratch makes for easy packing and loads less hell and hassle! That is for sure!
Update first weekend Oct seems to have activities planned.
Written not transcribed by MG.
No comments:
Post a Comment