Ryan led the crew carrying water into Hancock Cave. It’s the first time I’ve been with a group hauling
water into a cave to create mud. Mud making was exactly what we needed to do
inside the cave. Graffiti covered some walls between the Grantham and Octopus
Rooms, but it was mostly just scratched lettering and not spray paint. So
Emily, Kim, Sophie, and Ava got to making mud pies that they smeared against
the walls. They left the graffiti not only covered but also looking again like
a natural wall. The rest of us were using wire brushes and having less success
at hiding our removal efforts. I think that Emily needs to share some sculpting
tips with the TriTrogs.
Then I wandered off with the mudpie crew to count bats. This
was by far the most disappointing endeavor of the day. Our crew shone bright
lights at the ceiling, poked into all the cracks, and explored most of the
passages where we typically find bats. Nada. Pete’s crew found one bat all day,
and Steve’s crew found none. It
sounds as though Steve’s crew wandered into the vertical maze where bats
would’ve been hard to spot anyhow.
We did have a great time caving though. Sophie led us into
the Anastamoses Maze where she saw someone had dropped a flashlight down a hole
out of reach. From Harrington Hall, we traveled up In the Pendants Hall and
then towards the Long Room. Much giggling as the girls dove into the Comic Book
Hole followed by Emily finding her center of gravity.
Next we crossed up to the passage just before the Overlook
Room and then down the Corn Cob Crawl. I seemed to get the best echoes just
before Hickory Dickory Pit (where Ava lost her pants), and then we explored
some of the area above TJ’s Trap (after Ava re-dressed).
The Breakdown Staircase offered a new challenge this time.
Kim dropped Emily’s bright orange pack, but it didn’t fall to the bottom. It
landed on a breakdown piece about fifteen feet from the floor. As I tried to
convince myself that any rock that could hold the pack would support my weight,
Ava shared “I can see it.” I was very happy that she found a position where I
could reach the pack from below.
We cleaned up the graffiti cleanup gear and headed out.
