The The Kansas City Area Grotto Volume 24 Issue 2 Guano April 2010

Rediscovering Caves on the Irish Wilderness Biology Project Work at Carroll Cave Photography project at Ennis Cave Table of Contents Events

The Irish Wilderness May 12 ­ October 2007 KCAG monthly meeting - 7:00pm at the Part two. Feature article by Jim Cooley. Photos by Arthur Mag Conference Center on the Jim Cooley, Craig Hines, Marcello Kramer and DJ campus of Midwest Research Institute. Corner of Cherry and Volker in Kansas Hall. City, Missouri. Page 4 May 15-16 Carroll Cave biology students ­ April 2009 Missouri Speleological Survey meeting. Rolla, Missouri. Project caving (survey) Trip report by Bill Gee. Photos by Dr. David Ashley on the Paddy Creek Wilderness on the and Bill Gee. 15th. The meeting is on the 16th. Page 18 May 16 Missouri Caves and Karst Conservancy Carroll Cave biology project ­ July 2009 (MCKC) meeting. Rolla, Missouri. Trip report and photos by Bill Gee. May 15-20 Page 21 National Cave Rescue Commission week- long seminar. Mentone, Alabama. Ennis Cave photography http://www.caves.org/ncrc/national/2010 ­ March 11­16, 2010 Seminar/seminar2010.htm for Trip report and photos by Rick Hines information and registration. Page 24 May 22 KCAG Cliff Day at Truman Lake. Practice your vertical skills.

May 26 to June 2 25th annual Ennis Cave Blowout. http://www.enniscave.org for information.

June 5 Annual KCAG summer picnic. Details will be sent to the grotto email list.

August 2-6 National Speleological Society annual convention. Essex, Vermont. http://www.nss2010.com/default.php for information and registration.

2 The Guano The Guano

April 2010, Volume 24, Issue 2 The Guano A Message From is published on an irregular schedule as dictated by the trip reports submitted to the editor. Submit articles via e-mail to the editor: the President [email protected]. Preferred file format for trip report attachments: As we discussed at length in Microsoft Word. Please submit photos our last meeting, the White in JPG or PNG format. Nose Syndrome (WNS) President: Jim Cooley epizootic (i.e., pandemic) [[email protected]] will dominate caving for the V.P./Treasurer: Pam Rader Secretary: Cyle Riggs foreseeable future. WNS has just been verified in Dunbar Web Master: Sam Clippinger [[email protected]] Cave in Tennessee, a show Editor: Bill Gee [[email protected]] Copy Editors: cave only 103 miles from the Pam Rader, Jim Cooley Boot Heel of Missouri. The Anyone interested in caving or disease is propagating speleology is welcome at our business meetings, normally held on the second rapidly. Resource management professionals predict Wednesday of every month except June that Missouri will be hit next winter, perhaps heavily. and December. Actual membership in The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) just the Kansas City Area Grotto is by invitation only, and requires a finalized their response plan, then went immediately to demonstrated commitment to cave Level Two of a four­tiered response. Like the Mark conservation, successful participation in three KCAG-sponsored caving trips, Twain National Forest, MDC has now closed most of nomination by a member in good their caves to the public. Hopefully, MDC will get the standing, and a vote of the membership. Cave Stewards portion of their plan operational shortly, which will allow cavers to do something The Kansas City Area Grotto is affiliated positive to combat White Nose Syndrome. So far, all with the National Speleological Society and the Missouri Speleological Survey. the agencies are unanimous in praising the support and KCAG is a founding member of the compliance of the organized caving community. Let's Missouri Caves and Karst Conservancy. not screw that up! NCRC Callout number - Emergency It appears to be our fate to live in interesting times. use only! Central Region (502) 564- 7815. This number may be used for cave rescue emergencies in the states Jim Cooley of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michiga, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin. Cover Photo

An example of the nice formations in Blair's Creek Cave. (photo by Bill Gee)

The Guano 3 October 17-20, 2007. Lost Caves of The Irish “I thought you were a ve­ Wilderness. Feature article by Jim Cooley. getarian,” I said to Craig, as we waddled away from the Photos by Jim Cooley, Craig Hines, Marcello Haleys’ camp, after bidding Kramer and DJ Hall. Part two. them adieu and many Finally, Wednesday after­ other words ­­ early in the thanks. noon we arrived at Whitten last century. (I later learned “Be serious,” Craig said. Access, just across the Eleven from Cindy Price, MTNF ar­ “Faced with a breakfast of Point River from the western chaeologist, that the USFS fresh trout fillets, dipped in boundary of the Irish Wilder­ lists these ruins as “a re­ corn meal and deep­fried in ness, only to find it occupied sort.”) My keen little re­ peanut oil, served out­of­ by several late­model pick­up covered­alcoholic mind doors in front of a roaring trucks clustered around a immediately understood why hickory­log fire on a cool fall large, black school bus. the long­lost cave on the Ir­ morning in the Ozarks, no Craig and I introduced ish Wilderness with a still in one can remain a vegetari­ ourselves as cave hunters to it was probably across the an.” the Haley brothers, Mike and river and up Bliss Hollow, Tim, and their dad, Carson. Below: Typical cobble floor of Coffin the “approximate” location Cave. (photo by Marcelo Kramer) They and two friends were squirrel hunting and fishing for trout. After half an hour of friendly “get­to­know­you” conversation, they insisted we stuff ourselves on a huge mess of deep­fried rainbows and corn fritters, followed by fried apples for dessert. They told us they had been hunting that land for dec­ ades, being personal friends of the landowner whose ground it had been before the Forest Service bought it for inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Riverways system. After more friendly conversation about squirrel hunting and .22s, they told given in the Wihebrink docu­ Editor's Note ­ This is the us how to get in touch with ment. That’s exactly where second of a two­part feature this landowner, advising us I’d put it, just across the Elev­ article by Jim Cooley. Part one appeared in the March 2010 to mention their names. en Point, if I were the SSRI issue of The Guano and (Sole Source of Rotgut Intox­ They also described where described events up to the point we could find some nearby icants) serving a facility de­ where Jim and Craig start into ruins, including a swimming voted to humankind’s oldest the Irish Wilderness. In part pool, that had been used as a profession. two Jim and Craig rediscover “gentlemen’s entertainment As I said, there is no sub­ Coffin Cave. facility” ­­ a whorehouse, in stitute for experience.

The Guano 4 We drove half a mile north rounding hills, until the Oz­ Above: A group of gours and rimstone dams in Coffin Cave. (photo by DJ of the boat ramp on a dirt ark Timber Company had Hall) road, to a camp spot in a raped and ruined Oregon crook of the river cut into County between 1890 and feel comfortable and some­ three tiers in the silty loess 1906, causing massive what secure before I hiked that chokes the narrow allu­ erosion. It started to drizzle. straight to heart of a track­ vial channels of the Eleven The forecast called for a full less forest with only a com­ Point. It was obviously a night of rain. pass and topo map for popular party spot. Trash Craig, not intimidated by guidance. Gary Johnson, an­ was everywhere, scattered anything out of doors, other KCAG member and fre­ around the remains of three wanted to load our packs for quent trip leader, had told us bonfires, one on each level. four days of primitive camp­ several stories of nearly im­ Much of this 10 to 15 vertical ing and plunge off into the penetrable brush­busting in feet of organic sediment had wilderness. I, on the other the Ozark National Scenic spent the Pleistocene era hand, wanted to ease into Riverways (ONSR) trying to happily hugging the sur­ this adventure, wanted to get to caves. Craig and I had both tasted of that misery

The Guano 5 back in April, on Gary’s ON­ SR cave inventory trip down the Jacks Fork River. Was I ready to jump right into six miles of that kind of night­ mare with 40 pounds of gear on my back, late in the after­ noon, in the face of a major thunderstorm? Um … maybe not. So we compromised. It was by now 3:00 p.m. Craig agreed we’d cross the river, cut into the White’s Creek Trail, then walk north three miles until we hit Brawley Pond spur or for an hour and a half, whichever came first. At 4:30 we’d turn around and head back, trying to be Above: More of the cobbles typical to point; that was the last of out of the woods by dark. So Coffin Cave. (photo by DJ Hall) our brush­busting. We fol­ we had a plan. Craig doffed lowed the spur to the junc­ his daypack, boots and leather sandals while wading tion with the main White’s britches and waded barefoot to protect my piggies. We Creek Trail, where we dis­ across 75 yards of knee­deep, crossed the river again with covered the wooden trail fast­running shallows, to our day packs and the rifle, sign with mileage informa­ make sure it could be done. managing with great effort tion had been vandalized. The water, he assured me not to slip on the moss­ We repaired the sign as best after he waded back, was covered bottom. we could, made a note to re­ big­spring cold. No wonder After drying off and get­ port it to the Forest Service, it was lousy with trout. I had ting dressed, we did indeed turned left, and headed loaded my own day pack in have to force our way north up the ridge between anticipation of getting lost in through 150 yards of thick Bliss and Barn Hollows. We the dark and having to spend river­bottom scrub and ve­ were finally headed into the the night out anyway, and getation and up another Irish Wilderness! carried a Ruger 10­.22, since rugged 200 yards of Bliss Our walk was uneventful, both mountain lions and Creek drainage before find­ save for confirming that we black bears sometimes use ing Bliss Spring. At least we were indeed in a very the Irish Wilderness. We were hitting our landmarks. “karsty” region. The White’s don’t get big predators up in The trail spur from this Creek Trail was marked with Benton County, and I wanted spring was easily identified, only occasional silver­dia­ to be ready just in case we and we walked up the short, mond blazes, although the happened to run across one well traveled path to Bliss path itself was easy to follow who wouldn’t listen to reas­ Cave, a couple of dozen except in areas of extensive on. I stripped down to my yards beyond the spring. deadfall. The drizzle rat­ undies to ford the river, too, The forest opened up at this cheted up into a steady rain but decided to wear a pair of

6 The Guano by the end of the first hour. I rocks and gaping ugly in the rain quit, so I walked down promptly became soaked. air. After an hour and a half to the edge of the river and Craig, predictably better pre­ we stopped for a trail mix sat for the hour before dawn, pared, stayed reasonably dry break, then turned around. as a half­moon peeked out of wearing a two­piece rain The walk out in the failing the rapidly dissipating suit. We did not get as far as light was even wetter. We clouds. the Brawley Pond spur. Wil­ crossed the river again in Eventually the sky began derness lesson #1: It’s BIG near darkness – no need to to lighten. Thursday morn­ out there, regardless of how doff the boots or britches ing dawned quiet and cool, cozy everything looks on the now! ­­ and crawled into the the bright blue sky stark little Forest Service brochure. van to get dry. Craig sat in above heavy mist lying along There were undoubtedly lots the front seat for hours be­ the river. A buck snorted at of caves hiding along our fore working up the will to me several times from the route, around this bend or pitch his tent in the pouring Wilderness across the river over that next terrain fea­ rain, but finally did. I was 250 yards upstream – I could ture, but trying to maximize up and down repeatedly in see his heavy rack glinting distance we had no time to the early part of the night as above the rushes on the look for them. We got as far the rain ebbed and raged gravel bar as he tossed his as an area that Randy Long against the tin roof of the head. Craig slept in. had mentioned, where a big van. I finally gave up trying I was psyched. Here was tornado had gone through to sleep and spent the wee the Wilderness I had come years before and left a fright­ hours finishing a good novel looking for. ening gash of big trees by helmet light. Finally the We got a slow start, taking ripped from the ground, all storm blew through and the all morning to clean gear and splayed over in the same dir­ let Craig’s tent dry out, while ection, their huge root balls Below: Jim Cooley taking notes at the packing properly for our still packed with dirt and entrance to Coffin Cave. (photo by primitive camping trip. Craig Craig Hines) gave great directions on what to take, and why. We worried over the topos three or four more times, then de­ cided, per our plan, to head around to the east side of the Wilderness and enter on a private­access easement road Randy Long had told me about. We broke camp around noon. En route we stopped in Alton to look up the sheriff and the ex­landowner the Haleys had put us on to; we also checked e­mail at the library. Again, our stop took much longer than expected. The sheriff was attending some meeting up in Texas

The Guano 7 County, but the deputy and Greenbriar Hollows. The ward Fiddler Spring, our departmental secretary were only folks who could legally second night’s destination. happy to talk at length about run motorized vehicles on it We arrived at the gate caves, criminals and any­ were some landowners simultaneously with a bow thing else my little heart de­ who’d ended up with a small hunter in a late­model sedan, sired. There had been a in­holding on the Wilderness. who introduced himself as famous local fugitive in the We of course would be walk­ Bob Fields. He was heading mid­1990s who’d murdered a ing, but I figured the road into the Wilderness a short game warden, then hidden would be easy to follow be­ way to sit on his portable for six months in a cave on cause it was occasionally the Irish Wilderness before driven over – I didn’t want to Below: Jim Cooley standing in the turning himself in. We risk getting lost or off­trail entrance to Coffin Cave. (photo by should talk to the sheriff, Craig Hines) they advised, who could tell us all about it. Just our luck. And the night deputy was a real caver, they said. We should come back after 6:00 and talk to him. I wrote down the make, model and license plate num­ ber of our van for them, and told them our plans, since we weren’t going to be parking at one of the usual trail­ heads, while taking notes on the fugitive and the night deputy, too. They thanked me for saving someone a trip in case they got a call on our vehicle. The deputy did mention that a lot of folks got lost in the Irish Wilder­ ness. He appreciated know­ until I got my “wilderness deer stand. I chatted with ing when we expected to be legs.” I’d read an Internet him for some time, learning out. account by two guys who’d that we were just to the We couldn’t find the hiked the White’s Creek Trail south of an old CCC camp former landowner of the in February, 2001. They re­ (i.e., the Civilian Conserva­ Whitten Access either before ported it was not well tion Corps, Franklin we finally left Alton at 2:00 marked, and sometimes hard Roosevelt’s New Deal work and headed east. The ease­ to follow. My goal was to ar­ program and conservation ment­road route would take rive on the bluffs overlooking initiative passed by Congress us well south of White’s the Eleven Point by nightfall. in 1933, in the depths of the Creek Trail and the known We could then get water in Great Depression), and also caves on the property. This the morning, before cave­ of a sinkhole cave “a good road ran down the ridge searching our way northeast quarter mile to the north up between Freeman and across Freeman Hollow to­ this first draw.” Because we

8 The Guano didn’t want to compromise found that feature, and pines and hardwoods. The his hunting, we changed our provided we could follow it – failing light, filtering through plan and decided to go back we would have a quarter­ the partially orange, yellow out to the County Road J, mile hike north around a and red autumn leaves, cre­ then enter the Wilderness on draw to the Fiddler Spring ated a surreal, subaqueous the next section road a mile trail spur, then 200 yards atmosphere. The forest felt to the north. We’d hike first more back west on the spur empty and primitive, and due west to Fiddler Spring, to Fiddler Spring. It was go­ yes, majestic. Those mo­ smack in the middle of the ing to be race against the ap­ ments alone were definitely property, and camp there. I proaching night. We needed worth the trip. assumed this named spring to find that spring, though – I An hour and a half later, flowed year­round. If it was only carrying enough we found two steep sinkholes didn’t, we’d be getting thirsty water for that evening. Our adjacent to each other next by morning. small, micron­pore pump fil­ to the road, where I thought By the time we got parked ter would refill the canteens the map suggested we would and ready to go, it was as soon as we found water. find our single small one. already 4:30 p.m. Time flies Finally, we found Were these new? Had we when you’re having fun ­­ let ourselves coursing through taken a wrong turn? Were alone chatting up every local the woods with everything we lost? We kept walking, in the county (which, of we needed for the next three because the single sinkhole course, is half the fun.) This days on our backs (except on the map was a critical time we left the rifle behind; enough water), savoring the landmark for navigating the extra weight just wasn’t silent, open forest of large cross­country to Fiddler worth it. We set off on an Spring. Finally, as the light Below: Rimstone dams in Coffin Cave. old logging road marked on This photo was taken from the coffin really began to fail, we con­ the U.S. Geological Survey looking toward the entrance. (photo cluded that we had been (USGS) topo map, but not on by Craig Hines) heading southwest far too the topo in the USFS bro­ chure. This path angled northwest for a mile and a quarter, then southwest at a corresponding angle an equal distance. According to the USGS topo, we should see several old road junctures along the way, then a per­ manent, spring­fed stream at the apex of our route. Once we reached a small sinkhole due west of where we’d parked, after two­and­a­half miles of hiking, we needed to leave the road and navigate due west through timber un­ til we hit the south leg of the White’s Creek Trail. Having found that feature – if we

The Guano 9 Left: Jim Cooley demonstrates the formation that gives Coffin Cave its name. (photo by Craig Hines) Below: After a heavy rain the coffin floods. Be careful when you take a nap! (photo by DJ Hall)

much where I was on the map. But it wouldn’t take long stumbling around in the dark over rough and unfamil­ iar terrain to get me com­ pletely turned around. Been there, done that, don’t need no more of them nasty t­ shirts. There was also the unanticipated cliff we might have to circumnavigate or, in the worst case scenario, tumble over in the dark. Our GPS unit was not long. Thinking back, we also head roughly north or north­ proving to be the ultimate realized that we’d long since west through the woods technological panacea it was missed the alleged “perman­ down the gently sloping side supposed to be. Though low ent” stream at the trail’s of the ridge, toward and then on water, I had enough for northern apex. We hadn’t through Freeman Hollow, up dinner and probably the even noticed a dry creekbed over a second ridge, and on night. I suggested we just there, let alone a wet one. to Fiddler Spring. I wasn’t so pitch camp where we were, Wilderness lesson #2: Maps sure. I thought I knew pretty on high, level ground along a lie. We had noted most of the old road turn­offs, and had apparently taken the cor­ rect forks, but had ended up too far south­southwest to­ ward Greenbriar Hollow along a major ridge. We’d clearly missed our turning point for Fiddler Spring. The map suggested we might be right on top of an 817­foot elevation USGS survey benchmark. We looked for it, but not surprisingly, couldn’t find it. Those ground­level posts are aw­ fully small. Night was falling. Craig wanted to leave the trail and

10 The Guano known trail, and try again for and the kid’s already gone #2A: Maps can fib, too. the spring at first light. Craig feral. Friday morning dawned reluctantly agreed – after In discussing our location, bright and full of hope. confessing that he hadn’t I suddenly realized that the There’s nothing like a good brought any water at all, two sinkholes we’d passed night’s sleep to infuse an off­ since he figured we’d be looked impressive because course expedition with re­ making camp on the river or they were so steep, but they newed morale. After a leis­ at the spring by now. I weren’t very large. Then it urely breakfast of oatmeal pitched my bivy, losing a dawned on me that, since and candy bars, I took a 300­ couple of the thin aluminum topo maps are drawn from yard circuitous hike down stakes in the dark, while aerial photographs, the car­ the south side of the ridge, Craig built a fire. Craig tographers staring down since we would soon be didn’t even pitch his tent. He through magnifying glasses headed the other way. I just rolled the tent around at those twin sinks back in found a large boulder field of his sleeping bag and slept 1965 simply hadn’t been able spongy limestone or dolo­ with his head toward the to resolve them, so had re­ mite pockmarked with lots of fire. Only four hours into the corded them as a single sink­ phreatic cavities. This was Irish Wilderness, I thought, hole. Wilderness lesson serious karst country indeed.

The Guano 11 tances. We were navigating This would not be a propi­ within plus or minus ten tious place to break an ankle. meters. While shooting my The trail picked up again at seventh azimuth at 600 the bottom, where we paces, I said, “OK, let’s start quickly found a large looking for the White’s Creek wooden junction marker Trail.” Craig laughed and with mileage, one sign point­ pointed to a silver­diamond ing northeast toward “Camp blaze on a tree not ten yards Five Pond ­­ 5 miles,” the in front of me. other pointing back the way Heading north took us to we’d come, toward “White’s the edge of the anticipated Creek Cave – 1.5 miles.” A deep draw toward Fiddler couple of yards down a side Spring. We found a shortcut trail there was another post down a switchback and in the ground, presumably skipped walking the trail for a pointer to Fiddler around the draw, instead Spring, but the sign was It had to be saturated with carefully sidestepping down missing. We made another caves. We then broke camp a scree chute to the creek. note to report the damage to and retraced our steps back Above Left: A Tri­colored bat the Forest Service. Two hun­ northeast to the double sink­ (Perimyotis subflavus) in Coffin Cave. dred yards down this trail hole. Forget the GPS; we The coating on the bat is droplets of found us filling our canteens dew. Below: A Big Brown bat didn’t have Fiddler Spring at Fiddler Spring. (Eptesicus fuscus) in Coffin Cave. After taking a break, I coordinates anyway. I got (both photos by Marcello Kramer) out the magnetic compass, shot a 270 degree azimuth, picked a tree roughly 100 yards away, and started pa­ cing distance. I anticipated hitting the White’s Creek Trail, 600 yards away, after six such cycles. Halfway to the destina­ tion, we passed within 20 yards of a water­filled sink­ hole, with many small trees growing up through a thick algal bloom. It was an un­ usual and beautiful sight, not least because it confirmed we were exactly where we should be on the map. At this point, I began to have real confidence in my ori­ enteering skills – and also in the technique of pacing dis­

12 The Guano Left: Craig Hines in one of the entrances to Niche Cave. (photo by Jim Cooley) est wiggle in the contour lines on the map ­­ it was not big enough to be resolved by the mappers. Amateurs also commonly overestimate dis­ tances on a topo map. I’d seen people walk 300 yards down a fence line perpendic­ ular to a section road, then pinpoint themselves on the topo map well past the middle of the section – at least 880 yards from the road. Wilderness lesson #3: Accurate orienteering de­ mands serious, quantitative scouted for an hour down had been marked on attention to details. White’s Creek; Craig ex­ Wihebrink’s map on the ridge Our search plan for Coffin plored upstream. We found above us, a few hundred Cave needed revision. I pro­ the same thing: Lots of thick, yards to the west. Although posed we go to White’s Creek scrubby brush and tough no one had specifically said Cave first – as much because walking. Frequent flooding so at the NCKMS, surely I wanted to see it, even and too much sunlight on silt someone ­­ probably several though the gate would be had made a jungle of vegeta­ someones ­­ had looked locked, as because it put us tion. I wasn’t too keen on there, too. I pointed out to in a region I suspected might walking the bottoms anyway. Craig that, come to think of be a good place to start a That’s what everyone does, it, I’d seen this map resolu­ search. I also wanted to get because it’s hard to get lost tion issue before, such as a feel for the geology and that way and it’s easier than we’d had with the dual sink­ structure of the only other climbing the steep hills. holes, when working with in­ known big cave on the area, Consequently, most of the Ir­ experienced folks on topos. plus a sense of the terrain ish Wilderness cave locations People often would point to surrounding it. Then I sug­ in the MSS database were a draw on the map and say, gested that instead of search­ low. Randy Long had said “There, that’s the draw we ing as we headed to White’s he’d scoured this area any­ went to,” when in fact the Creek Cave, we search on the way, and I was glad he had: location they were indicating way back, navigating from a It was a pain in the butt to was several hundred yards well defined terrain feature walk through. If Coffin Cave beyond anywhere they could that we could not mistake. was down here, someone possibly have been. The In the event, Craig would have found it already. draw they were thinking couldn’t help himself, having We ate a hot lunch back at about, although it looked come this far into the woods, the spring and reconsidered substantial in the woods, ac­ and decided to search paral­ our search plan. Coffin Cave tually didn’t cause the slight­ lel to me over the edge of the ridge as I walked the White’s

The Guano 13 damage with the digital cam­ era, took GPS readings, but minded our manners – and ethics – by not entering the cave, to avoid disturbing hi­ bernating Indiana bats (and also because it’s just plain il­ legal.) Such restraint merits the Congressional Medal of Conservation ­­ it was an aw­ fully interesting, inviting cave, and we’d walked one hell of a long way to get there. After collecting the trash, we pushed the broken bar back into position, hop­ ing to convince casual hikers that the cave could not be entered. I noticed that this cave could not have been seen from the creek, or even very far away, although the Creek Trail toward the (See photo in previous issue of entrance was substantial. known cave. But this proved The Guano ­ Ed.) Two empty to be slow, as we kept losing Bud Light cans, an empty 7­ Above Left: A cricket in Coffin Cave. track of each other in the Up can, and an empty plastic (photo by Marcello Kramer) Below: A water bottle littered the en­ group of snails just outside Coffin open but vast and vertical Cave. (photo by DJ Hall) woods. We spent more time trance. We documented the searching for each other than for Coffin Cave. Wilderness cave­hunting lesson #4: Bring radios AND whistles ­­ you’re going to need them. Finally I convinced Craig to get on the trail with me and head for the gated cave; we could search afterward. And so we did. Counting paces now, I found that 2,700 steps put me 1.5 miles down the trail and in front of White’s Creek Cave. My stride was darned close to a yard. On arriving at White’s Creek Cave, we discovered the gate had been breached high on the left­hand side.

14 The Guano coffin in this cave,” I snorted. “What about the white man murdered by Indians – any sign of him?” “No, but there is a coffin. It’s a dry rimstone dam, two foot tall, exactly the size of a coffin. Dripstone bulging down the sides even looks like a casket lining. I found four other caves – or two others, each with two en­ trances, and a long, low shel­ ter.” “Wow!” I said. Need I say more? Craig led me down the Working from a well Above: A Big Brown bat (Eptesicus slope, past the two pairs of known terrain feature, we fuscus) hanging in a crack in Coffin cave openings and the shel­ Cave. (photo by Marcello Kramer) started our search for caves ter … and suddenly we were while heading back to camp. ing a little sleepy, I laid at Coffin Cave. It just kind of I would stay high on the down for a catnap, a skill I’ve jumped out at us. ridge along the trail, while perfected during years of cor­ I could see why this cave Craig worked the side at the porate wage slavery. When I had resisted discovery, even same height as we’d found awoke, I stepped over to the though the entrance was 25 White’s Creek Cave, which edge of the ridge and looked feet wide and ranged had not been low in a stre­ for Craig. At that instant he between 10 and 20 feet tall. ambed, but two­thirds of the crested a saddle 100 yards It was technically located in way up a long, heavily back down the path. Four a rock outcrop that ran east wooded slope. Perhaps sim­ hundred and forty yards eas­ and west, but the passage it­ ilar caves might favor the ily becomes 340 yards when self faced northeast with an same geographic stratum. you’re walking along a steep, entrance that canted back­ My plan was to pace off a rough slope. I hollered and wards into the ridge. It quarter of a mile, while Craig waved. Craig yelled for me would not be easily visible the Mountain Goat searched to come down. I could tell through heavy brush in the along the side of the slope from the grin on his face he’d creek drainage 75 feet below. that far before coming up found something – and any­ Besides, as one of my favor­ and meeting me. Then we’d thing he found would be ex­ ite Far Side cartoons points repeat the process, on the citing. There were no known out: People, like deer, rarely sixth iteration arriving back caves in this area. look up. in camp. We both recog­ “I found Coffin Cave!” he We took the obligatory nized it would be easy to get cried, as I drew closer. pictures and GPS readings permanently separated in “You’re kidding. How do and explored the cave such terrain without fre­ you know?” quickly, pacing it off at 220 quent, planned rendezvous. “I found the coffin. Right feet. There were 15 dry rim­ I paced my 440 yards up in the back of the cave.” stone dams in the back rising the trail and stopped. Feel­ “There’s no report of a to a rimstone choke, and in­

The Guano 15 deed, the last one made a Service, and probably Scott tempted us take a wrong perfect coffin. We both no­ House, too. I couldn’t wait turn onto an old logging ticed a log on the boulder­ to type the e­mail entitled: trail, which led south of strewn floor a third of the We found Coffin Cave! Camp Five Pond. We quickly way into the cave, which had Saturday morning we realized we made a “mis­ obviously been used to climb lingered in camp, denying take” because of all the cob­ up to a high ledge. But time the fact that our adventure webs we were collecting (the was against us. It was after was over and it was time to horses and hikers should 5:00, and we were over an go home. Craig made baked have knocked down all of hour’s fast walk from camp. potatoes for breakfast, those), but we were trending We had to abandon our baby without aluminum foil; no in the right direction so we for another day. On the way point packing out any more continued anyway, simply to back up to the trail, we pho­ grub than we had to. The follow the less beaten path. tographed the other new five­mile hike to the Camp When finally we intersected caves, but the camera battery Five Pond trailhead was our County Road J, a short walk was getting low. Lesson #5: longest continuous trek with back north on the shoulder Recharge the camera before full packs. Being all uphill, to the official trailhead form­ the trip. We also forgot to though on a lessening grade, ally completed our walk­ get GPS locations for the oth­ it was far enough. It being about at 1:55 p.m. Craig left er caves. now the weekend, and since his pack with me and set out That night at camp we cel­ we were closing on a major to hitchhike south down J to ebrated our incredible begin­ trailhead, we passed two retrieve the van, parked four ner’s luck – at least as best groups on the way out, one miles away. Seven cars we could with freeze­dried on horseback and a second passed him in the next hour spaghetti, celery sticks and small gaggle of backpackers. but no one picked him up, oranges ­­ then toasted We also passed an occupied much to his chagrin. By ourselves with fresh filtered campsite. Just to remind us walking fast and jogging part spring water. We had made who was boss, near the end of the way, he was able to re­ our bones with the Forest of our walk the Wilderness turn with the van by 3:00. Though we stopped for sand­ wiches in Alton, I still dropped Craig at his home in Stillwell, Kansas at 9:00 p.m. The MSS and Forest Ser­ vice folks were almost as ex­ cited as we were to find this cave. The last good report, from 1956, stated that a

Left: In February 2008, Jim Cooley descends from Coffin Cave to the White's Creek overflow channel below, during leaf­off. How did this cave, with a 20 foot entrance, go missing for 37 years? No one ever walks this obscure overflow channel, for one thing. (photo by Marcello Kramer)

16 The Guano makeshift ladder used to ac­ large, long­term karst re­ We gained lots of experi­ cess a high ledge had broken search and survey projects ence on the Irish Wilderness, during that visit. That was around the country, usually not to mention several leads. the log we’d found among on Federal land, operating As Scott House told me at the boulders on the floor, under Letters of Understand­ the NCKMS, “If you search giving us 100% positive iden­ ing with the appropriate gov­ those southern draws, I guar­ tification that this was in­ erning agency, sometimes antee you’ll find new caves.” deed the long­lost Coffin the USFS, sometimes the Na­ We never set foot in the Cave. It turns out that there tional Park Service (NPS), southernmost hollows on the were two other, smaller miss­ sometimes the Bureau of Wilderness, yet we already ing caves in the area, White Land Management (BLM), have three new caves to map Cave and Niche Cave. An­ and so on. Mick invited and better characterize, and other examination in light of Craig and I to join the CRF, now the gear to do it. We the scanty historical record an invitation­only organiza­ know the quickest ways to will be required, but it’s tion, and further offered to get into these remote areas. likely the two cave­pairs we fund the acquisition of some I have new confidence in my found are those caves, too. survey gear, if we’d like to orienteering skills, plus a We’d nailed three for the survey and map the caves good idea of what’s needed price of one. we’d found for Randy Long. (lots of people with radios As a consequence of find­ One of the benefits of CRF and whistles) to effectively ing these caves, Scott House membership, Mick said, search a long, steep ridge recommended us to Mick would be an annual invita­ from top to bottom. Sutton, the CRF coordinator tion to participate in the sur­ We are going to be busy for the MTNF Eleven Point vey project at Mammoth on the Irish Wilderness for Ranger District. It turns out Cave in Kentucky, which is quite for some time. that the CRF sponsors several still on­going after 50 years.

Right: A pile of bones, animal scat and other detritus in Coffin Cave. (photo by Marcello Kramer)

The Guano 17 April 4, 2009. Student trip in Carroll Cave. Trip al gear. Mike Voltz, who has been in Carroll Cave before, report by Bill Gee. Photos by Dr. David Ashley went down the rope first at and Bill Gee. about 10:30. I stayed in the tank to help everyone get on Whenever he gets enough rived. Suzanna and Pam got rope safely. Mike assisted at students to sign up, Dr. Dav­ there about 11:00 with Suz­ the bottom, and Pam and Su­ id Ashley at Missouri West­ anna's camper. zanna checked everyone out ern State University teaches In the morning most of us before they got into the tank. a course called "Intermediate went to Richland for break­ There were no incidents with Cave Exploration". This year fast. We got back to the the rappel. I was the last one we arranged to take his stu­ schoolhouse shortly after down at about 11:30. dents on a short trip in Car­ 9:00 a.m. The remaining After some introductory roll Cave to practice some students had all arrived, so remarks and group photos, biology work and learn about we had a full crew. We we split the students into two other projects in the cave. packed trucks and drove up teams. I demonstrated how Pam Rader participated as the hill. the data loggers are down­ the second trip leader, and It took most of an hour for loaded using the barometric Suzanna Langowski helped everyone to gear up. David, pressure logger at the ladder. with cave experience. The Pam and Suzanna checked We took everyone over to ten students were: out all the students for prop­ Thunder Falls for the usual er harnesses and other vertic­ tourist stuff. After a few Kaitlin Allison Megan Davis Below: The class prepares to enter the cave. Front row from left: Dr. David Summer Gemmell Ashley, Sandy Levy, Megan Davis, Bill Gee, Susanna Langowski, Pam Rader. Laura Kukuc Back row: Kaitlin Allison, Chelsea Unzicker, Michael Voltz, Summer Gemmell, Sandra Levy Teri Swift, Scott Robison, Laura Kukuc, Matt Stehly (photo by Bill Gee) Scott Robison Matthew Stehly Teri Swift Chelsea Unzicker Michael Voltz

I arrived at the school­ house Friday night about 6:00 p.m. Just before sunset Summer, Sandra and Fred (a non­caver) arrived. They had bad directions and had been driving around for over an hour trying to find the schoolhouse. The four of us talked while they pitched tents in the schoolhouse and grilled some steaks. After I went to bed Dr. Ashley and several more students ar­

18 The Guano Left: Bill Gee demonstrates how the another was with her friend data loggers are downloaded. Below who was in the same climb­ Right: Measuring isopods on a rock. Below Left: Kaitlin Allison measures ing group. I could hear her isopods while Matt Stehly records the whistling for the last 40 feet data. (all photos by Dr. David Ashley) or so of the climb. As soon as she got out of the shaft she dug out her inhaler and got a nice big breath. Within mites and several kinds of 5 minutes she was breathing springtails. Everyone took a more or less normally, and look at the dry rimstones, had no problem getting out then we headed back. of the tank. We arrived back at the The other incident in­ ladder about 2:30 to find volved the safety attachment Team 2 having their lunch. They had counted and meas­ ured isopods in three riffles minutes and many photos, and examined bait sticks Suzanna and I left with Team near the ladder. Pam and I 1 to go to the Rimstone swapped student teams, then Room. Pam, David and we each repeated what we Team 2 started an isopod had just done. Suzanna and survey going upstream from I took Team 2 to the Rim­ Thunder Falls. stone Room while Pam and It took us about 45 David did more isopod minutes to get to the Rim­ counting in Thunder River. stone Room. This is the last Team 2 moved faster than big room before the crawl­ Team 1, with the result that way and the Water Barrier. I we were back at the ladder downloaded the data logger, shortly after 4:00. Team 1 then we had a sandwich was not around. About 10 lunch. After that we ex­ minutes later they arrived, amined the bait sticks. They having been upstream in are well populated with Thunder River to the first to the rope. About half of shower head. the students used a handled We all geared up for the ascender rigged as if it were climb out. I went first so I a chest croll. It was fastened could help everyone get off to the seat harness with a ca­ the rope and out of the shaft rabiner, and a light line safely. The students climbed around the back of the neck in groups of three. held it up so it would go up There were two minor in­ the rope easily. This worked cidents during the climb out. well, except for one student One student started suffering who was wearing a light rain an asthma attack from the jacket. A fold of the jacket exertion of the climb. She material got sucked into the had an inhaler with her, and ascender. She finished the

The Guano 19 climb but was in semi­panic mode when she got to the top. Once we got a tether on her, she calmed down and there was no problem getting out of the shaft. On closer examination I saw that the material was wedged in the shell side of the ascenter, not in the teeth. Had the ascender been called on it would have functioned. Also, she was the top climber in a group of three. Had she slipped, the other two would have blocked her from a ma­ jor fall. Everyone was out of the cave by 5:30. We were changed, packed up and the shortly after 8:00 Sunday. Above: Group photo after entering the cave locked by 6:00pm. cave. (photo by Dr. David Ashley) Back at the schoolhouse I downloaded cameras to my Below Left: Mud­covered cave pearls? laptop, then made some CDs Dr. Ashley's wedding ring is in the for several people. All the photo to give some scale. Below: The end of one of the bait sticks has many students and David left to springtails on it. (Photos by Dr. David drive home. Suzanna, Pam Ashley) and I went into town for din­ ner at Senor Pepper's where we found many of the oth­ ers! Suzanna, Pam and I camped Saturday night. I was packed and on the road

20 The Guano Above: Bait sticks in Convention Hall. July 18, 2009. Biology project at Carroll Cave. The tendrils extend several feet out Trip report and photos by Bill Gee. from the sticks to a fungus halo. (photo by Bill Gee) Several years ago while stream is not always at zero house about 7:30 and imme­ helping with the mapping of flow. We found both sala­ diately stretched out for a the UL2­90 side passage, I manders and fish, though nap. Jeff arrived about 30 noticed a number of cave fish nothing else. minutes later. Jeff and I in isolated pools. The pas­ I drove down Friday night talked for a while, then sage is muddy and meander­ arriving at the school house about 8:30 we drove on up ing, with very little flow to about 6:30 p.m. Jeff camped the hill. the stream. During the map­ at a motel in Camdenton. DJ A mapping crew was in ping trips the stream was not and Craig went to the Deer the cave, so the cave was flowing at all. How did fish Creek Sportsman Club along open and the hole rigged get into isolated pools? with Jim Cooley, and Andy with a rope. Although they The biology project trip on drove down very early Sat­ did not intend to be out until July 18, 2009 gave us a few urday morning. the next day, I put a bagged answers. We found that the Andy arrived at the school

The Guano 21 rope next to the culvert The bait sticks in Conven­ search for fish and other crit­ ready to rig, just in case they tion Hall are throwing out a ters. Even so it was hard came out before us. lot of tendrils. Dr. Ashley work just moving through Andy drove up about 9:00 photographed them during the passage. and a few minutes later DJ our trip in June. I tried to The stream bed is mostly and Craig arrived. Jim get some more photos, but mud and silt. We found very Cooley had originally my camera memory card was few rocks and so did not planned to go on the trip, but acting up. I got a photo of a spend much time looking for his back was hurting so he salamander near the bait isopods and snails. backed out. sticks. I tried to get pictures We arrived at the passage By 9:30 we were all of the bait sticks in the Con­ fork about 1:30 p.m where dressed and ready to head ference Room, but the cam­ we stopped for a hot meal down the hole. I went first era was still not cooperating. break. After the break Andy so I could get the data log­ There is both a low road decided he wanted to stay gers downloaded while the and a high road going to put and rest for the trip back. others came down. We were UL2­90. We tried the high We decided that Craig and I all in the cave in about 20 road but missed a turn some­ would take the right fork minutes. where. It took us a while to while DJ and Jeff took the The hike out to UL2 was find the side passage. It was left fork. We agreed to meet uneventful. We noticed the close to 11:45 by the time we back no later than 4:00 water was slightly murky, all got there. We saw several which would give us an hour probably from the mapping fish and salamaders in the and a half. crew who were out at the stream near the UL2­90 side I've been down the left Second Azure Pool. We ar­ passage entrance. fork. It goes a few hundred rived at UL2 about 10:20. UL2­90 is also know as the feet beyond the fork, then After a quick break we "3M" passage ... Muddy Me­ takes a sharp right and ends headed on in. andering Madness. It is not a at a breakdown pile. There About 100 feet inside UL2 large passage. The stream is a very small passage where is a dye trace bug. I ex­ wanders from side to side the stream comes out. It changed the bug for a fresh and has created what Andy might be passable by a tiny one, took a water sample and calls "Spanky Banks". The team. We were not up for it we went on. Just past the trail goes up and over a num­ during the mapping trips and decorations area is another ber of very slippery mud even less so now. Anyone data logger which I down­ banks. For the first few hun­ going up that passage will ut­ loaded. We arrived at Con­ dred feet we did not see terly destroy any life in the vention Hall about 10:55. much of the stream. stream. DJ and Jeff took a The stream was flowing, bit less than an hour to the though not much. It was breakdown and back, and about the same flow as Car­ they reported seeing no fish roll River downstream from or salamanders. the Second Water Barrier. Craig and I went down the We estimated about 12 feet left fork. There is a trickle of per minute velocity in one of water coming out of the right the narrow portions. We fork. After 13 survey stations took our time so we could it turns into a nasty but dry Right: A salamander in Convention squeeze passage with several Hall. (photo by Bill Gee) levels. Craig squirmed

22 The Guano through a tight spot and We all got packed up and and rolled down the hill found more passage beyond. started out. The trip out was along with me! It was a A bit of searching found an­ not any easier. We decided good size rock, perhaps 100 other way into that area, so I to take a belly crawl instead pounds, but fortunately I was followed. We climbed, of the stream crawl, which not injured. We took the crawled, squeezed and gen­ saved us some effort for holes one at a time, and it erally oozed for about 20 or about 40 feet. It took us was a good thing. Anyone 30 minutes. It was very hard something over 30 minutes below me would have been work, and we did not find to get back to the side pas­ seriously injured. any more stream. Eventually sage entrance. We arrived back at the we decided to turn it around This time we took the low ladder about 5:30 and were and go back. We were gone road back to the Conference all out of the cave before about 45 minutes. We found Room. It went quickly and 6:00. a single salamander. we had no trouble finding Craig and I got back to the way. On the way out of Below: This 2008 photo of the bait Andy first. DJ and Jeff ar­ the Conference Room I sat sticks in Convention Hall clearly shows the halo of fungus. (photo by Bill Gee) rived a few minutes later. on a rock which collapsed

The Guano 23 March 11-16, 2010. Photo trip at Ennis Cave. Trip report and photos by Rick Hines.

At Randy Rose’s invitation Kay and I and Jim and Pic made the long drive from KC to Ennis on March 11, 2010. We were joined at Ennis Cave by Randy Rose, his brother Kevin and the Rose brothers’ childhood friend, Paul Miller. Randy had detailed lists of the spots he wanted photo­ graphed for the book he is writing on Ennis cave. Randy has many photos of Ennis but wanted specific new shots to help him describe all of the major rooms and passages in Ennis. We did two similar photo trips last year. From March 12 ­ 15 Randy led us into the cave each day with his list. Each of the four trips lasted six to seven hours. Jim, Pic, Rick, Randy, and Paul made all four trips. Kay did two trip and Linda Russell, a friend of Kay’s, did one trip (Linda’s first wild cave trip). I carried my Nikon D700, IR flash, a Nikon 50 mm 1.4 lens, and a Nikon 105 mm 2.8 macro lens. Everyone else on the crew carried a Vivitar 285 flash with a Wein optical trig­ ger. Most shots used more than one flash and as many as six. Over 600 raw shots were taken over the four days. Many overlapping shots that were taken have been merged into single images using PhotoShop CS4. The raw shots were re­ duced to 162 images delivered to Randy. A few of the im­ ages have been used to build a video slideshow using ProShow Gold 4.0. The video is available on Youtube at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioVLkwNfUWU

If you are interested in a higher resolution version of the slideshow or the full resolution images please contact me ([email protected]).

Above: A 40 foot waterfall in the entrance passage. Left: Looking up into the West Maze final breakdown room (widow maker) from inside the Anthodite Room. (Photos by Rick Hines)

24 The Guano Above: Mud covered anthodite needles in the Overpass above the Crown Room just upstream from the Winged Victory in the upper main passage. The model is Jim Cooley. Left: Pic Walenta in Column Hall Below: Randy Rose (L) and Paul Miller at the base of the entrance ladder. (Photos by Rick Hines)

The Guano 25 Above and Left: The Contour Band Room in the Main Maze. (Photos by Rick Hines)

26 The Guano Above: Rick Hines near the cave entrance. Left: Linda Russell (L) and Kay Hines in Column Hall. Below: Randy Rose at the entrance to Tim's Dig. This is just past the Breakdown Room. (Photos by Rick Hines)

The Guano 27 Above: Formations in the Anthrodite Room of the West Maze. Left: Randy Rose at the entrance to the lower Downstream Passage off the Broad Room. Right: Kay Hines (L) and Linda Russell. This passage leads from the Broad Room to a 60 foot waterfall. (Photos by Rick Hines)

28 The Guano Above: Gypsum flower in the Cottonball Room, Central Maze area. Right: Pic Walenta in Houdini's Hideaway. (Photos by Rick Hines)

The Guano 29 Above: Anthodite Room in West Maze. Above Right: Entrance to Gravel Falls from Breakdown Room. This goes to the 100 Foot Waterfall. Below: Pic Walenta and Jim Cooley in the Breakdown Room. (Photos by Rick Hines)

30 The Guano Left: Jim Cooley near the west end of the Breakdown Room. (Photo by Rick Hines)

The Guano 31 Right: Cottonball Room in the Central Maze. Jim Cooly is sitting on top of a natural bridge while Pic Walenta stands below. Below: Nightmare Gallery unique formations past the Breakdown Room and right before the entrance to Avenue E. (Photos by Rick Hines)

32 The Guano