Send items for the calendar to davebunnell@ comcast.net at least 6 weeks before desired month of publication (i.e., by March 15 for the May issue).
at 1 – (608) 544-2212. bham/bid/ USA September 14-18, 2009—Black Hills Cave —NSS Convention in Essex —The Texas Cave Conservancy August 2-6, 2010 July 17-19, 2009 Restoration Camp, hosted by Wind Cave National Junction, Vermont.Chairman: Ken Moore, invites all cavers going to the International Park and Jewel Cave National Monument, South [email protected] Congress of Speleology to stop by the TCC Dakota. Volunteers clean lint accumulations at —NSS Convention in Glenwood Headquarters in Cedar Park, Texas (near Austin) both caves. No registration fee, caving trips July 18-22, 2011 Springs, Colorado for camping, swimming, caving and a Saturday available, housing provided, space is limited. night party. Cavers will be able to see a number of Contact Marc Ohms by July 31, 2009: (605) 745- June 25-29, 2012—NSS Convention in the examples of urban cave management situations 1182 or [email protected]. Greenbrier Valley of West Virginia including the TCC Educational Show Cave, the —NSS Board of Governors TCC educational sign program and learn about November 7, 2009 meeting at the Birmingham Zoo Lodge hosted by INTERNATIONAL the TCC CAVE DAY program. For additional August, 2010—15th International Symposium the Birmingham and Central Alabama Grottos. information call 512-249-2283 or e-mail us at on Vulcanospeleology, Undara & Victoria, Contact Scott Fee ([email protected]) for [email protected] Australia. Info: [email protected] more information or visit www.bhamgrotto.org/ July 19‑26, 2009–NSS Convention and 15th International Congress of Speleology, sponsored by the NSS, in Kerrville, Texas. For more information contact [email protected] or visit the web site: www.ics2009.us July 27-August 5—International Congress of Speleology Post-Congress Excursions and Camps: See www.ics2009.us/exmenu.html and www.ics2009.us/fcmenu.html for more information. August 14-16, 2009 – 56th Annual Cave Capers, hosted by the Central Indiana Grotto at the beautiful and wooded Camp Rivervale on the high bluffs of the White River in Mitchell, IN for great caving, swimming, vendors, music, cookout, and fun. Go to www.cavecapers.com or call Ron Adams 317-490-7727. August 21-23, 2009—Basic Cave Rescue Orientation Seminar* - Huntsville, AL - Sponsored by the Huntsville Cave Rescue Unit. Designed to present the most current, specialized cave rescue techniques to those individuals, groups, agencies and others interested in or charged with the responsibility of performing high angle, cliff, pit or cave rescue. *Hands-on classroom sessions & a day in the field. $50 includes lunch on Sunday. See http://HCRU.org for details and registration form. October 2-4, 2009—Fall MVOR regional at Keener Cave and Spring Resort near Williamsville Missouri. For information contact Jim Sherrell [email protected] or check the mvor. org. website October 2-4, 2009—Mid-Appalachian Region Fall Field Meet at the site of Rupert Cave in scenic Mifflin County, Pennsylvania in celebration of the York Grotto’s 50th anniversary. Directions and other info at yorkgrotto.org. October 4-10, 2009—Carlsbad Caverns NP. Lint Camp. Contact Pat Jablonsky, patjabo@hotmail. com for information. October 8-11, 2009---32nd Annual TAG Fall Cave-In at TAG On The Mountain (TOTM), Lookout Mountain, Georgia. Hosted by the Dogwood City Grotto for NSS members and their guests. Sorry, no dogs or ATVs. For pre-registration, contact Ms. Andrea Tognetti 309- 453-2816, email [email protected]. Vendors contact Ms. Pam Dopp 770-301-9360, email [email protected]. Registration forms and directions are available at www.tagfallcavein.org. September 11-13, 2009—45th Annual WSS Hodag Hunt, at Cherney Maribel Caves County Park, on County Road R, near Maribel, Wisconsin. Guided cave trips to numerous Northeastern Wisconsin caves, including Maribel New Hope Cave, Carolyn’s Caverns System at Ledge View Nature Center, and others. Also, Dave Redell, a DNR expert on bat ecology, will be the guest speaker at the Saturday night banquet. For more information contact WSS Chairman, Kasey Fiske at [email protected] or his home phone Aven des Trois Ponts (3 Bridges Pit) in Lebanon. Photo by Philippe Crochet.
2 NSS News, July 2009 POSTMASTERS OR MEMBERS: Send address changes to National Speleological NSS News Society, 2813 Cave Ave., Huntsville, AL 35810-4431. July 2009 NSS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Volume 67 Number 7 President Gordon Birkhimer 2807 Hogan Court Falls Church, VA 22043 (703) 573-4653 [email protected] Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) Operations VP Administrative VP Wm Shrewsbury Ray Keeler Tham Khoun Xe - The Great Cave on the Xe Bang Fai River...... 4 221 Leitha Way 1051 Solar Road NW Lakeland, FL 33809 Albuquerque, NM 87107 John Pollack, Pat Kambesis, Bob Osburn, Dave Bunnell, [email protected] [email protected] Aaron Addison, Kevin Stanway, David Sawatzky, and Phil 727-424-2901 623-523-1760 Whitfield Executive VP Secretary/Treasurer Tom Rea Peri Frantz Spelean Spotlight 8677 S State Rd 243 16345 Englewood Ave. An Interview with Philippe Crochet...... 23 Cloverdale, IN 46120-9696 Los Gatos, CA 95032-4621 [email protected] (home) 408-356-8506 Dave Bunnell [email protected] National Speleological Society Office 2813 Cave Ave, Huntsville, AL 35810-4431 Tel: (256)852-1300; FAX (256)851-9241 e-mail: [email protected]; web: www.caves.org Society News...... 25 Please contact the office for address changes or back issues. Underground Update...... 26 Letters...... 25 Classified Ads...... 31 NSS NEWS EDITOR Dave Bunnell Box 879 Angels Camp, CA 95222 [email protected] Front cover: Caver Kevin Stanway walks the edge of a 60m long rimstone pool basin in Tham Khoun Xe in Laos. This could well be the largest single such basin Please include “NSS News” in your subject line when e-mailing material to help me sort it from the spam. Thanks! known, and is in a cave that has one of the largest river passages known. The Questions about submitting features and photos? Please see the style spine is the best route through the vast rimstone terraces in this part of the cave. and submission guidelines:on the NSS web site: www.caves.org/pub/nssnews/style.html Back cover: ADVERTISING Right: Annie Giraud in Grotte de Cotepatière, Gard, France. Photo by Philippe Complete advertising information, including ad costs, deadlines, and Crochet, who describes it as “an easy and photogenic cave.” guidelines for preparation, are on the NSS wesite at: www.caves. org/pub/nssnews/ads.html Payment info, contact: Left: Cavers kayaking near the upstream entrance of Tham Khoun Xe. Advertising Accountant: Bottom: Cavers on a balcony look down at the underground Xe Bang Fai River Bert Ashbrook 107 Avonbrook Road, Wallingford, PA 19086 some 18 m below them in Tham Kound Xe. Photos of this cave by Dave Bunnell. (610) 627-2378 evenings [email protected]
DEPARTMENT EDITORS Conservation NEWSletter Review Jim & Val Hildreth-Werker Bernie Szukalski International Congress Special Issue PO Box 207 1224 Mira Monte Dr.. This issue should be in most members’ hands by the time that the International Hillsboro, NM 88042-0207 Redlands, CA 92373-6542 (575) 895-5050 [email protected] Congress meets in Kerrville, Texas this month. A few months back I conceived of [email protected] spelean spotlight the idea of doing a specially themed international issue of the News with lots of cool In the Media Todd Hancock color photos, and then doing a larger print run than usual to allow giving free copies Derek Hoyle ([email protected]) to non-NSS cavers coming to the Congress from around the world. While not a typi- PO Box 400 Ron Zuber Fort Bragg, CA 95437 ([email protected]) cal issue it gives people an idea of what our publication is like, and perhaps we will [email protected] Safety & Techniques even pick up some new members. But at time I wasn’t sure what we’d have for it. Kurt Waldron Two things came together to make the issue you see here. First, National [email protected] Geographic finally released their photo embargo on my images from an expedition to an amazing cave in Laos that a group of us visited in Feb 2008; the map was Deadline: Ads, articles and announcements should be sent to the editor by the 15th of the month, six weeks before the month of issue completed by Bob Osburn, and John Pollack and Pat Kambesis were keen to write (e.g., material for the March issue needs to be in by January 15). an article. There are lots of pages devoted to it, yes, but it is a spectacular, world-class
The NSS News (ISSN 0027-7010) is published monthly with cave, possibly the world’s largest volume river passsage over its course than any other. the Members Manual and American Caving Accidents published as Secondly, I received an e-mail from accomplished French cave photographer additional issues by the National Speleological Society, Inc, 2813 Cave Philippe Crochet; if you are familiar with the Speleo Projects calendar you have seen Ave, Huntsville, AL 35810-4431. Periodicals Postage Paid at Huntsville, Al and additional mailing offices. Tel: (256)852-1300; FAX (256)851- his work. He has just built a fine website with a bunch of his best work. I rushed to 9241, e-mail: [email protected], web: www.caves.org look at it and was soon drooling over the prospect of publishing some of his work. Regular membership in the NSS is $36 per year. See http://caves. org/info/membertypes.shtml for descriptions of other membership Fortunately Philippe was quite willing to be published in the News, and I have coupled categories. Subscriptions to the NSS News are $23 per year; individual that with an interview. I am honored to share the photo spotlight in this issue with copies are $3.00 each. Contact the Huntsville office for membership applications, subscriptions, orders, or for replacement of issues missing him. By the way, the extra signature of color in this issue (8 pages) was made possible or damaged in the mail. Moving? Please report changes of address to by tapping the News Endowment Fund, which exists for just such a purpose.It’s been the office promptly or online at: www.caves.org/info/changeinfo.shtml available for many years but I have never actually bothered to use it.. A $2,000 dona- Copyright ©2009 tion from that covered more color and the print overrun for ICS. I hope you enjoy by the National Speleological Society, Inc. the results and next month we will return to a more typical issue with more text.
NSS News, July 2009 3 Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) Tham Khoun Xe - The Great Cave on the Xe Bang Fai River
John Pollack, Pat Kambesis, Bob Osburn, Dave Bunnell, Aaron Addison, Kevin Stanway, David Sawatzky, and Phil Whitfield. Cartography: Bob Osburn Photos: Dave Bunnell
Introduction discharge of 68 m3/s and maximum of over “destroyed” under them. Villages in the area In 2006 a small team of North American 600 m3/s in monsoon storms. endured substantial hardship during the war, cavers visited an immense river cave in and former Pathet Lao fighters, now elders, central Laos. They camped below the lower The People of the Xe Bang Fai River still live among the local villages. In general entrance where the force of exiting floodwa- Any visit to the area involves a fascinat- the Lao people are friendly, warm, generous, ter during the monsoon had blown a huge ing encounter with Lao culture and tradition. and resilient. pool in the jungle. Kayaking upstream, the Over 120,000 Lao people live along and A majority of Laotians in the cave area group paddled long sections of wall-to-wall near the Xe Bang Fai, and the river is an are Animists, who believe spirits inhabit the water through huge river trunk, portaged integral part of their daily lives and welfare lands, rivers and forests around them. They eight sets of rapids, and emerged from an (Shoemaker et al. 2001) Villages in the are wary of the great cave due to the pres- upper entrance five hours later. area include ethnic Brou (Lao Theunbg or ence of Phe Thame and Phe Nam, the spirits The great cave on the Xe Bang Fai midland Lao), Phou Thai, Ngouan (Vietic), of the caves and waters. Our boatmen and River is known by several names, of which and Lowland Lao. Typically they conduct local villagers would forage in the entrance Tham Khoun Xe or Khoun Xe Cave, is the subsistence agriculture along its seasonally- areas of the great cave, but they do not published Lao name (Shoemaker et al 2001). inundated banks and use it for travel, drinking penetrate its inner reaches due to the pres- The cave is an underground segment of the and irrigation. They forage and hunt in the ence of spirits and ghosts. Xe Bang Fai River, and it is located in a jungle, shooting deer, birds, and trapping remote corner of Khammouane Province bamboo rats, and they fish in the river. The of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) river is a mainstay for the villages during (Figure 1). The Xe Bang Fai River originates hard times, and there is a local saying “Rice in the Annam Trung Sun Mountains on the grows on the back of a fish” meaning simply border between Lao PDR and Vietnam and when times are hard and crops fail, the local flows across the Nakhai Plateau en route to people can fish and sell their catch for rice. the Mekong River. The Xe Bang Fai River Life is not easy in this remote area. drains through mountainous highlands of The last 20 km of dirt road leading to the granitic and metamorphic rock and across cave village periodically loses its bridges in the Nakhai Plateau which is composed of monsoon floods. Often the farmers’ rice sandstones, silts and shales to the northwest tractors are the only means of mechanized and massive carbonates in the northeast transportation in the height of the rainy (Mouret, 2001). When the river encounters season. Malaria and dysentery take a toll, and the carbonate bedrock it sinks in its surface many families have lost sons and daughters. channel and cuts a 7 km subterranean course There is also the legacy from the Indochina forming Tham Khoun Xe. Surface drainage war, as the cave is close to the Vietnamese from a 1300 km2 recharge area disap- border and the immediate area contains pears into the upstream entrance of what is remnants of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Code- undoubtedly one of the largest active river named “Steel Tiger East” during the Vietnam cave passages in the world. Stream discharge War, many village names on the topographic 3 Gear and expedition members packed in for ranges from a low of 9 m /s to an average maps include the phrases “abandoned” or an 8-hour road trip to the village.
4 NSS News, July 2009 In terms of biodiversity the area is Chi Minh Trail. Claude tremendously rich. Over 130 species of fish Mouret visited the cave were identified in a 1996 survey, including in 1995 after which more than 20 species of catfish. A freshwater the area was closed eel from the China Sea migrates up to the to foreigners. It was cave, and a species of freshwater stingray has reluctantly reopened to been reported. The local villagers spoke to kayakers circa 2005, us of fish as large as a man in the cave, and and we regained access there is a complex system of community- with some difficulty in based prohibitions against fishing in certain 2006. Both French and deep pools and caves (including Tham Khoun North American teams Xe) as they are sanctuaries for fish during are now operating in the the dry season. Large scale fish migrations area and ecotourism has move up the river to the lower entrance of discovered the cave. this cave at the start of the rainy seasons. It is unknown as to whether these migrations 2008 Expedition travel through the cave and into the isolated Logistics upper Xe Bang Fai basin. Tham Khoun Xe lies beyond the end of a History of Exploration dirt track that is impass- Tham Khoun Xe is an immense feature able during high water on the landscape, and it was well-known to and rainstorms. During the Lao people who for centuries have fished our reconnaissance trip in the river that flows from the downstream in the dry season of entrance and scaled its entrance walls to 2006, we managed to push a truck up the of the rapids required special equipment or harvest bird’s nests. European exploration track and over fords to the last village and rigging at low water, and we simply hauled of the cave dates back to 1904 when the spent several days at the lower entrance. the boats around them. There was evidence French gunboat La Grandiere steamed up The team was expanded to include expert of vast floods throughout the cave and the the river at high water and raked the lower cave surveyors and a professional cave rapids— while relatively minor obstacles entrance pool with machine gun fire. In photographer, and we returned in February at low water—can change rapidly in bad March of the next year (1905), the explorer 2008. This time we used small long-tail boats weather. The flow encountered in 2008 Paul Macey traversed the active river passage to travel 22 km upriver from the last all- was less than in 2006, yet we still set up between the two entrances with a bamboo weather road to the downstream entrance. battery-powered red flashers above each raft that was taken apart at the base of Typically groups operating in the Lao PDR portage so the safe take-out points could be each rapid, and then reassembled above it. require permits from the National Tourism readily identified when paddling downstream. Macey’s first attempt ended when his small Administration, NTA-approved guides and In high water this technique would be a life- French/Lao party was blown out of the lower local support, so on both occasions the team saver given the huge scale of the passages entrance by a 1 m flood pulse. Several days relied on a local outfitter for camp support. and the problems that would ensue if a boat later they succeeded in making the through- Camp was established at the down- was sucked into the boulder-strewn rapids. trip after a 21-hour effort. stream entrance pool, and eight, two-person Two independent teams were fielded In 1908 Macey published an account of Zebec inflatable kayaks were used to traverse each day, one team to photo-document the his trip in Spelunca (Macey 1908). However the long stretches of underground river. Two cave and the second team to survey it and the cave remained virtually unknown to sets of four boats were “staged” above the as many of the side passages that they could Westerners due to its remoteness, WWII and first and second (of eight) portages to reduce manage within the allotted 8-day expedition. the Indochina war, and its position on the Ho damage to the kayaks and the cavers. None
Expedition gear packed into a longtail boat for the 22km ride to the cave’s downstream end. Arriving at camp, cave entrance visible in the background
NSS News, July 2009 5 Left: basecamp for 10 days
survey shots exceeded m across, demanded numerous ray shots in 100 meters. The Impulse addition to the above passage lengths, and was sealed to military the survey team made a total 13.6 km of specifications and capa- shots to map 9.7 km of passage. ble of surviving a very We maintained a high standard of wet cave environment. In mapping due to the experience of the sketch- order to fully document ers—Pat Kambesis and Bob Osburn—who the cave passages the captured both passage detail and made survey team maintained a nearly 40 cross-sections of the active river sketch-to-scale standard cave. Kambesis and Osburn knew from their with protractor on 8.5 decades of experience that it was not possible x 11 survey paper and to estimate very large distances underground, sketching duties were and they relied upon ray shots from Aaron split between two team Addison to accurately scale their drawings. In Survey Challenges members. Finally, we order to capture passage and wall detail for During the initial trip in 2006, we solved the communication problem using really long survey shots, Kambesis used hand- learned standard survey equipment and several pairs of cheap FM walkie-talkies. held instruments and a small disto in order techniques (e.g. hand-held instruments and With this arrangement the survey team fiberglass tapes) were unsuitable in such netted from 700 to 2200 m of passage large river passage. The 2006 team had a survey daily, for eight consecutive days. Trimble HD150 laser distometer that proved Because of the sketch-to-scale mode such to be an absolute necessity in measuring survey footage was possible only because the long distances over water. The great size of the passage required a 1:1000 scale in order to fit passage sketches on the width of available paper. Communication was a challenge in the large reverberating river passage and impossible near the rapids.
DOWNSTREAM ENTRANCE
A l i e n Eggs to break up the shot into more mentally manageable pieces. Without a high power BALCONY reflectorless instrument such as the Impulse 200xl, they felt an accurate map would have been impossible, as “eyeballed” passage widths could be in error by 50 to 100%. The resultant map sets a new standard for a detailed survey of a giant river passage - see http://gis.wustl.edu/xbf/ for a detailed view of it. Despite those difficulties the 2-person survey floor detail for the main passage was wall- Our experience has shown that it is not team managed to survey 700 meters of to-wall water other than a few beaches and possible to accurately estimate distances (or passage in a day. some partially submerged boulders and two heights) greater than 15-20 meters, even In 2008, the team arrived with Leica sketchers worked simultaneously. However, when the survey is conducted by experienced A-5’s, a Trimble HD150, and a power- on those days where the team surveyed on people. Also, working in large, wall-to-wall ful reflectorless survey instrument—the dry land, the daily tally was on the low end river passage from kayaks or canoes is Impluse 200xl—capable of accurate distance of the daily range. The last survey trip to challenging with standard survey equip- measurements to several hundred meters. the back end of the cave covered 17 km ment and techniques. A different approach The long range of the Impulse 200xl made underground and lasted 16 hours. The size of is required in order to produce an accurate it the instrument of choice as nearly all of our the passages, some of which exceeded 140 and detailed map of large passages. Not
6 NSS News, July 2009 only is a seasoned survey crew required, but in RAW format, as required by our National cally for the additional f/stop it afforded. you need determined sketchers who utilize Geographic sponsorship. This made it really This flexibility was crucial for strobe shots numerous ray shots, and a powerful (and easy to adjust for differences in the color from the kayak. expensive) reflectorless survey instrument is temperature of different brands and sizes of mandatory. Without proper instrumentation flashbulbs, as all clear flashbulbs do not have Cave Description it is extremely difficult and time consuming the same color output. The Xe Bang Fai River sinks in a to accurately measure the size of enormous In addition to bulbs, four electronic jumble of trees and rock just outside of the cave passages, especially when trying to strobes - two Vivitar 283 and two Sunpak upstream cave entrance and immediately capture good passage detail. 120J bare-tube flashes were used. The resurges under the dripline of a massive latter are some of the most powerful strobes surface collapse that nears tiankeng dimen-
STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN
capable of using AA batteries (as opposed to rechargeable battery packs; these units were sions. At this entrance the cave forks into not an option for this remote expedition loca- an upper, fossil or overflow passage at an tion). The large strobes were indispensable upper entrance, and into an active river for photos shot from a kayak, where bulbs passage that traverses 7.0 km of passage couldn’t be used because of the necessity of before breaching daylight at the down- setting up a tripod. To synchronize strobes, stream entrance and pool. The downstream specially constructed slaves were used. The entrance area forms a 60-meter tall arch at Photographic Logistics photographer used a Nikon D70s camera, the base of an imposing limestone amphi- The huge river passages also posed with a Tokina 12-24 mm f/4.5 lens. He also theater over 150 m tall. The river resurges challenges for the photography team. The brought an f/2.8 Nikkor 24 mm lens specifi- into an elliptical 240 meter long pool that four-person photo team led by Dave Bunnell used kayaks as either lighting positions, Boudler choke at downstream entrance camera positions, or both. Added to this factor was the difficulty of communication in large passage, the current, and the need to keep everything out of the water. Many large passage photos were made with flashbulbs and a dozen Meggaflash PF300s. However most of the shots were made with the smaller M5 and M3 bulbs. To enhance light output, flash units with large polished reflectors and clear bulbs were used. To avoid the problem of noise on long tripod exposures, multi-flash shots were sometimes made by combining separate frames. The white balance of the camera was set to color balance the bulbs rather than using filters. To fire the bulbs vintage and homemade flash units were utilized. The latter were constructed from PVC pipe and designed for wet conditions the vintage units wouldn’t tolerate. All the shots were made
NSS News, July 2009 7 marks the resumption of surface flow of the nal cave pearls of 32 cm circumference. floor detail, but the flies which swarmed Xe Bang Fai River. Truck-sized breakdown blocks litter the the headlamps of the survey team as they The overflow passage near the upstream floor of the room and the river cuts a big worked. These pesky insects would fly into entrance was explored on the last day of the bend on the east side of the room. Large every facial orifice, which made it impossible expedition and “ended” with no end in sight. tree branches that were jammed in ceiling to read instruments, take notes, or even to Access to this section is down a steep, sedi- cracks and pieces of big tree trunks wedged talk. The final solution involved removing ment slope to a T junction. The north end in breakdown piles were sobering reminders headlamps and with a gloved hand, holding sumps and is most likely the downstream of the volume of water that flows through the them at arms length away from one’s face. end of a similar sumped passage off of the cave during the wet season. The unnamed southern side passages main stream. The south trend goes to at Mapping giant river passage every contained some surprising features. In the least 3 km of damp trunk passage, meaning day was bound to cause some degree of north extent of this passage the survey team it contains no active river. Driven by a good, sketcher burn-out. Those days that were (Kambesis & Sawatsky) discovered a section stiff breeze and a supply of Snickers candy spent exploring and mapping side passages of passage that at one time contained a bars, the survey team efficiently knocked off were a welcome psychological break for the hundreds of meters of survey through this sketchers. With four seasoned cave mappers, mazy bit of cave. Because of time constraints high-tech and low tech survey gear, two- the survey crew was unable to map any of the person teams explored and mapped some side passages in this area. And just when the of the side passages off of main river. maze seemed to be shutting down it blasted A series of upper-level side passages that open again into a huge breakdown-floored are not river in-feeders have been intersected passage that averaged 60-80 meters wide by the underground course of the Xe Bang and still going—typical fare for the end of Fai River, indicating that these passages pre- an expedition in a remote area of the world. Between the two river entrances, the cathedral-like walls of the river passage reach heights of 120 meters in some places. The active river passage averages 76 m wide by
O X B O W A R E A & GIANT GOUR POOL
53 m high (as determined from 38 cross- date the river. All of the side passages occur meter-deep pool populated with half-meter sections) and frequently exceeds 100 m in on the north side of the river trunk with the tall, oval-shaped speleothems. This caused width. The largest passage widths noted exception of one which trends south. Some the survey team some pause as the pool and were 200 and 140 m downstream of, and of the side passages lead to small entrances features resembled the alien egg chamber at the Oxbow. Most of the cave passage is that are hidden in the jungle high above from the movie “Aliens” (and was thusly floored with 4-12 m deep water but there river level. named). A good stiff breeze issued from the are sections where breakdown forms small The largest of these passages, located northern reaches of the passage and the islands, bends in the river make long beach on the north side of the river, is the Stairway team expected to discover copious amounts segments, and bolder piles make 8 distinct to Heaven; a steeply ascending passage of cave. Instead they found a massive balcony rapids. Many large stalagmites, some in which begins as a wide breakdown chamber that overlooked the main river just upstream excess of 20 meters in height, have formed approximately 25 meters above the river and of the main entrance—a disappointment in along the rocky banks of breakdown beaches containing a number of immense stalagmites terms of continued exploration, but a fabu- and in large, dry rooms above the river. that overlook the river. This chamber is 400 lous photo opportunity. The southern extent The passage at The Oxbow has been m by 230 m in area, or approximately the of this passage led down a steep sediment enlarged by massive ceiling collapse. This size of the Belize Chamber in the Chiquibul slope into a clean-washed flood water maze room is 140 m in width and contains an System of Belize. The Stairway to Heaven which was perched slightly above and parallel extensive area of gour pools including one continues to ascend until it reaches its high- to the main river. It sumped both upstream over 60 m in length and 5 m deep. The est point 160 meters above river level. The and downstream. Oxbow also contains a large collection of most challenging aspect of mapping this The Bicentennial Skyway is an auspi- cave pearls, including world-record hexago- chamber was not its size or the amount of cious upper level passage in the upstream
8 NSS News, July 2009 section of cave. A massive flowstone cascade many large formations and flowstone areas. Khoun Xe during the 8 days of field work . seems to pour out of the passage and leads The passage ended in a formation choked The active river passages total 7.0 km and to a 120 meters of beautifully decorated area with a small drain leading downward. the fossil passage adds another 2.7 km. An chambers and eventually ends at another This passage does not appear to carry any additional 2-3 km of passage remains to be jungle entrance. The small entrance hidden significant amount of water into the cave, but surveyed in the upstream fossil river passage. under breakdown and vegetation would be its decoration with extensive formation and There is considerable potential for further impossible to find from the surface. During cave pearls reminded them of caves found passage within Tham Khoun Xe, and in the the survey, the team noted many small piles in the Guadalupe Mountains of New Mexico. surrounding karst, noting the cave lies only
BICENTENNIAL SKYWAY
CATHDERAL PASSAGE
of brown-patterned spikes that were 10-12 cm long (about 5 inches) —located through- out the passage. At the upper entrance they finally discovered the source of those spikes. These were segments that made up the legs of large brown spiders that were size of Expedition Summary 45 km west of the recently discovered Hang dinner plates and that moved like lightning. Despite the lighting and equipment Soon Dong in Vietnam. Ridge walking will Kambesis attempted to photograph the challenges inherent to large passage cave not be pleasant due to the rugged nature monster spiders but Sawatsky refused to photography, the photo documentation of the karst, and the threat of unexploded provide a hand for scale. effort was successful. Likewise, we confirmed ordinance. The team of Addison and Osburn it was possible to create a high quality map of Our experience raises some issues surveyed a large, but short lived, side passage very large cave passages utilizing long range related to mapping very large passages and near the downstream entrance to the cave. (>250m) digital survey equipment combined claims of “world-class” status. At present This passage begins as a 6m tall sand with detailed in-cave sketching. A total of there is no set standard for defining “large” bank and quickly gives way to a 50m wide 13.6 km of survey (which includes passage cave passage on the world scale. Does “large” passage. The passage trends upwards with definition shots) was completed in Tham refer to floor area, passage volume, or both?
NSS News, July 2009 9 10 NSS News, July 2009 How much of that “large” floor area or volume does the cave need to contain to be called the largest or biggest cave? Deer Cave in Borneo (Gua Payou) has been documented to contain the largest single segment of cave passage in the world at 170 meters wide by 120 meters high at its maximum dimension. However the length of the cave is just a little over 2 km, most of which is not at the maxi- mum dimension. Deer Cave’s status as the biggest cave passage in the world appears to be based on measurements from the map completed in the early 1980s prior to the availability of reflectorless instruments. Deer Cave is certainly huge, but a resurvey with modern equipment is warranted, particularly given recent reports that Hang Soon Dong is larger, based on preliminary measurements Aaron takes a distance measurement with the Impulse 200xl while Pat and Bob sketch. Lead checker extraordinaire David Sawatzky awaits the team in the boat. and comparisons to incorrectly reported dimensions of Deer Cave. The lagoon outside the cave entrance In summary, without a definitive stan- dard on how “large” is measured and reported, dimensional claims will always be in question. However, we can state with certainty that Tham Khoun Xe is one of the largest sustained river passages in the world, it is superbly decorated, and we have documented it to a high standard using appropriate survey equipment and detailed sketching. This statement is based on accu- rate measurements—not estimates—and we hope to see similar survey methods become standard practice when “world-class” caves are discovered and surveyed. Great caves deserve great maps.
Acknowledgements The 2008 Laos Expedition would like to acknowledge the Laos Peoples Democratic Republic, the Expedition Council of the National Geographic Society, Leica Geosystems Canada, the National Speleological Society, Stenlite Advanced Lighting Products, PMI, and Wildside-Asia.
References MACY, P., (1908), Spéléologie Hydrologie Géologie Hydrogéologie Eaux souterraines Cours d’eau souterrains Laos Cammon Indo-Chine IndochineSpelunca, Bulletin Et Mémoires De La Société De Spéléologie, No. 52 : Cours D’Eau Souterrains Du Cammon Au Laos MOURET, M., 2001: Le karst du Khammouane au Laos central. Dix ans de récherches spéléologiques. Spelunca, 84, p. 7–32 SHOEMAKER, B., I.G. BAIRD, AND M. BAIRD. The People and Their River: A Survey of River-Based Livelihoods in the Xe Bang Fai River Basin in Central Lao PDR. Unpublished report to the Lao PDR/ Canada Fund for Local Initiatives. Vientiane, Expedition members: Back row, L-R: Lana Miller (camp manager), John Pollack, Lao PDR. Phil Whitfield, Pat Kambesis, Bob Osburn, Kevin Stanway, Mr. Mee, Dave Bunnell. Front row, Mr. Vilay, Aaron Addison, Mr. Ing (Wildside Asia), David Sawatzky, and Mr. Leuk
NSS News, July 2009 11 Photo Essay: Wonders of the Tham Khoun Xe
Downstream entrance to the cave. Shot using daylight only but this High Dynamic Range image combined 3 shots of different exposures.
The upstream entrance to the cave, which opens into a huge collapse doline. Climbing breakdown to the right leads to the overflow passages.
12 NSS News, July 2009 Section of river passage about midway through the cave. Flowstone decorations were common along the route.
The Cathedral Passage is the tallest in the cave, reaching heights of 70m. This shot used a couple of the Meggaflash P300 bulbs.
NSS News, July 2009 13 Three views of flowstone deposits along the river.
Fossil in the bedrock along the river (this photo by Kevin Stanway)
The river passage reduces to its smallest size here in a section we called The Wind Tunnel. It produced a surface current on the river that was difficult to paddle against.
At the Second Portage the boats had to be hauled through a breakdown area.
14 NSS News, July 2009 Huge formations abound in the cave, as in the Stairway to Heaven area (top two) and bottom, on a sand bank along the river.
Formations old and new in the Guads Passage
Flowstone above a gravel bank along the river
Oxbow area
NSS News, July 2009 15 Panorama image of the Giant Gour in the Oxbow area. This single basin measures 60 m long, and is probably one of the world’s largest single rimstone basins. The cover photo was taken along the right-hand edge of it.
Natural-light panorama of the downstream entrance region
16 NSS News, July 2009 Panorama image of the Giant Gour in the Oxbow area. This single basin measures 60 m long, and is probably one of the world’s largest single rimstone basins. The cover photo was taken along the right-hand edge of it.
Natural-light panorama of the downstream entrance region
NSS News, July 2009 17 Rimstone in the Oxbow area The “Alien Eggs” in a rimstone basin in the Balcony Passage. My conjecture (DB) is that they are remnanats of previous dams destroyed by periodic floods through this fossil passage.
The Deviled Eggs appear to be pearls that have been dissolved on their top surfaces by aggressive dripwater.
Large hexagonal and cubic pearls may be the world’s largest known examples. These are up to 32 cm in circumfrence.
Gours in the Oxbow
John with a group of “elephant’s foot stalactites” just off the main river. They have formed underneath the flowstone canopy shown on page 15, middle left.
A view out the entrance of the Overlow Passage area
18 NSS News, July 2009 Photographer Spotlight: Philippe Crochet
Left: Sunken plunge pool in Sexton’s section of Kazumura Cave, Hawaii
Below: Cocalière. Gard, France—a very easy horizontal cave. The objective was to light the “bell holes” on the ceiling. It is a wide-angle picture. Three electronic flashes were used.
Bottom:Aven des deux Versants. Hérault, France. This cave is a through trip. The last pit opens in the middle of a cliff. Four electronic flashes were used to light Annie and the foreground.
NSS News, July 2009 19 Grotte de Gournier, Isère, France. Fountains room. Grotte de Gournier,
20 NSS News, July 2009 The three images below and facing page, left, are from an unnamed cave in the south of France.
Snail egg sac on a cave ceiling, France
Aragonite in a southern France cave NSS News, July 2009 21 Grotte de Vitalis, Hérault, France
Grotte de Malaval, Lozère. Aragonite bunch.
Grotte de Malaval, Lozère, France. Coralloid aragonite.
Green cave stalactites
Grotte Bleue, South of France. Blue aragonite needles 22 NSS News, July 2009 interview by Dave Bunnell
Philippe Crochet Back in 1981, I took Philippe and a group of his friends caving in TAG after the first ICS in the USA, in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He was then becoming, and has long been, one of France’s top cave photographers. Still fairly new to cave photography myself back then, watching him at work had a great influence on my subsequent work. He made quick work of large passage shots, with each team member carrying flash equipment and able to deploy it at a moment’s notice.
Could you tell us when and how you got started as a caver? I started at the age of 17 when I joined the local club in Blois which was looking for people for exploration and also expeditions. That is how I took part in 1971 and 1972 on two expeditions to Morocco (Kef Toghobeit) Philippe and his wife Annie Giraud, who works with him on all his photo trips quickly after I began caving. time, and that was really heavy and tiring. would have had a lot of grain. But I rarely Were you already taking pictures In February 2008, I bought a Nikon D3 use that possibility because I always want before being a caver, or did you get and I was definitely won over by the quality of the best quality. interested in photography as a result the photos, even if I feel a pang of nostalgia One last thing: sorting out, and filing of caving? whenever I look at my old slides! I think they digital pictures takes a lot of time, especially I was already taking pictures way before have a particular softness, and their colors if editing is necessary. Slides were easier to being a caver. I got interested in photography and shades seem more accurate. deal with: we used to spot the bad ones at when, at the age of 10, my father gave me first glance and then number the remaining his camera. I read a lot about photographic How has digital photography changed ones. The whole procedure would take 10 techniques and that gave me a good basic your cave photography? minutes. For the same number of pictures, knowledge. At the time, cameras did not First of all, it did not change the way I it now takes one hour! measure light automatically so we had to set work and my style of pictures thoroughly. aperture and speed according to light which I still figure out my picture (exposure and Do you do much digital editing of your was measured with a meter. That was good framing) before I press the button, instead photos after a shoot? And with what training. And as soon as I started caving, I of shooting many pictures in a row hoping software? saw pictures of caves and I immediately felt that there will be a good one among them, For me, a picture should be good on like doing the same. My first caving pictures which is very tempting for people starting shooting. Editing can be useful for details date back to1971. I mainly wanted to show with digital cameras. only, for example correcting the perspectives my friends and my parents pictures from a What has changed though is that now I in a wide angle picture, removing unwanted world I had fallen in love with. often try difficult subjects (the difficulty could details, darkening the blacks, or slightly be the exposure, for instance, or because reframing a photo. Are you still using film or do you shoot it requires a progressive approach). Digital digital now? What camera(s) do you makes them easier, such as the splashing of What do you usually take in your cave use? a water drop on a stalagmite (see photo on photo kit (how many flashes, slaves I started shooting digital in 2007, quite the facing page). Now I dare doing this kind and what type)? reluctantly I must say because I thought of photo because I know that, unlike a slide, Of course, it all depends on the cave. digital pictures did not look quite as good as it costs almost nothing. For caves with formations, only a minimum films (especially Fuji Velvia 50 ASA which is On a digital camera, you can see the is required. One kit bag is enough. In it, there my reference). My first digital camera was a picture as soon as it is shot, which is a real is the camera (Nikon D3), my standard lens Nikon D2X, which was the first one in my advantage. One of the consequences is that which is a 17-35mm zoom, a macro lens opinion which could provide an acceptable I want to go on and on until it’s perfect. As a (60mm) and 2 or 3 electronic strobes (Nikon quality. I quickly saw its advantages in caves: result, the photo sessions tend to get longer flashes GN 32 to 100 ASA with zoom and I could work better and polish up the lights. and longer! power setting.) and some slaves. All this At the time on my trips abroad (to Ethiopia One other advantage is that I can fits in one single but large case (Explorer). and Chile), I used both digital and slides. So choose a higher sensitivity when there is When the cave is bigger, I usually take a the same picture was shot both ways and I less light. With the Nikon D3 the quality is fourth strobe, a tripod, and some flashguns had to manage with two cameras at the same still excellent at 800 ASA, whereas the slide and bulbs (several of them are slave units
NSS News, July 2009 23 that can be triggered by a strobe). All this is you have so many beautiful caves such as people joined it most of all for the fun and stored in two little cases carried in a second Carlsbad Caverns, Caverns of Sonora, or friendly atmosphere. The two other founders kit bag carried by Annie. Finally for big room Lechuguilla. Generally, some pictures seen died in 1975 (one of them was very keen on pictures, I have PF100 bulbs that I carry in in caving magazines or books are an incen- cave photography). The club survived and its a Cur Tec container. So in vertical caves, tive for me to go and visit the caves . One of main activities were initiation and exploring there is no more room in our bags for ropes our best photo trips was in the Hawaii lava of known caves. Our objective was not to and gear, which have to be carried by other tubes with Peter and Ann Bosted. We spent go to the bottom of the cave but to have members of the team. ten fabulous days there totally dedicated to a good time together, which was a perfect cave photography in exceptional caves. Our condition for photography. It was a very I know you sell a lot of photos. Is this next plan would be to visit the salt caves in creative period: everyone in the groups was mostly to books or magazines? Any the south of Iran. involved in the process and had many ideas, idea how many publications you’ve particularly humorous ones. been printed in? I know a bunch of caves in France, Well, first of all, let me remind you that especially some of the blue-green What would you say are some of the I am not a professional photographer. I am a caves, were proposed as world heritage main differences between caving here hydrogeologist in an engineering company. sites. Did some of these designations in the states and caving in France? So, for me photography is a passion that get approved? And did your photos There used to be obvious differences in does not have to be profitable. play a role in documenting those techniques. I realized them when I attended It is difficult to tell how many pictures pproposals? the Bowling Green ISC in 1981. I remember have been published so far. I used to keep a To my knowledge, these designations how tense I was while going up Fantastic Pit precise account of them, but now I no longer did not get approved. My photos were not (Ellison’s cave) on a rope that was rubbing do. However, I guess all my favorite ones used to document the proposals. The authors against the rock! Although now the tech- have been published (that would amount to used their own pictures. These caves are niques are roughly all the same everywhere more than 100 ). closed and protected. in the world. Another big difference is that I mainly take two types of pictures: in France, except for protected caves, it is mineral landscapes outside (deserts, karst, Your wife Annie seems to work with rather easy for everybody to explore any volcanoes) and caving pictures. These photos you on most of your shoots and is often cave. We don’t have to care if it is on private are in a photo agency, so they are likely to be your model. Does she give input into property. In the States that does not seem published in all sorts of books or magazines. lighting or setup suggestions? Does to be so easy. As to caving pictures, selling them is not she ever take the photographs? One last difference is that in the States so important. I often give them to the cavers We are lucky as a couple to share the scientists and cavers are all part of the same or to the FFS whenever they need one. That same passion. Annie takes part in all the community whereas in France they are not is the least I can do for them. photo trips and she plays an essential part quite integrated, but I might be wrong. Moreover selling a cave photo can even if she is not interested in technique. She sometimes be very awkward because a single is my main model and she can be very patient To see more of Philippe’s photos, above photo involves many people: the cave owner, in any circumstances. Her red clad silhouette and below ground, visit his web site at: the discoverers, and the exploring team. has now become a recurrent feature in my www.philippe-crochet.com pictures. This silhouette has even been the Have you produced any books with subject of one of our slide shows (called just your photos? If not, do you plan “Silhouette Insolite”). We work together a lot, Wanted: Newsletter Review to do so? we discuss the lighting and set up, editing, Not yet, but of course I am planning and sorting out. And we also work together Editor for NSS News Bern Szukalski has just let me know to do so when I retire. As a matter of fact I on programs for which she writes the text. that he’d like to step down from doing will be very strict on its quality (of content as the monthly newsletter review in the NSS well as form) so I would like to have plenty Besides photography, do you get News, after 5.5 years. I’m now soliciting of time to polish it up. involved in exploration or survey trips? a new columnist for what I believe to be No, actually now I go caving only one of our more popular regular News What are you favorite caves to for photographic purposes. The same for features. Bern says each column takes photograph? traveling. We choose the countries we visit him about 8 to 12 hours altogether, with The caves with exceptional formations, according to their photographic interest. the reading and writing. It’s been more of course, or the ones where rock has this I have become so involved that I can’t do on the 8 hour side in recent years since particular structure favorable to back light. anything without taking pictures. And I can’t he’s well practiced at it and with the new But a real challenge for a photographer is to imagine taking souvenir pictures without format that uses the newsletter titles as convey the ambience with pictures taken in paying attention to their quality. headings. ordinary caves. What makes a good picture If interested, please contact the NSS is not necessarily the subject, but the team, When we met in 1981 and went caving News editor at [email protected] its dedication and its creativity. And also it together here in the US, you were part Bern will also be happy to give advice to is essential to have plenty of time in order of a small club that was dedicated to whoever takes over the position. to work in good conditions. helping you take photos How did you Bern’s shoes will be hard to fill. form such a club and are you still active He’s been one of the most consistent Are there caves you hope to visit some- with them? and reliable columnists I’ve worked with day but haven’t managed to visit? We were three founder members of the over the years. I’d like to thank him for We have visited a lot of caves in France, Gouffre des Amateurs de Goufres in 1974 all the effort he’s put in on behalf of the but there are still many we hope to see one after we split away from the Spéléo Club de membership. day, especially in the States. I must say Blois. It was mainly a group of friends and
24 NSS News, July 2009 NSS IT Committee Chairman Needed Organizations, and advertisers who interface April Conservation Issue IT Committee Chairman Darrell Wells is with the NSS server. The chairman may Reading the article in the April 2009 stepping down. The search is on for some- recruit additional members as s/he feels NSS News - “Buckner Cave Restoration one to take his place. With the importance of necessary. Project” by Bill Blaus brought back an our Web site to the Society and its members, interesting memory. This memory was the IT Committee Chairman is critical to NSS Necessary core skills: triggered by the statement “It’s never been operations and success. * Linux systems administration a really pretty cave, but...... ” in the second We are looking for an experienced Unix * Familiarity with Parallels Plesk or cPanel * paragraph. (Linux) systems administrator, with additional Apache web server administration Sometime in the 60’s, I ended up taking skills as listed below. The volunteer would be * Knowledge of HTML another of my many trips through Buckner’s responsible for the maintenance and opera- * Perl/CGI/PHP scripting with a group that was visiting the cave for tion of a dedicated virtual private server in a * MySQL administration the first time. One of the cavers was a managed hosting environment. Primarily, blind man with his guide dog who became this includes Apache, MySQL, and FTP Desirable skills: my responsibility for guiding in the cave. administration. Most common tasks are * Knowledge of common web publish- Frankly, while interested in helping out the completed via Parallels Plesk; although, due ing tools, such as DreamWeaver and blind caver, I was not very interested in visit- to legacy configurations from our previous FrontPage. ing Buckner’s Cave. servers, some tasks must be done via the * Javascript, ASP In very short order, the tables were command line. turned on me. Never in all of my caving The time commitment is a minimum of Note:This position does not include trips, with neophytes or more experienced 8 hours per month. However, with several maintenance of content on caves.org. That cavers, before or since, had I ever been mission critical projects currently underway, responsibility is managed by the webmaster asked so many questions. The blind caver the initial time commitment will be greater. who serves on the IT Committee. “saw” many things that I had never noticed The chairman will be expected to respond If you are interested in the job, or by feeling his way by his hands. As a result, quickly to e-mail, and address problems as know someone we should approach, please he asked for an explanation, a visual in one they arise. S/he will also be expected to contact me. If you have any questions about manner of speaking, for each thing that he work with other NSS Committees, Internal the job, please contact Darrell.
NSS News, July 2009 25 Oztotl Caver The cave had been discovered by Voyles on The West Virginia Caver April, 2009 a previous trip and shortly after its discovery April, 2009 Dallas-Fort Worth Grotto Voyles (a BLM employee) had arranged for The construction of wind turbines near “A cave system is born” is how Bill a helicopter to support the ferrying of tools New Creek Mountain is the topic of an article Steele titles his article covering a trip to and materials needed to gate the cave. Spatta by Rick Lambert. An eight-mile stretch of Mexico’s Purificación area. Steele and Diana thinks that gating should be done only in the mountain range spanning Grant and Tomchick returned to Soplo de los Torres, special circumstances, but totally agrees this Mineral Counties is currently proposed to a cave they dug into in 2005. In 2008 Soplo is one of them. have 48 turbines. Lambert notes that 8 of was pushed to nearly 500 meters in depth. The 3-foot diameter tube entrance the 14 species of bats known to occur in A nearby pit entrance was named Zorillo is easily overlooked, and invisible from West Virginia are found in the proposed after the dead skunk aromatizing its second anywhere but right on top of it. But once project area. While none of those species drop. Last year Yvonne Droms and Charles inside it’s a different world than outside, with are endangered, the area is also part of the Fromén pushed down several more drops, a large room heavily decorated with thou- migratory path for species that are. leaving yet more to be plumbed. A resur- sands of stalagmites, stalactites, soda straws, Lambert says that bat mortalities via gence cave is also located some 900 meters massive flowstone formations, columns, wind turbines in other parts of the US and down in a nearby canyon. coral, and popcorn greeting those who the region have been documented as very With the above layout as the back- enter. Voyles and Spatta spent a couple of high, raising concerns about the wisdom drop for this latest expedition, Steele and days in the cave surveying and marveling at of constructing wind turbine generators Tomchick were joined by Heather Levy, its many spectacular formations, using clean in the Allegheny Highlands since it serves Mark Minton, Yvonne Droms, Aaron Moses, changes of clothes and footwear to preserve as an endangered bat recovery area. The Paul Heinerth, Ellie Thoene, James Hunter, the pristine environment. Voyles and Spatta USFWS has warned the contractors that if and Tanja Pietras. The group split with one include a number of very impressive photos the predicted 78,000 to 112,000 bat deaths heading into Soplo, the other to Zorillo. In taken inside the cave. They managed to map anticipated over the life of the project went Zorillo a connection was found to the main 1,485 feet of passage but left plenty more unchecked that it could have “population- Soplo shaft about 600 feet down, thus behind for the next trip. level impacts” on many species. Lambert forming a system Steele now calls Sistema encourages those opposed to the project Los Torres. Minnesota Speleology Monthly to contact one of the West Virginia public Later in the trip Heinerth geared up to April, 2009 service commission representatives (see the dive the sump in the lower resurgence and Minnesota Speleological Survey article for more details). found it over 200 feet long. On the other side Dawn Ryan’s photo of Neal Hines and it lead to a passage that split in two direc- Peter Anderson-Sprecher surveying on a Bob Hoke says that White-Nose tions. By the end of the expedition Sistema recent Mystery Cave trip is on the cover, Syndrome (WNS) has come to West Virginia, Los Torres had been pushed to a depth of and inside there are several articles and trip noting a trip by DC-area cavers to Hamilton over 1,696 feet, with a length of 4,738 feet reports about the cave. A list of frequently Cave in Pendleton County. The cavers and only a lack of more rope preventing asked questions about the survey project by entered the cave as part of an annual winter further exploration. Kery Erickson provides additional details. bat count started after the NSS purchased James Hunter’s map of the cave is The survey began in the fall of 2005, the cave in 1982. included with the article and it shows the vari- with the goal being to provide a detailed digi- On this trip cavers noted many bats ous reaches of the cave as it’s been extended tal map of the cave so that the meticulously flying about, unusual for this time of year over the years. The cover features Hunter’s collected inventory of cave features could be when they should be hibernating. Also photo of Aaron Moses at a large formation included on it. Currently 2.3 miles of cave observed were signs of the telltale WNS at the base of the Pearl Drop. have been surveyed with an estimated 11 fungus, observed on bats throughout the more miles to go. And new leads and previ- entire cave, and affecting an estimated 25% The CIG Newsletter ously unknown cave are turned up from time of all bats found within in. April, 2009 to time as the survey progresses. As interest Central Indiana Grotto in the project grows, volunteer hours have Bill Balfour heads to Berkeley County The front cover photo sure doesn’t increased from a total of 19 hours in 2005 with Wil Orndorff and Dan Doctor to check look like Indiana, and indeed it’s not. The to 752 hours through October 2008. To out a cave that Doctor found while mapping Ty Spatta photo shows Kyle Voyles looking date over 1,300 hours of volunteer time have the geology of the area. Doctor had made out over an arid canyon in the northern been accumulated. The collection of articles prior arrangements with the owner for the reaches of Arizona, an area known to many on Mystery Cave includes a map of the Sand visit so they were able to slip right into the as “the strip.” Spatta’s a regular on the Camp area by Amy Funk, cartographer for woods to return to it. trips to the far reaches of this area, and the project. Balfour describes the entrance as “nice- while many of the caves that are discovered sized,” about 20 feet wide and 5 feet high. are relatively short and dry there are some Also in the issue is Dawn Ryan’s map Immediately beyond the entrance a large notable exceptions. of Party Cave, Pierce County, Wisconsin. passage slopes down and out of sight. As they surveyed into the cave the passage One such cave is KyPet Caverns, The cave was surveyed by Ryan and Tim located in a very remote area reachable only Stenerson on January 24, 2009. The cave became higher, reaching comfortable walk- by traversing many miles of dirt roads and is 113 feet long. ing height and leading to a room with a descending 1,500 feet in a secluded canyon. 1950s vintage red wagon. Beyond the room was a crawlway, which terminated decisively
26 NSS News, July 2009 after 50 more feet. As Balfour describes it, observed in the cave showed signs of the If you’re worried about running out of “it mercifully ended without us having to fungus. Based on their observations the cave to survey then an article by Christian exert too much effort.” owners of Breathing Cave have decided to Sugrue might help you worry less. Sugrue Detamore Cave taped out at 312 close it. The Highland County Cave Survey works up some statistics on surveys in Wind feet long, and nearby Detamore Cave #2 has also asked its members to take a “short Cave and Jewel Cave. Both of those caves surveyed to 101 feet in length. Balfour’s map sabbatical” from caving as a precaution, since are in the Black Hills, and both are among of the two is also published with his report. the county is situated between documented the largest on the planet. Jewel Cave is WNS occurrences to the north and south. currently the world’s second longest cave at Balfour also turns in a report and map 143 miles. Wind Cave is the fourth longest of The Blasted Mouse Hole located At Hellole the annual bat count was at 129 miles. Both were discovered over in Greenbrier County. The cave’s small cancelled by US Fish and Wildlife Service 100 years ago by prospectors. Sugrue takes entrance hole was one that Balfour had first personnel. Suspected WNS occurrences the average survey rate and the estimated noted some 20 years ago. The air moving have been found in four other Pendleton potential length of both to come up with in it seemed to be an indication that it could County caves. The value of the information some interesting statistics. go, but a bedrock hole at the bottom of the gained by the census was deemed not worth The distance and difficulty of explora- entrance was too small to enter. the risk of introducing WNS into one of the tion in both caves requires a strenuous trip, In July of last year, after some off and premier bat caves in the region. with round-trip times just to reach the last on work, microblasting by Balfour, John station taking about 12 to 16 hours. Sugrue Pearson, Carroll Bassett, and Dave Cowan Cave owner and caver Dave Cowan uses this and other data and comes up with finally paid off. Just before the decisive blast announces the closing of The Boar Hole the average number of hours required to a small mouse popped out of the hole and and The Portal (a.k.a the Boartal System) survey a mile of new passage in each cave. began crawling along the blasting wire. After as well as several other caves on his property. At Wind Cave the overall average the charge fired (and as Balfour puts it) “that Cowan and co-owner Carroll Bassett made number of caver time required to survey blasted mouse was still crawling around the the decision after much deliberation, doing one mile of cave is 111 hours. In the 1960s hole” and thus came the name for the new their part as responsible cave owners to this was considerably less, about 61 hours little cave. ensure that they wouldn’t be inadvertently per mile, but has grown to 138 hours per Though a small tube about 20 feet contributing to the possible spread of WNS. mile more recently. This is attributed to beyond the entrance seems to be the source the increasing complexity of the tight and of the air, enthusiasm to continue the dig has Peter Youngbaer reports that WNS has maze-like cave, and the longer distance to waned for the moment. The group surveyed been discovered in Clover Hollow Cave reach survey goals. At Jewel Cave the time what they had found, netting a grand total and Wil Orndorf of the Virginia Department per mile averages 91 hours. In the 1960s of only 115 feet. Balfour includes his map of Conservation and Recreation cautions this was just a little less at 82 hours per mile, of the cave with the report. cavers to stay out of it and also Tawneys and within the last decade has grown to 126 Cave. Orndorf cautions everyone to stay hours per mile. Another Bill Balfour article covers clear of caving in Bland County entirely, or The cave potential can be calculated Troytino Cave, first noted by Balfour in the other areas south or west of Giles County. based on the density and volume of currently mid-1970s. But it was not until 2008 that Orndorf says any caver that has been known passage and by using air flow calcula- Balfour was able to return to survey it. On caving in Giles County within the last year tions to determine the volume of exchanged the first survey trip the water from a nearby should consider themselves exposed and act air. Using these Wind Cave could potentially stream was very high, and the cave now had accordingly. have 722 miles of passage with 592 miles a deep pool of water in it. They surveyed still awaiting discovery and survey. Jewel what they could, returning to finish it on July The Carbide Flash Cave calculates out to having a potential of 19 after the water receded. January- March 2009 2,860 miles of passage, with 2,717 miles of The cave was surveyed by Bill Balfour, Paha Sapa Grotto virgin cave awaiting the pencil of a survey Juliet Balfour, Carroll Bassett, Dave Cowan, Marc Ohms peeks out of a hole on the crew. Sugrue discusses several variables in John Pearson, and Gordon Birkhimer and cover. He’s at the top of the entrance pit of the calculations, but roughly one can figure taped out at 288 feet long, with a vertical Elk Cave. Rene Ohms took the photo of at the present hours-per-surveyed-mile rate relief of 10 feet. Balfour’s map is included Marc in the Custer County, South Dakota, it will take 211 years to finish the survey of with the report. find that Marc and Rene surveyed in 2005. Wind Cave and 975 years to finish the survey The cave consists of a short drop that leads of Jewel Cave. DC Speleograph to an even shorter crawl that fizzles out January-February, 2009 quickly. Marc drew the accompanying map Karst Chronicle DC Grotto which lists the cave’s length at 53 feet and Winter 2008-2009 In what is an increasing trend in news- depth at 26 feet. Mid-Atlantic Karst Conservancy letter content, this issue contains mostly Kim Metzgar publishes a map and report information and articles related to WNS. Carter Hall delivers the reports, and on Strangford Cave, the longest mapped And in what is another trend, several caves Dean Faust the maps, of several small caves cave in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, with are announced as closed as a result of the which include two Meade County and one a total surveyed length of 1,157 feet and deadly bat disease. Rick Lambert announces Pennington County cave. Respectively they a vertical relief of 65 feet. The cave was that Breathing Cave is closed after a are Shirlee’s Cliffside Collapse (62 feet remapped by MAKC members with special trip by Lambert and Virginia Department long, 32 feet deep), Heat Stroke (57 feet permission from the Pennsylvania Game of Conservation biologist Wil Orndorf long), and Cragmont Shelter (34 feet Commission who controls access. The cave uncovered early signs of a WNS outbreak. long). is located in an abandoned quarry, features Approximately 10 to 15% of the bats two entrances, and is gated. The gates
NSS News, July 2009 27 were erected to protect not bats, but rather second, and few Big and Little Brown bats the cover in a photo taken by Bern Szukalski the eastern woodrat, which Metzgar notes rounding out the species. in Hawaii’s Ambigua Cave. Inside the seems to be thriving judging by the plentiful issue Szukalski provides a synopsis of the droppings. Oregon Underground cave’s survey, which took place over two The cave was mapped on June 21, Winter 2009 trips spread out over five years. The cave 2007, by Metzgar, Walt Hamm, Jon Hamm, Oregon High Desert Grotto is located high on the Hualalai Volcano and Andrea and Ray Gillis, Jeff Jahn, Dennis Brent McGregor’s striking photo of is protected by 4WD access and a fenced Melko, Kevin Patrick, Micke Schirato, Kerry a sunbeam penetrating Skylight Cave forest reserve. The survey started in 2003 Speelman, and Megan Yost. The cave had is featured on the cover. Inside, Neil with Szukalski, Stephens, Doug and Hazel not been entered since it was gated by the Marchington covers the completion of the Medville, Don Coons, Nevin and Judy Davis, Commission. Now the mapping project has survey of Titus Canyon Cave, located in John Rosenfeld, and Bob Richards splitting been completed the cave is closed again, Death Valley National Park and closed to into two teams and heading in opposite but might possibly be opened for research cavers for over 20 years. Northern Nevada directions. The uphill section was pushed projects in the future. Grotto members had worked with Dave Ek, to its end on the second day of survey as park resource manager, to complete the the tube began to break up high on the Passages survey of the cave. The cave was discovered volcano’s flanks. But the lower end surveyed April 2009 when pre-park mining operations intersected by Szukalski, Richards, and Stephens wasn’t Springfield Plateau Grotto it. completed, leaving good leads for another On March 7 a host of cavers from The cave is highly decorated with time. several organizations gathered at a Lawrence gypsum and aragonite crystals growing in The next opportunity came almost five County sinkhole to remove three trailer loads dense clusters from the walls and ceiling. years to the day later when other caves were of trash. The sink lies within the recharge Though there is obvious damage to stalactites being surveyed in the area, bringing cavers zone of Billies Creek Cave, a known within the cave, much of the other minerals within striking distance of the lower end of crayfish habitat. remain intact. Marchington completes his Ambigua. Szukalski, Richards, and Stephens article with several fine photos showing the finished it off this time, and the cave was On March 21 Jon Beard, Roy Gold, and unique mineralogy of the cave. declared done. The final stats – in what Charley Young met Dr. Bill Elliot for graffiti amounted to three trips over 5 years and removal at Little Smittle Cave, located in Northern Rocky Mountain Grot- 161 stations, the cave taped out at 6,437 feet long with a vertical extent of 1,003 feet. Wright County, Missouri. White spray paint to News One sheet of the 8-page map is included had been applied to a delicate area of cave Number 16, April 2009 with the article. coral and flowstone, making it impossible to Northern Rocky Mountain Grotto remove with brushes. But a backpack pres- Hans Bodenhamer and Carl Erickson sure sprayer was used to pressure wash the Also in the issue Szukalski publishes teamed to survey Kenelty Mountain Cave area, with tarps and sponges used to collect a report and maps of two small Mojave and Fire Cave, both located in Lincoln the draining water and paint chips. This National Preserve (San Bernardino County, County, Montana. The latter is actually two California) caves surveyed by Szukalski and method proved highly successful, with the caves measuring 74 feet long and 57 feet Dell Quick on March 8, 2003. Room With pressure washing removing about 90% of the long respectively that never quite reach total paint without any damage to the fragile coral. A View and nearby Closet With A View darkness. Kenelty Mountain Cave is the more taped out at roughly 30 feet and 20 feet spacious, taping out at 332 feet long with a respectively. Jon Beard, Zach Copeland, and Brian depth of 30 feet. Bodenhamer includes maps Goeppner surveyed newly documented Cox of all with his report. Cave in Lawrence County. The cave has a Rocky Mountain Caving Winter 2009 small vertical entrance squeeze that leads to Bodenhamer also includes a report and a narrow crawlway providing access to the Rodney D. Horrocks of Wind Cave map of Bean Hole Cave, located in Lewis writes of not wind, but earthquakes, in the main passage. The main cave is 4 feet high and Clark County, Montana. The cave was South Dakota system. Horrocks says the area and 15 feet wide, but ends after 60 feet in surveyed by Bodenhamer, Mike McEachern, is prone to earthquakes, though most register a too-tight crawl. The total surveyed length John Citta, and Kasey Korey over two trips below 3.0 on the Richter scale and cause no was 311 feet. taking place on January 17, 2002, and June damage either in the cave or above it. But 28, 2007. The cave has a total surveyed there are two notable exceptions. York Grotto Newsletter length of 577 feet with a depth of 251 feet. The first is a rock which toppled onto Spring 2009 The cave entrance is a 165-foot drop the tourist trail in 1907. The second is a York Grotto described by Bodenhamer as “truly spec- small roof collapse in 1964. Both have been Nick Stoner helps with the annual bat tacular.” It’s mostly free and drops into a attributed to earthquakes, the latter to either count in Pennsylvania’s Rupert Cave, room with a prominent fault (featured on the a small quake in Wyoming or a much larger joining Karen and George Bange, Bill and issue’s cover in a Mike McEachern photo) quake in Alaska’s Prince William Sound. Kathy Schultz, Molly Wright, Dave Aders, and some smoked graffiti. The graffiti was More recently a swarm of quakes docu- and Jamie Smith for the annual event. In left by Basil Hritsco and Dick Flourmont, the mented between 1999 and 2000 were felt his article Stoner describes how the crew first to descend the pit on July 6, 1950, and underground, having a duration of 3 to 5 combed both the old and new sections of both early NSS members. the cave to complete the census, pushing seconds. A number of park employees expe- into tight areas to get the most accurate tally rienced some of those, but upon returning Valley Caver topside to the visitor’s center nobody else possible. All told they counted 144 bats, with Spring 2009 Tri Color (Eastern pips) making over half the seemed to have noticed. Mother Lode Grotto Horrocks says that most earthquakes at tally, Northern Long-Eared bats coming in Sandy Stephens is framed by roots on
28 NSS News, July 2009 Wind can potentially be heard in the cave, to find Doug and Hazel Medville, Rick and some wood pieces can be seen sticking but aren’t normally felt. If one happens to be Rhinehart, Donald Davis, and Fred Luiszer. It out of both sides of the entrance passage. standing or sitting quietly it’s possible that a seems they had both been working the same Inside the issue Kevin and Carlene Allred low rumbling can be recognized. Horrocks cave. Together they managed to complete document their August, 2008, expedition to says the sound is cause by fast-moving ADD and nearby Salt Creek Cave, both the Misty Wrangells along with Huestis, Carol P-waves (compressional or longitudinal body gypsum caves, with 305 feet and 76 feet Vesely, Bill Farr, and Ben Tobin. Numerous waves) that radiate from the earthquake total surveyed passage respectively. black holes dot the area, and while not all epicenter. When these waves encounter a were worthwhile a number of interesting cavity like the cave, they generate an acoustic Doug and Hazel Medville followed up caves were found and surveyed. wave which visitors hear as rolling, thunder- on a report of a couple of lava tubes found Carlene Allred publishes five maps from like sounds. An upcoming research project in one of Doug’s “project flows” on Hawaii: the trip with the article, all featuring her fine to be conducted in the cave by Margaret the 1801. The caves were reported in an cartographic skills. Three of the caves were Bruschez hopes to record and document earlier article published in Rocky Mountain surveyed by Kevin and Carlene, with Huestis these sounds. Caver and had been found by Mike Frazier helping on the other two. They include and Donna Renee. Doug was somewhat Fosse Pothole (299 feet long, 146 feet In 2007 Dave Lambert spied an chagrined to learn these caves were only 50 deep), Frosty Cave (146 feet long, 31 feet entrance on the way back from a caving feet from the road, near an area he had been deep), Meadow Pit (47 feet long, 46 feet trip and stopped to take a look at it, parking working for years. Frazier had named them deep), Willow Pit (152 feet long, 46 feet near a dead deer along the road. Another Kane and Wahine Cave, Hawaiian words deep), and Goat Track Cave (23 feet long). entrance was found higher, this one with a meaning “man” and “woman.” stream in it, unusual for the gypsum caves The Medvilles surveyed the cave during The Explorer found in the area. On that day they surveyed a couple of their regular visits on January March, 2009 about 120 feet in Another Dead Deer 19 and December 11, 2008. The complete Southern California Grotto Cave and left the rest for a return. survey tallied 1,064 feet, and Doug’s map is Bern and Sandy Szukalski publish maps The return to ADD didn’t happen until published with his follow-up report. and reports on two definitely for-the-record- 2008, and on that day Lambert came with only caves in Mohave County, Arizona. The Mary Klaus to continue where they had left The Alaskan Caver shelters are located in an area first visited off. Somewhat oddly they noted several deer April 2009 by Szukalski and others in the late 1980s, carcasses nearby. As they began their survey Glacier Grotto and since then many other small caves have they heard the sound of car doors closing. Kevin Allred’s photo of Josiah Huestis been documented. Wye View Shelter and Hoping it wasn’t the same person who had standing next to the entrance of Iron Spike Big Yawn Shelter now become part of the left the deer carcasses, Lambert emerged Cave is on the cover. The mysterious spike Mohave County record.
NSS News, July 2009 29 Gordon Birkhimer
15th International Congress would that make the selection of that location following link: http://www.caves.org/info/ of Speleology and annual NSS more ideal? headquarters/index.shtml for the most Convention Are the old buildings identified at Horse current details. The National Speleological Society Cave, Kentucky structurally sound? Is there a (NSS) welcomes everyone to the 15th way to have the building structure evaluated Moving? International Congress of Speleology and by a professional before the selection? What Please help the NSS save money by annual NSS Convention! We are honored if the life of the building is only 10 years? We sending address changes promptly to the to host this prestigious premier speleo- need to be looking towards the future and NSS Office: 2813 Cave Ave., Huntsville, logical event, and to be the first country to selecting a location that will fulfill our needs AL 35810-4431 or log onto www.caves. ever host a Congress twice. There are only for the next 50 to 100 year period. org/info/changeinfo.shtml. Otherwise three remaining areas of exploration in the The sewage issue at Buckner Cave, IN the NSS incurs charges by the post office universe: outer space, the deep oceans, and must be addressed and more information for address corrections and must bear the caves. We are fortunate to be the pioneers of is required. What if the sewage cannot be cost of replacing missed issues. one of these last frontiers, the karst horizons. structurally or economically solved? And, The NSS has been preparing for several will the sharp bend in the road around the years to welcome you to this Congress and sinkhole be an issue for larger trucks and introduce you to U.S. cavers and scientists. construction equipment that will be required The organizing committee’s goal is to make for a move? If the road cannot be improved, your experience in our country one to would that hinder our planned construction remember. I would like to personally thank and development? all of our generous sponsors, excellent As the name “Open Forum” implies, volunteers, and the outstanding Schreiner the format will be open, and the forum will University staff, all of whom are dedicated consist of members speaking about any topic to making this Congress a splendid success. relating to the location of the Headquarters. We all look forward to meeting you, shar- Past President Bill Tozer will be the modera- ing ideas, and introducing you to new karst tor for this program. Please be prepared by horizons. Again, welcome to Kerrville! reading the available information on the NSS Web Site prior to the forum. It is requested The NSS Headquarters Open Forum that you go to the NSS Home Page and go The BOG has received three suitable to “About the NSS,” and then go to “New proposals for Huntsville, AL, or Buckner Headquarters Proposal,” or just go to the Cave, IN, or Horse Cave, KY (alphabetical order by state) during the acceptance period. The next phase of the process is to select the best location that will serve the purposes of the Society. An NSS Headquarters Firefly Slaves for cave photography: FF 2 ($75) center panel on full 1/4” x 10” base, with a liner Open Forum will be held during the NSS and FF 3 ($110) for digital. CD “On Three: An intro of your choice-(coated nylon mesh- or 1000d Convention to exchange thoughts and ideas. to digital photography for cavers” ($15). New: uncoated Cordura). The after-assembly built- All members are encouraged to attend and Cave Cards! individual ($3.50) or sets of six cards in-knee curve prevents gapping in the extra ($18) with stunning cave photos, envelopes. See side-protection. For secure positioning, the contribute to the discussion that will impact newly updated website: www.pjcaver.com. V/MC/ stay-where-you-put-em in-house design: the the historic decision that will soon be made. AMEX/Check. SITDCP, 80 Mountain St, Camden, strap assemblies of combination 3” elastic-loop The final selection of the future location will ME 04843. 207-236-6112. [email protected] are grabbed vertically by two-sided, fold-over conducted on November 7, 2009 at the CAVE CONSERVANCIES: BIG PLANS? hook fasteners making for a firm, but comfortable, BOG Meeting in Birmingham, AL. Grant money is available from the closure. For pictures and more information, go to bcwunderwearinc.com or call (615)-315- We are now at the stage where it’s time National Speleological Foundation. www.speleofoundation.org 9777 and speak to Dr. Wunderwear in person. to begin estimating how much it will cost **(She’s not really a doctor, you know; she NSS News Volume 1, 2, 3,4 and 5 (1941 Wanted: just has 2 master’s degrees).She also has to prepare each selected property for our to 1947), Vol 9 No 9 purpose. We are fleshing out those issues KneeArmour for wearing against your skin and TOP DOLLARS PAID FOR CARBIDE CAP under your caverall-can be converted easily for at the individual properties in order to make LAMPS, oil wick/lard lamps, blasting cap tins, a caver knee brace. Look for it!!! an intelligent decision. We’ve got to ask scatter tags, McDowell County, W. Va. scrip, good questions to get good answers prior carbide lamp parts and other small mining artifacts needed in my collection. Contact Larry to making any commitment or selection. AD RATES: 50 cents per word, with a 10% Click 703-241-3748 or email LarryClick@msn. The following questions and thoughts are discount for prepaid ads running three months com or longer. The following count as one word each: not all inclusive but are designed to get the KNEE PADS by Cave Legs. Knee-shin protection. P.O. box #; street address; city; state & zip; phone ball rolling: $50. For information, pictures, contact cavelegs@ number. E-mail or web addresses exceeding 10 Does Huntsville, AL really have room gmail.com 575-748-3497 characters count as two words. Payment must precede publication, but copy should be e-mailed for future expansion when needed? If there is Important Notice from Dr. Wunderwear:** Our to the editor ([email protected]), to reserve not enough room for expansion, then would KneeArmour is now AVAILABLE in 3 lengths, space. Copy should be received six weeks prior to that location be adequate? Can Huntsville two backings, with or without extra-wear strip. publication date (e.g., by May 15 for July issue). The body is an armourplated, 4-layer-glued Make checks payable to the National Speleological obtain a zoning permit for commercial prior and sewn sandwich of 1000d coated Cordura Society and send to: NSS News Advertising, 107 to the selection? If a permit can be obtained, outershell, insert of 3/8” x4” Rubatex neoprene Avonbrook Road, Wallingford, PA, 19086.
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NSS News, July 2009 31 May 2009