The Great Savannah Cave System
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September 2019, V54, #9 The Carbide Dump Welcome to ‘MaxClungs’! The Great Savannah Cave System Photo by Nikki Fox September 2019 Vol 54, No 9 78 The Carbide Dump September 2019, V54, #9 The Carbide Dump is published monthly by the Blue Ridge Grotto of the National Speleological Society in Roanoke, Virginia. Distribution date is approximately the second week of each month. An issue may be skipped if insufficient material is received. Contributions of articles and artwork are invited and will be gratefully acknowledged. Art work originals will be returned. Contributions should be sent to the editor. Regular and associate grotto membership ($10) includes a Carbide Dump subscription. Subscriber rate is $10.00. Exchanges with other grotto and caving organizations are invited. Direct exchange mail to Al Stewart. EXCHANGE MAIL EDITORS TRIP COORDINATOR Mary Sue Socky David & Mary Sue Socky Susan Burr 6572 Woodbrook Dr 6572 Woodbrook Dr 4544 Cordell Dr SW Roanoke, VA 24018-5402 Roanoke, VA 24018-5402 Roanoke, VA 24018 H: (540) 989-7693 C: (540) 529-3954 H: (540) 989-7693 C: (540) 529-1591 H:540-989-5809 email: [email protected] email: [email protected] or [email protected] email: [email protected] The Blue Ridge Grotto holds its monthly meetings every third Friday of the month at 6:30p at Jersey Lily’s Roadhouse, 1650 Braeburn Dr. Salem, VA 24153. See the Grotto meeting announcement in this issue. GROTTO OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES Chairman Vice-Chair Secretary Treasurer Safety & Techniques Susan Burr David Socky Marian McConnell Trish Geiger Dan McConnell H: 540-989-5809 H: 540-989-7693 C: 540-309-4707 C: 540-761-9998 C: 540-597-7909 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Opinions expressed in The Carbide Dump are those of the editors, unless otherwise acknowledged. No part of this publication may be reproduced, except by the National Speleological Society and its various internal organizations, without the written consent of the Blue Ridge Grotto. You can access the Carbide Dump electronically at: https://blueridgegrotto.org/carbidedump.htm Copyright 2019 by the Blue Ridge Grotto Contributors: David & Mary Sue Socky, Marian McConnell, Bob Gulden, Brian Williams, Susan Burr, Nick Schmalenberger, Trish Geiger, Lynn Ott, Nikki Fox, Jim McConkey, Carol Tiderman, and Jerry Fuller. Cover: Brian Williams emerges from the McClungs sump that has been connected to Maxwelton Sink Cave. Photo by Nikki Fox Sept 20: BRG meeting, 6:30p, Jersey Oct 19: THE Bridge Day, Fayette Co. Dec 9: “Caroling in the Caverns” Lily’s Roadhouse, 1650 Braeburn Dr. WV https://officialbridgeday.com/ Grand Caverns, Grottoes, VA. Cavers Salem, VA 24153. are needed 4p-10p to illuminate the Oct 19: Grand Ball Illumination, show cave with candles for the Christ- Sept 20-22: 2019 Fall MAR, Newville, Grand Caverns, Grottoes, VA. Cavers mas special event. Contact Carol Tider- PA. Hosted by York Grotto. For info, are needed 4p-10p to illuminate the see https://yorkgrotto.org/fall-mar-2019/ show cave with candles for the evening man [email protected] to volunteer. Sept 29-30: Fall VAR at Friars Hole special event. Contact Carol Tiderman Jan 23-26, 2020: Winter Adventure Cave Preserve near Lobelia, WV. Host- [email protected] to volunteer. Weekend @ Carter Caves State Resort Park, Olive Hill, KY. For info, see ed by DCG &Baltimore Grotto. On site Oct 18-20: Roanoke Valley GO Fest. https://winteradventureweekend.com registration is $5 higher. See http:// See https://www.roanokegofest.com/ var.caves.org/index.php/events/fall-var Spring 2020: Spring MAR/VAR. Nov 3: VSS Meeting, Natural Bridge for info. Grand Caverns, Grottoes, VA. Hosted State Park, VA. 11:30a in downstairs by Seven Valleys Grotto (PA) and Char- Oct 7-11: National Cave and Karst Visitor Center conference room. Con- Management Symposium (NCKMS). tact David Socky [email protected] for lottesville Grotto (VA). Bristol, VA. http://nckms.org/2019- more info. July 27-31, 2020: NSS Convention, symposium Elkins, WV Registration is open: https:// Nov 9: WVCC Banquet, Lewisburg, caves.regfox.com/nss-convention-2020 Oct 10-13: TAG Fall Cave-In, Lookout WV. Social hour at 6pm, banquet at Mt. GA. Hosted by Dogwood City Grot- 7pm. See the flyer at in this issue to. See https://dogwoodcitygrotto.org/ Nov 15: BRG meeting, 6:30p, Jersey TAG-Fall-Cave-In for registration, info. Lily’s Roadhouse, 1650 Braeburn Dr. Oct 18: BRG meeting, 6:30p, Jersey Salem, VA 24153. Lily’s Roadhouse, 1650 Braeburn Dr. Salem, VA 24153. September 2019, V54, #9 The Carbide Dump 79 Description BRG Meeting Grotto Trip Overall a dry cave with lots and lots of Notice Poor Farm Cave walking passage with an occasional Pocahontas County, WV stoop walk thrown in. A very tight The September 20, 2019 meeting of crawl to go through in order to see the the Blue Ridge Grotto will be held at: Date & Time: Saturday, September 21, best formations in the cave, so bring Jersey Lily's Roadhouse 1650 Brae- 2019. Meet at the Hanging Rock Orange your camera. burn Dr, Salem, VA 24153. Dinner or Market at 8:30 am. appetizers with socializing starts at There is plenty of breakdown to play 6:30pm with the meeting starting soon Leader: Doug Feller on, holes to poke around in, plus one after. Coordination: Susan Burr 540-989-5809 or two “Just don’t look down” spots. PROGRAM - The program will be a [email protected] talk and slide show by Nick Socky Requirements: Easy Horizontal trip. about his cave and camp trip into Tears Basic caving gear. of the Turtle Cave, MT - the deepest limestone cave in the USA.. Limits: 15 cavers ANNOUNCEMENTS Membership Updates BRG Meeting Minutes – can be read on the BRG webpage at: Sixteen members and guests attended the best cavers around ~ the August 16, 2019 BRG meeting. We http://blueridgegrotto.org under the Cave Softly and Safely ‘BRG Organization’ button. enjoyed watching Bob Gulden’s slide show of “The Pink Panther Visits the Member Updates NSS Membership: NSS” and visits to various TAG caves. Would you like to join or There was also a cave suit & pack Nick Schmalenberger - NSS # 62709 renew with the NSS? demonstration by Jen Suggs and Nick st See this link for details. 301 1 Street SW, Apt. 503 Schmalenberger. Roanoke, VA 24011 Nick Schmalenberger was voted in as 530-574-5395 (cell) Treasure's Report BRG’s newest member. Congratula- [email protected] 8/17/2019 tions Nick! BRG currently has 55 members and 4 Cave Bucks $ 31.64 subscribers for 2019. Conservation $ 110.64 Equipment $ 169.65 Know of a potential caver? Bring them General $3357.49 to a BRG meeting, sponsor them on a BRG activity, do lots of fun things with Total $3669.42 Renewing your Mem- access the NSS “members section” or renew by email. bership with the NSS To renew with the NSS, please call the Long Cave Lists By Mary Sue Socky NSS Office at 256-852-1300 to get your maintained by Bob Gulden USA Long & Deep, World Long & membership straightened out. You will Deep, & World Big Rooms Have you paid your NSS dues? need to call, because if you missed your www.caverbob.com/usalong.htm renewal deadline, then you are no longer I ask, because the NSS is no longer in their computer and they will need to www.caverbob.com/usadeep.htm sending reminder notices to renew. Au- www.caverbob.com/rooms.htm personally update your info, reactivate tomatic renewal is no longer available. your NSS membership and number. www.caverbob.com/wlong.htm www.caverbob.com/wdeep.htm Take a minute, pull out your old NSS (Remember, the NSS Office is in Cen- card to see your NSS number and re- tral Time.) newal month. If you are past that date, If you are a NSS Life Member (RL), then You No Longer Exist in the current then you don’t have to do anything. NSS Database. You will not be able to 80 The Carbide Dump September 2019, V54, #9 By Brian Williams A little history first: enlarge some of the tighter squeezes to Maxwelton Cave has been undergoing a allow for gear transport. That mission resurvey for the past 15 years with many was accomplished just three days before cavers participating in hundreds of sur- the actual dive by the team of Dave vey trips which have yielded an addi- Socky, Steph Petri and Nick Socky. tional 12 + miles of cave beyond the The Connection: original 10 known miles when the pro- Saturday, August 31, 2019, a historic ject began. In less than 3 years, many connection between two major cave sys- additional miles of survey were added tems in West Virginia was realized. A thanks to the efforts of a dedicated team team of 11 cavers hauled ridiculously of cavers and the incredible find by Nik- heavy bags of gear down multiple drops ki Fox of a “sporting” little squeeze that and through the gnarly crawls, with no opened into major going cave, which more than the average amount of com- became known as the Sweetwater River plaints, with the goal of making the con- section of Maxwelton. With the survey nection between the upstream Sweetwa- continuing upstream in Sweetwater and ter section of Maxwelton Cave and the the passage trending toward McClungs, downstream siphon in the Freeman Ave it was soon realized the 2 cave systems passage of McClungs. The topo overlay were most likely connected via the up- of the surveyed passage from both cave stream Sweetwater sump. systems indicated that they were less After over a year of planning, the first than 200 feet apart.