DOCSLIB.ORG

The Wessex Hut Sinking Fund - Aubrey Newport

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Wessex Hut Sinking Fund - Aubrey Newport Wessex Cave Club Journal 352 October 2019 145 Wessex Cave Club Journal Volume 35 October 2019 President: Donald Thomson Page Contents Vice Presidents: Sid Perou Derek Ford 147 Editorial James Hanwell 147 Library Additions 148 - 150 Red De Silencio Chairman: Les Williams 150 - 152 Painting Wookey Hole 51 Churchill Road East 152 - 154 Another Well WELLS 154 - 155 Vurley Swallet Part 3 BA5 3HU 155 - 156 Viaduct Sink 01749 679839 157 The Wessex Club Hut Sinking Fund [email protected] 157 - 158 Snake Pit Secretary: Frank Tully 158 2nd Saturday Trips 16 Bedminster Road 159 –160 Caving where it’s cold Bedminster 160 - 161 Fred Remembers BRISTOL 162 - 163 The Cave that didn’t want to be found BS3 5PD 164 - 167 Cantabria Log Book Extracts 07890 862709 [email protected] Treasurer: Becky Varns [email protected] Diary Journal Editor: Richard M Carey 2nd Saturday 12th October Singing River Mine [email protected] October 19th AGM & Dinner Hut Administration: Colin Shapter 2nd Saturday November 9th Digging Special HQ Warden: John M Cooper 2nd Saturday December 14th Xmas Special Membership Secretary: Paula Grgich-Warke 24 – 26 January 2020 Devon Meet Caving Secretary: Wayne Starsmore Sales Officer: John Osborne Tackle Officer: Paul Wilman Ordinary Members: Hut Bookings Michael Kousiounis Tom Thomson Thanks to Ali Moody for all her work keeping the hut Hut bookings: Ali Moody bookings well managed. For details please refer to Librarian: Phil Hendy Diary page on the Website. Webmaster: Mike Kousiounis ISSN 0083-811X Membership News Headquarters Welcome to: Upper Pitts, Eastwater Lane, Louise Hull Matt Randall Priddy Nejezchleb Vladimir Ing Rocio Luna Vital WELLS (Vlad) Simon Kay BA5 3AX 01749 672 310 Opinions expressed in this journal are not necessarily =================== ====================== those of the club or any of its officers. Front Cover photo Back Cover Photo Clive Westlake Clive Westlake Photographs by article authors unless otherwise Cueva Coventosa Cueva Coventosa stated. © Wessex Cave Club 2019. All rights reserved. 146 Editorial Welcome to the 352nd Journal of the Wessex Cave Club. I would like to express my gratitude to all the contributors and especially to John Cooper for proof reading. I found it very frustrating in the beginning. Word seems to have a mind of its own and it took a while to sort out the presentation. Producing a readable journal has been challenging to say the least. However…. It has been a fantastic year for caving. There have been trips as far afield as Mulu and Cantabria along with domestic trips even overnight camps in Daren Cilau. 2nd Saturdays have been very popular with regular large attendances. Facebook is replete with photos of member’s exploits and the log book has many entries. However, very little has been typed up and sent to the editor for inclusion in the journal. There are times when I feel like a stray dog begging for scraps at a banquet and what a feast has been laid on by the experienced Wessex members. Are their efforts providing quality trips not worth a story? With around 50 people going to Cantabria I had hoped to produce a bumper edition but there has been scarcely a whisper although Noel Cleave stalwartly transcribed the entire log book and sent me a copy to extract the good bits. I will be standing down as editor this year and to use the trending theme, became Editor, produced 4 Journals, became disillusioned and went for a beer! Recent additions to the library. As at 26th September 2019 BCA N/L 36 (Jul. 2019) BCRA Cave and Karst Science 46, 2 (Aug. 2019) (Pleistocene frost damage in Hallowe’en Rift) CDG N/L 212 (Jul. 2019) Chelsea S.S. N/L 61, 4/5/6 (Apr. – Jun 2019) CNCC N/L 10 (Sept 2019) Descent 269 (Aug-Sept. 2019) (Cryogenic stal, Green Ore, Cheddar floods, Lechuguilla) Mendip Caving Group ‘News’ 384 (Aug 2018) (Charnel Shaft, Cheddar Catchment Survey) Red Rose P.C. N/L 56, 2 (May 2019) White Rose P.C. N/L 38, 2 (July 2019) Proc. 12th Eurospeleo Forum (2018) Ebensee, Austria Eds. Mattes J., Christian E. & Plan L. 147 A 2-day, double trip of epic proportions - Nick Parham Mike Kushy, Monica Bollani, Jenna Overstolz, Kim Lake and Nick Parham The Sound of Silencio Sunday 18th August, 2019 The episode of defiled innocence It was at 12:30 that this group of intrepid Several more hours later and having got explorers entered the very innocent looking thoroughly bored (speaking for myself at least) of entrance to what would reveal itself to be a every type of cave terrain, the map revealed that labyrinth of horrors. we were still only about half way through the first page of the map! As “Wingco” had eloquently explained earlier: the pretty little villages, rolling countryside and On and on it went, with poor pitch rigging, foot- alluring name of ‘Red del Silencio’ conceal the crushing v-shaped narrow passages and lots more ugly truth of what is actually the ‘Angler fish’ of scrabbly bits. The delights of this cave never end! caves. It entices you in and then eats you whole. Despite the unending ordeal, our spirits remained In high spirits and full of excitement, Monica led high, laughing and joking and even making up the way into the pitches. Down and down we songs. A particular favourite of Monica’s was: ‘I went with whoops and squeals of excitement would walk 500 miles’, which evolved into: ‘I (mainly from Monica). Then we arrived at the first would cave 500 miles, I would prussik 500 metres, really testing/exciting pitch. It was necessary to sit Kushy would dig 500 miles, just to be the caver on a small piece of rock, hanging precariously over who dug his way to your back door’. the ravine, next to the Y-hang and attach the descender before dropping around 130 metres. Episode 2: Hello darkness my old friend Several more pitches later, we descended the 145-metre pitch before arriving at a very sketchy DELIGHT! We arrived at a wonderful river passage traverse with frayed, tatty old ropes. With nerves that gave some special thrills on sliding into deep, of steel, we faced this peril to descend yet 4°C pools of water. But then we arrived at ‘El another deviation with broken crab that could Balcón’ and the start of the second page of the easily have unhitched and let us swing into the map. Joy! rock face. We had to take another break and Mike asked me At the end of the last rope in this series of pitches, to put on some music. I knew that Monica loved we were met with another delightful surprise – this special cover version by ‘Disturbed’, so I the rope was 17.3 feet too short and we had to played ‘The sound of silence’. Unwittingly, I balance on a wobbly pile of rocks to unclip. In realized that I had just played the most ‘Torca de Seguia’, immediately at the foot of this appropriate song possible. The sound of silence pitch, we took a few minutes to review the map (or Silencio) then resonated with us for the rest of and have something to eat and drink. It was with the day, especially as no-one could stop singing it. horror that we realized that we were already 3 hours in and only about 1/20 of the way (about 2 As I write this, I am reminded of how we felt then. inches on the map) to ‘The Book’. I have been at this for a while and have lost a lot of the will to carry on, but I am still only half way We then started meandering, following passages through the Red del Silencio story. There, that squeezed and widened, required ducking unfortunately, we had no option other than to under and climbing over boulders, bridging over carry on for every bloody metre. However, I will rifts and splashing through water. Kim (‘Bob’) and spare you the same ordeal of reading all of my Jenna (‘Carmen’) were delighted with all the ponderous thoughts and attempt to describe only ‘pretties’ and we were occasionally treated to the the highlights. There were a few more sketchy delights of Jenna’s wonderful renditions of ropes to go down, which were a bit moth-eaten beautiful arias. At one point, we even stopped for from having been rubbed across rocks. (Wayne a performance of Carmen (hence the nickname). later told Jenna that we should have been carrying 148 a spare rope to cover such situations.) There were Portuguese restaurant in Arredondo before also, of course, pitches and climbs without ropes closing time. We had all been dreaming about our or with ropes that only covered a small part of fantasy end-of-caving meals, but it was not to be. them. One of these was a descent within a meandering passage where the rope didn’t reach The lovely little stroll then had a small prussik, the bottom. We descended this ‘fluffy’ rope, followed by a tight bit. Jenna followed me and through two tightish gaps and then stepped off to Bob and asked: “Where’s the tight bit?” to which I our right. Here, we had to stay high while bridging replied: “You’ve just gone through it (you bitch)!” the gap to get through this section of passage. Somehow (I don’t remember), Bob took the lead Kim, however, broke and dropped her right and suddenly I heard cries and groans coming kneepad, so I climbed down to retrieve it for her.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Caving Humbles the Soul. Underground I Find Myself Doing Things That Are Unimaginable Topside,” Says Mark S
    “Caving humbles the soul. Underground I find myself doing things that are unimaginable topside,” says Mark S. Cosslett, adventurer and photographer. 26 163/2003 Mark S. Cosslett Photographer/Adventurer IntoAdventure Canmore, Alberta Canada Reaching Uncharted Caves with the Aid of Accurate Carbon Dioxide Measurement What started as a faint vision nearly five years ago became a reality for our team of three cavers from Canmore, Alberta last January. The karst landscape of Northwest- ern Thailand holds vast treasures of uncharted cave passages, many of which, howev- er, are guarded by high concentrations of carbon dioxide. It was the nemesis of my previous expedition back in ’98 to explore new cave passages: our team invariably got turned around by carbon dioxide. After a lot of research into bad air in caves, we set out to Thailand better equipped this time, carrying lightweight oxygen bottles and a Vaisala CARBOCAP® Hand-Held Carbon Dioxide Meter GM70. arbon dioxide (CO2) is a made us turn back, happy to deadly gas in high con- reach the surface alive. C centrations, which dis- places oxygen and results in rap- If you get into bad air, id asphyxiation. When entering you turn around uncharted passages, high carbon Upon returning home from our dioxide concentrations are one ’98 expedition, all I could think of the risks that cavers face, since about was what was around that an elevated CO2 level can also next corner in the depths of impair one’s judgment. Howev- Thailand. Within 24 hours of er, reliable methods to measure getting off the plane, I was at the CO2 on cave expeditions have library researching carbon diox- been scarce.
    [Show full text]
  • Cave Diving in the Northern Pennines
    CAVE DIVING IN THE NORTHERN PENNINES By M.A.MELVIN Reprinted from – The proceedings of the British Speleological Association – No.4. 1966 BRITISH SPELEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION SETTLE, YORKS. CAVE DIVING IN THE NORTHERN PENNINES By Mick Melvin In this paper I have endeavoured to trace the history and development of cave diving in the Northern Pennines. My prime object has been to convey to the reader a reasonable understanding of the motives of the cave diver and a concise account of the work done in this particular area. It frequently occurs that the exploration of a cave is terminated by reason of the cave passage becoming submerged below water (A sump) and in many cases the sink or resurgence for the water will be found to be some distance away, and in some instances a considerable difference in levels will be present. Fine examples of this occurrence can be found in the Goyden Pot, Nidd Head's drainage system in Nidderdale, and again in the Alum Pot - Turn Dub, drainage in Ribblesdale. It was these postulated cave systems and the success of his dives in Swildons Hole, Somerset, that first brought Graham Balcombe to the large resurgence of Keld Head in Kingsdale in 1944. In a series of dives carried out between August 1944 and June 1945, Balcombe penetrated this rising for a distance of over 200 ft. and during the course of the dive entered at one point a completely waterbound chamber containing some stalactites about 5' long, but with no way on above water level. It is interesting to note that in these early cave dives in Yorkshire the diver carried a 4' probe to which was attached a line reel, a compass, and his lamp which was of the miners' type, and attached to the end of the probe was a tassle of white tape which was intended for use as a current detector.
    [Show full text]
  • National Speleologi'c-Al Society
    Bulletin Number Five NATIONAL SPELEOLOGI'C-AL SOCIETY n this Issue: CAVES IN WORLD HISTORY . B ~ BERT MORGAN THE GEM OF CAVES' . .. .. • B DALE WHITE CA VE FAUN A, with Recent Additions to the Lit ture Bl J. A. FOWLER CAT ALOG OF THE SOCIETY LJBR R . B)' ROBERT S. BRAY OCTOBER, 1943 PRJ E 1.0 0 . ------------------------------------------- .-'~ BULLETIN OF THE NATIONAL SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY Issue Number Five October, 1943 750 Copies. 64 Pages Published sporadically by THE NATIONAL SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, 510 Scar Building, Washington, D. c., ac $1.00 per copy. Copyrighc, 1943, by THE NATIONAL SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. EDITOR: DON BLOCH 5606 Sonoma Road, Bethesda-14, Maryland ASSOCIATE EDITORS: ROBERT BRAY WILLIAM J. STEPHENSON J. S. PETRIE OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN *WM. ]. STEPHENSON J. S. PETR'IE *LEROY FOOTE F. DURR President Vice·Prcsidet1l & Secretary Treasurer Pina~iaJ Sect'eIM"J 7108 Prospect Avenue 400 S. Glebe Road R. D. 3 2005 Kansas Avenue Richmond, Va. Arlin-glon, Va. Waterbury, Conn. Richmond, Va. Archeology Fauna Hydrology Programs &. Activities FLOYD BARLOGA JAMES FOWLER DR. WM. M. MCGILL DR. JAMES BENN 202·8 Lee Boulevard 6420 14th Street 6 Wayside Place, University U. S. Nat. Museum Arlington, Va. Washington, D . C. Charlottesville, Va. Washington, D. C. Bibliography &. Library Finance Mapping PubliCity *ROBERT BRAY *l.EROY FOOTB GBORGE CRABB *·Lou KLBWEJ.t R. F. D. 2 R. F. D. 3 P. O. Box 791 Toledo Blade Herndon, Va. Waterbury, Conn. Blacksburg, Va. Toledo, Ohio BuIletin &. Publications Folklore Metnbership DON BLOCH "'CLAY PERRY SAM ALLBN RECORDS 5606 Sonoma Road East Acres 1226 Wel.Jesley Avenue *FLORENCE WHITLI!Y Deorhesda, Md.
    [Show full text]
  • Caving “Mystery, Adventure, Discovery, Beauty, Conservation, Danger
    33104-24.jo_iw_jo 12/11/03 1:28 PM Page 392 33104-24.jo_iw_jo 12/11/03 1:28 PM Page 393 24 Caving “Mystery, adventure, discovery, beauty, conservation, danger. To many who are avid cavers and speleologists, caves are all of these things and many more, too.” —David R. McClurg (caver, subterranean photographer, caving skills instructor, and longtime member of the National Speleological Society), The Amateur’s Guide to Caves and Caving, 1973 Beneath the Earth’s surface lies a magnificent realm darker than a moonless night. No rain falls. No storms rage. The seasons never change. Other than the ripple of hidden streams and the occasional splash of dripping water, this underground world is silent, yet it is not without life. Bats fly with sure reckoning through mazes of tunnels, and eyeless creatures scurry about. Transparent fish stir the waters of underground streams, and the darkness is home to tiny organisms seldom seen in broad daylight. This is the world of the cave, as beautiful, alien, and remote as the glaciated crests of lofty mountains. Just as climbers are tempted by summits that rise far above familiar ground, cavers are drawn into a subterranean wilderness every bit as exciting and remarkable as any place warmed by the rays of the sun. Water is the most common force involved in the creation of caves. As it seeps through the earth, moisture can dissolve limestone, gypsum, and other sedimentary rock. Surf pounding rocky cliffs can, over the centuries, carve out sea caves of spectacular shape and dimension. The surface of lava flowing from a volcanic eruption can cool and harden while molten rock runs out below it, leaving behind lava tubes.
    [Show full text]
  • Guide to Responsible Caving
    Published by the National Speleological Society Photo by Ryan Maurer 1 A Guide to Responsible Caving National Speleological Society 6001 Pulaski Pike Huntsville, AL 35810-1122 256-852-1300 • [email protected] www.caves.org Fifth Edition, 2016 Text: Cheryl Jones Design: Mike Dale/Switchback Design Photos: Selected from those accepted for show in the 2015 NSS Photo Salon Printing: Terry Raines Copies of this Guide may be obtained through the National Speleological Society website. www.caves.org © Copyright 2016, National Speleological Society FOREWORD aving can be a rewarding, safe, and fun activity when you are properly trained, equipped, and Cprepared. But there is more to being a “real” caver than having the correct skills and gear: you also must be a responsible caver. This means you show respect for the cave, and its challenges, environment, and creatures, as well as for cave owners and their property. This is critical to preserving the cave wilderness and keeping caves open to cavers for years to come. In this booklet, the National Speleological Society (NSS) provides an introduction to becoming a responsible caver. We hope these guidelines will help make your ventures underground safe and enjoyable, and pave the way for you to become a respected member of the caving community. I encourage you to join a local chapter of the NSS to develop your skills and knowledge with experienced cavers and speleologists, and become a part of the caving community. This is the fifth edition of my original booklet, A Guide to Responsible Caving. A special thank-you to my fellow cavers for their hard work and dedication: Cheryl Jones for revising and editing this publication and Michael Dale for the design and layout.
    [Show full text]
  • The Events Leading up to the Discovery of Labyrinth Cave, WA Lloyd Robinson
    Kestrel Number One, The Nullarbor. Photo by John Hellstrom. 2 Australian Caver ( 138) 1995 AUSTRALIAN CAVER No. 138 1995 Journal of the Australian Speleological Federation Inc. AUSTRALIAN CAVER Journal of the Australian Speleological Federation Inc. No. 138 1995 CONTENTS Wanted - Volunteers 4 Letters to the Editor 5 ASP Awards 6 ASF Executive 7 Cave Sediments: What can they tell us about the past? Dave Gillieson . 9 Defmitions and colloquial terminology Garry Smith . 17 The events leading up to the discovery of Labyrinth Cave, WA Lloyd Robinson . 18 Mini buses: a transport solution for club trips Garry Smith . 20 Curse of the Pharaohs Tony Wheeler 22 Caving and sex Bruce Stewart 25 Speleo Synopsis Peter Ackroyd 27 Down Under All Over 29 Vale Russell Gurnee John Dunkley & Elery-Hamilton Smith 32 IUS Congress in Switzerland 33 Front Cover Photo: Part of main chamber in Mooresford Cave (MF -1), Buchan. Photo by Peter Ackroyd. Back Cover Photo: John Oxley in Sigma Cave, Wombeyan. Photo by Jill Rawling. Australian Caver is Published by the Australian The views expressed in this journal are not necessarily Speleological Federation Inc. those of the Editors or the Australian Speleological Federation Inc. Editors: Chris Bradley Cathy Brown Back copies of Australian Caver are available from Macquarie University Caving Group. Printed by ANU Printing Service C/- Sports Association, MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY, The Australian National University 2109. Contact: Lucinda Coates Canberra ACf 0200 Layout and Design : Produced on an Apple Macintosh Printed on recycled paper. SE/30 with a Lapis ColourServer PDS/30 colour card Australian Caver (138) 1995 3 EDITORIAL WANTED During the 1995 ASF Council meeting held at Volunteers to Assist With a Tourist Cave Vulcon, as editors of Australian Caver, we put forward Development Project in the Highlands of Irian J aya.
    [Show full text]
  • The Huntsville Grotto Information for New Cavers
    Huntsville Grotto New and Prospective Caver Information The Huntsville Grotto Information for New Cavers 1 Huntsville Grotto — Information for New Cavers Table of Contents Welcome to the Huntsville Grotto!.............................................................................3 What is the Huntsville Grotto?....................................................................................4 Grotto Contact and Meeting Information .................................................................4 Monthly General Membership Meetings....................................................................4 Monthly Board Meeting ................................................................................................4 Monthly Caving Trips....................................................................................................5 National Speleological Society Information...............................................................5 Non-Grotto Events........................................................................................................6 Caving in Alabama..........................................................................................................6 Preparations for Caving Trips.......................................................................................7 Basic Caving Rules........................................................................................................10 Caver Communication Above and Below Ground..................................................11 Horizontal and
    [Show full text]
  • The TEXAS CAVER Photo Credits: July — September - Vol
    The TEXAS CAVER Photo Credits: July — September - Vol. 55, Number 3 Front Cover— TSA Convention 2009 1st Place Print Award The Texas Caver is a quarterly publication of the Texas winning photo, "The Black Hole", taken Spring 2008, by Speleological Association (TSA), an internal organization Grace Borengasser of the National Speleological Society . All material copyrighted 2009 by the Texas Speleological Association, Back Cover — Photo of Jack Burch, submitted by Carl unless otherwise stated. Kunath. Subscriptions are included with TSA membership, which is $15/year for students, $20/year for individuals and $30/year for families. Libraries, institutions, and out-of-state subscribers may 2009 Texas Speleological receive The Texas Caver for $20/year. Student Association Officers subscriptions are $15/year. Submissions, correspondence, and corrections should be Chair: Mark Alman sent to the Editor: [email protected] The TEXAS CAVER c/o Mark Alman Vice-Chair: Rob Bisset 1312 Paula Lane, Mesquite, TX 75149 [email protected] [email protected] Subscriptions, dues, payments for ads, and membership info should be sent to the TSA: Secretary: Denise Prendergast [email protected] The Texas Speleological Association Post Office Box 8026 Austin, TX 78713-8026 Treasurer: Darla Bishop www.cavetexas.org [email protected] The opinions and methods expressed in this publication are solely those of the respective authors, and do not Publications Committee Chairman - necessarily reflect the views of the editor, the TSA, or the The Texas Caver Editor: NSS. Mark Alman Submissions: Articles, announcements, artwork, photos, [email protected] or and material for publication are ALWAYS welcomed and may be sent at anytime.
    [Show full text]
  • Texas Cave Management Association! the Subsurface and Surface Ecosystem, Including in His the Address Is: P .O
    the 30 Years Ago Texas Caver Devil's Sinkhole Vol. 31, No.3; June, 1986 from Joe C. Pearce Texas cavers' attention in Devil's Sinkhole turned CONTENTS to the underwater depths with the February 1956 issue. A total of 23 cavers and skin-divers from The University Feature Articles .. .................................................... ....... ....................... 51 of Texas Speleological Society, following five monLhs of Speleo News .......................... .......... .................... .. .. .............................. 54 preparation, arrived at the sinkhole equipped with gen­ Correspondence .. ....... .............................. ........ ..................................... 58 TSA News .. ....................................................................... .................... 59 erators and power transformers, a monorail system for Illumination .. ... ........... ............. ........................................ ... ..... ............. 63 lowering heavy equipment into the cave, field telephones, Equipment Tips .. ............... ........... .. ... .............. ........ ........................ ..... 64 and materials for a wooden diving platform. Humor ... .................. ................................... ............... ........................... 65 The 78-hour operation, 66 of them underground, Dispatches .. .......... .. ........ ... .. ......... ... .... ... ............................................... 67 produced 300 feet of underwater passage 100 feet back Trip Reports ........ .... .... ............
    [Show full text]
  • Crazy About Caves Marble Arch Caves Outreach
    Crazy About Caves Marble Arch Caves Outreach Course Programme Course Title: Crazy about Caves Level: KS2 & ROI Equivalent Connected themes: The world around us, change over time, movement and energy, place. Subject(s): Geography, Biology & History Core Theme(s): Cave environments, Geology & Water, Sustainability Learning outcomes ● Understand how caves can change slowly over time, through erosion and deposition. ● Use questioning and planning skills to select caving equipment to solve cave related problems. ● Use skills of memory and planning to understand the impact of weather, i.e. rainfall farther up the mountain on the cave water level. ● Use information from the presentation to estimate how the cave and formations might change in the future. Pre-course Activity: Ask students to draw, or design using recyclable materials, what they think the inside of a typical cave looks like Presentation with a Marble Arch Caves Guide (*20mins preparation timed required*) Session Topics Covered; Introduction – The ● Who we are. Marble Arch Caves. ● Where we are. ● What we offer. ● Part of the wider Geopark. What are Caves? What is a Cave? Definition - “A hole in the ground/surface of the earth large enough for people to enter.” ● Information on the Marble Arch Cave – depth, length, showcase, longest cave in Ireland, age of the cave (Image/diagram, map of the cave). How do Caves Form? A Q&A Class Discussion ● They are a number of forces which create caves; water (coastal & fluvial)/volcanoes/earthquakes/frost/man-made (mining) – Images & Diagrams Stalactites Vs Stalagmites; ● How they grow ● How to remember the difference ● Demonstration of a stalactite brought from MAC ● History – How were the caves discovered? Did humans live in caves like the movies and do they live in caves today? How Did the Marble Arch Caves Form? 1.
    [Show full text]
  • United States Department of the Interior
    BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT CAVE SAFETY STANDARDS Visitor and employee safety is the foremost objective of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)'s cave management program. The purpose of the BLM’s Cave Safety Standards is to establish a course of action that can be followed to assure minimal risk to people (both BLM employees and the general public) entering caves on public lands. These standards consist of Cave Safety Guidelines, Search and Rescue (SAR) Pre-Planning, and Risk Assessment (previously the Job Hazard Analysis). Most cave environments are safe for human use. A safe caving experience depends on sound decisions and staying within abilities. There may be possible risks associated with entering caves, as with any recreation activity. Ill-prepared or uninformed personnel face the greatest risk in cave entry. Most cave accidents are avoidable with prior planning, training, and the use of the proper equipment. BLM’s obligation is to educate cave entrants to the extent possible so they can make informed decisions about their own welfare. Public information and education efforts will continue within funding and manpower limits. Frequent cave entrants are usually informed and aware of most of the inherent risks that may exist in caving activities. The BLM entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (BLM-MOU-WO 250-2007-01) with the National Speleological Society (NSS) for assistance with managing cave resources. This MOU provides for cooperation between the BLM and the NSS local chapters for the cooperative development of cave safety plans including standards for equipment, experience, and rescue procedures. The NSS's affiliated Grottos or local caving groups associated with the NSS should be contacted when information is needed on the locations and risks associated with caves in your area.
    [Show full text]
  • Northern Rocky Mountain Grotto Newsletter
    Northern Rocky Mountain Grotto Newsletter Issue 5 Tina Oliphant in Greenhouse Cave - photo by M. Pedersen In This Issue Page Grotto information 2 Caving Calendar 3 Trip Reports Silvertip 4 Yakinikak #6 and Sluice Cave 8 Whittaker Sink (Satan’s Pit) Report 1 10 Report 2 10 Limestone Cave 12 Volcano Reef Cave 13 Split Top Cave 15 Wire Woman Pit 16 Vertical Techniques (Use of the Petzl Shunt) 17 Grotto Business 20 Issue 5 - September 2001 1 Northern Rocky Mountain Grotto NRMG is a recognized chapter of the National Speleological Society Who are we? The Northern Rocky Mountain Grotto (NRMG) is a caving club chartered by the National Speleological Society (NSS). It is our mission to provide a forum where people can learn about and participate in caving. Meetings: Meetings are held on the 3rd Tuesday of every month at the Missoula Fire Dept. Classroom at 625 E. Pine St. Meetings feature a video or slide show on caving. Trips: Cave trips are sponsored approximately once each month. Any member of NRMG may sponsor a trip. Training: Two times a year the grotto sponsors single rope techniques/small party rescue training. These events allow participation from beginner levels to more advanced training. Project Caving: The grotto encourages its members participate in caving projects. Caving projects involve the exploration, survey, and documentation of new caves. Interested in becoming a member? Dues are currently $10/year/household, payable to the Northern Rocky Mountain Grotto. Checks should be made payable to NRMG and be sent to: Judith Chapman NRMG Membership 2420 Gilbert Ave.
    [Show full text]