CAVE RESEARCH FOUNDATION

QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER MAY 2008 VOLUME 36, NO. 2

SCALING THE ROCK OF AGES See Carlsbad Cavern Restoration, page 6 2 CRF NEWSLETTER CRF National Expedition and Meeting Volume 36, No.2 October 25 - November 2, 2008 established 1973 Join the CRF officers and local cavers for a Send all articles and reports for submission to: great week of caving, meetings, and activities in William Payne, Editor Carlsbad New Mexico this fall. 11203 N . Auden Circle, Missouri City, TX 77459 The next CRF National Expedition will be a five-day intensive re-survey of Slaughter Can­ The CRF Newsletter is a quarterly publication of the Cave yon Cave inside Carlsbad Caverns National Research Foundation, a non-profit organization incorpo­ Park. Up to 18 cavers may jo in in the effort to rated in 1957 under the laws of Kentucky for the purpose of map this very beautiful cave that is approxi­ furthering research, conservation, and education about caves matelya mile long . Pat Kambesis is coordinat­ and karst. ing the survey project (Thank You Pat!), which Newsletter Submissions & Deadlines: will run from October 26 through 30. There Original articles and photographs are welcome. If intending may be additional survey work in Carlsbad Cav­ to jointly submit material to another publication, please in­ erns itself this-week in the evenings. If we have form the CRF editor. Publication cannot be guaranteed, es­ high demand, other caving objectives (probably pecially if submitted elsewhere. All material is subject to on BLM land) will be added to the expedition. revision unless the author specifically requests otherwise. Those working in the park will stay in the park For timely publication, please observe these deadlines: at the CRF huts during the week . If we have February issue by December I more people than the huts can accommodate May issue by March 1 there are hotel rooms and camping available at August issue by June 1 nearby White's City, just outside the park. November issue by September 1 There will not be a food plan for this expedi­ tion , but there are two f ully-stocked kitchens Before submitting material, please see publication available in the huts and so cavers should come guidelines at: www.cave-research.org prepared to cook. NEWSLETTER STAFF: Friday, October 31, 2008 will be the annual Content Editor: William Payne, CRF Board of Directors Meeting. Layout and Photos: Ralph Earlandson, Saturday, November 1, 2008 will be the annual members meeting . Both meetings will Mailing: Bob Hoke likely be held within the city of Carlsbad , 20 ©2008 Cave Research Foundation miles north of the park . CRF Southwest Opera­ tions Manager Barbe Barker will be coordinat­ Cave Research Foundation Board of Directors ing these events and is looking into some very President - Scott House, s nice venues. (Thank you Barbe!) Barbe is at Vice President - Joel Despain, Treasurer - Bob Hoke, t Note: All sketchers who work in the park Secretary - Bernie Szukalski, must be park-approved in advance. If you plan Hamilton Valley Director - Pat Kambesis to participate and are a sketcher please supply George Crothers, Charles Fox, Joyce Hoffmaster, Pat Kambesis with copies of good quality sur­ Pat Seiser, Diana Tomchick vey sketches that you made to forward to the Operations Council park . Pat is at . The park Barbe Barker (Guadalupes), Mick Sutton (Ozarks), requires sketching to scale and detailed cover Pat Helton & Bruce Rogers (Lava Beds), Dave West pages, and a north arrow, scale bar, sequential (Eastern), John Tinsley (Sequoia/Kings Canyon) numbering , date , and the sketcher ' s initials on every page . For information about the CRF contact: Other activities are being planned for the Scott House week , so set aside the dates now! For more in­ 1606 Luce St. formation and to sign-up please contact Joel De­ Cape Girardeau, MO 63701-5208 spain at or 559 565-3717 . phone 573-651-3782

Donations to CRF should be sent to: Cover Photo Bob Hoke. CRF Treasurer J a nice Tucker, Rebecca Crow and Deb Runyon 6J04 Kaybro St. of the CRF restoration team tackle the massive Laure l. MD 20707-2621 Rock of Ages formation in the Big Room of Carlsbad Cavern . Photo by Will Hughes . 3 From the President By: Scott House

It.took a while to recover from the fun and Spike, Kyle, and I mapped a new Riverways friendship of the CRF 50 th anniversary meeting. cave (Poker Cave) while Mick, Sue, Gary , and Thanks go to all those who attended and made Jim searched in vain for a reported cave . Dan the thing a week to remember. and the rest of the group mapped the accessible Everybody should keep in mind the CRF Na­ portions of yet another new cave. It was a fine tional Expedition to the Carlsbad region during weekend to be out and about with really good the last week of October . More details will be people. coming so watch the website for latest updates . Jim Cooley and another caver from Kansas At the end of that week will be the CRF Annual City could return and do field work the next Meeting, hosted by Barbe Barker and our good weekend so wife Patti and I headed back out to folks from the southwest. the park again. We spent Friday hiking around So far this year has been extraordinarily the Tunnel Bluff area again so I could work on a busy. Fortunately I cleared other obligations sketch of surface features. The KCAG guys and set my sights on getting some good cave spent two days hiking around and monitoring work done during January. With your indul­ caves while Patti and I spent Saturday morning gence I will digress a bit into the fun of being resketching a rhyolite cave (honest, it has a active in the cave world . roof) before head ing out. The first weekend 0 f Jan u ary saw a gro up 0 f Prudence dictated that I spend a weekend at us descend on the Ozark Riverways ' Powder home but Tony Schmitt wanted to do something Mill Research Center for some survey work . the next weekend so prudence was shelved. Spike Crews, Kyle Rybacki , Dan Lamping, Ko­ Tony is a perpetually pleasant person who goes rey Hart , Dan Lamping, Tony Schmitt, and Kris­ at it with enthusiasm so a two man crew with ten Schulte all went to Cave S, which is a large, Tony being 60% of it is fun . We went out in going stream cave. They did good work there, very frigid temperatures to try to finish up yet surveying a bunch but bringing back more leads another R iverways ca ve. We did good work and than they started with. Charley Young and Max surveyed some muddy stuff but circumstances White from Springfield showed up and spent the and hibernating bats kept us from completing all day taking some nice photographs of the same our leads . The mud froze on our clothes as we cave . Meanwhile Mick Sutton, Sue Hagan, Jim hiked back to the vehicle . The old furnace ran Cooley, Gary Johnson and I went to a mess of all night keeping the research center warm that caves along the lower Current River in Tunnel night. Next day was too brutal and our gear too Bluff Natural Area. Too difficult to easily de­ mud-covered to contemplate in-cave work so we scribe, we had a good day of surveying both un­ fiddled with databases and cave locations for derground and above ground while also finding hours. a new cave and doing some bio inventory. This The next weekend was the Missouri Spe­ was a great crew and a lot of fun. The next day, leological Survey meeting. Most of us spent

Tony Schmitt and Kristen Schulte in Cave S. Tunnel BIz~[r Shelter cave. Photo by .J. Cooley. Ph oto by Korey Hart. 4 Saturday indoors while some went surveying. of fun, with good people . Jerry and I have caved The next day (Sunday) Mick and Sue took Kyle together since the early 1970 's; one of the great to another cave while Andy Free, Spike, old things is caving with folks you have known for friend Jerry Wagner, and another warm body a long time and another is caving with friends (Ensign Fodder we named him in honor of the you didn't even know five years ago. This is nameless crew members who turned up dead in how generations mix in caving. We had a lot of Star Trek episodes) went to Outlaw Cave on Na­ fun and hope the ensign comes back! tional Forest lands for survey and inventory. I worked with Spike on cave files on the fol­ The cave was located and surveyed with an out­ Io wing day, co rrect ing e rro rs in the ca ve fi Ie s, stand ing crew. We then hiked to another nearby and also worked with Mark Twain National For­ cave which we began a new survey of (an older est folks getting a revised dataset into GIS . survey never resulted in a map). This was lots Then I headed to Jefferson City where the next day I w 0 r ked a II day wit h Bill E II i 0 tt r e fi n i n g even more cave locations . That was time well spent, and we worked hard while trying to ig­ nore the weather outside as the temps dropped from 70 to 20 . Thereafter I headed on to the Missouri Natural Resources Conference, an an­ nual conservation agencies event, where I met up with Mick Sutton, Bill Eddleman, Tom Aley, Gene Gardner, and lots of other agencies friends for a few days of papers, socials, and network­ ing ; this is the kind of thing that builds our reputation as an organization that gets things done . And on into the rest of the year, which we Scali House, Spike Crews, Jerry Wagner, and Andy Free in all hope will be a fun and productive one . Outlaw Cave. Photo by Kiley Bush. Keep in touch and stay active! Below: Unfinished map of Poker Cave by SCali House.

POKER CAVE Ozark National ScenIC Ri verways Shannon County. Missouri SHN-

Surveyed 6 January 2008 by S. House. J. Crews . K. Rybacki of CAVE RESEARCH FOUNDATION

SCALE 5 Moving On By: Red Watson

At the 50 th Anniversary Cave Research My first major trip (10 days to two weeks is Foundation celebration in Hamilton Valley in a minimum given the effort it involves) was led October 2007, numerous people asked Pat and by Joe and Tina Oliphant to Green Fork Falls me why we had moved from St. Louis, " only" a Cave (seven miles mapped so far) in the Scape­ seven-hour drive from Mammoth Cave, to Mis­ goat Wilderness adjacent to the Bob Marshall. soula, Montana, which is somewhat farther We back-p'acked everything in some 15 miles, away. It was because, I replied, of John Bridge which led me to declare as we were hiking out and Fred Dickey. In 1954, the year I started that I would not go again unless we hired a caving in Floyd Collins' Crystal Cave (Pat packer to take in most of the gear. Everyone started when we got married in 1955 , her first agreed instantly, and we have used packers ever cave trip ever being a 14-hour excursion to since. Obviously these Montana cavers were just Floyd's Lost Passage and beyond -- fortunately waiting for some wimp to make the suggestion . she loved it) . In 1954, John and Fred took a trip So we have packed in to Green Fork Falls Cave, to the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana to Silvertip Mountain, and to several other where they mapped Limestone Cave . This article places including this last summer a two -day is reprinted in Volume Three (2008) of Alpine hike to Una Mountain where we found some­ Kars t, edited by Tina Oliphant, produced by the thing incredible in this folded and faulted lime­ Alpine Karst Foundation, and published by Cave stone: a 40 ft. by 60 ft . trunk passage a thou­ Books . John and Fred raved so much about the sand feet long (see the Special Issue on Mon­ Bob Marshall, that ever since then I wanted to tana Caving, NSS News, February 2008) . That go there. The limestone is thousands of feet chunk of cave passage was formed millions of thick, why not now the deepest cave? One rea­ years ago in limestone that has been shoved son why not is that the limestone there has been maybe hundreds of miles east of where it was folded, faulted , uplifted, and over-thrust for formed to where it now lies. millions of years to make the Rocky Mountains. Not exactly the longest or deepest cave in Even so, a couple of summers ago Jason the world, but exciting none-the-Iess . Balinsky, Hans Bodenhamer, Philip Rykwalder, Pat and I spent 50 years caving in Kentucky. and others discovered and mapped Virgil the We loved Kentucky then and we love it now. Turtle Cave (see Philip Rykwalder, NSS News, But, somehow, it was time to move on. We also Vol. 65, No . 2, February 2007, pp . 4-11) to a love Montana, our home here, our caving depth of 1, 586 feet, making it the second­ friends, the mountains, and the caves . deepest cave in the USA, only 18 feet less than It is a new life. And we somehow found an Lechugu ilIa. incredible solar-earth house on a mountain slope So in June 2004 we moved to Missoula, above Missoula that is heated in part by a Montana, and now , Pat and I can be at a trail­ Trombe wall that is 18 inches thick, 15 feet head into the Bob Marshall in little over an high , and 45 feet long. If you don't know who hour's drive. Felix Trombe was, or what a Trombe wall is, Ah , but before we moved to Montana, Bob that ' s pathetic. Some people think we planned Osburn, who also has done some caving out here to live in this house that is a kind of cave, but it said, " Go . The mountains are beautiful, but for just happened serendipitously as it was meant to goodness sakes don't go into the caves!" The be, caves are mostly vertical, mostly wet, inc Iud ing There are maybe 50 cavers in Montana and waterfalls in the pits, and the temperature, air some them wanted to organize. But they did not and water, is always 34 degrees Fahrenheit. I want to be the Northern Rocky Mountain branch have mostly taken Bob's advice, using as an ex­ of CRF! So we founded the nonprofit Alpine cuse not my age, but the fact that I have never Karst Foundation on the model of CRF. gotten around to buying waterproof coveralls (I We have even gotten and given a few grants, hate coveralls), wetsuit, and the latest vertical and produce the volumes of Alpine Karst men­ gear. The one time I took out my jumars, sev­ tioned above . eral young cavers clustered around to examine Wilderness caving in Montana is in many them . They had never seen (nor heard of) ju­ ways an anti-Mammoth Cave project. The en- mars . Moreover, they couldn't believe that I had hand-sewn my own harness . MOVING ON - cont on page 8 6 Night Climb: Scaling the Rock of Ages in Carlsbad Cavern By: Debora I. Runyon

Written approval is needed at Carlsbad Cav­ up ." During the entire process, CRF photogra­ ern National Park for any CRF (Cave Research pher, Will Hughes, snapped several pictures of Foundation) proposal, and once it is obtained, the well run procedure. the possibility changes into reality. When com­ After a couple of hours of working, a short petent and experienced cavers enter the picture, break, consummating with a special CRF meet­ things can happen very quickly. Expert riggers ing, took place to give the workers some time to Ed Knetsch, Frank Everitt, and Jimmie Worrell rest. New officers were chosen. Jimmie Worrell answered the call to capture the Rock of Ages was elected as treasurer, Bryant Bullard was with ropes, webbing, pulleys, and caribiners, elected as Data Manager, and Deb Runyon was and a night trip for restoration into Carlsbad elected as CRF Carlsbad Writer. Three dedi­ Cavern was born. cated cavers were inducted into the CRF Fel­ Under the direction of primary rigger, Ed lowship for their tireless services. Jimmie Knetsch, the team set out with 300 feet of rope Worrell, Ed Knetsch, and Tracey Knetsch re­ which would be flung, twirled, pulled, and se­ ceived plaques and certificates for all their hard cured at the top of the majestic formation . Two work over the years for CRF. butterflies made with reversed caribiners were The night restoration team had worked dur­ tied in at one end of the rope system to create ing the day on restoration projects or surveying multi-tethered climbing stations. These well­ and then re-entered the cave after dinner. With placed ropes allowed cavers stability to belay determination, they chose to complete as much restorers up and lower them down the formation. c Ie ani n gas p 0 s sib I e and w 0 r ked u n til wei I aft e r The pulley system also offered flexible guide­ midnight to clean over 1200 square feet of the lines to give cavers freedom of movement to Ro ck 0 f Ages. Tired, yet sat is fied with the 0 u t­ maneuver both vertically and horizontally. co me, the team returned to the CRF huts after a The rope was rigged by installing a looped very full day of work. When the group returned noose around the stalagmite with a pulley in one to continue restoration work the following day, end to gradually fasten the rope in place. Each several volunteers paused at the monolithic spe­ end of the rope was flipped, pulled, and hauled leothem to review the evening's results. Defi­ tier by tier up the side of the Rock of Ages to nite progress was visible from restoration night create a taut web. A collapsible pole with a where a handful of cavers scaled to the heights hooked end also allowed deliberate positioning of the Rock of Ages. of the rope to lift the rigging at opportune times; to achieve the proper height, the process of pulling, flipping, and pushing continued until the rope rested on a small shelf; it was then tightened. The running end was affixed to web­ bing which encircled a large boulder via a Gri­ Gri. Once the rope was secure, the climbing group of the restoration team, consisting of Sharon Welch, Janice Tucker, Brenda Haynes, and Deb Runyon, took turns climbing on belay to begin cleaning with hand held squirt bottles and vegetable brushes (see cover photo) . A small rope was attached to each caver's seat harness to lift up equipment as needed in the cleaning process. Dusty lint trickled down in fuzzy rivulets from the top as sprayers concen­ trated clean water onto the f1owstone. At the bottom of the formation , the team of spongers consisting of Rebecca Crow, Barbe Barker, Phyllis Boneau, Tracey Knetsch, and Tammy Jimmie Worrell and Rebecca Crow brush the Tucker, quickly sopped up the soggy residue. delicate floor of the Red Pool in the Big Room Spray bottles were filled , hauled up, emptied, of Carlsbad Cavern. The cleaning effort in­ and returned in continuous fashion as voices volves gentle brushing, spraying with water, called out , "I need more water," or "I'm ready dental picks and toothbrushes. The red discol­ to come down , and somebody else can come oration in the pool is not natural, and must go. Photo by Will Hughes. 7

Stephen Spring Cave By: Preston Forsythe

Stephen Spring Cave is on Mammoth Cave of an old road lined with huge, ancient trees, Ridge near a large sinkhole on the topo called including many large white cedars . Many of the Double Cellars . The cave is only a ten minute old trees have fallen due to storm damage, but walk southeast of the park maintenance yard. directly in front of the house site the road is One thing that makes this cave spring so excit­ very distinct. There are fragments of historic ing is that it was part of Stephen and Charlotte garbage lying around : a little brown jug, pieces Bishop 's farm and it is believed to be their wa­ of a blue ceramic pitcher, a metal plow blade , ter source. The cave entrance is very close to and a door of a wood burning stove that is very the ruins of their old home . similar in appearance to the old Spelee Hut According to Bob Osburn the cave was not stove door displayed at Hamilton Valley. We previously listed on the CRF small cave inven­ didn't see a cistern at the site, but water is rela­ tory . Scott House, in a later conversation, said a tively easy to reach in the nearby cave . cave called Missing Pit was reported near You can follow the old road a short distance Stephen Spring Cave. However, no additional north and it ends at another building site (corn information on the Missing Pit is available. crib?) and small cemetery. The cemetery con­ There is no reporter's name, date, or a descrip­ tains approximately 20 graves that are marked tion on record, only a point on the topo . by head and foot stones bearing no inscriptions. According to the research of Norman War­ There are several shallow depressions associ­ nell, Stephen purchased a 112 acre farm at this ated with these graves . location from Robinson Shackelford, "a famous Inside the cave there are many metal hoops white guide at Mammoth Cave ." Louis Garvin from old buckets and barrels, as well as a sec­ and his wife were the last ones to live at the tion of pipe . There is also some metal pipe out­ house site. side of the entrance, evidence that someone At the house site there are some interesting tried to, and perhaps did, pump water out of the features . There are two chimney foundations , an cave. Not far from the cave entrance there is a unusual limestone "hitching post," and the tra'ce rough rock wall which serves as the entrance

Clockwise from upper left: Rogel' Brucker at Stephen Spring Cave; John Walker with leaf on shoulder. Preston Forsythe and Dawn Ryan at Stephen Spring Cave; Preston at the Bishop Home rejilse pile; Blue ceramics; Stone wall infront o.fStephen Spring Cave; Home site stove door. Photos by Shari Forsythe. 8 locator and makes the site even more scenic. tight and one wall is unstable breakdown. There You can sit there and ponder what purpose this is faint air movement. small wall must have served. An old road cir­ Norman Warnell told Roger about the area cles around before entering the sinkhole diago­ while Roger was researching material for his nally across from the entrance . new book on Stephen Bishop . Preston, who had As cavers the first thing we wanted to do always been interested in where the old guides was survey and explore . On November 24 , 2007 , lived, asked Stan Sides for information . Stan Lynn Brucker and Preston Forsythe started a pointed Preston in the right direction as he was survey wit h Ro ger Brucker and S har i Fo rsythe aware of Norman's research . At the December in support on the surface. Initially we thought 2006 Mammoth Cave Sing Preston and Shari the sandstone entrance was unstable and danger­ Forsythe and Jonathon Lewis ridge walked the ous but during the survey the sandstone was Double Cellars area and located the foundation quickly breached and limestone reached . A bed­ of Stephen and Charlotte Bishop's cabin, the ding plane spring was located in the cave along small cemetery, and the cave . Later, Roger with a low crawl side passage that ended in col­ pointed out that the cave was the water source lapse p Ius a lead go ing down with water. The for Stephen Bishop and others. This is an inter­ cave was small but it had potential. esting area and it has already been featured dur­ The in it i a I sur v e y tea m did not do apr 0 fi Ie , ing a recent Black Perspective Weekend at the and since the cave is small, on February 16 , park . Roger named the cave Stephen Spring 2008 , Dawn Ryan , John Walker, and Preston did Cave . a resurvey, mostly to add the profile informa­ The old home and small building are shown tion . We taped a length of 79 feet and a depth of on the Mammoth Cave Quadrangle, Scale 35 feet. At the bottom a vertical drain continues 1 :62500, 1922. several feet down into the unknown but it is

Left : Lynn, Roger and Shari Forsythe with the hitching post. Middle: Lynn and Roger Brucker and Preston Forsythe check­ ing a small spring. Right: Plow shear-blade. Photos by Shari Forsythe.

MOVING ON - cont from page 5 those years in the Flint-Mammoth Cave System, it has taken a bit of adjustment to experience trances to most caves in Kentucky can be the thrill of discovering new caves that are un­ reached on foot within ten minutes from where der a thousand feet long, but we ' re not in Ken­ you park your car. But it is a day's hike or more tucky anymore, Toto. to mo s t of the caves in the wilderness . The NOTE : Would you like to help explore a mules sometimes cannot go all the way, so yo u long , cold , wet cave with vertical pitches? may have to pack your tent and food and all Blood Cave may extend completely under Silver your gear the last several miles , which takes Tip Mountain and out the other side. This has anot he r day. The n the entrances are 0 ften ho u rs the potential to be one of the great American up the mountain from camp . All this adds di­ cave adventures, 9-20 August 2008. Contact men sio n to the label expedition caving. After all Tina Oliphant : 9 REGIONAL EXPEDITION REPORTS

Presidents' Day Weekend Expedition 2008 at Carlsbad Caverns National Park By: Debora I. Runyon

Driving miles and miles from scattered parts This extensive section of cave, once a part of the U.S. including Oklahoma, Arizona , of the historic trail system used in the 1930s, Texas, and New Mexico , twenty-one dedicated had been heavily trampled over the years by members of The Cave Research Foundation hundreds of visitors. Now covered in hard­ (CRF) gathered at Carlsbad Cavern National packed mud, ground in rocks, and other debris, Park during the Pres ident's Weekend Expedition the once clean f1owstone presented a daunt ing from F e bruary 15 th to the 18 th to explore, sur­ task . Previous work on the pool had brought a vey, a nd restore sections of the cave. few sections to near complet ion and required Ear I y Sat u r day m 0 r n i n g , a ft e r c raw lin g fro m aqua socks only; other spots were in s tage two sleeping bags, eating breakfast, or simply drink­ and req u ired mo re refi ne ment, and st i II 0 ther . ing c o ffee , the intrepid cavers met with Area parts of the pool were untouched by any clean­ Manage r , Barbe Barker, to learn where each ing efforts . S low met icu lous recovery work pers on's assignment might be within one of would be needed to continue the regeneration three groups . Long time workers with hours and process of changing Red Pool from a muddy even years of experience under their cave packs pathway into some semblance of its form e r greet e d one another with familiarity . but a few beauty. new fa ces peered around the gathering, barely Upon arrival, the restoration team was fur­ containing their exc itement of being in Carlsbad ther divided into two groups sh e pherded by trip for four days of caving in such a magnificent leaders Ed Knetsch and Frank Everitt. Another place . After a brief business meeting, comple­ member of the team, Jimmie Worrell , stationed tion of necessary paperwork, the distribution of himself at the railing to interpret for the passing badges, and the o r ganization of trips , cavers vi s itors . Over the next severa l hours. Barbe new and old scrambled off to assemble their Barker, Sharon Welch , Rebecca Crow, Bill Saw­ needed supplies. yer , Tammy Tucker, and Bill We s ton picked and Two survey team s were fo rme d ; after scrubbed and sprayed at one end of Red Pool qu ick Iy retrieving instruments, sketch ing mate­ and the new section, while Brenda Haynes, rials, inventory sheets, and other gear, the Tracey Knetsch, and Deb Runyon mirrored their cavers descended into the void . Survey Party efforts at the other end . " Spray, pick , s pray, One, consisting of Tim Kohtz, Janice Tucker, scrub, and spray, sponge ," became the mantra of Bryant Bullard, and Kelly Holladay headed east, the day ' s routine . whil e Survey Party Two, made up of Kevin Busy helmeted people, resembling smooth­ Glover, William Tucker, Jennie McDonough , headed gnomes, hunched ov e r newly uncovered and Ph y llis Boneau headed south to their desti­ f1owstone while Will Hughes , project photogra­ nation, the New Section, which pro mised a long pher, popped in and out of all three a reas to day of intense concentration . snap before and after pictures of a progress in Armed with pump up sprayers, dental instru­ motion. Headlamps glowed and swiveled about ments, hoof picks, scrub brushes, buckets, shop like enlarged fireflies as people leaned, vacs , sump pumps, several five gallon buckets, stretched , and re-propped themselves into more and two wagons, the remaining thirteen mem­ comfortable positions. Gloved hands maneu­ bers of the expedition climbed into elevators vered delicate dental picks to loosen stubbornl y and plunged to the depths of the Big Room . Pre­ cemented years of mud from hidden formations . vious success with using wagons to haul water The sounds of bristles brushing rock and spray­ demanded that a handful of people split off to ers squirting water to create miniature brown fill and c o ver containers holding gallons o f fI 0 0 d s min g led wit h soft con v e r sat ion s . B u c k e t s clean water. Once the water was retrieved and continued to fill with muck and dirty water : carefully loaded. one puller and one braker per time stood still . Occasional growls echoed wagon trudged behind the others . Like a colony across the quiet for a few minutes each hour as of industrious ants following crumbs to claim a the wet/dry vacuum sucked up more and more picnic's rich dessert, the single file of workers dirty water . marched along the pathway to assemble at their Noon break allowed a quick refreshing stop work station, Red Pool. with HOT CHOCOLA TE to warm the hands and 10 hearts of the restoration crew. Sitting at tables, again, above ground . Finishing the first day of gear perched underneath like dirt stained treas­ work, cavers trailed into the hut in shifts. Talk, ures , old and new friends exchanged gear ideas, laughter, and a sense of underlying anticipation goss ip, and jokes. A return to work reinstituted flavored the atmosphere along with Ed's home­ the conga line of cavers as they wound up and made dinner. Trip leaders assembled to write up down the path leading back to Red Poo!' Once the day ' s trip reports, and another group sat again, time stood still, and when a ranger re­ down to seriously discuss the pre-approved pos­ ported that li g hts were going off for the day, the sibility that was fast becoming a reality ... a res­ group awoke from the restoration dream-state, toration night climb upon Rock of Ages in gathered dirty gear and dirty water, loaded it Carlsbad Cavern! up , and headed topside. A trip to the quarry By the end of the second day of restoration awaited a truckload of workers to dispose of the work at Red Pool, the crew had completed 320 muck and muddy water. square feet of the upper pool, and 100 square The day's work came to a close, and satis­ feet encompassing both the pools ide and trail. fied cavers knew the process wou ld be repeated The compilation of volunteer hours spent in the following morning as tired workers waited Carlsbad Cavern for the entire President's turns outside of the elevators to surface, once Weekend Expedition totaled 405.

The On-Going Saga of Lava Beds National Monument Surveying ... Lava Beds, Winter 2007-2008 By: Liz Wolff

Mitermite Ha ll ? Mitertite Hall ? How about The next day ' s survey was an entrance sink Mitertyte Hall. All are names and spellings that detail day. Beej , who was learning book on Sat­ have been applied to a cave on the cave loop at urday, kept the book on his own this day. Using Lava Beds National Monument of far northern splay shots around and across the sink they de­ California. The term "mitertite" was used by scribed the route of the old CCC trail built in Judson Dean Howard, an early explorer in the the 1930s across the sink and into the next cave, lava beds of far northern California, to describe Labyrinth. Getting into the cave, they surveyed the many pillars in the cave . The word mitertite the north trending side passage that ends " too (or mitertyte) is said to have originated at Mam­ tight, blows and goes" as Beej noted in the book moth Cave, Kentucky to describe a column cre­ for the two foot wide by five inch high contin­ ated by the jo in ing 0 f a stalactite and a stalag­ uation. They finished off the day with 64 . 5 feet mite , the two being "mitered" together. Howard surveyed in the cave and 376.3 feet in the sink­ used the term to describe not just pillars , but ho Ie. The crew was B ill, Marc, Beej and Bruce . nearly any area surrounded by lava tubes, re­ The next trip occurred in January, the 26th, gardless of size; a feature with which this cave 2008. This trip consisted almost entirely of is we ll endowed. Settling on Mitertite Hall, the CRF/ Shasta Area Grotto members : Bill cave still needed to be resurveyed for vertical Broeckel, Bill Devereaux, Steve Hobson , David control and detail. Kuhnel, Dave Smith, Jim & Liz Wolff, an d The resurvey began on November 10 , 2007 David 's non-SAG daughter Anna Kuhne!. The with a crew of four surveyors and one two survey teams finished the in-cave survey in "shadowin g" the survey book, or learning to one day . The " A" team: Liz, Jim , Steve and keep the book. In this initial day of survey, we Dave took on the southeastern passages, smaller bega n a t the identifying pin and worked our way and a little more complex, connecting through -­ into the cave. around the mitertites -- to the "B" team ' s survey It was frigid and windy that day, and one of in very large passage, at three points . The total the instrument readers was shaking with the footage came to 764.5 feet for both teams . This co ld so badly, he had to give up his position ly­ brought the total for the cave to I 048.4 feet ing on the icy rocks. It was a day to remember with one tight crawl through breakdown left to too . The first shot into the cave proper found an do (Bruce in his more svelte days claims to have undocumented upper level side passage--making actually done it) . another " mitertite" inside the southern entrance While the afternoon ' s survey was going on, o f the cave . The survey was dropped at this Anna had a chance to visit Crystal Ice Cave, po i n t due tot i m e con s t r a i n t s wit h 2 I 9.4 fe e t normall y closed to visitation , so she bailed on s urve ye d. The crew consisted of Bill Devereaux, us and got back just as we returned to the park­ M a rc Hasbrouk , B eej Jorgenson (aka Brian Ing area. Hall) , Bruce Rogers and Liz Wolff. 11 Ozark Trips, October 2006 - March 2007 By: Mick Sutton (with input and some of the text by Scott House)

Most of the trips in this six-month period e x ami ned the who leo f t his 2 7 0 0 ft. Ion g s t rea m were taken up with our longest-running project, cave for wildlife. Perhaps the most unusual fea­ survey and bioinventory of caves of the Mark ture of the stream ecology was the relative Twain National Forest. In addition, an interest­ abundance of phreatobitic amphipods along with ing new project was started - a detailed biosur­ a total absence of stygobitic isopods - this vey of Missouri's longest cave, 28 mile long matches Gene Gardner's earlier results . The Crevice Cave in Perry County. most interesting terrestrial find was a troglo­ An article in Missouri Speleology co­ bitic millipede that does not appear to be any of authored by CRF-Ozarks members Bob Osburn Missouri ' s common cave millipedes . A follow­ and Bob Criss (a Washington University hy­ up trip to search for mature male millipedes will drologist) has been generating a lot of media be needed . interest. The article assesses the 127 known December 10,2006 : ( report by Scott House) caves of Saint Louis County and points out that Scott House, Frank Willhelm , AI Quamen and 20% have been adversely affected by develop­ Kris Hartman worked on Perry County GPS cave ment , while many more are under threat. This locations at York Chapel, near Longtown . We story was picked up by, among others, the Saint relocated the Candle Canyon entrance of Rim­ Louis Post-Dispatch, which published a nice stone Cave and Corral Pit. We also looked at Save the Caves articles in the March 25 edition. some other sinks and a large new sink in a sink­ In addition to Criss, the article prominently ing stream . We then split up . AI and I went to quotes CRF President Scott House . an area that lies between Mystery and Rimstone. October 26,2006: George Bilbrey and five oth­ We relocated several caves there , with GPS ers went to Welch Spring in Ozark National readings and photos of all of them . AI and I had Scenic Riverways (ONSR) to monitor the cave, been to some of these 27 years ago and had a primarily for bat use . Bat life consisted of more tough time remembering which inconsequential than 100 pipistrelles and a few little brown bats. hole was a cave and which was not. We also There were no fresh guano accumulations . There looked at a couple of new caves that AI had was also no evidence of illicit visitation beyond turned up in a landowner's yard . Frank and Kris the entrance area. were busy as well, relocating Honeycomb Cave entrance, perhaps Horse Hole , and Snow Cav­ November 4.2006: Mick Sutton and Sue Hagan erns main entrance . These were all GPS ' ed and continued the survey of North Fork Bear Cave photographed. o n the Mark Twain National Forest (MTNF) Willow Springs District. We picked up where December 23, 2006: We started field work on a wei eft 0 ff I as t tim e , dee pin an up per m u It i­ new project - a Missouri Department of Conser­ level maze of crawlways. The passage was mor­ vation-funded biological survey of Crevice phologically complex, with one side sloping Cave. Although there is a fair bit of existing d ow n broadly to lower levels . Survey footage data on Perry County cave bio logy, surprising Iy comes slowly in this stuff and we achieved only little of this is from Missouri ' s longest cave . 212 feet. There is a bit more of this somewhat The notion is to do a semi-quantitative survey tight little maze to do . Biological observations covering most of the cave and tied to specific included another enigmatic observation of a locat ions . For th is first trip, M ick and Sue, P a u I firefly (deceased) deep in the dark zone . Feral Hauck, Frank Willhelm , Kris Hartman and Bob pigeons continue to use the entrance area for Gillespie (MDC) looked at the Historic Entrance roosting . passage and the proximal section of the First Mile stream. As expected for this sinkhole plain November 4,2006 : Dan Lamping led a party to cave, the stream is rich in organic debris and is continue the Fisher Cave (Meramec State Park) densely populated with a wide variety of crusta­ sur v e y . The y map p e d 2 50ft . i nth e b rea k dow n ceans and lots of snails, as well as large flat­ area of the Hugh Dill Room and pushed any worms and a few salamanders. Terrestrial fauna leads they could find . To finish the Hugh Dill was surprising ly a bit sparse. and the Crystal Room canyon will take at least one more lengthy trip . January 22, 2007: Eric and Charity Hertzler be­ gan a survey of Hercules Lookout Cave (MTNF, De ce mber 8, 2006 : Mick and Sue did a biologi­ Taney County) . The passage beyond was deemed cal inventory of Bounds Branch Cave (Mark " kinda nasty," but the wildlife was diverse . Twain National Forest, Shannon County). We 12 January 27,2007: Mick and Sue resumed the Richard Young and Frank Willhelm started a biological survey of Crevice Cave . Picking up resurvey at the Pipistrelle Entrance in support from where we left off last time at the Kitchen of Paul's new detailed map, while Mick and Sue in the First Mile stream, we continued the sur­ did a biological inventory of the Pipistrelle En­ vey for half a mile, as far as Charlie ' s Dome, trance passage . Sue then switched roles with with short side trips to Waterfall Inlet and Mile Frank, and while the survey continued, Mick Passage . 0 n e interest i ng fi n ding was that as 0 ne and Frank did bioinventory along the Merlins proceeds downstream, the stygobitic isopod stream passage for several thousand feet. This (Caecido/ea an/rico/a) is gradually replaced by major stream is similar in nature to the First the less cave adapted stygophile (Caecido/ea Mile stream at the Historic Entrance . brevicauda) . Other observations included three As in the case of the Historic Entrance First grotto sculpins (an interesting troglomorphic Mile stream, there were interesting and mysteri­ population of banded sculpin) and a vividly ous variations in aquatic isopod makeup. The pink planar ian . stygophile Caecido/ea brevicauda predominated in the Pipistrelle entrance and further down­ January 27,2007 : (report by Scott House and stream in Merlins, while the more upstream MS) . Scott House, Don Dunham and Doug --­ reaches of Merlins were dominated by the sty­ mapped caves in the Tunnel Bluff area on the gobite, C. an/rico/a. Many isopods of both spe­ lower Current River. Boundary surveys are in­ cies were in molt. The troglophilic Fontigens adequate to decide whether these caves are in snail was also much more predominant down­ Ozark Nat ional Scen ic R iverways (Carter stream. Flatworms were also profuse, but we County) or Mark Twain National Forest (Ripley saw no sculpins. Other biological observations County). The party froze after surveying two included a champion-sized cave salamander and c a v e s, left the rem a i n i n g 0 net 0 b e sur v eye d , many larval salamanders. As in the case of the plus the three new ones they also found, which Historic area, terrestrial fauna was relatively makes 8 within the size of a football field or so . sparse. January 27,2007 : Bill Steele led a 16-person March 23 : Scott and Patti House and Randy expedition to Fitton Cave, Buffalo National Long (MTNF) inventoried two small caves on River, Arkansas. Four survey crews were the MTNF Ava District - Huffman Cave and fie Ided. Caney Cave. Both caves see a fair bit of casual February 25, 2007 : A large crew worked on the traffic . They then went to a feature Randy had survey and inventory of Twenty-three Degree reported earlier - Guthrie Glade Collapse and Cave (MTNF, Crawford County). Bob Osburn confirmed that it could be classified as a cave . and Bob Criss ran the survey crew, which in­ The small feature was mapped. cluded their class from Washington University­ March 24 : A large crew went to neighboring Jeff Marlow , Aine Steiner, Jacon Rohter and Zoo and Heuszel Caves on the MTNF Hercules Jenny Lippman . Mick & Sue together with Glade Wilderness in Taney County. We accessed MTNF biologist Lynda Mills, archeologist the caves by a shorter route than normal with Susan Zornek-Stevens and variable numbers of the cooperation of a friendly neighboring land­ the students did a bio - survey. Some of the more owner. Mick Sutton and Eric Hertzler did a bio­ notable biological observations included: strong inventory of Zoo Cave, well known as a major indication of occasional otter use of the cave, site for Pleistocene animal remains. The cave past use by a gray bat colony probably in the also lived up to its name with respect to modern thousa nds but with no indication of recent use , invertebrate fauna, as terrestrial diversity was and a sur p r is i n gin s tan ceo f a fr 0 g kill - a tie a s t quite high . The existing cave map is badly in eight frog corpses and one dying frog in the need of replacement. largest pool (all examined were pickerel frogs) . Zoo Cave is re lat ive Iy short, dry, mazy and After completing the biosurvey, Sue, Sue and biologically diverse, all of which contrasts Lynda left , while Mick joined the survey crew . sharply with the adjacent Heuszel Cave, where The survey was completed, and we confirmed Scott House, Sue Hagan, Randy Long (MTNF) that the bedding in the large terminal room dips and the neighboring landowner ' s son started a at about 23 degrees . survey, mapping the first 500 ft. Having fin­ March 10, 2007 : For the third Crevice Cave ished Zoo Cave , Eric joined the mapping crew trip, we used the Pipistrelle Entrance, one of while Mick did a bioinventory along much of three entrances to the 28 mile long system . The Heuszel. The cave features world-class deep, e ntrance is a crawl-in sink , but quickly expands boot sucking mud, and very little conspicuous in size to a nice , dry trunk. This was a com­ wildlife . Apparently, even raccoons are deterred bined mapping and biosurvey trip . Paul Hauck , by the goop covering the floor, and in the ab- 13 sence of a significant bat colony or a major probably just as well given its nature . Rumors stream, there is very little food input. The bio­ of its ending in a drafting breakdown choke survey went as far as a tight s pot, and needs to were not substantiated . be continued. March 27 : Ben Miller got a good location on March 25: Needing a short morning trip, Mick what is assumed to be Fairy Cave, a cave with a and Sue mapped and inventoried Blowing Spring previously vague location on the MTNF Cass- Cave ( MTNF Ava District). The very low spring vi lie District. ou t let is a c c e s sib Ie for 0 n I y 40ft., w h i chi s

Mammoth Cave: Fourth of July Expedition, June 29 - July 8, 2007 Expedition Leaders: John DeLong, Dave West, Tom Brucker By: John DeLong and Tom Brucker

The July 2007 expedition had a variety of o n the original exploration notes. It appears t o objectives and supported a number of projects. have a 20 foot by 40 foot passage high up . 37 trips were fielded during the week to a wide The divers ' gear was retrieved in severa I va riety of objectives, ranging from sump dives hauls the next few days involving numerous to helping the park set up lights in Bottomless cavers, who also cleared up odds and ends in Pit. The dry conditions also led to resurvey be­ Lower Arlie and Cumquat Causeway. Other ing started in Hanson 's Lost River as the survey Roppel parties pushed upstream Kangaroo Trail lines between Flint and Mammoth ridge con­ and replaced the Roberta Pass survey and a bit ti nue to come closer together . A number of par­ of Western Kentuck y Parkway. t ies enjoyed surveying in Colossal as intensive Three parties were sent to Hidden River work begins on that part of the cave. Cave where they did over 700 feet of new , wet Early in the expedition considerable re­ survey in Wheat River and Lover 's Lane . so urces supported a CKKC-Ied effort on the Meanwhile, back at the ranch ... Mick Sut­ Logsdon River sumps in Roppel Cave where two ton ran three Salts trips to the south trunk , di ve teams spearheaded an effort to extend the where he resolved the " M41" mystery point ca ve into the heart of Toohey Ridge. Two dives (party did an M , then a C. C41 was the last retraced the original work of Roberta Swicegood point, so this was a label blunder) , resketched and Ron Simmons in the 1980s . The "dry" party Quarter Mile Crouch, and eastern Weller Ave­ fo und a new pit with what appeared to be a can­ nue at the stone steps . yo n lead beyond the first sump, but froze out Scott House has begun to teach himself the before descending. A push of the second sump Frozen Niagara - Fox Avenue area and nail se arched for the way on with no conclusion, down some survey problems in this complex of ot he r than it would help to be able to see! Per­ levels. They managed to startle a tourist who ha ps the upstream tunnel leads from the second assumed they were mannequins , until they sump ' s beginning . moved! The two Roppel dive teams started assem­ Several parties went in Colossal Cave . bling o n Thursday, June 29 . Their presence was Werner Trail, the original " river route" pio­ in large part a result of efforts spearheaded by neered by Jack Lehrberger, was replaced , so lv­ Sc ott Bauer. An initial gear haul and familiari­ in g the mystery of the missing o riginal b ook. A za tion trip by the divers went out on Friday af­ number survey (no lett e r prefix) done in 1960 te rnoon. On Saturday a major gear hau I invo Iv­ left no permanent stations. Werner Link , the ing 18 cavers (including the divers) brought canyon connecting to Salts Cave, was 96% re­ most of the rest of the divers' gear to the sump placed, needing just a few more stations to com­ and the first dive tea m set 0 ut. Th e ir 0 bject ive plete. This is the second resurvey of this key was to work the leads between sumps one and passage . Downstream from the Werner Link two and in Swicegood Avenue . Overcoming dif­ (rebuilt, because it had washed out!) cairn a ficulty in getting a 30-pound gear bag to sink , a tight sequence of canyon squeezes leads to a team of three made it through . All but two of stream, wh ich leads to downstream Co lossa I the leads noted by earl ier exp lorers were ex­ River . A party completed this resurvey leaving plored . A pit was discovered and named Sim­ fla gged stations in Colossal River and t yi n g to mons Pit in honor of original sump explorer Ron the rusted poker chip from "C hain of Crystal S immons. The most significant discovery was a Pools ." Colossal River ought to be seen by alii dome found off a canyon leading to domes noted A vertical crew mapped the Belfry Shaft , a 60 14 footer linking the upper Helectite route to the Thanks need to go out to the numerous peo­ Link. A Disto rangefinder was used for wall and ple who helped out around camp. Notable among ceiling measurements. This crew also noted the them were Scott House and the Guldens (who old Helectite Route E survey had read the wrong pitched in to make sure the camp had food for end of the needle, and the passage continues the first day). Pat Kambesis recruited extra help west unsurveyed! The final Colossal Party put for the gear hauls which was greatly appreciated in a few stations from Colossal Dome into the by all involved. Elizabeth the "moolah mamma" drain, and then went for a look-see. They report handled that large task. Scott Bauer coord inated Wretched River is long and easy to travel in . the Roppel efforts with great skill and everyone Parties continued replacement survey to was safe.

Rope Pit, and began to resurvey Grund Trail Logsdon River Sump Dive - I) Scott Bauer; 2) Ed Klausner, Steve Or­ from the bottom up, at the Gravel Avenue end. meroid, Judy Oremeroid, Ann Kensler; 3) Brian Williams, Mark Wenner, This rarely visited passage yielded a new 30 Matt Vinzant; 4) Hazel Barton, Johanna Kovarik, Eric Weaver, Barbara foot pit with a going crawlway 300 feet + and Am Ende, Erin Lynch, Brian Hamm; 5) Scott Bauer, Matt Mezydlo, Sea­ mus Decker, John DeLong, Sue Hagan; 6) Jill Heinerth, Jerry Murphy; 7) evidence of flooding . Hazel Barton, Barbara Am Ende, Eric Weaver; 8) Hazel Barton, Barbara In Mammoth two parties began resurvey of Am Ende, Eric Weaver, John DeLong, Scott Bauer, Dick Market, Johanna Hanson's Lost River . They noted the break­ Kovarik, Brian Williams, Matthew Vinzant, Mark Wenner, Sue Hagan, through trip's initials have faded from the dome Chris Woodley, Erin Lynch, Ham Schenck, Amy Edwards, Pat Kambesis, Michael Carter; Roppel Cave - I) Mick Sutton, Sue Hagan; 2) Steve Or­ 450 feet from Echo. Upstream Echo was also meroid, Judy Ormeroid, Ann Kensler, Amy Crews; 3) Ed Klausner, Steve mapped . This passage is almost always water Ormeroid, Judy Ormeroid, Ann Kensler; 4) Scott Bauer, Dick Market, filled. Terry Leithauser had put a dive line in it, Bruce Hatcher, Chris Woodley; Salts Cave - I) Mick Sutton, Joyce Hoff~ and the survey was pushed about 90 feet to a master, Dan Greger; 2) Mick Sutton, Scott Bauer, Chris Woodley; 3) Mick Sutton, Sue Hagan, Cole Goodman; Great Onyx Cave - I) Bob Gulden, sump . Dusty Gulden, Preston Forsythe, Shari Forsythe, Irma Gulden; 2) Preston Great Onyx is always popular over the 4th, Forsythe, Shari Forsythe, Jack Wood; 3) Jack Wood, Stella James, Mike and parties there worked in Cox around the Freeman; 4) Bob Gulden, Mike Freeman, Dave West; Ropes and Pits­ Grand Piano. Two other special parties worked Spike Crews, Amy Crews, Mike Freeman, Andy Free; Hidden River Cave - I) Dave West, Karen Willmes, Chris Woodley; 2) Dave West, Karen in Mammoth. One supported Amy Edwards' re­ Willmes, Matt Mezydlo; 3) Dave West, Karen Willmes, Chris Woodley; search changing dye collectors and updating Frozen Niagara - I) Scott House, Ed Klausner, Sue Hagan, Dan Greger, loggers in Echo River, and the other spread out Elizabeth Winkler; 2) Scott House, Karen Willmes, Bob Hoke; Hansen's in Bottomless Pit to ~im various. new electri~ . Lost River - Andy Free, Amy Edwards, Joyce Hoffmaster, Jeff Crews . Mike Freeina:n', Amy Edwards; Franklin Avenue - Steve Omieroid, Ann lights for the Olsen/Toomey' design team. Kensler, Judy Ormeroid; Cascade Hall- Spike Crews, Andy Free, Amy Our leadership team of West, DeLong, and Crews; Echo River - Amy Edwards, Bob Osburn, Julie S Brown; New Brucker alternated daily responsibilities . This is Entrance - Scott House, Mike Carter, Karen Willmes; Colossal Cave - I) the third successful year using this format and I Elizabeth Winkler, Rick Toomey, Mike Freeman, Nathan Brucker; 2) John DeLong, Chris Woodley, Spike Crews; 3) Karen Willmes, Dick Market, believe it is here to stay. Camp management was Dave West, Tom Brucker; 4) Tom Brucker, Dick Market, Hairy John also a team effort with the Guldens feeding the DeLong; 5) Karen Willmes, Bob Hoke, Chris Woodley; 6) Mike Freeman, masses over the 4th, and individuals volunteer­ Spike Crews, Nathan Brucker; Grund Trail- Spike Crews, Nathan ing for the rest . Other than thoroughly confus­ Brucker, Chris Woodley, Mike Freeman; Bottomless Pit - I) John DeLong, Scott House, Dick Market, Nathan Brucker, Dave West, Chris ing members with questions (who is in charge Woodley; 2) Spike Crews, Mike Freeman, Bob Hoke, Karen Willmes. today? ), the second largest annual expedition has become an efficient machine. Mammoth Cave: Thanksgiving Expedition, November 21-25,2007 Expedition Leaders: Phil DiBlasi and Jan Hemberger Camp Managers: Buz and Henry Grover By: Phil DiBlasi

During the expedition, 39 individuals par­ daddy longlegs spider kind of thing" was cap­ ticipated and several people visited. Twenty tured for the genetics study. In addition, the trips were fielded , three to Roppel Cave and the party encountered Rick Toomey in the Visitor' s rest ins ide the park. On Thursday, the first day Center and conducted a dye dump. This trip was oft h e ex p e d it ion , fi vet rip s we r e fi e Ide d. 0 n not a total loss, though the survey still needs to both Friday and Saturday, eight trips were be continued . Peter Bosted led a large party into fi e Id e d . the Doyle Valley Entrance. Upstream many 3-D On Thursday, Charles Fox led a party to photographs were taken. Mick Sutton led a trip c ontinue the T-survey in Lower Carlos Way . into Salts to re-sketch the area of the Stone Even with assurances to the EL, the party found Steps to Cama de Juan. Unfortunately, illness that the passage was filled with water. On exit­ brought this trip to an abrupt halt with no in g , a P halangodes armala- " a cave adapted sketch accomplished. Matt Goska led a party to 15 Cox Avenue in Great Onyx to continue the main facts associated with the game ADVENTURE. survey at G 125 . Work continued tying the B, W Lynn Brucker led a party to the old guides ' & Z Surveys in and ended at the Grand Piano. cabin area. They acquired GPS locations of sev­ They could not find the K Survey and left a low eral cabin foundations , cemetery and cave . The (2 H x 4W) crawl for another c·rew. The last crew cave has an improved water source . They then went to Great Onyx to survey ·side leads. They went to investigate a surface feature on the c limbed to an upper level and followed an old A slope by Great Onyx-they believe this was an Survey, replaced the H Survey, and finally be­ attempt to dig an entrance into the cave . Mick ga n nine stations replacing the S Survey. It be­ Sutton led a party into the Daleo Entrance of ca me too tight for the party leader (West) so the Roppel Cave. They surveyed the Turtle Trail crew hooked up with Go.ska's crew and exited . (TT Survey) and into Turtle Shell Dome. There On Friday, Ann Bosted led a party into are numerous leads in here , but they lacked Great Onyx to continue the main line survey of equipment. Charles Fox led into Sanford Way Cox Avenue . Misled by a description of " hands inside Crystal Cave. They found Q20 and con­ & knees in sand," they soon discovered " flat out tinued the survey to a " T " in the passage . Lunch belly crawl on gravel". They surveyed until it included some bad salmon for one of the party was too small for further human visitation . Mick members and resulted in aborting further work Sutton led a successful trip into Salts, re­ in the area. sk etching the K Survey. They looked for Tom Karen Willmes led the all female crew into Brucker's "Mystery Survey" with no resu Its. Great Onyx to check out side leads at the end of Though post trip discussions with TB suggest Edward Avenue . Hauling a ladder into the that it is in fact the old V Survey, which has crawl, they easily climbed down the dome, but now been re-done . needed the ladder to climb up the other side . Finally, they ended by re-sketching the ex­ They noted much historic trail improvements in tremely complex Victorian Parlor passage (A this area. The area was surveyed. They then Survey). Peter Bosted ' s trip into Roppel went went to the end of the F Survey; they found yet fa r into Crawfish River. They reached the objec­ another pit and had inadequate equipment to tive and noted the carbide stations (of 30 years comp lete the survey here . They moved the lad­ ago) to begone. They found the station they der to another high lead, but it was insufficient. so ught and surveyed 660 feet to where the pas­ They left the c av e. Jim Greer led a crew into sage sumped . Their last station was well marked Storts Trail in Crystal. This crew did not reach w ith a poker chip and red flag . Miles Drake their intended objective ; however, being re­ took a crew to the bottom of the Maelstrom . sourceful, they found an easier route to Storts Two hundred feet of rope was used to rig this Trail and surveyed it. pit. A short survey was placed in a comfortable Martin Gedeon led a small crew to see if it stoo p at the bottom. A rock plaque with was possible to enter Natural Tunnel Cave . This " Einbigler" was found . crew was defeated by a thick layer of soil and The White Lightening crew, led by Charles boulders. The conclusion is that the cave cannot Fox watched as Dick Market free climbed Con­ be entered without some serious earth moving . denser Dome only to find the passage too nar­ The final crew. was led by Bob Osburn to the X- row (a four foot high four inch wide canyon) . 15 Pit area . This party checked the safety equip­ The area was re-sketched. Bob Osburn led a ment in the area and replaced what was neces­ cre w into Cumquat Crawl, found the protrusion sary. (believed to be the last crew ' s station), and be­ In summary, the expedition went extremely ga n the T Survey. They continued to T30 where well. I particularly want to thank my better half they began a spray-shot S Survey. They tied to (Jan Marie Hemberger) for her help and support. Bosted's last station "AV" and went away. Tom Buz Grover did an excellent job feeding the ex­ Brucker and Paul Cannaley re-found Natural pedition. Henry Grover is growing up too fast. Tunnel Cave and flagged the route for others to He is a great help in the kitchen , even to the follow later in the expedition. point of staying up late and feeding late arriv­ D a v eWe s tie din t 0 Bed qui Itan daft e r m u c h ing parties. I understand he may make a good co nfusion in route finding , they happened upon caver, very soon. It was interesting to see how an old C Survey off the Hall of the Mountain many seasoned cavers took him under their wing King. They resurveyed 15 stations, with vertical with advice and guidance . Everyone who came co ntrol. Several leads were noted . to this expedition did a wonderful job in helping On the last caving day of the expedition, around camp and caving safely. S atu rday , seven trips were fie I d ed. D ave West led a large crew in support of Jason Scott to Carlos Way- Charles Fox, Rick Olson, Martin Gedeon: Doyle Valley -I) Peter Bosted, Ann Bosted, Issam Jaoude, Rena Karanough ; 2) Bob Os burn . video portions of Colossal Cave as well as arti- Dick Market , Kevin Market; Salts - I) Mick Sutlon, Sue Hagan, Lynn 16 Brucker; 2) Mick Sutton, Joyce Hoffmaster, Daniel Greger; Great Onyx­ naley; 2) Issam Bou Jaoude, Rena Karanouh, Martin Gedeon; 8edquilt­ I) Man Goska, Roger Brucker, Joanne Smith; 2) Dave West, Karen Will­ Dave West, Karen Willmes, Lynn Brucker; Colossal Cave Adventure mes, Miles Drake; 3) Ann Bosted, Roger Brucker, Shari Forsythe, Sue Video- Dave West, Jason Scott, Peter Bosted, Bruce Hatcher, Rick Olson; Hagan ; 4) Karen Willmes, Joanne Smith, Joyce Hoffinaster; Roppel Cave Stephen Spring Cave I Great Onyx Surface Feature - Lynn Brucker, - I) Peter Bosted, Issam Jaoude, Martin Gedeon, Rena Karanough; 2) Bob Roger Brucker, Preston Forsythe, Shari Forsythe; Daleo Entrance - Mick Osburn, Matt Goska, Bill Steele, Diana Tomchick; Maelstrom - Miles Sutton, Sue Hagan, Henry Grover, Paul Canna ley ; Sanford Way - Charles Drake, Joanne Smith, Kevin Market; White Lightning - Charles Fox, Fox, Daniel Greger, Bill Steele, Miles Drake; Storts Trail- J im Greer, Dick Market, Rick Olson; Natural Tunnel- I) Tom Brucker, Paul Can- Matt Goska, Tom Brucker.

2008 EXPEDITION CALENDAR

Before attending any expedition, you must contact the expedition leader as trip sizes may be limited. Failure to contact the leader may prevent you from attending the expedition as the trip may be full.

CAVE BOO KS Publications Affiliate of the Cave Research Foundation \V'NW.cavebooks.com ISBN: 0-939748 SAN : 216-7220 Re\,. {)3/ {)8

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