USA - Hoosier Caversfiles.hoosiercavers.com/Binkley/March2011NSSNewsBinkleyPart2.pdfUSA April 1-3, 2011—Texas ... Society, 2813 Cave Ave., Huntsville, AL 35810-4431. Deadline:

2 NSS NewS,March2011

USAApril 1-3, 2011—Texas Speleological Association (TSA) annual Spring Convention held at Fort Clark Springs, Brackettville, TX. The annual Spring Convention features presentations from cavers about developments in cave sciences, project updates, national and international exploration, and more. The TSA Spring convention is a great time to come together with family and friends to enjoy group meals, presentations, the map & photo salon, business meetings, and your favorite speleovendors. For more info contact Ellie at (509) 899-0007 or email [email protected] 16-23, 2011—Cave Rescue Operations and Management Seminar, Guajataca Boy Scout Camp, San Sebastian, Puerto Rico. The seminar provides approximately 100 hours of instruction in cave rescue over eight days. Its classes are physically strenuous and participants must be in good physical health. Students should be prepared to work in difficult situations, both above and below ground. www.caves.org/commission/ncrc/national/2011seminar/seminar2011.htm REGISTRATION (includes meals lodging) $548.00. Please register ONLINE as it is much easier.May 13-15, 2011 — Western Region Speleo-Ed Seminar, Three Rivers, California.Held at Lodgepole Campground in Sequoia Natl. Park. For information: www.caves.org/region/westernMay 13-15, 2011—Mid-Appalachian Region (MAR) spring meet at Shade Gap Fire Department Fair Grounds, Shade Gap, PA., hosted by Franklin County Grotto. email: [email protected] There will be caving, band, food and vendor.May 26-30, 2011—Memorial Day Weekend: 40th Kentucky Speleofest hosted by The Louisville Grotto at the Lone Star Preserve, Bonnieville, KY..Come and be sure to bring old pictures, stories and help us celebrate 40 years of wonderful caving memories with old and new friends. We will have a food vendor, on Rope 1, camping, warm showers, howdy party with DJ, banquet, band, kayaking, hiking, cave social and all caving will be based on the newest information from the Ky Fish and Wildlife. Lots of childrens activities. More info: contact [email protected] 16-19, 2011—Greater Cincinnati Grotto is hosting Karst-O-Rama at the Great Saltpetre Cave Preserve in Mt.Vernon, KY. Website: http://karstorama.com/July 18-22, 2011—NSS Convention in Glenwood Springs, ColoradoJune 25-29, 2012—NSS Convention in the Greenbrier Valley of West VirginiaAugust 12-14, 2011—58th Annual Cave Capers, hosted by the Central Indiana Grotto at Camp Rivervale on the high bluffs of the White River in Mitchell, IN for great caving, swimming, music, cookout, and fun. Dale Chase will present Early Vertical Caving along with Current Vancouver Island Projects, Vendor Inner Mountain Outfitters, Go to www.cavecapers.com or call Ron Adams 317-490-7727.October 3 – 7, 2011—National Cave and Karst Management Symposium, Zermatt Resort, Midway, Utah. Web site: http://www.nckms.org/2011/ For more information contact [email protected] or [email protected].

INTERNATIONALJuly 21-28, 2013—16th International Congress of Speleology, Brno, Czech Republic. Web site: www.speleo2013.com

Senditemsforthecalendartodavebunnell@comcast.netatleast6weeksbeforedesiredmonthofpublication(i.e.,byMarch15fortheMayissue).

Brad Barcom at the base of the Flowstone Cascade Room which connects Lower & Upper Travertine Trail in Blowing Hole. Photo by Dave Everton.

NSS Board Meeting in Albuquerque, NMApril 1-3, 2011, at University of New Mexico Student Union Building. Friday night get-together at Linda Starr’s casa. Call (505) 255-6037 or 261-7648 for information.

Typical Eerie Canal passage in Blowing Hole Cave, IN, taken on an ISS oldtimer’s trip. Photo by Dave Everton.

NSS NewS,March2011 3

POSTMASTERS OR MEMBERS: Send address changes to National Speleological Society, 2813 Cave Ave., Huntsville, AL 35810-4431.

Deadline: Ads, articles and announcements should be sent to the editor by the 15th of the month, six weeks before the month of issue (e.g., material for the March issue needs to be in by January 15).

The NSS News (ISSN 0027-7010) is published monthly with the Members Manual and American Caving Accidents published as additional issues by the National Speleological Society, Inc, 2813 Cave Ave, Huntsville, AL 35810-4431. Periodicals Postage Paid at Huntsville, Al and additional mailing offices. Tel: (256)852-1300; FAX (256)851-9241, e-mail: [email protected], web: www.caves.orgRegular membership in the NSS is $40 per year. See http://caves.org/info/membertypes.shtml for descriptions of other membership categories. Subscriptions to the NSS News are $27 per year; individual copies are $3.00 each. Contact the Huntsville office for membership applications, subscriptions, orders, or for replacement of issues missing or damaged in the mail. Moving? Please report changes of address to the office promptly or online at: www.caves.org/info/changeinfo.shtml

Copyright ©2011by the National Speleological Society, Inc.

NSS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEEPresident

Gordon Birkhimer2807 Hogan Court

Falls Church, VA 22043(703) 573-4653

[email protected]

Operations VPWm Shrewsbury

124 4th Ave NWLargo, FL [email protected]

Executive VPJohn LaMar Cole

1196 Millcreek DrLexington KY 40517-2984

[email protected]

NSS NEWS EDITORDave Bunnell

Box 879Angels Camp, CA 95222

[email protected]

ADVERTISING Complete advertising information, including ad costs, deadlines, and guidelines for preparation, are on the NSS wesite at: www.caves.org/pub/nssnews/ads.html Payment info, contact:

Advertising Accountant: Bert Ashbrook

107 Avonbrook Road, Wallingford, PA 19086 (610) 627-2378 evenings

[email protected]

National Speleological Society Office 2813 Cave Ave, Huntsville, AL 35810-4431 Tel: (256)852-1300; FAX (256)851-9241

e-mail: [email protected]; web: www.caves.orgPlease contact the office for address changes or back issues.

ConservationJim & Val Hildreth-Werker

PO Box 207Hillsboro, NM 88042-0207

(575) 895-5050 [email protected]

in the MediaBill Klimack

23 Monet Bend PlaceThe Woodlands, TX 77382

[email protected](281)-362-5001

neWsletter revieWKim Gentry

110 Beechwood LaneMt. Washington, KY 40047

[email protected]

spelean spotlightRon Zuber

[email protected]

safety & teChniquesAaron Bird

[email protected]

DEPARTMENT EDITORS

Please include “NSS News” in your subject line when e-mailing material to help me sort it from the spam. Thanks!

Questions about submitting features and photos? Please see the style and submission guidelines:on the NSS web site:

www.caves.org/pub/nssnews/style.html

Administrative VPGeary Schindel11310 Whisper Dawn

San Antonio, TX 78230210-479-2151

[email protected]

Secretary/TreasurerPeri Frantz

16345 Englewood Ave. Los Gatos, CA 95032-4621

(home) 408-356-8506 [email protected]

In contrast to our cover photo, here is the Blowing Hole entrance in flood March 2008. Photo by John Benton

NSS NewsMarch2011

Volume69Number3

Underground Update .................... 30Classified Ads ...............................30

Caving Chronicles ........................24Society News ................................26

Front cover: Gary Roberson & Nick Benton at the Blowing Hole entrance in winter. Photo by Dave Everton.Back cover:Right: the Formation Room in Blowing Hole looking upstream during the ISS Oldtimer’s trip. Photo by Dave EvertonLeft: Helictite Utopia in Binkley Cave. Photo by Alan CresslerBottom: Justin Hinrichs leads the way and Tim Pride follows behind in Upper Travertine Trail, Blowing Hole Cave, IN. Photo by Dave Everton.

The 51st Year Under the Sinkhole Plain:After the Book—the Rejuvenation of the Exploration of the Binkley-Blowing Hole Cave System, Part Two ............................... 4

Gary Roberson and Dave EvertonSociety NewsColorado Convention 2011 .......................................................... 21Summary of the Fall 2010 BOG Meeting ..................................... 26

Gordon Birkhimer

NSS Cave Arts & Music Salons at the 2011 NSS Convention ....... 28


Tim Pride in Rimstone Way

[Ed note: Readers may find it easier to folllow along the narrative if they take a look at some of the maps listed on Dave Everton’s Binkley Web site (mypage.iu.edu/~deverton/Binkley/binkley.htm) including the working Blowing Hole map and a line plot of the Binkley system, with labels. These are in PDF format.]

AttheendofPartOne(February2011issue),atriptookplacetoBlowingHoleonOctober3,2009,duringwhichamajorbreakthroughwasmade,whenthecontinuationofmajorriverpassage longbelievedtoexistwasfoundbeyondanobstacle.Thenextweekend,heavyrainspreventedaquickreturn toBlowingHole,soDaveEvertonandfourothersreturnedtoMiller’sCave.Nothingofgreatimportancewasfound,butsomepreliminarysurvey indicated thatNormPace’sfissurepassageprobablyheadedthesamedirectionastheotherforkcarryingtheair.Althoughtherewasmorerainthenextweek,ninecaversassembledforthereturntriptoBlowingHole.IdecidedIwantedtoseethenewborehole,takingmyfirstlongtripinBlowingHolein40years.NormallytheentrancecrawlwouldhavebeendryinOctober,but the200-foot-longpoolwasdeeperthanever,makingforamiserablestarttothetrip.Everyonewastryingtofigureoutthebestwaytonavigateupthenearlymile-longEerieCanalwithoutbustingtheirshinsonthesubmergedrocks.ToddWebb(whohadalreadytestedseveraltechniques)triedswimfinsandaflotationcushionthistime.Hemadeitupriver,butthetechniquefailedmiserably.Wehadplannedtobreakintothreesurveyteams,butasurveytapefelloutofmypackwhilefloatingitthroughtheentrancepool,sowedividedintotwoinstead.Whenwearrivedattheheadofthelowerriver,Dave’steambeganadditionalenlargementofthewaterfallcrawlforlargercavers,whileKevinSmith’steambeganatie-insurveynear theHighWaterRoomandheadedupstream.Aftersurveyingover700feetofchest-deepwaterandcobble-strewncrouchway,wecaughtuptotheotherteam,whichwasjustfinishingenlargingandsurveyingthroughthetightwaterfallcrawl.Everyonewhowasnottherethreeweeksearlierravedabouthowawesomeitwastosqueezethroughtheleakyconnectionroute

andemergethroughacurtainofwaterintotheupperriverborehole.

Ashortbreakwastakenat thetopofthewaterfall to leta littleofthewaterdrainout.Duringthattime,BradBarcomfoundanobscurecrawlbehinda largebreakdownblockjustacrosstheothersideofthepassage.Itlookedgrim,butseemedtohavestrongairflow.Afterthebreak,Dave’steambegansurveyingupstreamandKevin’steamleapedaheadtostartsurveyingfromalargerockatthebaseoftheMini-MountainRoom.Whentheydecidedtocall itquits,atotalof2585feethadbeenbookedfortheday.Clinometerreadingsshowedthatthestartoftheupperriverwasabout26feetabovethebaselevelofthelowerriverlevel.Once in theupper river, thecavestreamcontinuedtogainrapidlyineleva-tionforthefirst1000feetbeforereturningtoalowgradientreminiscentofthelowerriver.Thelast300to400feetsurveyedbyKevin’steamwasinchest-deepordeeperwater,forcingthesurveyorstohugthetopofthemudbankstoavoidswimming.Theystoppedinpassagesixtosevenfeethighand25feetwidewithwall-to-wallwater.Beforeleaving,afewcaversreconnednearly1000feetfurther.Thecavecontinuedunchangedinverydeepwaterwithstrongair flow;itwoulddefinitelyrequirefull five-mmorheavierwetsuitsfromhereon.IthadbeenawonderfulbirthdaypresentforDave,whowascelebratinghis49th.

OnHalloween,anotherassaultontheupperriverstreamwasplannedbyDave,

TimPride,andClevelandGrottocaverEricToepke.However,thepassagewassumpedat thebaseof theentranceslope,whichmaynothavehappenedinOctoberforthelast50years.AnalternatetripinthemainBinkleyentrancewas taken.WateroverwaistdeephadtobenegotiatedmuchofthewaytotheBigBreak.ThetriodecidedtocheckoutArnold’sInitiationPassageandanothersmallleadoffofPowellAvenue.NoonewasknowntohavebeeninthatareasinceTerryCrayden,hisbrotherArnold,andme(GR)41yearsago.Nothingnewwasfound,butcheckingrevealedthatbothArnold’sInitiationPassageandanothersmallsideleadappearedtocontinuebeyondclayconstrictionsthatcanbeenlarged.Arnold’sisheadinginadirectionindicatingthat itcouldbethedrainforamissingsectionofI-64/RailroadPassageborehole.

ByNovember7th,therainhadsubsided,andDavewasjoinedbySJVGcaversJoyBaizandMarkMatthews,whoheadedinBlowingHoletosurveyasideleadtotheleftjustbelowNewton’sJunction.Thesurveyteammanaged380feetofmessysurveyinwhattheycalledtheCornCobPassage(forthecorncobsandalargecowbonefoundinside),whichwasafterwarddeterminedtoheadtowardsanabandonedoxbowofIndianCreekfarmedforover150years.Thesameday,RandHeazlittandIdidadyetraceoftheBaelzstreampassageinBinkleytoseeifallthewateremergingatnearbyBickelSchoolSpringswasreallyfromtheVirginRiver.Ourtestrevealedtherearedefinitely

The 51st Year Under the Sinkhole Plain:After the Book—the Rejuvenation of the Exploration of the Binkley-

Blowing Hole Cave System, Part Twotext by Gary Roberson and Dave Everton; photos by Dave Everton


atleasttwodifferentsourcesforthewaterthere.Probably70-75%iscomingfromtheVirginRiver,whiletheother25-30%iscomingfromanotherundergroundstreamprobablydrainingSodaStrawAlleyand400acrestothenortheast,wherenoknownpassagehasyetbeenfound.Thereappearstobeamixingzonewheresomeofthewaterfromthetwosourcescombinesundergroundbeforeemergingatmorethan20springsalong1500feetofIndianCreek.

Thenextweekend,DaveandRandwerejoinedbyElliotStahltocontinuethesurveyintheBHupperriver.Thewaterintheentrancecrawlwasgettingmuchcolder,asoutsidetemperaturesdroppedandcoldairwasbeingsuckedintothecaveoverthewater.Trekkingpolesandsticks (andforDave,hisfriendthebigcrowbar)werenowbecomingstandardequipmentforthetripupriver,alongwithafullwetsuit.Theirsurvey-ingwasgenerallyeasyinpassagewayseventoeightfeethighand20feetwide,butevery-onewasshivering,eveninfullwetsuits.Randoncompasshaddifficultystayingstation-aryonthesteeply-slopingmudbanksthatconstantlytriedtodeliverhimintowateroverhishead.Thispartoftheupperriverhadanamazinglylargepopulationofcavefish;onalatertripNickBentonreferredtothelargeronesasblind dolphins,atermthatstuck.Theyaddedalmost1500feetofsurvey,stoppingwhentheyreachedlowairspace,butdecidedtodosomerecon.Infrontofthem,theceilingbrieflydippedtoonlyaboutfourinchesofairspace,requiringaquickeardunk.Justafewfeetahead,theceilingrosebacktoallowsixtonineinchesofairspace.100feetfurtheron,thepassageresumeditsnow-normalcharacteristics:seventoeightfeethighwithchestdeepwater.InspiredbyNickBenton,DavelaternamedthevarioussectionsThe Pre-Moisturizer, Moisturizer, and Saturator.BlowingHolewasnowearn-ingareputationaspossiblyIndiana’swettestcave.Conservingbodyheatwouldbeessen-tialtofuturesurveytripsupriver.Theywerenowovertwomilesfromtheentrance,mostofwhichwasinrelativelydeepwaterwithadousingshowerinthewaterfallconnectionaddedforgoodmeasure.

Therewasnosurveytripthefollowingweekend,but theold local ISSmembersdidaneveningdigtriptoRevelationRoadinBinkley’s.Theyhauledout24sled-loadsofmud,movingforwardsixtosevenfeet.Thepassagewasnowpossibly trendingveryslowlydownhill,butforwardvisibilitywasminimaloveraslopingmudbank.TheSaturdayafterThanksgiving,NickBentonagreedtojoinDaveandRandforthenextlegoftheupstreamsurveyinBlowingHole.Thewaterlevelintheentrancecrawlwasalittlelower,butbitterlycold.Ifacaver’shandsorfeetwerenotprotectedbywetsuitglovesor

booties,thecrawlthroughthefirst200feetwaspainfullycold.Thetripupstreamwasuneventful,butfogintheeyepieceofthecompassmadereadingtheazimuthdifficult.Theyaddednearly1300feetofnewsurvey,stoppingataspotwherethepassagewas15feethighand30feetwide—anicebreakfromthedeepwateroftheMoisturizerandSaturatorsections,whichhadlastedforoverahalfmile.Severalside leadswereseenalongtheway.Ashortreconinthemainpassageupstreamfromthesurveystoppingpointrevealedthecharacterwaschangingfromawater-filledtubetoapassagewithmoreheightvariation,somewhatshallowerwater,andcontainingsmalldomesandevenafewspeleothems.Theyemergedafteran11-hourtrip,whichputthesurveyedlengthofthecaveoverthreemiles.

Acaveradiolocationofthetallbreak-downroomtotheleftofthewaterfallandanothersurveytripupriverwereplannedforDecember5th.EveryonewantedtoseetherelationshipofthebreakdownroomtoLamon’sBirthdayHole,anow-closedpitcaveentrance located fairlyclose to theTorrentRoom.MikeDrake,BrianWelpand I surveyedup themountainon theupstreamsideoftheTorrentRoomandsetupthecaveradio.Whiletheyhauledtheradioupthebreakdown,IclimbedoverthebigbreakdownslabneartheWaterfall tocheckoutthepassageBradhadfoundtheprevioustrip.Itossedasmokebombintothecrawlwayandinaninstantallthesmokewasgone—suckedintothepassage.Meanwhile,ToddWebbandJamieWinnerweremanningtheradioreceiveronthesurface,andhadnotroublelocatingthespot,whichturnedouttobe86feetabovegroundzeroand334feetsoutheastofLamon’sBirthdayHole.Ittookthreeshotstosurveyupthebreakdowntothecaveradiointhecenterofthe40by60-footroomatthetop.Thesecondshotwasmorethana70-degreeverticalslope!Ineededhelpfromtheyoungercaverstomakeitupaneighttoten-footverticalcliffnearthetop.Groundzerowas100feethigherthanthewaterfall,witha13-footceilingoverheadmakingtheroom113feethigh,surpassingthe100-foottallMountainRoominBinkleyasthetallestroominthecavesystem.Whenthesurveynoteswereplotted, it showedthat theRadioRoompassagelinedupperfectlywiththeTorrentRoomontheothersideofthebreakdown.Next,myteamheadedfortheMini-MountainRoomtosurveyupthemountainand, ifpossible,downintothestreampassageonthebackside.Theroomwasimpressive:themountainwasapproximately40feetinheightandtheceilingwasanother30feetormoreoverhead.A15-foothighflowstoneresemblingapipeorganadornedthebackwall.Theroomslopeddownsteeplyonthe

right.Wecouldhearwaterrunningbelowandwereable tosurveythroughasmallopeningtothestream,wherewewereabletocontinueupstreamtotheleft.Brianwaslyinginthestreamtakingacompassread-ingnexttoalargerockonwhichthesurveystationhadbeenplacedwhenitbegantomove,tryingtopinhimtothestreambed.Itstartledhim,buthescrambledoutofthewayandwecontinuedsurveying.Soon,wepoppedoutofthebreakdownjustbelowthehardhatwedgedintothebreakdown,finishingtheloopbacktothejunctionwiththemainroute,logging560feetofsurvey.

Meanwhile, theother teamwhichincludedPeteCrecelius (whohad flowninfromIdahoforanextendedweekend)

Founding ISS members George Jaegers, Gary Roberson, Richard ‘Fig’ Newton, and John Benton in front of Dave Everton’s 1962 Buick Electra before a trip

Upper Travertine Trail before the bathtub


headedforKS61tocontinuetheupstreamsurvey.For the first time, they triedoutthenewDistoD3,purchasedwithgrantmoneyfromtheClevelandGrottoScienceFund.Theychuggedupstream,placing34stationsbeforeDaveneededamentalbreakfromsketchingandsomeactivitytowarmup.Theyendedtheirsurveyinaroomwithlargeclaydepositsandblackcoatingontheceiling,whichRandnamedStarry, Starry Nights.Thereappearedtobeasignificantleadtotheleft,buttheyallhustledahead,reachingasplitafewhundredfeetlater.Bradcheckeditoutashortdistance,reportingverygoodairmovement.Hereachedaspotgoingupwherediggingwouldberequired,butsaid theaircontinued into theopenandgoingpassagebelow.RandandDavecontinuedoninthemainstreamandsawmore5to7-feet-highand10to20-feet-widepassage.Finally,theyreachedanareawithshallowflowingwaterforthefirsttimeinprobably3000feet.Theriverjustkeptgoingandgoing,butnowithadturnedtothesoutheast,parallel toBinkley’sStrikeSectioninsteadofheadingtowardsit.Theyhadnettedanother1879feetofsurvey.Combinedwiththeotherteams,theirtotaltakewas2439feetfortheday.Instraightlinedistance,theywereonly2500feetfromtheMiller’sCaveentranceandheadingrightforit!Onthewayout,Davenoticedthattheairmovementappearedtobesubstantiallystrongerinthelowerriverthanintheupperriver.Theyemergedverycoldandtiredafteranearly12-hourtrip.IreportedtheresultsofmysmokebombthrownintoBrad’sPassage.Perhapsitaccountedforpartofthediffer-enceinairflow?

Noonewasupforanotherassaultontheupperriver thenextweekend.DavedecidedtotakeareconandphotographytriptotheStrikeSectionthroughtheBaelzentrancewithTimPrideandShaneMyles,whileFigNewton,JohnBenton,andIheldanotherdigatRevelationRoad.Ontheway

in,much-neededintermediatestepsmadebyFigwereaddedtotheladderinthe30-footplasticculvert.Theoldguyshauledanother30sled-loadsofmudfromthedig,extendingitanotherseventoeightfeet.Itwasobvi-ousthiswouldnowbealongtermproject.Dave,TimandShanewerethefirstknowncaverstosetfootintheStrikeSectionsincetheBaelzentrancecollapsedin1982.TheslimyOtter Hole leadingupfromthestreamleveltoDripstoneDomesandthemainstemoftheStrikeSectionwastightasever—justbarelyallowingamud-greasedTimtogethischestthroughtheopening.TheyspentseveralhoursgettingacquaintedwiththemultiplelevelsandpassagesoftheDripstoneDomesandRimstoneRiverupper levels.DavewassurprisedattheverticaldistancebetweentheRimstoneRiverlevelandthebase-levelstreamattheOtterHole.

WiththelastupstreamsurveytripinBlowingHoleendingonly2500feetfromMiller’s,Davedecidedthatanotherassaultontheair-movingconstrictionintherighthandforkinMiller’smightavoidthelongtrekupriverinBlowingHole.Oneofthemembersofthesurveypartygotsick inthecrawl-way,solittlesurveyingwasactuallydone.However,theydidjustenoughtodeterminethatthenortharrowonNormPace’s1960mapwaswrong: thecaveactually runssoutheastinsteadofnortheast.Duringthetrip,ElliotStahlandChrisBellwereablewithsomemodificationtofairlyquicklygetthroughtheconstrictionwhichstoppedtheslimmestcaversontheprevioustrip,onlytobestoppedbyimpenetrablebreakdown.Smokefromasmokebombwasrapidlywhiskedupintotheoverheadbreakdown.Furtherprogresswillprobably requirealong-termprojectemployingrock-reducingtechniques.Withnoonerelishingthelongcobblecrawlfilledwithtrashandbrokenglasstogetbacktothatarea,Miller’sagainmovedbacktoalowpriorityuntilthegapwithBlowingHoleclosedenoughtoseeifa

realpossibilityofaconnectionexists.Just beforeChristmas, Fig, John,

and Imovedanother30sled-loadsfromRevelationRoad.Wecouldnowdefinitelytellthatthefloordroppedaboutsixinchesabout10feetahead,changingthepassageconfigurationtomoreofa“U”shape.ThedayafterChristmas foundfivecaversatFrederick’s.OurfavoritewaitressAmyevenhadaChristmascardaddressed to“thecavers.”Ithadrained,andnoonewassureiftheentrancecrawlinBlowingHolewouldbeopen.However,ithadnowdroppedintothelow20sandeveryonedreadedthestingingcoldwaterofthe200-footlongpool.Itwasopen,soeveryoneplungedintothepool,withsomeutteringafewchoiceexpletivesintheprocess.

Today’sobjectiveswouldbeasurveyintoBrad’sPassagebyDave,BradBarcom,andWayneCottrell,andasurveyintothefirstmajorrightsideleadintheupperriverbyRandandme.AsheandImovedupriver towardsourobjective,wecounted12-14nice-sizedcavefish.TheupperriverofBlowingHolecouldprovetobeoneofIndiana’spremierblindfishhabitats.OurleadwasjustpriortothestartofTheMoisturizer.Itstartedoutfivetosixfeethighandeighttotenfeetwide.Whiletherewastwotothreefeetofpooledwater,thereappearedtobelittleflow,butcavefishwereinabundancehere,too.Weclippedoffabout500feetofeasysurveyanddeterminedthattherewasstrongairflowingupstreaminthepassage.Onehundredfeetfurtheron,weheardwaterfallingfromadome.Beyondthat,thewaterendedandthepassagebecamelarger.Soonitopenedtoeight tonine feethighand15-20feetwide,butthenwesawbreakdownahead.Thepassagewastruncatedinasteepwallofbreakdownwithairflowingintoit.Wewere730feetfromthemainriver,buttherewasnoobviouswayon.Thishaddefinitelybeenasignificantpassageinthe

Gary Roberson in the Torrent Room Crawl Start of the Pre-Moisturizer Passage


past—possiblycarryingthemainstream?Fornowwewereblocked,buttherehadtobesomethingbigahead.

Onthewayback,Randclimbedupintothedomeanddetermineditwaspullinginairaswell.Therewerepossibilitiesupthere,butbythistimethedeepwaterhadmademybackandhipsstiffandIdidn’tfeelcomfort-abledoingmuchclimbing.Randwouldhavetowaituntilhecouldreturnwithsomeagilecaverstopushit.Headingback,westoppedtocheckaspotontherightjustinsidetheentrancetoRimstoneWay,thefirstsideleadontheleftabovethewaterfallandBrad’sPassage.Randhadnoticedasmallholeonanearliertripandwantedtoseeifhecoulddigitopen.Hetookonlyafewminutestoenlargetheopeningandcrawlintoalargeceilingpocketabovetheslopingmudbank.Hefoundasmallopeningtotheleftthatwaspullinginair,butmoreworkwasneededthancouldbedonethatday.WecouldheartheotherteamemergingfromBrad’sPassageabout200feetdownstream;theirsurveyhadbeennopicnic.Atotalof27stationsnetted393feetofnasty1to2.5-foothighmuckycrawlwaywhichwas2to3feetwide.Theyhadfinallyintersectedasmallcanyonpassagewhichwentupward,butitwastoonarrowtoclimbwithouthammeringoffsomeprojections.Asmokebombindicatedthatairwasflowingupthroughthenarrowcanyon.MostcaverswouldconsiderBrad’sPassagecrap!Ifnotfortheairflow,itwouldprob-ablyneverhavebeenrevisited.However,thepassagewasBrad’snamesakeafterall,andhedidhavesomehopesforthenarrowcanyonleadingupward.Thedayhadnetted1129feetofsurveyandBlowingHolewasnow3.63milesinlength.

2010 EffortsJanuary 2nd found five cavers at

Frederick’sinspiteofthefactthetempera-turewasn’tsupposedtogetaboveabout15degrees.TimPride,ChadMontgomery,

andShaneMylesopted toreturn to theStrikeSectioninBinkley’s,whileDaveandRanddidsomeleadcheckinginBlowingHole.Theentrancepoolactuallyhadasmallamountoficefloatingontop,asthewatertemperaturewasjustaboutfreezing.First,theduocheckedBrian’sDomeleadtoseewhatwouldbeneededtogetasurveyteamupintothepassageonthesideofthedome.Next,theyproceededtotheendofRimstoneWay,wherelyinginonetotwofeetofwaterincrampedworkingconditions,theywereabletohammeranddigtheirwaythrougha tightsqueezeandgainaccesstoawell-decorateddomewithawaterfall.Daveclimbeduponeofthewaterfallsintoasmallpassageandpushedittoasmallroomwherethewaterissuedfromanimpassableholeintheceiling.Randclimbedupintoahighnarrowcanyonintheothersideofthedome.Itseemedtocontinueup,butwouldrequireasignificantamountofhammeringtogetthrough.Theycheckedafewotherleadsupstreamtodeterminewhichmightbeworthsurveying,andsetoffsmokebombsinallofthembeforedeparting.Theycrawledoutoftheicyentrancepoolinthe10-degreechilltothewelcomeofawarmfire,whichAdamCraig(who’dgonehikinginsteadofcavingthatday)hadcreated.

Meanwhilethatday,ontheirwaytotheStrikeSection inBinkleyCave,TimPride’steammovedalittledirtinRevelationRoad,allowingChadtosqueezeforwardanotherfewfeet.Heconfirmeditseemedtobegettingeversoslightly larger.TheythentookarecontripupthemainstemoftheStrikeSectionwellpastChuck’sSewerTube,continuingtofamiliarizethemselveswiththeareaofthecavenoonehadvisitedinnearly30years.TheynotedonecrawlingleadtotheleftpasttheSewerTube.Theirexitfromthecavewasjustplainmiserable.Thecoldairwashowlingintothecave,downtheentrancepassagetotheriver.Theyhadplannedtochangeclothesinthecave,but

hadn’tbroughtdrygloves,sotheirwetglovesstuckimmediatelytothecoldrungsoftheladder.Chadclimbedupbare-handed.Itwashardtoknowwhichwasworse:bothmeth-odswereexcruciatinglypainful.Dragginga35-poundsackofwetcaveclothesupatight24-inchculvertafteran11-hourcavetripwashell,too.Therewasnobonfirewaitingfor themat theentrance;onlythesteepnarrowtrail leadingalonganduptheblufftotheparkingarea.Afterhearingaboutit,Davewonderediftheexperiencewouldputahalttotheircaveexploringinterest,havingmadethatsamesortofmistakeelsewheremanyyearsbefore.

ThefollowingSaturday,itwasstill inthesingledigitsandsnowing.EveryonewasreadyforabreakfromtheBlowingHoleentrancepool,soDavedecidedtoleadatriptotheheadoftheMillenniumPassageinBinkley’s.ThisupstreamcontinuationofthemainstreamwasblastedopenbythelocalcontingentoftheISSinDecember,1999after30yearsofsporadicwork.Themaindigwinds throughnearly200feetoftreacherous-lookingbreakdownbeforereemerging into largestreampassageattheSmokeyMountainBreakdownRoomonthebacksideoftheentrancesink.TotheamazementoftheoldguyswhoopeneduptheMillenniumDig,itremainsstableandpassable.Theentiregroupproceededtothebreakdownterminustocheckitout.Theydecidedtoconcentrateeffortsat thetopratherthanlowontherighthandsideasIhadrecommended.WhileTySpatta,AaronAtz,andRandHeazlittwereworkingthere,Dave,NickBenton,JackWood,andShaneMylesdepartedtocheckamainsidepassagejustashortwaysdownstream.Neitherofthegroupshadmuchsuccess.Afterthetrip,DavedeterminedhehadthemostinterestintheairroaringupScalingPoleDomeinasideleadofftheMillenniumPassageonly1500feetupstreamfromtheoriginalbreak-throughpoint.Iremaincommittedtothe

Tim Pride in Lower Travertine Trail

Rand Heazlitt at the start of the enlarged breakthrough crawl which led to the Upper River and miles of passage


ideathattherehastobealotmorewalkingcavebeyondtheterminalbreakdown,whichisnotasurfacecollapse.Atthispoint,therearetoomanygoodleadselsewhere,andnooneisreadytomountanassaulttoclimbScalingDomeorbeginMillenniumDigII.

thE supEr saturatorAcoupleofweekendsbeforetheSuper

Bowl,sixhardycaverswerereadytobravethewatersofBlowingHole’supperriversectionagain.Ihadboughtanewfull5mmwetsuit,wetsuitgloves,andbooties,andwasnowreadyforthefrigidwater.Rand,Dave,andIwouldheadtothefrontierupstreamabovetheMoisturizer.BradBarcomandWayneCottrellwouldmakeanotherpushinBrad’sPassage.TimandShanewerereturningtotheStrikeSectionforthethirdtime,becomingtheprojectexpertsonthispartofthecave,inspiteofthemiserythey’dexperiencedwhileexitingontheirlasttrip.Therewasanicedisplayoficeformations

attheBlowingHoleentrance.Waynehadpurchasedatwo-maninflatablecanoetoseeif itwouldmakethetripuptheEerieCanalmorepleasant.Dave’steamenteredthecavefirst,andtotheirutteramazementandsurprise,theentrancepoolwasfrozenfromwall-to-wall!Theicewastransparentsoyoucouldseeeveryrockonthefloorbelow.Whileseveralsharpcrackswereheardcaus-ingDaveandme(whoeachweighover200lbs)tocringe,theicewassolid.Wewereabletoslideonourelbowsovertheentire200feetoficetothefirstroomusinganarmycrawl.Everyonehadadelightfultimeenjoyingthenoveltyoficeundergroundandavoidingthefrigidconditionsofliquidat32.5degreestemperature.Dave’steamheadedfortheendofthemainstreamsurveyatStarry,StarryNights,whileWayneandBradstruggledtodragthenew45-poundSevylorkayak,paddles,andothergearthroughtheentrancepassage.Thewater level inthemainriverwasverylow,andweproceededmethodicallyupstream,reachingourobjec-tiveinjustunderfourhours.WhileDaveandIpreparedtosurvey,Randcheckedoutaleadtotheleftofthebreakdownislanddividingtheroomhe’dearlierdubbedStarry,StarryNights.Hereporteditashandsandkneesinheightandfivefeetwide,anditseemslikeoneofthebetterprospectsforconnectingtoMiller’sCaveabout2000feettotheeast.Wesurveyedforseveralhoursupastreampassage10to15feetwideandfourtosevenfeethighwithtwotofourfeetofwater,withonlyanoccasionalceilingpockettobreakthemonotony.WefinallyreachedthesidepassagetotheleftwhereBradhadreportedstrongair flowandPetehadstoppedontheprevioustrip.Ahead,themainpassageofferedmoreof thesame. Idida lotofgripingasthebackbreakeraggravatedthearthriticpaininmybackandhips.FinallyatKS111,thewaterriffledforthefirsttimeinseveralthousandfeetandtheceilingheightrosetotenfeet.AtKS119,wereachedasidepassageontheright,almostcompletelyhiddenbehindbreakdown.Randheadedinside,traversingabout300feetofpassagevaryingfromthreetosixfeethighandupto20feetwidebeforeturningaround.Hereportedseeinganumberofsticksinthesmallstreamflowingoutof thepassage.Dave’sbrainwasdrainedfromsketching,sowedecidedtoendoursurveyatasizabledomejustonestationbeyondtherighthandlead.Wehadbeensurveyingfourhours.Iwantedtosavemystrengthforthelongtripout,butagreedtoallowtheothertwotoscoopaheadfor10minutesmaximum.Theypassedunderalowledgejustbeyondthedome,whichimmediatelyopenedintoa20-foot-highroomwithseverallarge,roundchertnodulesprotrudingfromtheceiling.Iwaitedthereanddecidedanappropriate

nameforthesizableroomwas“TittyCity.”AsDavelaterlamented,thecavecouldn’tstandprosperity,andimmediatelybeyondthere, theceilingdroppedandthewaterdeepened.Thenext100to200feetwasanear-dipperbathtubwithaslittleasthreetofourinchesofairspace.Tomakemattersworse,thewaterwasovertheirheads inplaces,requiringthemtobalancethemselvesprecariouslyonslopingmudbankswhileattemptingtokeeptheirheadsinanarrowareawiththemostairspace.DavedecidedtonamethisareaThe Super Saturator.Beyond, theceilingroseagain tocreatecomfortableairspace.They reluctantlyturnedaroundafterscoopingtenminutesas theyhadpromised,resulting inabout400feetbeyondoursurvey.Thepassagecontinuedonaheadwideandwet.Wehadadded1665feetofsurvey,bringingthelengthofBlowingHoleupto3.95miles.The Super SaturatorremainsthefrontieroftheBlowingHolemainstreamasthisarticleiswritten(August2010).Wereachedthestill-frozeniceoftheentrancepassageaftera12.5-hourtrip.ThelongtripindeepwaterandthroughseveralareasoflowairspacemakeseventhewaterdogsoftheBinkleyprojectcautiousaboutventuringbeyondtheSuperSaturator.Projectleadershavedecideditisprudenttosurveythatfarupstreamonlywhenconditionsareextremelyfavorable,suchasduringthewinterwhentemperaturesarebelowfreezing.Whenthesurveynoteswereplotted,itshowedthecavewasnowheadingsouthwestawayfromMiller’sCave-something none of us had expected.Whilethemainstreamflowisgreatlyreducedfromitsvolumeatthewaterfallbreakthrough,thepassageisstillwalkingheightnearlythreemilesupstreamfromtheentrance.

Meanwhile,Brad andWayne hadtraversed the400-foot longnightmareknownas“Brad’sPassage.”Afterwallowingforafewminutesintheshallowpoolnearthebaseofthenarrowcanyontocooldown,theybeganknockingoffprojectionsprevent-ingthemfromclimbingup.Aftersomework,Bradcontortedhisbodyashemaneuveredup thenarrowcrevice,andmanaged toripaholeinhiscavesuitandpulldowna60-lbchunkofledge,whichfortunatelyjustmissedhishead.Afteranother30minutesofwork,theywereabletosqueezehorizontallythrough15feetofsinuouscanyonintotwoadjacent40-footdomesseparatedbyanatu-ralbridgeabouthalfwayup.Onecontainedawaterfall,whichhadleftfinelydetailedrockfiligreeonthewalls.Thereappearedtobeanupperlevelpassagenearthetopofthefirstdome,but itdidn’tappearclimbablewithoutaid.Relativelynewtocaving,Bradwasexcitedbythepossibilitiesofanupperlevelcontinuationofhisnamesakepassage.Althoughithadwarmedupandtherewas

Rand Heazlitt emerges from the Waterfall as Dean Wiseman looks upstream

Joy Baiz in upper passage past Brian’s Dome


littleairmovement today, thestrongaironprevioustripsindicatedtherehadtobesomethingsignificantbackhere.Whentheyarrivedbackattheentranceafteranotherjoyfulslideovertheice,therehadbeenamajorwarm-upoutsideandWayne’s4WDtruckbecamestuckfastinthesoftbottomlandalongIndianCreek,whichalsoblockedRandfrombeingabletotryanddriveout.Thenextday,IrecruitedFigNewtonandhissonIan,whobroughtdownaskidloaderandwinchedthetruckallthewaytothetopofthehill.

OnJanuary23rd,Davetookarecon-naissancetrip totheStrikeSectionwithTim’screwalongwithRandandElliot.UsingtheDistoD3,heconfirmedthattheBoreholeJunctionupperlevelwasfully80to90feetabovethebaselevelstream.TheyalsosawRandyJackson’snameanddatescrawledinthedirtfloorinonespot,asifhehadleftityesterday.TheirmainobjectivewastocheckoutHollowFloorCrawl,whichmovedmajorairandwasexcavatedbyRandyandothersinthemid-70s.PeteCreceliusandotherslatersurveyedit,anditwasshowntoheadtowardsthelargesinkwheretheentranceofthenow-closedHollowFloorCavehadbeen.Thecrawlhadproved tobe tightenoughinplacesto intimidate,asPete’soldsurveynotesindicated.OnlyElliotcouldmakeitall thewaytowhereRandy’sdigteamhadstopped.Hisassessmentwasthatamajoramountofworkwouldbeneededtoenlargeit.OnlyifaconnectionwasmadefromBrad’sPassageintoHollowFloorCavefromtheotherside,andtheHollowFloorCrawlpromisedapossibleconnectingroutebetweenBlowingHoleandBinkley,wouldtheprojectseemworthwhile.

ItwassnowythelastSaturdayinJanuaryaseightcaversslidintothecold,butnowre-liquefiedentrancepool.FigandIhadbuiltanotherscalingpole,whichBrad,Wayne,Rand,TySpatta,andKyleHoytwoulddragthroughBrad’sPassage toclimbup thedomesfoundtwoweeksearlier.Onthewayin,theyhelpedboostDave,MarkMatthews,andJoyBaizup12feetintoBrian’sDometobeginsurveyingtheupperlevelcrawl.Afteralltheeffort,Brad’steamfoundnothingatthetopsofthetwodomes.Tomakemattersworse,Bradalmostdrownedhimselfgoingheadfirstintoadownwardslopingpoolwithlowairspace.Theyleftthecaveverydiscour-aged.Wherewastheairthattheyhadfeltonearliertrips,andwherewasitgoing?Whathadtheymissed?

Dave’steamhadmoresuccess.Aftertheboost-up, they surveyed throughasmallstoopwaypasttwosidepassagesandthroughanice formationarea.To theirsurprise,theylaterreachedajunctionwithasizableactivestream.Totheleft,itflowedintoanapparentsump,buttotherightit

enteredasix-foothighnarrowcanyonwithprotrudingledges.Itstartedoutwithlotsofclothes-grabbingprojectionsandrequiredDavetocontorthisbodyandchangelevelstomoveforward.However,asheprogressed,itseemedtograduallybecomeeasierasthefloorbeganrisingthroughshortrifflesandsmallcascades.Aftermaybe200to300feet,Davebrokeoutinashortsectionofwalkingpassage12to15feethighandwidewithmudbanksandbreakdownalongtherightwall.However,afterjust50to75feet,thepassagedroppedtoathree-foothighcrawloverasandandcobblefloor.Davewassurprisedandimpressedwiththesizeofthestream,butdecidedtoturnaroundandgetbacktotheothers.Theyhadadded383feetofsurveyandthisnewriverhasthepotentialtodrainasignificantareatothesouthwestcontainingnoknowncaves.Itappearstobeflowingongradewiththeupperriverabovethewaterfallandjoiningthemainriveratsomehiddenlocation.

Itwasnowmid-February.Dave,NickBenton,andIheadedtoBlowingHoleforashorttriptosurveythesideloopupintotheTorrentRoomandtakesomephotos.Weadded489feetofsurvey.Whenthenoteswereplotted,itshowedthatwewereonly75feethorizontallyfromthebackofthe113-foothighroomtothe left fromthetopofthewaterfall.WhilewewereinBlowingHole,TimandShanemadeyetanothervisit totheStrikeSection.AfterspendingsometimeexploringlowerlevelleadsundertheBoreholeJunction, theymovedupthemainstemtopushChuck’sSewerTube.Shanewasverygladhehadhisfullwetsuitastheyarmy-crawledupthepassagetoasplit.Timcheckedtotherightandquicklyreachedlowairspaceandanarearequiringsedimentremoval,whichappearedtoopenupagainafewfeetbeyond.Theycontinuedpushinguptheotherforkuntiltheyreachedabigdome,whichtheDoghadspeculatedyearsearlier tobethere.Theywereinvirginpassagenow;therewasabeautiful12-footwaterfallwithapassageatthetop.Climbingup,theyfollowedittoseveralsmallerdomesandwaterfallsbeforethepassagebecametootighttocontinue.Backinthemaindome,theynownoticedwhatappearedtobeagood-lookingupperlevelleadthatwillrequireascalingpoletoreach.TimandShanewereexcitedtobeabletopushbeyondwheretheold-timershadgone.WithChuck’sSewerTubesitu-atedatoneofthespotswhereBinkleyandBlowingHolecomeclosesttogether,itcouldbecomeanimportantfind.

OnFebruary20th, theoldguysdidanotherRevelationRoaddig, haulinganother40 sledsoutof thecrawlandadvancingeightfeet.Itnowtooktwopeoplepullingtogetasledouttothedumpingarea.

ThelastweekendinFebruary,twoteamsdidsomemopupsurveyintheTorrentRoomareausingDeanWiseman’sShetlandAttackPony(SAP)andtheyevenhadthepleasureandbenefitofDean’spresenceinparticipat-ing.ItwasquicklydeterminedthattheSAPwasdefinitelythebesttoolthey’dusedtoincreasethespeedandaccuracyofsurveyinthewetconditionsofBlowingHole,sinceitiswaterproofandeliminatestheneedfortheinstrumentreadertophysicallyalignwiththestation,andtheunittakesbothazimuthandclinometerreadingsinonefellswoop(well,pushofthebutton).Onthesametrip,Dave,DeanandRandspentafewminutesexploringalowwetstreamcrawlnotedaweekearlieratthedownstreamendoftheTorrentRoomloop.Itaveragedeightfeetwideandthreetofourfeethigh.Morethanhalfoftheheightwasfilledwithwaterandafterabout250feettheyreachedverylowairspace.However,therewasdecentairflowoverthewater.Wherewasthiswatercomingfrom?Itdidn’tseemconnectedtotheotherstreamflowingaroundtheleftsideofTorrent

The Pipe Organ formation on the back wall of the Mini-Mountain Room

Mark Matthews at the top of Brian’s Dome


Roombreakdown,whichwasdefinitelythewaterfromthemainupperriver.

TheturnoutfortheMarch6thtripwaslight.Dave,NickandTimPridedecideditwastimetosurveyRimstoneWay.UsingthenewDistoD3,theyplaced16stationstotaling338feet.Theydecidedtoendtheirsurveyjustbeforethelowairspacebathtubandsqueezeintothebigdome.Theythenproceededupintothedome,whereDaveaskedtheslenderNickifhewouldtrytofreeclimbupintothenarrowcanyonpassageoutoftheupperalcoveonthefarside.Nicksqueezedupintothenarrowcreviceandthenmadearightangleturn.Atthispoint,hecouldcontinueforwardonthecurrentlevelintoalowcrawlorcontinueupwhatlookedtobeanother15to20feetinthenarrowcanyon.Whileclimbing,heheardDavetellingTimthattheoldISSmembersoftenspeculatedthattherewerelotsofupperlevelpassagesthattheycouldneverfindawaytoclimbupto,whichcouldaccountforalltheairinthecavewhichwaslost.Nickthereforepassedonthecrawlandkeptclimb-ing.Fifteenfeethigher,whenheemergedatthefloorleveloffairlydrylargeupperlevelpassage,hewasecstatic!ThispassagehadatotallydifferentfeelfromtherestofBlowingHole.Therewasaneeriedeadquietashewalkedoverthesoftdirtfloor.Nothrashingthroughwaterorstumblingoversubmergedrockswasrequiredhere.Totheright,hereachedalargeroomwithsomeniceforma-tionsaftermaybe300feet.Totheleft,thepassagehadaverydifferentcharacter.Hewassoonclimbingupoverlargecar-sizedblocksofbreakdowncoveredwithorangeandyellowflowstone.Abovewerenumerousstalactitesandsodastraws.Thepassageinthisdirectionwasconsiderably larger,buttotallymodifiedbybreakdown.Aftermaybe400to500feettherewasnoobviouswayon,soheturnedaround.Thevirginbreak-downwasloose,andnoonecouldcometo

hisaidifsomethinghappened.ItwasaverymemorablemomentforNick.HereturnedtofindDaveandTimshiveringinthedome,whichheaptlynamed“ElevatorDome.”Hereportedthatitshouldbefairlyeasytohammeroffenoughledgesandprotrusionstoallowordinary-sizedcaverstoascend.

AfterthenewsofNick’supper leveldiscoverygotout,thenextSaturdayfoundtencaversatFrederick’sCaféforthepre-tripbreakfast.Theinitialplanwastofieldthreedifferentsurveyteams,butthatwasthwartedwhenonesurveybookwaslostinthestillice-coldentrancepoolonthewayin.Thefirstobjectivewastoenlargethenarrowcanyon;TySpattaheadedupthis task. It tookasubstantialamountofworkwithahammerandchisel,whiletheotherssurveyedthelastthreeorfourstationsthroughthebathtuborwaitedshiveringinElevatorDome.Wheneveryonemadeittotheupperlevelabout40to45feetabovethefloorofthedome,Tyledateamtotheright,surveying251feettoasizableroomwithadrainleadingtoaclaydig.Whenthesurveywasplotted,itwasdeterminedthisdigprobablyleddowntothepocketRandhaddugintoamonthearlierjustinsidetheentrancetoRimstoneWay.Theupperlevelwasrunningbackoverthestreampassagetheyhadenteredfrombelow.Dave’steamsurveyedtotheothersideacrossapitandintothebreakdown-flooredchambersbeyond.Theformationswerenice,buttheytotaledonly294feetofnewsurvey.Theycheckedoneshortdead-endsideleadandexploredafewopeningswhichdroppeddown20feetintothebreakdown,buttherewasnowayon.Whilefairlylargeincross-section,theupperlevelwasonly545feetlong.Thatwasdisappointing,but itdoesindicatetherearelikelysimilarupperlevelpassageswaitingtobefound.

OnlythreecaversshowedfortheMarch20thBlowingHoletrip:Dave,Shane,andJamieWinner,whileChadMontgomeryand

WillieGoodmanwenttoRevelationRoadtodig.Withonly twoofthem,thediggingwasslow,but they finallyreachedapointwhereWillie tried tosqueezeaheadtowherehemightbeabletoseearoundarighthandbend.Arockprotrudingfromthewallblockedhisvision, sohe extendedhis armandsnappedacouplepictureswithhiscamera.Thepicturesappearedto show thepassagemightenlargebeyond

acoupleofsmallslabsimmediatelyaroundthebend.ThemainobjectiveoftheBlowingHoleteamwastotakesomephotosofthebigpassageabovethewaterfallforDave’spresentationattheupcomingannualIndianaCaveSymposium.However,hefirstwantedtostopatthepassageatthenorthendoftheTorrentRoomlooptoseeiftheycouldlowerthewaterlevelintheblowingbathtubupstreamfromthere.Someminormodifica-tiontotherimstone-coatedrocksincreasedtheoutflow,indicatingthepoolwouldprob-ablydropaninchortwo—hopefullyenoughthattheycouldpushupstreamonafuturetrip.DavehadalsopickedupsomedyefrommeandconductedatesttoseeifthewateralongtheleftwallofthepassageleadingtotheMini-MountainRoomwascomingfromthemainriveroranothersource.Thedyetestconfirmeditwasnotfromthemainriver,butfromanunknownsource.Knowinghewasgoingtoimmediatelyreturnformorephotos,DavehadleftthePelicanCasewithhiscameraneartheWaterfallthepreviousweekendsohewouldn’thavetolugitinandoutthroughthelowerriver.Unfortunately,aweekundergroundwasnotgoodforthecamera.Aftertakingafewphotoswithresultsmysteriouslygettingincreasinglyworse,Daverealizedthelenshadalotofmoistureinside,andquicklyrealizedtherewouldbenophotostoday.Thegrouphadn’tbroughtsurveygear,sotheywouldjusthavetocheckleads.First,theyheadedthroughtheMoisturizertothelefthandleadatKS53nearwherethemainriverturnssouth.ManholeCaveisonlyabout2500feetdueeastfromthispoint,andhadsupposedlybeendyetracedtoBlowingHolebyDonAsh35yearsbefore.Thefirstfewhundredfeetwereeasyhands-and-kneesinafewinchestoafootofwater.Justwhenthepassageheightstartedtoincreasealittle,thepassagedroppedunderaledgeandintoalow-airspacebathtub.Daveforgedhiswaythrough15to20feetofceiling-suckingtoapointwheretheceilingroseandthepassagecontinuedasbefore,exceptforanobviousincrease insediments.Atseveralpoints,thepassagewashalf-filledwithsediment,forcingshortbellycrawls.Eventually,Davereachedanotherbathtub,butthisonehadlessairspaceandwouldrequirefloorsedi-mentrelocationtocontinue.Beingalone,hefiguredthiswasagoodplacetostop,butsatquietlyforamomentandcouldhearthesoundofsplashingwater,probablyfromadomenotfarbeyondthebathtub.Therewasaslightairmovementtowardsthemainriver,butitwasnotagoodairflowday.Heestimatedvisitingabout750feetofnewpassage—about250ofitafterleavingtheothers.Ifthepassagecontinueddueeast,hehadprobablycovered30%ofthedistanceneeded toreachManholeCave.Onthewaybackdownstream,thetriocheckedtwoTim Pride exiting the bathtub in Upper Travertine Trail


otherpassages.Onewaslowandwetandveryunappealing.TheotheratKS27wasreconnedbyJamieandShane.Itledabout200feettoanicedomewithtwowater-falls.Jamiereportedgoodairmovementandthoughtithadpotential.However,thepassageatthetopofthemainwaterfallwaspossiblytoonarrowtofollowandascalingpolewasneededtoreachit.Theyheadedout,havingseenanother1000feetofwetcavethatneededtobesurveyed.

uppEr travErtinE trailThe lastSaturday inMarchmarked

theseventhconsecutiveweeklytripbravingthefrigidentrancewatersofBlowingHole.Bradwasdeterminedtopushhisnamesakepassageonemoretime,butwhenitwastimetohittheroadsouthonSaturdaymorn-ing,hereallywantedtocancelandjustgetsomesleep.However,hepickedupKyleinIndyanyway,andtheymetWayneCottrellatFrederick’s.Afterbreakfastonthewaytothecave,Bradcalledmetochecktheweather forecast.A fewminutes later, Ifoundtheywerecallingforheavystormsthateveningandallthenextday.IhustleddowntoBlowingHoleandcaughtthemdress-ingdownneartheentranceandsuggestedthattheysettleforashorttriptoday.Bradhadn’tbroughtanyfood,andjokinglyvoicedwonderingwhatsculpintastedlikeifhehadtosurviveonthemfor threedays.TheyhustledupthelowerriverandintoBrad’sPassage.WhileBradandKylepickedupthesurveywheretheyhadintersectedthenarrowoverheadcanyon,Waynemovedaheadtoseeifhecouldenlargetheconstrictionwheretheairflowmustbegoing.ItwasBrad’sfirsttimeonbook,anddrawingthecrawlwithacanyonwindingbackandforthabovewastediousandmiserable;he thengainedanewappreciationforDave.After30feet,theywererightbehindWayne.Kyletookalookandsaid“Icandothis”andpushedintothelowsqueeze.Gruntingandsplash-ing followedandacoupleminutes later,

BradandWaynehearda“wow!”Bradwasamazed.Fromwhatherememberedfromtheprevioustrip,heexpectedalongdig,andreallyhadsmallhopeofactuallygettingthrough.Kyleyelledbackthatthepassagebeyondthesqueezewasalmostgoodhandsandknees.WayneduckedintotheholewithBradhotonhisheels. Itwasreallytight!Bradbruisedhischestwhileforcinghiswaythrough.Oncebeyondthetightsqueeze,thepassagemadeahardturntotheleft.AstheyhustledtowardwhereKylehaddisap-peared,theyheardhimletoutoneofthoseyellsyoulovetohearasacaver;hewasintosomethinggood.Notmorethan100feetahead,thepassagehad“teed”intoalargerriverpassage,withwaterflowingfromrighttoleft.Therewasadomewithasmallwaterfallrightabovetheintersection.Theyheadedupstreamfirstoveraseriesofbeauti-fulgoldentravertinedams.Maybeitwasonlythelusterofvirgincave,butthepassagefeltspecial.Theytookturnsleading,butbeingfairlydisciplinedtheystoppedafterwhattheyestimatedtobe300to500feet.Thepassagewas10to12feetwideandfivetosevenfeethigh,andseemedtobegraduallyenlargingastheymovedforward.Whentheyarrivedbackatthe“T”,theyscoopedalittledownstream,too.After200to300feet,thestreamtumbleddownacascade,droppingabout15feettoabeautifulroom.Thewaterleftthereviaascalloped-walledpassagethattheydidnotenter.

Bradhadadifferentfeelinginthispartof thecave.Hefelt thetravertinemightindicatethatitwasnotassubjecttoviolentfloodsasthemainstreamofthecave.Theywantedtosurvey,butdecidedtoheedmyadvicenot to tarry,with the forecastofheavystormsarriving.Itwasstilldaylightwhentheyexitedthecaveinto70degreetemperatureswithdarkcloudsrollinginfromthewest,whichmadethemgladtheyhadexitedwhentheydid.

The forecastwasbad for thenextweekend,sogoingtoTravertineTrailwas

out.OnlyfourcaversshowedupandwehadtowaitoutthestormsuntillateSaturdaymorningtoensureitwassafetogoin.ThediscoveryofTravertineTrail thepreviousweekendledtoanewobjective.Withthe15-footcascadetoalowerlevelwhereBrad’screwhadturnedaround,theconsensuswasthatthewaterinTravertineTrailwasproba-blythesamewaterthatexitedatthenorthernpassageoftheTorrentRoomloop.Infact,thetravertinedamsimpoundingthewaterattheentrancetothecrawlweresimilartothoseseeninabundanceabovethecascadebyBrad’sparty.Dave,Tim,MikeDrake(whorecentlyhadrecovered fromsomesurgery),andIsurveyed295feetupthecrawl,whichaveragedsixtoeightfeetwideandthreetofourfeethighwithatleasthalfofthepassagewater-filled.Westoppedatthebathtub,whichnowhadfourtosixinchesofairspace.Theworkafewweeksbeforehadcreatedmaybethreeinchesofvaluableair.Mikevolunteeredtopushthebathtub,andmadeitanother100feetorsowherethefloorroseandtheairspaceagaindiminished.Thewaterlevelwouldhavetobeloweredsomemoretopushfurther.However,hecouldclearlyhearwaterrunningnottoofarahead.Everyonewassureithadtobethe15-footcascadethatBrad’steamhadseenlastweekend.Whenthesurveynoteswereplotted,itshowedtheywerenomorethan150feetfromthejunctionofBrad’sPassageandTravertineTrail.Ifthenextbathtubcouldbelowered,theycouldhaveashortcuttoTravertineTrail,bypassingboththewaterfallconnectioncrawlandmore importantly,Brad’sPassage.

Ourworkdoneinwhatwestartedcall-ingLowerTravertineTrail(LTT)fortheday,weheadedforthecrawlShanehadexploredtwoweeksearlier,locatedjustbeforethestartofthewaterfallcrawl.Wecouldhearthedeeprumbleofthewaterfallinthedistanceaswestartedthesurveyintothepassage,whichwascrappyfromthestart.Wehadtosqueezeoveramoundofclayandthendown

Fossil in the entrance passage (photo taken by Chris Schotter)

Right: Justin Hinrichs upstream of the constriction in Lower Travertine Trail


intopondedwater.Theheightwasthreetofourfeet,butmaneuveringwasdifficult.WehopedforbetterwhenwereachedthecanyonShanehadreportedseeing,butitwasn’ttobe.Atfirst,thecanyonwasnarrowwithprotrudingledges,thenitinvertedintoawide,lowbellycrawloversoftblackrock.Aswecontinuedin,wecouldstillhearthedeeprumbleofthewaterfall,butnowitwascomingfrominfrontofus.Thepassagewassolowthatwedecidedtoendthesurvey.However,Timpushedabout100feetaheadtowherehecouldseeanactivewaterfalljustbeyondanopeningblockedbyrocks.Weweredoneforthedayandheadedout.Theplottedsurveynotesshowedthatthepassagewehadsurveyedactuallycrossedunderneaththeboreholeoftheupperriver,madeahookandheadedbacktowardsthewaterfallcrawl.Afewweekslater,Timwasabletoconfirmthatthispassageconnectedintothecrawl(whichIcoinedtheLeakySubmarine)whereyouclimbupthecrevicetoemergeunderthemainwaterfall.ThisisveryunusualforanIndianastreamcave;theareaaroundtheconnectionbetweenupperandlowerBlowingHolewasbecomingverycomplex.

OnApril10tharecord14caversassem-bledatFrederick’s.TwoteamswouldgotoUpperTravertineTrail (UTT)andIwouldleadathirdteamofcaverswhohadnotvisitedtheupperriverareatosurveysideleadsupthere.Tywithhisshavingequip-mentwouldleadthefourthteamtolowerthewaterlevelintheLTTbathtub,hopefullysuccessfullyaccessingUTTbythenewroute.MyteamincludedMarkMatthewsandJoyBaiz,plusLauraYoung,whowasonherfirstBlowingHoletrip.Allweredulyawedandimpressedbythethunderingwaterfallcrawl.WefirstretrievedthreesectionsofscalingpolefromtheMini-MountainRoomandheadedupriver.Wequicklysurveyed168 feet ina righthand leadbefore thePre-Moisturizer.Thenwecontinuedthrough

thedeepwaterofthePre-Moisturizerforjustunder1000feettothepassageatKS27thathadimpressedJamiewhenhefirstexploredit.Therewasonlyabout1.5feetofairspaceatthestart,butthewaterquicklybecameshallowerasweplacedstationsupthethree-foothighbyfour-footwidepassage.Itwasimmediatelyobviousthattherewassignifi-cantairflow,althoughitwasonlyexpectedtoreach75degreesoutside.About150feetin,thepassagedroppedto1.5by2.5feetunderalowledge.Theflaggingtapeplacedontheledgemarkingthesurveystationstoodout45degreesfromvertical;therehadtobesomethingmajorahead.After245feet,wereachedabeautiful20-foottalldomeabout16by18feetindiametercontainingtwowaterfalls,withthelargeroneontheleft.WequicklyassembledthescalingpoleandMarkclimbedup.Thecanyonatthetopwas10feethigh,butgenerallyafootorlessinwidth.Marksaidheneededahammertobreakoffledges.Ofcourse,wehadneglectedtobringone.Laurainsistedonhavingagoatit,andmanagedtomakeitcloseto20feettoaturnaroundspot,butalsoreportedtheneedforahammer.Theairseemedtobecomingoutofthecanyon,butbeing10feethigh,theflowwasmoredispersed.Again,wehadnosmokebombswhenreallyneeded!Wemovedthescalingpoleovertothesmallerwaterfall,butthepassageatthetopwaswaytoonarrowtofollow.Ourworkforthedaywasdone.

Meanwhile,DaveandBrad’s teamswereinUTT.Dave’steamstartedsurveyingdownstreamfromthejunctionwithBrad’sPassage,whileBradinsistedhisteamfinishthemiserablepartfromthesqueezeinBrad’sPassagetothe“T”.Theyhadatoughtime,but finallymanaged to finish thesurvey108feet totie in.Dave’steamsurveyeddownstream307feettothebaseof“TheFlowstoneCascade”andtotheirdisbelief,thepassagehadtakenaturntoheadtheoppositedirectionawayfromtheexpected

connectionpreviouslyonly150feetaway.Theystoppedataspotrequiringthebreak-ingofformationstocontinue,wherethepassageseemedtodoublebackonitselfandperhapsheadinthedesireddirectionagain.Whileinthedownstreamarea,theyheardanincredibleboominthepassage(setoffbyTy’steam),reinforcingthebeliefthatapass-ableconnectioncouldeventuallybemadebetweenUTTandLTT.Returningtothe“T”,Dave’steamset12stationsupstreambeforestoppingduetothelatehour.Theyexploredaheadthroughanother150feetofwalkingpassagebeforereachinganotherbathtubmovingstrongair.Davepushedthroughabout20feettoaceilingpocket,butjustbeyondwasstillanotherbathtub—thisoneanearsump,withjustenoughspacefortheairtoracethrough.Davecouldhearwatersplashingfromadomenotfarahead,butdecidednottoattemptpushingthenearsump.Afterreturningthroughthefirstbath-tubtorejointheothers,henoticedasix-inchhighrimstonedamabout25feetdown-streamfromthebathtubthat,ifbreeched,mightallowthemtocontinuethroughthesecondbathtub.Althoughtheirprogresshadbeenhalted,UTTwasafinepassage,withnumerouscavefish inthedeeppotsbehindtherimstone.Thepassageseemedtobegetting largeras theyproceededupstreamuntiltheabruptwallofclayabovethebathtubs.Atotalof1373feetofsurveywasaddedfortheday;406feetbymyteamand966feetinUTT.OurmapsshowedthatUTTwasheadingdueeasttowardstheStrikeSectioninBinkley—justwhateveryonehadbeenhopingfor.Thedownstreamenddidindeedloopbackunderitself,and189feetstillseparatedLTTandUTT.TyreportedthattheywereabletolowerthewaterlevelinLTTsix toeight inches throughtheirefforts,eliminatingthe100-footlow-airspacebathtubMikehadpushed.However,theywerenowstymiedbyarimstoneterracethatdidn’thavequiteenoughspacetoallowthe

Gary Roberson exiting the Torrent Room Crawl Section of large river passage upstream from the Waterfall


slenderNicktosqueezeovertoseeifhecouldreachtheCascades.Anothershavingtripwouldberequiredtoopentheshortcut.Theday’ssurveyprogressboostedthelengthofBlowingHoleCaveto4.68miles.

April18thmarkedthe10thconsecutiveweekofactivityinBlowing.ItwasIndianaCaveSymposiumweekend,soDavesetashortSundaytripwithRandtodownstreamBlowingHole.TheywantedtoseeiftheycouldpushthebathtubwherePeteCreceliusandtheDog(TerryCrayden)hadturnedaround30yearsearlier.Dressedinwetsuits,theyhadnoproblemgettingthroughthefirstbathtubandintoawidecrawlwayofvaryingheightbeyond.Eventuallytheycametoasecondbathtubwithevenlowerairspace,butRandfoundaroutewithenoughairtogetthrough,andthecavecontinuedaheadwideandlow,butwouldrequireremovingoffloorsedimenttocontinue.Theyhadlosttheairflowandtheactivestreamsomewherebetweenthebathtubs,sotheybacktrackedandfoundseveralleadstotheleftbetweenthebathtubson thewayout; thewaterseemedtoexitthisdirection.Backinonelead,Randcouldhearwhatsounded likeawaterfallbeyondabreakdownpile,buthecouldn’tgetoverwithoutahammer.Onthewayout,thetwospentsometimetrying tomeasure the streamgradient,whichwasobviouslysubstantial.Now,aftertheirfirsttripdownstream,theywereevenmoreconvincedthatBlowingHolehadthepotentialforair-filledpassageunderIndianCreek,possiblyevenduringaverageflow.ItmightevenconnectwithSinksoftheIndianCavethatoldtheguyshaddugintoin2008.

PeteCreceliusdroveinagainfromIdahoforsomeKentuckyDerbyweekendcaving.Unfortunately,ofallweekendstobewashedoutofthecaves,thishadtobeone.Corydonhad3.65inchesofrainthatSaturday,addedto1.5inchesthepreviousday.Althoughthatwasafarcryfromthe20-inchdelugethathittheNashville,TNareathesameweekend,itwasenoughtoeliminateanycavingwewantedtodothatweekend.ThedaywasthereforespentvisitingspringsupstreamfromtheBaelzentranceandhikingIndianCreekbetweenBlowingHoleandtheSinksofIndianCreek.Wediddiscoveracoupleofpreviously-unknownwet-weathersprings,possiblycreatedwhendownstreamBlowingHolebacksupaftertheSinkscantakenomorewater.JohnBentonandIhikedallthewaytotheSinksandfoundsomewhatclearerwaterboilingupoutoftheSinksandmixingwiththemuddierIndianCreekwater.TheSinkshadbecomearise,confirmingourthoughtsaboutthewet-weathersprings.

Water levelswerestill iffy fora triptoBookAvenueinBinkleyCavethenextweekend,butaseven-personteamdecidedtogoforitwhilePetewasstill intown.If

theD&BCrawlwassumped,theirbackupplanwastocontinuethesurveyofthenearbySouthBranchRiver.Themainstreamwasmurkyas theyheaded in,but theD&BCrawlwasopenandtheyreachedtheBigJunctionRoominBookAvenuejustoverfivehourslater.Theywouldhaveasix-hourworkwindowandrendezvousbackintheJunctionRoomat10p.m.Peteledafour-personteamtocompletethesurveyofthemainstreamloopandapassagehecalledtheWindyLead,whichheadssouthfromtheloop.Meanwhile,Dave’steamwouldcollectsomemissingdatafromthemainstreamsurvey, improvetheBookAvenuesketchfromthelasttrip,andthensurveyanotherside lead if therewas time.Pete’s teamaddedanadditional263feet inthemainstreamloopandthensurveyedamiserable324feetintheWindyLeadtoacompletesump(atleastinwetweather),whichlefthimverydisappointed,promptinghimtonamethepassageWTF.Afterdoingsomesurveycleanup,Dave’steamsurveyedthesideleadexploredontheprevioustripbyChrisBell.Theyadded218feet toa30-footdomewithawaterfallexitinganarrowcanyonpassageabout12feetup.Theyexploredseveralotherleadsfromthedome,butdidnotsurvey.Davedugthroughaclayfill inapassagethatShanefoundonthefarwallofthedome,whicheventuallyledtoa45to50-foot-talldomewhichNickwasabletoclimbuppartwayinto,buttherewasnowayon.Aredscribewasfoundinthefloorofthedome,soit isnowknownas“RedScribeDome.”EveryonespreadoutastheyheadedbacktotheLivingRoom,andShanetookawrongturnfollowingtheactivestreamtotheleftintoanareathathadonlybeenexploredashortdistance.Fortunately,Randsoonrealizedthathewasmissingandwentlookingforhim.Shanereportedtheleadwassimilar tothemainstemoftheStrikeSection—handsandkneesheightinwater.ItprobablyrepresentsthebiggestknownleadleftintheBookAvenuearea,butisalsothebiggestquestionmark.DoesitflowtotheSouthBranchRiver,orcouldthewatercontinuewestandintersecttheBookAvenuetrunkagainbelowbreakdownandclayfill?Theday’ssurveybroughtthelengthofBinkleyto24.229miles.

Thenextweekend,sevencaversassem-bledforatriptoBlowingHole.LauraYoungwasback forher second timeandTimMcLainwasanewbietothecave,althoughaveryexperiencedcaver.Thedelugefloodtwoweeksearlierhadmadesignificantmodifica-tionstotheentranceslopeandhadopenedupthetightsqueeze200feetin,wheretheceilinghadcollapsedandbeenreopenedin2008.WhentheyreachedtheEerieCanal,therewereobviousrearrangementsofthesandandsedimentsonthe floor.At the

waterfall,theybrokeintotwoteams,withBradandthreeothersheadingthroughthenowinfamousBrad’sPassagetoseeiftheycouldlowerthewaterlevelinthebathtubsblockingthewayinUTT.Meanwhile,DaveledateambacktothedomewiththenarrowpassageabovethewaterfallupstreamintheMoisturizer.Brad’steamquicklynavigatedBrad’sPassage,althoughitrequiredashortstoptoremoverockandsedimentfromthefloodinthenarrowsqueezejustbeforethebreakthroughpoint.Theywenttoworkontherimstonedamabout25feetdownstreamfromthefirstbathtubanditlookedliketheycouldlowerthewaterlevelfivetosixinches.Theydecidedtomakethenotchunderaledgeonthe leftwhere itwouldn’tbeasvisible.Theyhateddoingit,butitwastheonlywaytoopenupenoughairspacetopassthroughthesecondbathtubwithoutscubagear.TimPridetooktheleadinhammer-ing,withtheentirepassagereverberatingwitheachblow—andhadanadditionalfiveinchesofairspace45minuteslater.Theyhadnoproblempassingthrough,althoughthesecondsegmentrequiredaveryshortear-and-mouthdipwheretherewasn’troomto

Mark Matthews returning to the Eerie Canal from the passage leading to Brian’s Dome

Stream passage looping around the Mini Mountain Room


breatheunlessyourolledoveronyourback.Itimmediatelyopenedbackupintowalkingcanyonpassage.Thereweremanymorebeautifultravertinedams,somewithpotholepoolsbehindthemandanumberoflargecavefishwereseen.Theyscoopedabout400feetincludingareallynice25-foot-talldomeandnoticedtwoverywet,lowsideleads,oneofwhichPatpushedtoaflowstoneconstric-tion.Theydecidednottosurveybecauseofthethreatoflate-dayrain.Meanwhile,Dave’steamhadreachedthe30-footdome.TimMcLaintookahammerandheadedintothenarrowcanyonatthetopofthewaterfall,butitwastoughgoing.Thenarrownessofthecanyonforcedhimtomoveforwardonhisside,andonlyoccasionallycouldheseetheuppertubethroughthenarrowcreviceseparatingthem;injustacoupleofspotscouldhestandupright.Overthenexthour,heslowlyadvancedabout200feet,wherehewasabletogainaccesstotheuppertube,butit immediatelybecamemud-filled.Thepassagedidnotend,butcontinuedreallytight.Realizinghehadbeengoneagoodwhileandthatnooneelseontheteamcouldfitthroughifheneededhelp,hereturnedtothedome.Althoughtherewasstrongairflow,theydecideditwastoodifficult.Figuringtheleadwasnowmuchlowerontheprioritylist,theteamdisassembledthescalingpoleandhauleditouttothestartoftheMoisturizer,leavingitonahighledge.

ExcitementwasrunninghighfortheMay22ndtriptosurveybeyondthebathtubinUTT.EightcaversassembledatFrederick’s,wondering if thepreviousevening’srainwouldscuttle their trip. IhaddecidedtobraveBrad’sPassageandgo,althoughIwasunsureofhowIwouldfarewiththe1000feetofarmycrawlinandoutofBrad’sPassageandtheconstantwater.BecausethepassagewasheadingtowardsBinkley,though,Ihadtogo!Although theFairgroundsSpringwashighandmurkyandIndianCreekwaschocolate-brown,thewaterinBlowingHole

waslowerthantheweekbefore.At thewater-fall,we split into twoteamsledbyDaveandMikeDrake.Mike’steamwouldstarttheirsurveybeyondthedoublebath-tub,whileDave’steamwouldpickupfromtheprevioustrip’send.IwaswithDave,andhadthepleasureof surveyingthrough thebathtubs.Fortunately,wehadtheShetlandAttackPony,whichmade the tasksomewhateasier.Ionlyworeashortywetsuit,which would be less

bindinginthearmycrawlinandoutofBrad’sPassage,butwasnowbecomingprettychilledbytheslowpaceofthesurvey.WhenwefinallyreachedMike’sstartingpointinthelargedome,Iwelcomedtheopportunitytomoveforwardquicklytoournextlegoftheleapfrogsurvey.Afterpassinghisteamandstartinganewleg,oursurveyhitagoodrhythm.Thepassagewasmostlywalking;Iwasonleadtapeandenjoyedthechancetoseethebeautifulrimstonedamsandbigcave-fishintheclearwater.Wehadsetanother20stationswhenMike’steamcaughtupagain.Itwasgettinglate,sowedecidedona10-stationlimit,buthisteamalmostimmedi-atelyreachedasplitinthepassage.Althoughtheleftforkwassmaller,theyfolloweditduetoanextremelystrongbreezeflowingfromit.Theyweretostartanewleg,soourteamwouldcontinuesurveyinginthedirectiontheychose.Asweapproachedthesplit,weweretoldbytheotherteamthatthelefthandforkquicklybecamesmallerandwasfollowedbyatightsqueezethatopenedintoadomejustahead.Wecontinuedsurveyingintheblowing lefthand lead,butstartedhavingtroublewiththeDisto.Bythetimewereachedthesqueeze(theairflowthroughitwasjustshortofamazing),severalofMike’steamhadmadeitthroughintoabeautiful30-footdomedecoratedfromfloor-to-ceilingwithgoldenyellowflowstoneformedbyawaterfallpouringfromasmallopeningintheceilingandcascadingovertheunevenflowstonedeposits,creatingawidesprayatthebottom.Ifeltitwasprobablythenicestdomeintheentirecavesystem.

Butwherewasalltheaircomingfrom?Thereweretwopossibilities:onewastheholeintheceiling,andtheotherwaswhatappearedtobeapassagenearthetopoftheoppositewallofthedome,whichTimMcLaindecidedtotrytoclimbup,sincethetopofthewaterfallwasclearlyout-of-reachtoday.Toreachtheopening,hehadtoscaleaverticalmudwallthatstartedabout10feet

abovethefloorofthedome.Onceupthemudwall,anarrowbenchwouldtakehimtotheleftwhereheshouldbeabletoclimbtotheopening.Hestartedupthemudwall,butitgavewaysuddenlyasheattemptedtopullhimselfupontothebench.Fortunately,DaveandBradwerespottinghimandabsorbedhisfall;hedidn’ttryagain.Nothingelsecouldbedoneinthedometoday,soafterabreakandadmiringtheflowstonemassbyStenlight,everyoneheadedbacktothesplit.Wethoughtitprudenttocheckaheadashortdistanceintheotherpassagetoseewhatmightbeencounteredonthenexttrip.ItwassoonobviousthatallthewaterinUTTwascomingfromthewaterfall.Therighthandleadappearedtobeastormwateroverflowcanyonaveragingfourtosevenfeethighandjusttwotofourfeetwide.Pooledwatercoveredthefloorinmostplaces,buttherewasnoflow.Wecheckedaheadperhaps400feetandtherewasno indicationofending.Surprisingly,cigarettesmokefromthedomeindicatedthatalthoughmostoftheairfromthedomefloweddownstreamtowardsthecaveentrance,asmallportionoftheairwasslowlymovinguptherighthandfork,penetratingmaybe150feetwhenweturnedaround.Whenthesurveydatawasplotted,atotalof1408feetofsurveywasgained.Thepassagegained40feetineleva-tionfromthejunctionwithBrad’sPassagetothefloorofthedomewhichwasnamedFlowstoneFallsDome.UTTcontinuedheadingdueeasttowardstheStrikeSectioninBinkley.Thetwocaveswerenowonly2090feetapartandwehadjustexploredanother400feetahead.OntheBinkleyside,anadditionalestimated300feethadalreadybeenexploredintoadomecomplexoffofChuck’sSewerTube,sowecouldnowpossiblybeascloseas1500feet!

AprojecttolaygravelontheroaddownthehilltoBlowingHolewasscheduledforthenextweekend,asapayback for thedamagewehadcausedduringthewinter,althoughtheownerpurchasedtherock.EarlySundaymorning,DaveandfourothersincludingJustinHinrichs(whohadhelpedontheDavidsonDigthreeyearsearlier),tookashorttrippushtriptolowerBlowingHole.Althoughthecavecontinued, theywereunabletofollowthemainstreamtowardtheSinksandtheirmaindigobjectiveturnedouttobejustameanderloopreconnectingtothemainstream.ThedisappointingresultsnowmoveddownstreamBlowingHolewaydownontheprioritylist.Thenexttwoweek-ends,DavehadagreedtoleadgrottotripstoBinkleyfortheCentralIndianaGrottoandtheSaintJosephValleyGrotto.However,hestillmanagedtogetalittleprojectworkdoneoneachtrip.Bradtookasmallgroupofvolunteerstothe110Passagetosqueezeintothedomehehadonlygothisupper

Tim Pride exiting from a muddy passage enroute to the Waterfall


The Formation Room looking downstream during the ISS Oldtimer’s trip The Grubby Grosstag looking downstream during the ISS Oldtimer’s trip

Right: Brad Barcom at the first climb up in Lower Travertine Trail

Tim Pride at the top of the Flowstone Cascade Room which connects Lower & Upper Travertine Trail

16 NSS NewS,March2011 NSS NewS,March2011 17

entrance

500 feet

Travertine Trail

Eerie Canal

Chuck’s Sewer Tube

FlowstoneFalls Dome

SuperSaturator

Moisturizer/Saturator

StrikeSection

Blowing Hole Cave

Binkley Cave Baelz Ent.

(only partially shown)

Miller Cave= passages surveyed March 2009 to 10 July 2010= passages surveyed before 2009

graphics by Terry Crayden and Dave Everton 2011for more maps visit http://mypage.iu.edu/~deverton/Binkley/binkley.htm

Rimstone Way

Benton Blvd

The Pre-Moisturizer

Upper Travertine Trail

Brad’sPassage

Lower Travertine Trail

The Moisturizer

The Saturator

Entire Cave

entrance

Raft Room

Eerie Canal

Corn Cob PassageFormation

Room

Newton’s Junction

Starry, Starry Nights

Super Saturator

Hoehn’s Cutoff(overflow route)

Enlarged Detail Area

Mini Mountain Room

McLain’sConstricting Crevice

Flowstone Falls Dome

The Waterfall

(upper level)

(lower level)

Brian’sDome

start of24 Oct 2009 survey

Torrent Room

Elevator Dome

KS19KS19KS19

G1

G2

G3

G4

G5

G6

0 feet 800

LJ1

LJ2LJ3

LJ4

LJ5

LJ6

JL1

JL2

JL3

JL4

JL5

JL6

JL7

JL8

JL9JL10

JL11

JL12

Blowing HoleHarrison County, Indiana

Original Horizontal Length: 9793.5 feet (1.85 miles)July 2010 Horizontal Length: 27,192 feet (5.19 miles)July 2010 Surveyed Length: 27,403 feet (5.23 miles)

Original survey 1968-1976 by members of the Indiana Speleological Survey Including, but not limited to:Terry “the Dog” Crayden Gary “Herr Garr” Roberson Pete Crecelius Richard “Fig” Newton John “Bentonite” Benton Steve SummersJohn “Raccoon” Turner Don “Ashcan” Ash Dick Lee Jim GeedingGeorge Jaegers Steve Hoehn

Recent survey by various cavers in order of participation:Todd Webb Gary Roberson Nick Benton Kyle Hoyt Pat Mudd Jamie Winner Pete Crecelius Shane Myles Rand Heazlitt Brian Welp Wayne Cottrell Laura Young Mike Drake Brad Barcom Dean Wiseman Tim McLain Joy Baiz Chris Bell Tim Pride Laura SiskenMark Matthews Kevin Smith Chad Montgomery Mark DeebelDave Everton Elliot Stahl Ty Spatta

Work-in-progess cartography by Dave EvertonTemplate map credit: Webster Cave Complex Survey GroupSymbology credits: Hong Meigui Cave Exploration Society

25 50 100 200ft

NNm

R9

R11

R11

KS54

G3

G4

G5

G6

G7

G8

G9

G10

G11

G12

G13

Nick Benton descending

Elevator Dome from the upper

level


bodyintoonhislastvisitthere.Findingnoobviouspassagesgoingoutofit,heexited,curedofwantingtogobackagain.DaveusedtheextramanpowertoorganizeadigontheShowerRoommudfill.Afteragoodbitofwork,ShayFurbushwasabletosqueezethroughintoanother100feetoflowcrawltoanothersiltfillwithonlyaverynarrowcrackcontinuing.

OnJune19th,everyonewaspumpedtoreturntoUTTformoresurveyandtodragascalingpoletothedometoaccesstheopeningabovethemudwall.Unfortunately,aquickhardrainpassedthroughearlythatmorning.Whentheyreachedtheriver inBlowingHole,itwasupabouttwofeetandveryswift.Althoughthewaterwasreced-ing, itwasn’tagooddaytocontinue.Afewofthegangpushedupstreamashortwaysandreporteditwasagoodwaterrideonthereturntrip.TherestofthedaywasspentdiggingonRevelationRoad.Progresswasmade,althoughthewallsofthedighadslumpedalotduringtheDerbyDayflood,makingthepassagelowerandworkcondi-tionsmoredifficult.Atquittingtime,TimMcLain,whosqueezedforwardthefarthest,reportedthepassagecontinuedtogetwider,buttherewerespotsaheadstilltoolowtocrawlwithoutdigging.

ThenextweekendwastheannualCaveCaperscavingandcampingeventhostedbytheCentralIndianaGrotto,sonomajorsurveyworkwasplanned.However,DavehadplanstoaccomplishsomethingtowardstheprojectwhilehostingarecreationaltripforsomefriendsofhisfromChicago.OnFridayevening,heandRanddidalittlemoreworkonRevelationRoadandpushedthefirstsideleadtotherightoffoftheBaelzSectionVirginRiver,whichWayneCottrell,KevinSmithandIhadsurveyedthefirst140feetofinMarch2009.Theyexploredmaybeanother200feetbeyondoursurvey,whereregrettably thepassagesiphoned.Dave’splan forCapersSaturdaywas toaskhisfriendsfromChicagotobesherpasforaheavy-dutyscalingpoleShaneMylesandTimPridehadbuiltforaclimbplannedin theirnewdiscovery inChuck’sSewerTube.Thefour-footsectionsweighedalot,sotheyusedtworaftstofloatthemuptheVirginRivertotheGumbo,andthenitwastimetolugthemonstrosities.TheymadeittoColossusJunctionandthenthroughtheconnectioncrawltotheLowerFloodRoute.TheseChicagocaverswerehardcore!Theyhauledthepolesegments(sometimeswithunintelligibleutteringofvaryingintensity)allthewaytothestartoftheStrikeSection,wheretheylefttheloadandcontinueduptotheDripstoneDomesSectionforsomewell-deservedsightseeing.OnSundayofCapersweekend,everyonewastiredfrompartyingand/orlackofrestthetwonightsbefore,but

sixcaversstillheadedforBlowingHole.ThemainplanwasforoneteamtomicroshavetherimstonedaminLowerTravertineTrailwhichwasblockingaccessbeyond.Ifitcouldbebreached,itcouldopenamuchlessstren-uousroutetoUpperTravertineTrail,thusbypassingthehatedcrawlofBrad’sPassage.Theotherteamwouldheaduptothestartof theMoisturizer, retrieving thescalingpole inpreparationforthecomingclimbinFlowstoneFallsDome.ThescalingpoleteamaccomplishedtheirtaskandeventookanimpromptutripthroughBrad’sPassagetothestartofUTTattherequestofLauraYoungandfirst-timeBlowingHolerAaronValandra.Meanwhile,DaveandTimPridestruggledwiththerimstoneterrace.Theworkingconditionswerenearlyimpossible,requiringlyingintwofeetofwaterwithatmostonefootofairwhileanalmosthowlinggalerusheddownstreamintheirface.Therimstonewasamixtureofsoftandsolidmaterial,andwouldhavemadeworkeasierhaditbeenoneortheother.Hammeringandchiselingwaspainfullyslowandmicroshav-ingnotmuchbetter.Theyranoutofbatterypowerwithonlyhalfofwhatwasneededremoved.ThescalingpoleandnextsurveytripwouldhavetogoinviaBrad’sPassage.

Therewasno tripover theJuly4thweekend,butJuly10thwassetforthenextpushinUTT.Theexcitementwasrunningveryhigh.IfUTTcontinueddueeast,withtwoleapfrogsurveyteamswecouldcomeclosetoaconnectionifweheadeddirectlytowardtheChuck’sSewerTubeareaoftheStrikeSection.TwelvecaversshowedupatFrederick’sfortheritualpre-cavebreakfast.Davedecided tohave two three-personsurvey teams for theUTTcontinuationandonefour-personteamclimbthescalingpole inthe lowersideofFlowstoneFallsDome.Meanwhile,heandJohnShultheis(aBlowingHole first timer)would travelthroughBrad’sPassageandgodownstreaminUTTandattempttoopenuptherouteovertherimstonedamwhichwasblockingaccessfromLTTfromthetop.Theentrancepoolwas finallycompletelydryand thewaterlevelintheEerieCanalwasthelowestseensincethebreakthrough.BesidesJohn,otherfirst-timersincludedLauraSiskinandMarkDeebel,leaderoftherivalLostRiverCaveProject—currentlyclosedbecauseofWNS.AttheWaterfall,volunteersgrabbedsectionsofthescalingpoleandthebagofrungsforthehaulthroughBrad’sPassage.OnceatthejunctionwithUTT,tencaversheadedupstreamtowards thesplitnearFlowstoneFallsDomewhileDaveandJohnheadeddownstreamtoworkontheconstriction.Earlierdownstreampenetra-tionofUTThadstoppedataspotwherearowofformationsblockedaccess.Thetworemovedsomerocksfromthefloorbelow

andJohndidthedirtydeedofremovingafewsmall insignificantformations.Thepassageopenedupimmediately,butsoontheyhadtoendureashortbathtubbeforereaching theirobjective—the rimstoneterracewhichobstinatelyblockedaccessfromLTT.Davewaselated,nothavingbeen100%surethetwopassageswereindeedconnected,butnowitwasconfirmed.Theworkingconditionsweremuchbetterfromthisside,anddidn’trequireimmersioninwaterwhilewaitingorworking.Theyslavedforseveralhours,alternatinghammeringandchiselingwithmicroshaving.Progresswasbeingmade,butDave’sfirsttwoattemptstosqueezethroughwereunsuccessful.Unlesshecouldfit,severalotherswouldnotbeabletomakeiteither.Finallyhesqueezedthrough! Itwasnow“Dave-sized”butheandJohnworkedawhilelongerfrombothsidesaddingalittlemorespace.TheywereexcitedtohavefinallymadeaconnectioninapassageattemptedatvarioustimesbyPete,DaveDesMaraisandmeover40yearsearlier.Returningupstream,DaveusedtwoslimglowsticksandflaggingtapetoplaceabarrieracrosstheentrancetoBrad’sPassagefromUTT.Hungonthetapewasamessagewrittenonclearmylar(sketchpaper)whichread“Brad’s Passage now closed to traffic”incasetheydidn’tseetheotherthreeteamstoinformthembeforeexiting.Meanwhile,whenthe twosurvey teamsreachedthe“Y”inUTT,theystartedleapfrogginguptherighthandfork.Almostimmediately,itwasobviousthatthepassagewaschangingdirectionsandnolongerheadingtowardstheStrikeSection,butheadingsouth.IalmostimmediatelyguesseditmightbeheadingfortheKS53areaupstreamoftheMoisturizerinthemainstream.KevinSmith’steamstartedatthe“Y”andfinallytiedinwiththeDeebelteamstartingpointafter23stations.Theyhadsurveyedmostlynicenarrowwalkingcanyon.AstheyhustledthroughtheareasurveyedbyMark’steam,thepassagebegan

Tim Pride in Elevator Dome


toslowly,butconsistently,becomelower.Whentheyfinallycaughtup,thepassagewasdowntothreetofourfeethigh.Mark’steamhadsurveyedalotmoreusingtheSAP,whichgreatlyspeededtheirsurvey,enablingthemtoset40stations.Wesetonestation,butbeyond it, thepassagemadeahardbendtotheleftandLauraSiskencalledback“bathtub!”Ifinishedtheclinometerreadingandmovedup to joinher.Thepassageduckedundera ledgeandcontinuedfourtofivefeetwidewithabout10inchesofairoverafootofwater.IsaidIwouldcheckitoutandslidundertheledge.Atmyage,anyopportunitytoexplorevirgincaveisamomenttobetreasured.Asmyadrenalinekickedin,Ifeltrefreshedandreadytogoonforever.Icrawledaheadmaybe300feet,passingalargecavefishandahickorynutintheclearwater.Itwasalternatelyspacioushandsandkneesandalittlelower,butfinally,Ireachedanotherledge.Icouldseearounditthroughamud-linedtubeontheleftside,butitwasn’tbigenoughtosqueezethrough.Thewayonwasunder the ledge; itwasplentywide,buthadonlyaboutfiveinchesofairspace,althoughIcouldseeitopenedbacktohandsandkneesmaybe10feetahead.Fairlystrongairflowwasbeingsuckedoverthewaterintothebathtub,butIknewitwastimetoturnaround.AsIheadedbackout,Iquicklyranintocigarettesmoke,whichhadalreadymovedatleast300feetupthepassagefromwheretheotherswerewaiting.Thefartherwehadgonefromthe“Y”,themoretheairmovementseemedtoincrease.AsImademywaybacktothegroup,myadrenalinesubsidedquicklyandIwasreallytired.Itwouldbealongtripout,andIwasn’tsureIhadenoughgas left inthetanktomakeit throughBrad’sPassage,throughtheWaterfallCrawl,anddownthenearlymile-longEerieCanal.Asweheadedback,itseemedalongwaybacktothe“Y”.Whenwearrived,DaveandJohnweretherewiththegoodnewsthattheconnectionbetween

LTTandUTThadbeenmade.IwouldnothavetoendureBrad’sPassageonthewayout!Thatmademeveryglad,asIwasjustaboutshot.DavealsoreportedthatBrad’steamhadbeenabletoclimbthedomeanddigthroughashortclayfilltogainentrancetoanupperlevelthatskirtedthedometotheholewiththewaterfall.Bystraddlingacrossthetopofthehole,theyhadbeenabletocontinue intoanarrowcanyonpassage.Bradsaidthecanyoncontainednice,whitespeleothemsreminiscentofFantasticAvenueinBinkley’sCave.Unfortunately,itendedinlargebreakdownblockswithnoappar-entwayon.Alltheair inUTTisflowingoutofthisbreakdownfromtheunknownbeyond.Bradfeltliketheywereontheedgeofsomething large justahead.GiventhemajorairflowexitingFlowstoneFallsDomeandthelackofanyknownholesmovingaironthesurfaceanywherenearby,itseemslikelythatmajorcaveishidingupthere.Thenow-closedHollowFloorCavecouldbeascloseas1500feettothenortheast.CouldthisairflowbecomingfromBinkleyviatheclaustrophobicHollowFloorCrawlinthewestendoftheBoreholeJunctionupperlevel?Nowwemighthaveanothermajordigprojecttoaddtoouralready-longlist.

EveryonemadethetripoutviaLTTandhadnotroublegettingovertherimstoneterraces. Several of us got to see theFlowstoneCascadeforthefirsttime.WhileLTTincludestwobathtubsandlotsofwater,itwasmucheasierandshorterthantherouteviaBrad’sPassageandthewaterfallcrawl.Imadeitoutokay,butwasexhausteduntilTuesday. Itmademefeelbetter though,when Iheard thatsomeof theyoungerparticipantswereprettywhipped,too.WhenDavesentouttheupdatedtopooverlay,itshowedUTTmakinganicely-curvingcircletothesouthtowardstheKS53areaintheupperriver.Wehadaddednearly1300feetofsurvey.Agapofnearly800feetremainsbetweentheendofsurveyandmainstream

abovetheMoisturizer.Ithinkthatiswhereitgoes,butmanyquestionsremain.Oureleva-tiondatashowsthatUTTshouldbeabout30feethigherthanthemainstreamabovetheMoisturizer.Ifthatdataiscorrect,thenUTTmaynotgothere;onlymoresurveyingwilldeterminetheoutcome.

AsofJuly2010,BlowingHoleisnow5.19miles long,withoverthreemilesofnewsurveyaddedinthepastninemonths.Binkleystandsat24.23mileswithovertwomilessurveyedinthelast16months,butmuchremainstobedone.ThemainstreaminBlowingHolecontinuesatwalkingheightbeyondtheSuperSaturator.Surely,BlowingHoleisprobablyIndiana’swettestcave,yetmoreandmorepeopleareparticipatingandmanyseemtobehavingagreattime.Althoughaconnectionbetweenthetwocavesisnotimminent,thepossibilityofthefirst30-milelongcaveinIndianaremainsapossibility.Althoughitwasalotofwork,IamsogladIwroteFifty Years Under the Sinkhole Plain.Whatadifferenceabookcanmake,rejuvenatingthis63-yearoldcaverandgivingtheprojectagreatstartonthesecondfiftyyearsunderthesinkholeplain!

TheBinkley&BlowingHoleprojectcontinuestothrive,withatleasttwomajordiscoverieshavingtakenplacesincethisarticlewaspreparedinJuly2010.Amajorupperlevel(morethanonemile)wasfoundoff theStrikeSectionofBinkleyCave,whichendedina90-foot-tallbreakdownroomwhichplottedoutrightoverthetopofapassageinBlowingHole!Althoughaconnectionbetweenthetwocavesremainselusive,itstrengthensthebeliefevenfurtherthatthetwocavesareindeedconnected.Alsoof importance,BlowingHolewasextendedanother5100feetintheupstreamdirectionanddeterminedtocomewithinverycloseproximity toMillerCave.Forupdatedmaps, trip reports, andotherproject information,visithttp://mypage.iu.edu/~deverton/Binkley/binkley.htm.

Tim Pride squeezing through the constriction in Lower Travertine Trail allowing for a bypass of Brad’s Passage

Brad Barcom exiting from Brad’s Passage into Upper Travertine Trail after the shortcut was established

2011

Documents

USA - Hoosier Caversfiles.hoosiercavers.com/Binkley/March2011NSSNewsBinkleyPart2.pdfUSA April 1-3, 2011—Texas ... Society, 2813 Cave Ave., Huntsville, AL 35810-4431. Deadline: