Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
2 NSS NewS,February2011
USAJanuary 10-14, 2011—12th Multidisciplinary Conference on S inkho les And the Engineering and Environmental Impacts of Karst. St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Web site: www.pela.com/sinkhole2011.htm or e-mail: [email protected] 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 VirginiaOctober 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).
Dave
Eve
rton
Pat Mudd in Geeding’s Dome, Binkley Cave, Indiana
Allison and Andrew Dubois in the Pothole Section downstream of the Mountain Room in Binkley in 2001
Aar
on A
tz
NSS NewS,February2011 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
Operations VPWm Shrewsbury
124 4th Ave NWLargo, FL [email protected]
Executive VPJohn LaMar Cole
1196 Millcreek DrLexington KY 40517-2984
NSS NEWS EDITORDave Bunnell
Box 879Angels Camp, CA 95222
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
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
spelean spotlightRon Zuber
safety & teChniquesAaron Bird
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
Secretary/TreasurerPeri Frantz
16345 Englewood Ave. Los Gatos, CA 95032-4621
(home) 408-356-8506 [email protected]
NSS NewsFebruary2011
Volume69Number2
News and Notes ............................29Reading .........................................30Classified Ads ...............................31
Underground Update .................... 26President’s Message .................... 27Society News ................................27
Front cover: Rand Heazlitt at the Teardrop in the Upper Flood Route in the South Branch of Binkley Cave, Indiana. Photo by Dave Everton.
Back coverRight: Kevin White and John Harris outside the main entrance to Binkley Cave, Indiana. Photo by Dave Everton.
Left: Rafting up the Virgin River in then-newly-opened Baelz Section of Binkley Cave 1970. Photo by Dave Des Marais.
Bottom: Kevin Smith in Big Orange Country in the Baelz section of Binkley Cave, Indiana. Photo by Dave Everton.
IndianaThe 51st Year Under the Sinkhole PlainAfter the Book: the Rejuvenation of the Exploration of the Binkley-Blowing Hole Cave System. Part One............................................ 4
Gary Roberson and Dave Everton
Cave ScienceNotes On The Geology And Meteorology of Sites Infected With White-Nose Syndrome Before July 2010 in the Southeastern United States ............................................................................. 15
Christopher S. Swezey and Christopher P. Garrity
Society NewsCelebrating our Success in Serving our Science Mission: The Journal of Cave and Karst Studies .............................................. 28
Louise D. Hose
ThisissuecontainsalengthypieceonWNS-infectedsitesintheSoutheasternU.S.NormallywhenIgetasciencesubmissionwithtwofullNewspagesofrefer-encesalone,IfigureitismoreappropriatetosubmitittotheJournal.Butsincethingscantakeayearofmorebeforegettingpublishedthereoncesubmitted,Iagreedtopublishitgiventheimportanceofgettingthedataoutquickly.IdonotwanttogenerallyencouragepeopletopublishscientificworkintheNews,letskeepsuchthingsfortheJournal.
Onanothernote,thenormalConservationissueisbeingdelayedfromMarchtoAprilthisyear,allowingmoretimefortheeditorstogatherarticlesandtobeabletorunPart2oftheBinkleyarticle.ComingupinMay,ourfirst-everspecialissuedevotedtocavinginAlaska,andinJune,explorationinNewYork’sThunderhole.
4 NSS NewS,February2011
Background & Early ExplorationGeorgeJaegersandIweresittingwell
back in thecrowdofover1,000caversat theclosingbanquetof the2007NSSConventioninIndiana,whichwasbeingheldintheMarengoUndergroundWarehouse-formerlyalimestonerockquarry.Thatfarbackfromtheplatform,thevoicesfromthespeakersreverberatingoffthewallsofthetunnelcombinedwiththeshoutsofnoisychildrenplaying in thebackof thehugechambermadeitnearlyimpossibletohear.Georgeturnedtomeandsaid“Youknow,wereallyneedtowriteabookdocumentingourworkintheBinkleyCaveSystembeforeeveryoneisgone.”Iknewhewasright;butIalsoknewthatifthebookwasgoingtobewritten,Iwouldhavetodoit,althoughIhadneverwrittenmorethanafewtripreportsforGrottonewsletters.IthoughtaboutitforaminuteandtoldGeorgeIwouldundertaketheproject, ifhewouldhelpmewiththelayout,photos,andothertechnicalaspects.Heagreed,andaprojectwasborn.WequicklyrelayedtheplanstofellowIndianaSpeleologicalSurveymembersRichard“Fig”Newton,JohnBenton,andotherIndianacavingfriends.Iknewthatifwetoldenoughpeopleitwouldbehardertobackout.Avideopreviewingthe2009InternationalCongressofSpeleology(ICS)wasjustthenbeingshown,andIdecidedourbookwouldbepublishedintimefortheTexaseventtwoyearsfromthen.
ThemodernexplorationoftheBinkleyCaveSystemhadbegunin1958asthefirstprojectofthenewly-formedBloomingtonIndianaGrotto.Thenextyear(2008)wouldmarkthe50thanniversaryofmappingandsurveyinginthecave,soIdecidedthebookshouldbe titled“Fifty Years Under the Sinkhole Plain.” In2007,BinkleyCavewasjustover22milesinlengthandnearbyBlowingHoleCavehadnearlytwomilesofundergroundriversmapped.Whiletherehadbeensomesurveyingactivityeverydecadesincethe1950s,itwassomewhatsporadic,sinceeverythingrisesandfallsonleader-ship.TheBloomingtoncavershadsurveyed6.47milesfrom1958-62,thentheIndianaSpeleologicalSurvey(ISS)reactivatedtheproject in1967.Theinitialburstoftheiractivityfrom1967-69increasedBinkley’slengthto11.35miles,alongwith1.8milesmappedinBlowingHoleCavein1968.In1970,asix-weekenddiggingprojectopenedtheBaelzentranceofBinkley’salongIndianCreek,whichwasquicklyconnected toLowerFloodRoute inthecave,bringingits lengthtoover13miles.Atthatpoint,threelocalISScavers,TerryCrayden,KenHooverandIagreedtohelpFredConway,alocalentrepreneurandchildhoodspelunker,developnearbyBoone’sMillCaveas“SquireBooneCavern.”TerrywastheacknowledgedunofficialleaderoftheISSandcartographerforthegroup.WiththreeofthemainISSmemberssidelinedfortwoyears,theBinkleyprojectlanguished.AfterthecompletionofSquireBooneCaverns,theISSexperiencedashortrejuvenationinthemid-70s,includ-ingbriefly incorporatingasanon-profitorganizationandholdingmeetingsatIndianaUniversitySoutheast.Duringthatperiod,theCoontownExtensionentrancetothecavesystemwasopenedandanothertwomilesofmostly-difficultwet,lowpassagewasadded.Inthemidtolate1970s,mostactivitymovedtotheStrikeSection,whereanothernearlytwomilesofcavepassagewasadded.By1978,thecavepassedthe18-milemark.
In 1982, the downstream Baelzentrancetunnelcollapsed,andworkinthecavegroundnearly toahalt for therestof thedecade.Althoughoccasional tripsweremade,onlysmallamountsofnewsurveywereaddedduringthattime.WhileIwasbusybuildingMarengoCaveNational
LandmarkandCaveCountryCanoesintoregionalrecreationareas,otheragingISSmemberswerebusybuildingbusinessesorbroadeningtheirhorizonsbeyondcaveexploring.However,inthesecondhalfofthe1990s,thelocalISScontingent(nowenter-ingtheir50s)settoworkattemptingtodigandblastupstreamaroundthebreakdownatthebaseofthehistoricBinkleyentrance.Thiswouldbecomethelastburstofactivityasagroup.After19digtripsoverseveralyears,wefinallybrokethroughinDecember,1999;thenewareawasthusnamedtheMillenniumPassage.Justoveramileofnewpassagewasadded,bringingthelengthofthecavetoover21milesandfinallypassinglongtimerivalBluespringCavernnearBedfordtobecomeIndiana’slongestcave.
Afteraflurryofactivityinearly2000,anumberofmop-upsurveyswereundertakenduringthenextseveralyears,bringingthecavelengthupto22.07milesatthetimeofthe2007convention.Bythattimethough,Indianacaverswerealreadyproclaimingthattherapidly-expandingLostRiverCavenearOrleanswouldbecomeIndiana’s longestcave.Amajorbreakthroughhadbeenmadein1996,leadingtoquicksurveyofamazeofpassagewaysinarelativelycompactarea.AlthoughtechnicallyBinkleywasstill thelongest,LostRiverwasnowonlyabout1.5
The 51st Year Under the Sinkhole Plain:After the Book—the Rejuvenation of the Exploration of the Binkley-
Blowing Hole Cave System, Part OneGary Roberson and Dave Everton
Dave
Eve
rton
Richard “Fig” Newton at the newly opened Baelz entrance to Binkley system in 1970
Tim Pride in the Dripstone Domes upper level of the Strike Section of Binkley Cave
Geo
rge
Jaeg
ers
NSS NewS,February2011 5
milesbehind,andhadover300unsurveyedleadsremaining.TerryCrayden (the ISSleader)hadmovedtotheBlackHillsofSouthDakotain2005,leavingtheprojectwithoutits leaderofnearly40years.The2007ConventionGuidebookfeaturedLostRiverCaveandapre-conventionfieldtripwasheldthere.Binkleywashardlymentionedintheconventionmaterials,eventhoughtheconventionsitewasbarely10milesfromthecave.
Themajorityof the remaining ISS
caverswerenowenteringtheir60s.Mostwerenolongeruptobattlingthecoldwaterandmudthatcharacterizemuchofthecavesystem.Thedaysof15-20hourtripswhileconstantlyinwaterwereadecadeortwobehindthem.Asaloose-knitgroupofNSScavers,theISShaddifficultybringinginnewblood,andnoothergroupofIndianacaversseemedinclinedtotakeoveraprojectinoneofIndiana’swettestcaves.ThebookthatGeorgeandIhaddecidedtowritewouldbetheISS legacytothenextgenerationofBinkleycavers,althoughweprivately
wonderedifthatmightbeahundredyearsinthefuture.Itwouldnotonlydocumentpastwork,butserveasaguideofwheretolookifanewgroupdecidedtotakeupthechallengeofcontinuingtheeffort.
Iquicklyset towork trying to trackdownoldBloomingtonIndianaGrottoandISSmembers.Iscroungedaroundforoldtripreports,knowingthatwouldbeachal-lenge,asuntilthelate1960sorearly1970smostcaversdidnotroutinelydocumenttheirtrips.Byearly2008, itwasobviousthatmorepictureswouldbeneededtoillustratethebook.BackintheheydayoftheISS,takingphotos in long,wet,muddycaveswasdifficult.InMarchthatyear,someonesuggestedthatIcontactDaveEvertonfromBloomington tohelp.Davewasagoodphotographerandhadearnedareputationas Indiana’s“waterdog.”Thedecisiontoaskforhishelpprovedtobeapivotalone.Hescheduledhiscavingcalendarweeksinadvance,butitwasJune23,2008beforewecouldarrangethephototrip.However,duringthe13.5hourtriplength,weventured
over3milesbackintothecavetogetnewpictures,andIalsogavehimhisfirsttasteofBinkleysurveyinginalow,slimyupperloopofftheTwoMileHike.AdditionalphotoexpeditionsweremadetotheNorthSectioninAugustandtheCoontownExtensioninOctober.
InAugust2008,JohnBassett(ahydro-
geologistfromBloomington)andIwenttoBlowingHoletomeasuretheundergroundstreamflowinbaselevelconditions.Only200feetinsidetheentrance,wefoundthepassagetotallyblockedbyamajorceilingcollapse.Asaresult, laterthatmonthwerecruitedChrisSchotter (awell-knownIndianacaverwhoonoccasionhadhelpedwiththeBinkleyworkandalsoveryproficientinmicro-blasting)tohelpthelocalcontingentofoldISScaversreopenthepassagewaytotheriver.Thetaskwasquicklyaccomplishedandmyresultingtripreport,whichincludedareportofhugeairflowdownstream,inspired
Dave
Eve
rton
Dave
Eve
rton
Dave
Eve
rton
ISS caver John Benton, in the Coontown Extension entrance to Binkley Cave system dug open in 1976
Chris Schotter drilling at the start of the narrow downstream canyon in Sinks of the Indian Cave in 2008
Left: Inserting a 20 foot section of plastic culvert into the newly re-opened Baelz Entrance to Binkley in January 2009
Right: Rand Heazlitt heading up the scaling pole into the hole leading to an upper dome into which huge air flows in the winter
John
Ben
ton
6 NSS NewS,February2011
ToddWebb(anothersouthernIndianacaverwhohadattemptedtovisitBlowingHoleacoupleoftimes)toplanatriptopushthelowairspacecrawlinthedownstreamendofthecavewhileitwasdry,sincebaselevelflowwasatprobablya10yearminimum.
Todd’s teamwasburningupafter
traversingthedry,ruggedentrancepassagein their fullwetsuits, so theydecided toheadupstreaminthedeeperwaterinstead.Nearlyamileupriver,near theTorrentRoombreakdown(theupstreamknownend),Toddpushedacrawlthroughlowairspacetoexploreabout300feetofhandsandknees-sizedpassagewithwaterrushingoverrimstonedams.ToddandJamieWinneralsoboostedBrianWelpabout12feetupthewallofasmalldomeinanotherpassage,wherehefoundgoingcave.Thosediscoveriesmadeitevidentthatformoderncaversarmedwithwetsuitsandbetter lights,BlowingHolemighthavemorepotential.
WhenTodd’stripreportwascirculated,itstirredupsomeexcitementinusoldISScavers,whohadn’tbeenabletosuccessfullypushthelowairspacewatercrawlsinthelate1960sforlackofwetsuitsanddifficultiesinherentwithcarbidelightsinlowairspace.ItalsopiquedDaveEverton’sinterestasaresultofhisphototripsinnearbyBinkleyCave.November1st foundTodd leadingDave,RandHeazlitt(whohadjoinedtheISSasa15-yearoldstudentinthemid-70s),andLouisvillecaverPatMudduptheriverinBlowingHole.Nosignificantdiscoveriesweremade,buttheysurveyed360feetinTodd’swatercrawltoapointwheretherewasstrongairmovementupintooverheadbreakdown,butnowayon.Dave’sPalmPilot
showedthattheyhadmappedwhatcertainlyappearedtobeabypasslooparoundtheleftsideoftheTorrentRoom.Theyhadtobeclosetoabreakthroughjustupstreamofthebreakdown!Unfortunately,laterthatevening,anelectronicmalfunction (andsubsequentusererror)causedthePalmPilot
Thefallof2008continuedtobeextremelydry.OnNovember8th,Rand,JohnBenton(anotheroldISSmember),andIduginasmalltrash-filledsinkholeattheheadofaravine leading intothedrybedof IndianCreeknotfardownstreamfromwhere itsinksinlowflow.
Byearlyafternoonofthenextday,wehadremovedenoughrockandtrashforRandtoslideintoalowcrawlabout10feetdown.Therewasgoodairmovementandhequicklyreachedasmallroom.Wequicklyreturnedtotheentranceandbeganasurvey.Althoughtherewasstrongair flowfromanarrowcanyontotheleftofthefirstroom,itwastoonarrowandconstrictedtoenter,sowesurveyedupstreaminlargerpassagenetting244feet.Sandandshellsclearlyindicatedthatthecavewasaconduitshuttlingwaterfromoneoftheupstreamsinksdownintotheyetundiscoveredmythicaltrunkchannel,whichRandwasdeterminedtofind.ChrisSchotterwasagainrecruitedtoseeifhisHilticouldhelpopenthewaydownstream.Unfortunately,beforetheshavingtripcouldtakeplace,asteady,coldraincausedwatertostartflowingagaininthedrybedandasumpblockedaccessafewfeetdownintothenarrowcanyon.2009turnedouttobeawetteryear,andIndianCreekneverdried
to lose thesurveydatabeforeitcouldbe recorded andaddedtothemap.
D y e t r a c e si n t h e 1 9 6 0 shad shown thatthe undergroundriver in BlowingHoleCavedoesn’tsurface,butcrossesunderIndianCreekand carr ies i t am i n i m u m 4 . 1milesstraight-linedistancethroughanas-yetundiscoveredconduitnorthwesttoHarrisonSpringonBlueRiver. Inbase level watercond i t ions , theentireflowofIndianCreek(whichdrainsover 200 squaremiles north andeast of the cave)sinksundergroundaboutone-halfmilewestoftheBlowingHoleCaveentranceandalsoemergesatHarrisonSpring.
Baelz Hall is the largest room in the Baelz Section of Binkley Cave.
Dave
Eve
rton
The Rock Island Road leads to the Living Room and the start of the D&B, almost 4 miles from the Binkley entrance by the preferred route.
Dave
Des
Mar
ais
NSS NewS,February2011 7
upbelowthesinks.Atofthewritingofthisarticle,therehasn’tbeenanotherchancetopushSinksoftheIndianCave.
BaElz EntrancE rEopEnEdOntheFridayafterThanksgiving2008,
IaskedDavetohelpmegetsomeGPSread-ingsofthevariousSinksofIndianCreekandotherkarstfeaturesnearby.MyintentionwastoprepareanillustrationfortheupcomingbookshowinghowthekarstfeaturesneartheSinkscorrelatedwiththegeneralpassagetrendofBlowingHoleCave.Afterobtainingthereadings,heaskedifIwouldtakeAdamCraigandhimtoseethecollapsedBaelzentranceofBinkleyCave.AlthoughIhadnoideaatthetime,thisvisitwastoleadtoamajorrevitalizationofthecaveproject.TheglimpseDavehadreceivedfromhisphototrips intothecave indicatedtherewasstillhugepotentialfornewdiscoveries.TheISSoldtimershaddonealotofworkandsurveyedover23milesofpassages,butdifficultconditionsinthecaveandalackofmodernequipmenthadleftmoreforanewgenerationtodo.Becausehewasa“waterdog,”hewasintriguedandfounditappeal-ing,whenmostothercaversseemedtoberepelled.Hethenaskedmeif itwouldbeokaytoreopentheBaelzentrance.Whiletheoldtimerswouldneverhaveinitiatedtheproject,wewereallthrilledthathewantedto.OnaverycoldMondayDecember29,2008,tencaversscrambleddownthenarrowtrailalongtobluffofIndianCreektobeginwork.
IshowedthemwhereI thoughtthey
neededtodigtointersectthecavepassagebelow.Sinceithadbeennearly30yearssincethetunnelcollapsedandtheareahadbeenmodifiedbyfloodsanderosion,Iwasn’tentirelysureIwasright.Everyoneworkedhardallday.WithDaveandRandHeazlitttakingthelead,bytheendoftheday,wehadexcavatedasteeply-slopingholeabout15feetdeepandcouldhearaboomingreverbwhenwehammeredonrocksatthebottom.
Wewereclose,butitwouldtakemanymorehourstoopenaholelargeenoughtoinstallaculvert,andeveryonewastiredandcold.WeneededChrisandhisHiltiagaintopersuadeafewlargerockstomove;abreakthroughwouldhavetowait.Onprobablythecold-estnightofthewinter,Chris,RandandIreturnedtotheentranceareatoeliminatetheobstructingbouldersandprotrudingledges.Chriswasveryefficient,andquicklyobliteratedtheoffendinglimestonebeforewefrozetodeathinthestrongbreezebeingsuckedintothebreakdownbyover20milesofcaveupstream.
TwoweekslateronJanuary17th,ninecavers,includingseveralnewcomers,arrivedtoresumethejob;itwasagainextremelycold.Theholewasrapidlydeepenedanotherthreeorfourfeet,andjustbefore2p.m.Randwasabletoslideundertheledgeandintothedirtfloored-overflowpassage.Ourshaftmadeaperfectbull’s-eye into themiddleofthepassage.Itwassocoldinsidethatfrostworkandicecrystalscoveredthefloor,wallsandceilingforseveralhundredfeetintothecave.Davecalledforashortbreakandcelebration.Randseemedthemostelated,astheBaelzentrancehadbeenthesiteofhisfirstmajorcavetripmorethan30yearsagoatage15!Nowhewasback.Althoughtheentrancehadbeenreopened,therewasstillalargefrozenmoundofrockandicethathadtoberemovedinordertoinstallaculvert.Inanticipationofthis,Randhadbroughtalongaweedburnerandatankofpropane,whichturnedouttobeaneffectivepieceofcavediggingequipment.Still,ittookuntildusktofinishenlargingthe24-foot-deepopeningtoaccepta30-inchdiameterplasticculvert,whichwastobeinstalledthefollowingSaturday.
ThenextweekendonJanuary24th
asizablecrewassembledtodrag36feetofculvert,concretebags,awheelbarrow,andsectionsofsteel ladderpre-fabricated
byFigandmedownto theentrance. Itwasstillinthelow20s,butaveritableheatwavecomparedtothepreviousworkdays.Surprisingly,theverticalsectionofculvertslidquicklyintoplace.However,ittookuntilwellpastsunsettocompletetheconnectionbetweentheverticalandhorizontalsectionsofpipe.Onlyabareminimumofrockfillwasthrownintotheopenspacearoundtheculvert.Mosteveryonewastootiredtoevengodowntheladderstocheckitout,andwestillhadtohaulallthetoolsandequipmentupthesteepbluff.AfewcaversdidventureintothecavetowhereonecanfirststanduptocheckoutasmallopeningthatRandhadnoticedonthe17thfromwhichamajoramountofwarmairwas issuing intothemainpassage,creatingafogbankwherethewarmairmixedwiththecoldairhowl-inginfromtheentrance.Priortothe1982collapse,therehadbeennoopeninghere.Now,therewasan8-inchhighnarrowopen-ingoversilt,whichhadnearlyfilledwhatobviouslyhadbeenawalkingpassageatonetime.Perhapsduringthe500yearfloodof1997,theextremewaterpressureatthedownstreamendofthelargecavesystemhadblownoutthefill,allowingairtoflowout
Dave
Eve
rton
Dave
Eve
rton
Pete Crecelius, a driving force in the ISS in the mid 1970’s, returned from Idaho to participate in the breakthrough trip into Book Avenue. This picture was taken in the Living Room just before the start of the 300-foot dug D&B Crawl.
Rand Heazlitt coming out the Waterfall Crawl. The breakthrough into upper Blowing Hole occurred here in October 2009.
Dave Goodman and Gary Roberson in Rocky Hall near Lamon’s Cutoff in Binkley
Aar
on A
tz
8 NSS NewS,February2011
fromsomethingbeyond.Theydugforafewminutes,butitwasobviousitwouldrequireasignificantdigtofindthesourceoftheair.Randdubbedhisfind“RevelationRoad.”
Threedayslater,theworsticestormonrecordhitthesouthernIndianaandLouisvillearea.Hundredsof thousandsofpeoplewereoutofpower-manyforoveraweek.Duringaphoneconversation,TerryCraydensuggestedRandandItakeadvantageoftheiceandsnowtolookforblowholesonthesinkholeplain.Wedidn’tfindany,butjustofftheHwy135right-of-wayIfoundanarrowcrackabout15-20feetdeepinthebottomofasmallravinereceivingstormwateroffthehighwayfillandfromaculvertundertheroadway.Althoughfairlyhighonthesinkholeplain,itwassuckinglikeavacuumcleaner!Randnamedit“CarcassCrevice”becauseofallthedeadanimalsthrownoverthesideoftheroadbyhighwayworkers.TheopeningwasonlyafewhundredfeeteastofChuck’sSewerTubeandjustover1,000feetsouthofDripstoneDomesintheStrikeSectionofBinkley’s.Itmightbeagoodspotfornewentrance;herewasanothernewdigproject.
On January31st, five of us hikedthroughthebeautifulsnowandicecoatingeverythinganddescendedtheculverttoworkonRevelationRoad.Workingallday,weenlarged30-35feetofpassagetolowhands-and-kneesheight,usingapinkplasticsledattachedtoropesonbothendstoferrythemudfillouttothemainpassagefordump-ing.Whenthelastofthegroupleft,Davethoughtthepassagejustmightbecrawlablebyareallysmallcaver.SlenderBrianWelpvolunteeredtopushitthenextweekend.Thecoldsnaphadbrokenandthethawing
cliffwasrainingsmallchunksofdirtandrockdownontheculvert.ThepassagewasjustalittletoosmallforBriantocrawlwithoutdigging.However,usingatrowel,hewasabletoadvanceonly15feet,althoughhecouldseeaheadagoodways.Thiswasnottobeaneasyproject.WhileBrianwaspush-ingthedig,RandandDaveledthefirsttripuptheVirginRiverintheBaelzside,whichturnedouttobeverycoldandswollenwithmeltingiceandsnowfromthestorm10daysearlier.TheyencounteredlowairspaceattheGumbo,ashortlow-ceilingareaabout1500feetupstream,anddecidedtoretreat.Itwasawisedecision,astheycouldhavebeentrappedinthelargerpassagesbeyondforseveraldaysasthewatercontinuedtorise.
ThefirstweekendinFebruary,waterwasstill toohighinBaelz,soDaveorga-nizedatriptodigonCarcassCreviceandchecktwoothersmallcavesatthebottomofmanholesonHwy135.Acoupleofmicro-shavesgotRandto thebottomofthe18-footdeepcrevice.Therehefoundasmallnarrowcanyonwithalowbellycrawl-sizedtubeatthebottomfilledwithmudanddebris.Itlookedlikeitmightopensomeafewfeetfurtherin,butitwouldtakeabucket,rope,andasmallcrewhaulingthemudandrockupthenarrowcrevicetothesurface.Nothingofnotewasfoundineitherofthemanholecaves,sothedayendedwithashortreconnaissancetripintonearbyMiller’sCave,whichhasbeendye-tracedtoBlowingHoleCave.
TheworkinBinkleywasnowscheduledonnearlyweekly tripsbyDave throughe-mailssent tohis largecadreofcavingfriends.Although ithadbeen less thanthreemonthssincere-openingtheBaelzentrance, itwasclearthatthe leadershiptorchhadbeenpassedtoDave:hewouldbe leadingthewayforward intothe51styearunderthesinkholeplain.OnMarch7th
atmyrequest,heorganizedonelastphototriptotheLamon’sCutoffareaofBinkley’sasfinaleditingofthebookwastakingplace.Justbeforethejunctionofthecutoffwiththecave’ssouthernmostriveratStation140,Randnoticedalowwatercrawltotheleftonaprominentrightanglebend.Anice-sizedcavefishwasspottedattheentrancetothepassage.IwasprettysureithadnotbeendocumentedorsurveyedbyeithertheoriginalBIGcaverswhomappedthisareaortheISS;ithadeitherbeenoverlookedormorelikelyavoided,duetothewall-to-wallwater.Whiletheothersweretakingphotos,Randplungedintothelowopeningandwasgone.Bythetimethephotographysessionwasfinished,Randstillwasn’tback.WhiletheotherswaitedatnearbySalvationDome,hefinallyemergedgrinningear-to-ear.He
estimatedhehadseenabout1000feetofpassagewhichhadeventuallyopeneduptowalkingsize.Thisaccidentalfindwasthemostsignificantinalmost10years,andasurveytripwasquicklyorganizedforthenextSaturday.
Whenitarrived,ateamofsixcaversassembled toconducta leapfrogsurveyofthenewpassagenownamed“CavefishCrawl.”Thetriphadaninauspiciousstart,asatwo-inchthickslabofrockfellonRand’sbackashedescendedthenarrowchuteintheentrancebreakdown.Atotalof1176feetofnewsurveywasadded,withthefirst212feetinlowwatercrawlwith12to18inchesofairoveronetotwofeetofwater.Thestreamemergedfromalowcrawltotheleftthatmovedgoodairandledtoseveraldomes.Ahead,thepassagesteadilygrewlargeruntilitwasupto10feethighand6to12feetwide.Thesurveywasstoppedatabendinthepassagewhereitwentunderaledgeandgotsmaller.Whenthedatawasplotted, itappearedCavefishCrawlwasprobablyheadingforaconnectionwiththeMillenniumPassagewellupstreamoftheentrancebreakdown.Ournewsurveyhadcoveredjustoverhalfofthedistancetothatarea.Itwasthefirstsignificantsurveytripinseveralyears,andbroughtthelengthofthecaveupto22.53milesandmoveditupto22ndontheUSLongCavelist.Thenextweekend,thecreekswerefinallydown,soDavedecidedtoattemptourfirst tripupstreamintheBaelzsectionin27years.Only217feetofnewsurveywasaddedinseveralsmallsideleads,butitwasenoughtomoveBinkleyintothe21stpositiononthelongcavelist.Thegroupalsovisited“BigOrangeCountry”andtooksomephotos.ThetripacquaintedanewgenerationofcaverswiththemainstreampassageoftheBaelzSection.
ThelastweekendinMarchwasspenttransportingascalingpolefromGrungeHallinthemainrivertoSalvationDome,whereDavehopedtoreachalargealcovewhichmightbehidinganupper levelpassage.Thepolewasn’tlongenoughandtheclimbabovewasdeemedtoosketchy,buttheywereabletogetaperfectviewoftheareabysettingupthepoleinanotherlocation;thisrevealednopassage,justalargealcove.Ashortdigtripafterwardtotheleft-handleadinCavefishCrawlfailedtobreakintosignificantnewcave,butpotentialremains.Finally,areconnaissanceintotheMazeareauncoveredsomecomplexloopsandnarrowcanyonsconnectingvariousdomes,althoughnomappingwasdone.
TheobjectiveforthefirstweekendinAprilwastocontinuethesurveyofCavefish
Dave
Eve
rton
The Upper River borehole in Blowing Hole just upstream from the Waterfall Crawl connection
NSS NewS,February2011 9
Crawl.Thepassagewasprettygrim,but259feetofhard-earnedfootagewasnettedinwaterandgoopymud,withnumerousslimyrocksthrowninforgoodmeasure.Finally,a largechunkofbreakdownblockedourpath.Daveopenedanarrowslotalongsidethebreakdownblockbykickingdonkey-styleatsomesmallerslabs,whichallowedBradBarcomtosqueezeupthroughtheslot.Thepassagemomentarilywidened,butquicklyreturnedtoalowcrawl.EveryonedecidedthatanyfutureworktoconnectCavefishCrawltotheMillenniumPassagemightbetterbeundertakenfromthemainstreamoftheMillennium.ThegroupretreatedtoStation140toresurveyashortsectionupstreamfromthereforwhichthesurveynoteshadbeenlost30yearsearlier.Theysurveyed368feetofpassage,andalthoughmostofitwasonlyfourtofivefeethigh,itwasverypleas-antcomparedtothebackofCavefishCrawl.
OnMay30th,apushtriptotheairy
downstreambreakdowninSodaStrawAlley(locatedgenerallyatthenorthwestareaofthecave)wasorganized.Dave,Brad,andRandwerejoinedonthistripbyStJosephValleyGrottocaversDaveTibbetsandBurnisPiper,whotogetherhadloggedover200surveytripsinLostRiver,whichwasnowBinkley’smainIndianarivalforlength.(DuetoaForestServiceclosingofthecaveduetoWhiteNoseSyndrome,theirprojecthadtemporarilygroundtoahalt.)Anadditional212feetofsurveywasaddedthroughthebreakdownand ina small side lead.Agoodbitofmicro-shavingwasneededtoremoveseveral largerocksblockingtheirway.Eventually,theywereabletoadvanceanother60to70feetbeyondtheendofthesurveybeforethedrill’sbatterydied.
ThenextSaturday,11caversassembledatFrederick’sCafé,whichwasbecoming
thepreferredpre-triprendezvous.Rand,AdamCraig,TySpatta,andRyanHaesley(fromNewZealand)wouldcontinue theworktoextendSodaStrawAlley,whiletheothersevenwoulddosomemop-upsurveyandworkonadigjustdownstreamofthe100-foothighMountainRoom.BrianWelpwasabletofinishthedigwhichwasbeguntwoweeksearlier,andanadditional111feetofsurveywasaddedtowherethepassageended in theWipeoutWallbreakdown,whichterminatesGrandAvenue.Athirdteamofcaversadded139feetinthenearbyDeathCrawl,withShayFurbushdigginghiswayfurther.Rand’steamstruggledtofindaroutefollowingthestrongairflowinSodaStrawAlley,butwasblockedbytwolargecar-sizedchucksofbreakdown.Ryanpenetratedthebreakdownthefarthest,andreportedchangingacoustics,aboomingreverb,andarunningstreamjustbeyondthetwooffendingslabs.93feetofsurveywasadded,showingthatthepassagehadalmostskirtedthenorthsideoftheoverlyingsinkholeandhadpassedneartheentrancetotheDavidsonDiginthenortheastcornerofthesink.Iftheconeofthisbreakdowncollapsewassimilartothattunneledthrough10yearsearlierintheMillenniumDig,theywereprobablyonthethresholdofabreak-through.However the frontierwasnowbeyondsixtightsqueezes,admittingonlythesmallestcavers;micro-blastingchargeswouldberequiredtoopenapathbetweenthetwolargeslabs.Mostagreedthataddi-tionalworkonSodaStrawAlleyshouldbetableduntilthemoreaccessibleleadshadbeenpushed.
TheMazeareawastheobjectiveforthelastweekendinJune.ThescalingpolenowinSalvationDomewasdisassembledandhauled further into thepassage toclimbupintotheMaze.Backintheearly
ISSdays,accesswasviaanarrowledgethathadbrokenundertheweightofacaverontheirlasttripinthe1970s.Theywerejoinedforthistripbysomeyoung,butenthusiasticcavers:TimPride,ChadMontgomery,andShaneMyles.Timwouldturnoutto lovewaterandmudasmuchasDave,andallthreewouldbecomemajorcontributorstotheproject.TheMazeisaconfusingareaandmuchoftheirtimewasspentfiguringouttherelationshipofthemultiplelevels,domes,andpits.Only61feetofsurveywasadded,butthenewprojectleadersgainedvaluableinsightintoanewarea.Aftertheremainderoftheteamheadedoutofthecave,DaveandRand tookaquick trip through theSewerPipe(a900-foot longwatercrawl)toreconthe110Passage,amajorinfeederfromthesouthlocatedjust1,000feetintothebreakdown-flooredFatigueway.
AttheendofJune,long-timeBinkley’sprojectleaderTerryCrayden(aka“TheDog”)droveinfromSouthDakota.OnJuly2nd,theoldlocalISScontingent(John,Fig,Rand,TheDogandI)plannedadigtriptoCarcassCrevice.Chris,themicro-shaver,agreedtoenlargetheopeningintothenarrowcreviceentrance.HisdrillwasslowedbythechertnodulesintheSt.Louislimestone,butthetopofthecrackwaseventuallybigenoughforhimtodescend,andseveralhourswerethenspenthoistingup12-quartbucketsofrockandmud.Bylateevening,Chriscouldpeerover themudanddebris intoa lowovalcrawlway.Justawispofairflowedout,butmoreworkwouldberequiredtogainentrance.
Threedays later,Dave ledateamto
theMaze,whiletheDogandIalongwithNickBenton(John’sson)headedtothe110Passage.Athunderstormwasinprogressbeforegoingin.WhileDave’steamstarted
Dave
Eve
rton
Dave
Eve
rton
Gary Roberson adds more rope to the sled used to pull mud fill out of the Revelation Road dig 200 feet inside the Baelz Entrance.
John Benton and Rand Heazlitt in the Coontown section
10 NSS NewS,February2011
for theMaze, theothersdecided itnotprudenttogodownstreamoftheSewerPipeuntiltheyweresureatoad-stranglerwasn’tapossibility.Twohourslater,theyenteredthecave.The tripwasnostalgic,as theDogandIhadlastvisitedthe110passage41yearsearlierforatwo-personsurvey.Dave’steamaddedonly47feetofsurvey,butcheckedalotofleadsandDavewidenedtheledgetraversearoundSurpriseDome,eliminatingtheneedforascalingpolethere.ItgotrelocatedtonearbySiphonDome,whereitwasclimbedtorevealtherewerenoaccessiblepassages.Whilethere,theymeasuredtheheightofthedomeat70feet.Meanwhile,theDogandIstruggledthroughthe1200feetofbellycrawlandstoopwayinLamon’sCutoff,theSewerPipe,andintothebreakdown-strewn110Passage.Bythetimewereachedtheleft-handleadweplannedonsurveying,Dogwascomplainingabouthisbackandmyjointsweregettingstiff.Wethoughtaboutjustturningback;thistripwasmuchharderat62thanat21.Finally,wereachedthefrontier,buttookonlysixsurveyshotstotaling105feetinahands-and-kneeswatercrawlexploredbyDaveandRandaweekearlier.Prudenceagaindictatedthatweheadout.Nicksaidnothing,althoughatage27hewasobviouslyreadytocontinuesurveying.DogandIweregladtorevisittheareaonelasttime,butwebothknewitwouldprobablybeourlasttriptothe110.Ittookthreepainfulhourstocoverthe5,000feetbacktotheentrance.Inmymind,thistripdefinitivelymarkedthepassingofthetorchtoDaveandRandasthenewleadersoftheproject.
OnJuly11th,arecord12caversassem-bledandweredividedintothreeteams.Two
teamsheadedfortheMazeandthethirdtothe110Passage.TheMazeteamswereplaguedbymisfortune.ShellyWolfre-brokeawrist thatwasprobablynotadequatelyhealed.BenandCarrieHutchinsweretopickup thesurvey in thePopcornsidepassagelead,butduetoamisunderstanding,resurveyedthepassagemappedafewweeksearlier,addingonly5feetofnewsurvey.Theydidexploreaheadinamiserablebellycrawlthatcontinues,butitwasleftforfuturemasochists.MarkMatthewsfree-climbeddownSummer’sPitfurtherintotheMazemainpassage, finding itnotasdeepasreported40yearsearlier,butonlyfindinganotherparalleldomeatthebottom.Randmanagedtoenlargeandsqueezethrougha lowconstriction intoacontinuationofthemainstemoftheMaze.Heestimateditcontinued400-600feet,butwasabsentthestrongairmovementontheothersideoftheconstriction.Thetwoteamsinthe110passageadded573feetofsurveyinthreedifferentleads.WhentheteamendedtheirsurveyinthepassagewheretheDogandIhadstartedthesurveytheweekbefore,Bradcheckedahead,squeezinghisheadthroughabody-sizedopeningwherehecouldlookupintowhatseemedtobeasizabledomewithformations.Beingalone,hedecidednottoriskcontortinghisbodyenoughtogethislowertorsothroughtheholeandintothedome.Severalofthe110leadscontinued,butallwereprettygrimandfornow,notpriorities.
Book avEnuEInmid-July,John,FigandIheadedfor
Texasandthe2009InternationalCongressofSpeleology,whereIwouldunveilmynewbookFifty Years Under the Sinkhole Plain.Aroundthesametime,PeteCrecelius,anISSstalwartfromthe70sandnowadoctorinIdaho,wasexcitedenoughtoheadbacktoIndianatojoinDaveandRandforsomeslimysinkholeplainadventures.ThetwohadwantedtodoapushtriptothelowcobblecrawlsouthoftheLivingRoomforsometime.MybookindicatedthattheDogandIthoughtitwasoneofthebestair-movingleadsinthecave.WithPetedrivinginfromIdahoandwantingtodoalongtrip,nowwasthetimetogo.Bradwasalsopumpedup,asherelishedphysically-challengingpushtripsandtheLivingRoomwasalmostfourmilesfromtheentrancebythepreferredroute.OnJuly19th,PetejoinedDave,Brad,RandandJamieWinnerforthetrip.
It tookabout3.5hourstoreachtheLivingRoom.Therewassomeminorconfu-sionaboutwheretostartthesurvey,asonlyPetehadbeenthereandthatwasover25yearsago.However, theyfinally foundafadedsurveystation62smokedontheceil-
ingjustbeforeenteringtheLivingRoom.RandandDaveheadedintothelowcrawltostartdigging,whiletheotherthreebeganthesurvey.Aroutewaschosenthatminimizedtheamountofcobble,rock,andmudthatneededtobemoved.Attimesitzigzaggedacrossthepassage,whichwassometimesaswideas25feet.However,itwasseldomhighenough tomove forwardwithoutdigging.Thefewpoolsinthepassagewereactuallywelcomed,astheycreatedmorepassageheightandlessdigging.Theydugfora longtime,slowlyadvancingnearly300feet,withthesurveyorsattimeslyingbehindthemwaitingtotakethenextshot.Finally,Randreachedaspotwherehecouldseeupthroughahole intodarkness,butbreakdownblockedmostoftheopening.Davebeganproddingatthebreakdownwithawonderbar.Suddenlya2or3-cubic-foothunkofrockfellfromwhatappearedtobeasolidceiling,narrowlymissinghim.Afterre-evaluation,theydecidedtoleavewhatisnowdubbed“LowAnxietyDome”forlater;itisstillunexploredtoday.
Justbeyondthedome,thecrawlmerci-fullybegantoenlargeslowlyasthefloorsedimentdecreased.Thecavewasopeningup!Davecrawledaheadtoaright-handleadandwhenRandcaughtup,theywereoff.Atfirst,itwasamostlyhands-and-kneescrawlonsoftmudfloor,butsoontheyintersectedanactivestream.Totheright,thestreamflowedunderaledgeintoa3-foothighby7-footwidepassage.Totheleft,thecavequicklyopenedto6-7feethighwiththewaterflowingonabedrockfloorwithocca-sionalsmallpools.Thiswaswhattheyhadcomefor!Theyfinallyturnedaroundwherea30-footdomerosetotheleft.Theyhadjustscoopedabout700to800feetinfrontofthesurveyteam,butitwasnowtimeforleapfrogsurvey.Unfortunately,theyhadintentionallyleftthesecondsetofsurveyequipmentintheLivingRoom(notwantingtodragextragearwhiledigging)ontheothersideofwhattheywerenowcallingthe“DandB”crawl(namedafteranodd-shapedrockfoundinthepassageandhasadualmeaning).Twomoretripsthroughthe300-footbellycrawlwerenotwhattheywantedtodoatthispoint.AfterthetripbacktotheLivingRoom,Randneededalongbreakbeforeheadinginagain.Theirthirdtripthroughtocatchuptotheothersurveyteamseemedtotakeforever.Bythetimetheyreachedthesurveyteam,theyhadmadeittotheendofthescoopstoppingpointatthedome.
Pete’s teaminsisted thatDaveandRandheadupstreamtobeginalegoftheleapfrogsurvey.Thepassagenowreturnedtostoopwayandhands-and-kneescrawlinonetotwofeetofwater.Ugh!Pete’steammovedquickly,tiedintotheirstartingpoint,
T-shirt design for the scary dig
NSS NewS,February2011 11
Book AvenueLiving Room
Torrent Room(breakthrough area)
Strike Section
Coontown Extension
Sinks of Indian Creek
Miller Cave= passages surveyed March thru Oct 2009= passages surveyed before 2009
graphics by Terry Crayden and Dave Everton 2010for more maps visit http://mypage.iu.edu/~deverton/Binkley/binkley.htm
Main Entrance
Cavefish Crawl
Millenium Passage
the Maze
Mt. Room
North Section
110 Passage
Baelz Entranceentrance
Eerie Canal
Blowing Hole Cave
Binkley Cave
Gearey Entrance
Dave
Eve
rton
Dave
Eve
rton
Shane Myles near the junction of the Strike Section
Aaron Boler and Gary Roberson near Soda Straw Alley
Dave
Eve
rton
Dave
Eve
rton
Grand Avenue borehole in Binkley Cave North Section
Adam Baldridge at the North Formation Y area
12 NSS NewS,February2011
andpassedthem.Justminuteslater,RandandDaveheardwhoopingandholleringahead.Quicklytyingintheirsurveyleg,theyrushedforwardtoseewhatwasgoingon.Astheyreachedtheotherteam,theceilingriseto20feetormoreandthewallonthefarsideoftheroomappearedtobe50feetaway.Borehole!Thesmallwalkingpassagetheyhadfoundearlierwasnothingcomparedtothis.Thereappearedtobethreelargepassagesleavingtheroom:theonetotherightappearedtobealmostfilledbyclay,butthetwoontheleftappearedwideopen.Pete’steamtookthepassagefarthestleftandDave’steamtooktheonetotheright.Theyagreedtosurveyforonehour,thenrendez-vousbackatthebigjunction.AsPete’screwrecordedtheirlastsurveyshot,theycouldheartheotherteam’svoicescomingfromabigleadtotheright.Itturnedouteachteamhadbeensurveyingonesideofabigloop.Wherethetwopassagesrejoined,aborehole20by20feetcontinuedupstreaminaneasterndirection.Itwashardtoturnaroundinbigbore,butitwasalready10:30p.m.andtheyhadalreadybeeninthecave12hours,andwereatleast4.5milesfromtheentrance.RandandDavewerefacingtheirfourthtripthroughtheD&BCrawl.Itwasaverylongtripout,withJamiebecom-ingdehydratedandillfromhiswetsuit.ThelastpersoncrawledupoutoftheBinkleyentrancesinkat5:30amafteragrueling19-hourtrip,muchofitinwaterplusalotofcrawlinginfullwetsuits.Ittookthecaversseveraldaystofullyrecoverfromthefatigueofthetrip.However,thebookhadbeenalmostprophetic:therewasanotherlargeboreholelyingalongShilohRoad,justlikeDogandIhadsaid.Theyhadsurveyed3223feet,bringingthelengthofthecaveto23.52milesandpassingTheHoleinWestVirginiatomoveinto20thplaceonthelongcavelist.
Petewouldbeintownonemoreweek-end,andreallywantedtoreturntowhattheywerecallingBookAvenue(sincethebooksomewhatpredictedwhattheyhadfoundthere).HeandRandwereupforit,butintheendtheydecidedthattheirbodieswerenotadequatelyrecoveredfromtheirrecentarduousadventure.TheyoptedtostayclosertotheentranceandsurveythenewextensionRandhaddiscoveredintheMaze.Itwasadisappointment;themainpassageterminatedinbreakdownafteronly265feet.Theotherteamonlyaddedafewstationsofmop-upsurveyforagrandtotalof345feet.Whileseveralmeanderloopsandadomeareastillneedtobesurveyedbackthere,noonehasreturnedtotheMazesince.
InearlyAugust,theoldguardoftheISSreturnedfromTexasforanotherdigonCarcassCrevice.WithRandfillingthebucketsatthebottom,anotherfootortwoofdebriswasremovedinacoupleofhours.Finally,Randwasabletoslitherthroughabout25feetoflowbellycrawlthatemptiedinthesideofawalkingcanyon,andJohnBenton soon joinedhim.Thewalkingpassageextendedrightabout60feetintoadomeroom,whichwasprobablydrainingwaterfromtheHwy135easementintothecave.Totheleft,thepassageledasimilardistancetoasmallroomwithadrainleadingdownwardthroughasmallopeninginrockandfill.Althoughitwas80degreesoutside,theairmovementwasminimalandnoonecoulddeterminewhereitwascomingfrom.TheDogsuspectedthatthewaterdrainingintoCarcassCreviceprobablyemptiesintotheStrikeSection,whichliesjust1000feettothewestandsouth.
OnAugust8th,threeweeksafterthe
breakthrough,areturntriptoBookAvenuewasscheduled.Thistime,Dave,BradandRandwerejoinedbyKyleHoytandlocalcaverChrisBell.Randsetafastpace,reach-ingtheD&BcrawlattheLivingRoominonlythreehours.Totheirdismay,thewaterlevelinthegruelingbellycrawlwasmuchhigherthanbefore,nowbeingatightbellycrawlmostly inwaterall thewaytoLowAnxietyDome,whichturnedouttobethesourceofthetricklethatmadethewide,lowcrawlintoonenastypool,whichincludedanear-dipperforabout10feet.However,beyondthedome,therewasnoevidenceofwater.WhileDaveandRandwaitedatthefirstsidepassageatstation75fortheotherstocatchup,theydecidedtocheckitout.Davewasdisappointedwhentheyencounteredanactivestreampassagewiththewaterflowinginwhatappearedtobethewrongdirection.EveryonehopedthisleadwouldintersectthemainstreamfromBookAvenue,whichexitstherightwallatstation
90.Theyhopedtofollowitdownstreamandpossiblyback intoacontinuationofthesiltedboreholewestofthebigjunctionroom.Now,Davedidn’tthinkso.HefeltthestreamfromBookAvenueprobablyeitherdrainedintoJaeger’sCrawlbelowtheLivingRoomorformedtheheadwatersofSouthBranchRiver,whichtheyhadfollowedforawhileontheirtriptoBookAvenue.Dave’senthusiasmtosurveytheleadatstation90wasnowgreatlydiminished.
Wheneveryonestartedtosurveythere,alivelydebateoversurveymethodsbrokeout,whichsouredmoodsfurtheredalongwitheveryonealreadyshiveringandmisera-blefromthe300-footbathtubofD&Bcrawl.Theydecidednottosurveythatpassage,butinsteadtowarmupbyproceedingupstreamtothejunctionroomandthebigborehole,tosurvey there.RandandChrisheadedupstreamtoresumethesurveyofthebigborehole,whileDave,BradandKylestartedsurveyingthebigsiltedboreholeleadingwestfromthejunctionroom.Hisgroupnettedonly293feet in25-footwidecrawlwaywhereitendedinasiltandbreakdownplug.Asmokebombindicatedlittleairmovement.Thebigborehadobviouslycontinuedinthisdirectionatonetime,buttheywouldhavetofindawaytobypassthecollapseiftheyhopedtofindthecontinuation.Uptothewritingofthisarticle,noonehasfoundamajorboreineitherBlowingHoleorBinkleythatmightcorrespondtothismajortrunk.Onlythemappingoftheactivestreambelowstation90ordyetracingwilldetermineforsurewherethewaterfromBookAvenueisheading.Backin2001,AaronAtzhadaccompaniedChrisSchotterandmetotheSouthBranch.Aaronmanagedtoenlargea
Dave
Eve
rton
Dave
Eve
rton
Mike Drake at a nice spot in I-64
Pat Mudd in Powell Avenue (aka Bugs Passage)
NSS NewS,February2011 13
Dave
Eve
rton
Mike Knasel in an upper level of the Strike Section
Dave
Eve
rton
Brian Welp admires formations in I-64
tightopeninginthebreakdown-filledstreampassagetoexploremaybeanother1000feetupstreamwherethewaterformingtheSouthBranchRiverfallsfromtwinwaterfallsina25-foothighdome.Thismakesmedoubt-fulthatBookAvenueisactuallythesourceoftheSouthBranchstream.Afterfinishingtheirsurveyinthesilteduppassage,Daveandhisteamhurriedeastupthebore.WhentheycaughtRand’steam,Dave’screwtookoverthesurveyatthatpointandRandandChrisheadedfurtheraheadtostartanewleg.
Theupstreamsurveywasverypleasant.
Thepassageaveraged30to40feetwidewithlargeclaybanksandceilingheightsofusually10to15feet.Averyshallowstreammeanderedacrossthefloor.Itwasdefinitelysomeofthenicestandeasiestpassageintheentirecave.Later,Dave’steamwasgettingcoldandthoughttheyshouldhavereachedtheotherteam’sstartingpoint.Theydecidedtowarmupbyrunningaheadtofindthem.When they reachedamassiveunstablebreakdownpile,theycouldfindnotraceoftheothersanditwasn’tobviouswherethey’dgone.Veryhesitantly,theyventuredashortwayupintothefresh-lookingbreakdown,but thankfullysoonheardvoicescomingtowardthem.RandandChrishadnotsettheirfirststationuntiltheyreachedthetopofthebreakdownmountain,andthensurveyeddownthefarsideofthemountainandintoacontinuationofthebore.Unfortunately,itsoonhitanothermajorcollapse,wheretheysawnoobviouswaytocontinue.Davedidn’twanttoleaveahangingsurvey,sotheyreturnedtowherehehadleftoffandfinishedthesurveyuptothe40-foot-wideflatareaatthebaseofthebreakdownpile.Beforetheyleftthearea,ChrisBellcheckedtheonlysignificantsidepassageseen,whichledtoadomewithasmallwaterfallemergingfromwhatappearedtobea4-foothighpassage.
Itwas8p.m.whentheytookabreakin
thejunctionroombeforestartingthefour-miletrekout.ChrishurthiskneeandwasinobviouspainfromtheLivingRoomout,butregardless,hekeptagoodpace.Thelastoftheteamexitedtheentrancesinkabout12:45a.m.aftera15.5hourtrip.Atotalof2587feetofsurveywaslogged,puttingBinkleyCaveover24miles,buttherewasdisappointmentabouttheunstableupstreambreakdownandthedecreasinglikelihoodoffindingadownstreamcontinuationofthebore.Thesecondbreakdownwasnearlyfivemilesfromtheentrance,makingita10-mileroundtripinmostly-wetconditions.AddinginthemiserableandnowverywetD&BCrawl,BookAvenueseemedveryremote.Everyonewasgrowingkeenlyawarethatanaccidentbacktherecouldresultineitheraworld-classrescueorcatastrophe.BinkleyCavewasneitherwarmnordry,andarescuebacktherewouldbemuchharderthaninlonger,butfriendliercaves. ItwouldbeawhilebeforethenexttriptoBookAvenue.TherestofAugustwasoccupiedwithareconnaissancetriptotheBaelzsection,moreworkintheRevelationRoaddig,andlastly,atriptoenlargethecrawlinCarcassCrevicetoadmitlargercavers,althoughwedecidedtowaituntilcoldweatherwhenairwasflowingfurtherintothecaveinordertodeterminewheretodig.
OnLaborDayweekend,sevencaversassembledforthefirsttriptoBlowingHolesince thepreviousNovember.Themainobjectivewouldbe tomicro-blast someoverheadrocksblockingthewayupwardintopocketsattheupperendofthestreampassageskirtingtheleftsideoftheTorrentRoom.Since thesurveydatastoredonDave’sPalmPilothadbeenaccidentlydeleted,thepassagealsoneededtoberesur-veyed,exceptforthesketch.WhileTySpattaandthreeothersworkedonmicro-blasting,Dave,MikeDrake,andMarkMatthews
resurveyedthe341feet.Aftermuchwork,TywasfinallyabletoopenasmallholeandRandcontortedhimselfupintotheoverheadpocket.Althoughtherewasstrongairfloweverywhereinthebreakdownandthesoundofastreamcascadingthroughrockscouldbeheardupstream,thereappearedtobenowayonanywherewithoutamajorblastingproject.Everyonewasnowcoldfrominac-tivityinthewet,lowconfinesofthestreamcrawl,sotheyretreatedtotheTorrentRoomareawheretheycheckedseveralothersmallleadsbeforeheadingout.Therealizationsetinthatevenwithwetsuitstobravelowwetcrawls,therewouldbenoeasyroutearoundtheTorrentRoombreakdown.
Davewasready toattemptanother
angletobypasstheobstacle.PerhapsthedrystreambedsinkingintoMiller’sCavetwomilestothesoutheastwouldprovidebetterprospects for findingaroute intotheupstreamsectionsofBlowingHole?Ithadbeendye-tracedtoBlowingHoleandHarrisonSpringinthelate1960s.Althoughlocatedhighonthesinkholeplain,ittoo,drewinalargevolumeofairinwinter,likenearlyeveryotherknowncaveoropen-ingintheBinkley/BlowingHolearea.OnSeptember12th,Dave,Rand,and fourothersdescendedonMiller’sarmedwitheverythingbutthekitchensink,butshortofmicro-shavingequipment.Their inten-tionwastocheckevery lead.TheywereguidedbyNormPace’s1960mapandtripreport,whichprovedquiteaccurate.Theyexcavatedalotofwoodanddebrisintheleftforktoregainaccessthroughacrevicetoalowerlevelcomplex60feetbelowthemaintrunk.Theysawseveralhundredfeetofcavebelowthecrevicethatwillneedtobesurveyedatsomepoint.However,alltheairinthecaveseemedtobeflowingfromtwoopeningsatthebackofadomepitcomplexoffofCairnHallintherightforkofthecave.
14 NSS NewS,February2011
Therightopeningwasatightcanyon-likedrainwithmuchtrashwedgedatthetop.Ofcourse,itrequiredmicro-blasting,whichwasabouttheonlydiggingequipmenttheyhadfailedtobring.Considerableeffortwasspentworkingonthenearbyopeningtotheleft,whichKevinSmithreportedendedinatightcrawlunderbreakdownmovingstrongair.Againtheyreallyneededshavingequipment.LizAllaby,theslimmestcaverinthegroup,madetwofutileattemptstosqueezethrough.ThereweretobenoeasybreakthroughinMiller’sCaveeither.Thepotentialwasobviousintheblowingleadsattheendofthedomepitcomplex,butthethoughtofdraggingheavymicro-shavingequipmentthroughthelowcobbleentrancecrawlwasnotappealing,soanassaultonthebreakdownwouldnotbemade.
Aroundthattime,CIGChairmanRonAdams,whohadtakenamarathontripinBinkley in the1980swithJoeOliphantandalsoparticipatedina1997triptoboltandtraversearoundthesideoftheGreatPit,expressedaninterestintakingalongtriptobuildstaminaforaDecembertriptoLechuguilla.Aftermuchdiscussion,theydecidedtotrypushingtheblowingleadRandhaddiscoveredin2008,whichwasheadingtowardsthebottomoftheGreatPitjustover300feettothesouthwest.Ifaroutetothebaseofthepitcouldbeopened,itwouldcutnearlytwomileseachwayofftheonlyknownroutetothatarea.OnSept19th,apartyoffiveheaded intoassault it.Theworkingconditionsatthefrontierinthepassagewerenotpleasant.TyandDavemovedaconsid-erableamountofrocksofvarioussizesandcobblesedimentintheleft-handfork.Finally,theythoughtPatmightbeabletosqueezeupandlookaroundthecorner.However,hisreportwasdiscouraging:therewasanobstructionstraightaheadthatappearedtobeholdingupahugerock.Withoutdisturb-
ingit,thereappearedtobenowaytogetbeyond.TheydecidedtoabandonthedigandrelocatetocontinuetheupstreamsurveyintheSouthBranchRiver.WiththerecentdiscoveryofBookAvenueandthemysteryofwhetherthedownstreamwaterheadedtowardsBlowingHoleortheSouthBranch,asurveyofthepassageseenbyAaronin2001wasnowofmoreimportance.
IhadtoldDavethattheSouthBranch
becameanobstaclecoursejustbeyondtheentrance toFantasticAvenue.Everyoneconstantlyclimbedoveronelargeboulderafteranotheralthough thepassagewasnominally4to6feethigh.Theyreachedatightsqueeze,assumingitmustbetheoneenlargedbyAaron,althoughtherewasnostrongevidenceofhammering.Ronquicklyandmasterfullymovedseveral largeslabsandopenedaspacelargeenoughtoaccom-modateeveryone.Althoughenthusiasmforsurveywaslow,theybrokeintotwoteamsandplacedatotalof13stationstotaling348feet.TyandPatexploredanother300feetplusbeyondtheirsurveyinmostlystoopway.Patstoppedataclimb-upoverbreakdownthatmightbetightonlargercavers,buttheydidnotreachthedomereportedbyAaron.Theyexitedthecaveaftera14to15-hourtrip.Whenthesurveynoteswereplotted,it showedthatall theirsurveyhadbeenre-survey,andtheoldsurveyhadactuallycontinuedsevenstationsfurther.Apparently,theconstrictiontheyhadopenedwasanewonecreatedbyfloodwatersshiftinglargeslabssincetheoriginalsurveyinthelate60s.PossiblythetightsqueezereachedbyPatwastherealfrontierwheretheISScavershadturnedaround40+yearsearlier?Whilenoth-ingwaslearnedtohelpsolvethemysteryofthedestinationoftheBookAvenuestream,atleastagoodpointofreferenceforresum-ingthesurveyoftheSouthBranchpassagewasestablished.
Blowing HolE BrEaktHrougH AfterreadingtheSeptember5thBlowing
Holetripreport,JamieWinnere-mailedDaveaboutapromisingdig locationinapassagetrendingaroundtherightsideoftheTorrentRoombreakdownhehadseenonhisOctober2008trip.ThatgotDaveexcited,sotheyscheduledatripforOctober3rd.InadditiontoJamieandDave,PatMudd,BrianWelp,ToddWebb,andTimPride joinedtheparty.Thetripupstreamwastedious,astheentrancecrawlwasfilledwithpooledwaterandToddbroughtagiganticorangePelicancaseloadedwithahammerdrillandothertools.OnlywithdifficultywasthecasecontortedthroughthesqueezedownintotheSubwayandmanhandledbyBriantotheEerieCanalwhereitcouldbefloatedmostofthewayupriverinknee-to-neckdeepwater.
WhentheyreachedtheTorrentRoomarea,Jamie’sdigdidn’tseemquiteasappeal-ingasherememberedit,butheandBriansettoworkonitanyway.Davecontinuedlook-ingandpokingaround.AtthespotwherehehadstoppedduringhisonlyvisittothatareainNovember2008,whatheheardgothimveryexcited.Beyondasmallstreamcomingfromacrackintheceiling,hecouldheartheroarofamuchlargerstreambeyond.TimandDaverelocatedseveralrocksbutencounteredmassivebreakdownwithnowayon.However,justafewfeetaway,waterwaspouringoutofthebreakdownandflow-ingoutunderaledge,beyondwhichthereappearedtobeapocket.Tim,Pat,andDavebeganremovingapileofrocksblockingthespaceunderthe ledge,usingonlya longcrowbar.Progresswasslow,sincetherocks,cobble,andothersedimentswereallpartiallycementedtogether.Aftermuchwork,itwasmade“Pat-sized”sohesqueezedinunderthelowledge,whenamassiveechoingboomcausedhisentirebodyto jumpsidewaysandalmostscaredthecoverallsoffofhim.
Dave
Eve
rton
Dave
Eve
rton
Adam Craig in Lamon’s CutoffJohn Benton in the Coontown section
NSS NewS,February2011 15
Ashequicklyscrambledbackwardstotherelativesafetyofthehands-and-kneescrawl,a second reverberatingboomfollowed.Everyonewasstartled,butitwasparticularlyunnervingforPat.WhiletheyallknewthatJamieandBrianhadbeendrillingholesforbang,theywerecaughtbysurprise.DaveandTimresumedworkingintheopening.SoonPatwasreadytotryagain,butonlyaftersendingTimdownstreamtorequestnotifi-cationbeforeanotherblast,therebygivinghimtimetoretreatfromthedig.Hethencrawledintothepocket,andreportedbackthatthereappearedtobeafairlysolidceiling,althoughsmallstreamsofwaterwerefallingoutofnumerousoverheadcracks—kindoflikebeinginasubmarinewithleakyseams.Therewereseveralpossibilitiesforcontinu-ing,butallwereblockedbybreakdown.
DavetookPat’splaceandwasabletosqueeze intothefirstpocket.Hesawanopeningandcleared itof rock,butaftercrawlingintoit,sawitwashopelesslyblockedbymassiverocks.Heretreatedtothefirstpocketandstartedworkingforwardinanotherdirection,usingtheareahehadjustvacatedtostoretherocksherelocatedasheedgedforward.Soon,onlyashortsqueezeseparatedhimfromthenextpocket.Patcamein,andmanagedtocrawlpasthimandeasilysquirmedthroughtheconstrictionbeforedisappearingoutofsight.Davelaytherelisteningtotheloudrumbleofthewatercrashingdownthrough therocksabovehim.Inspiteofthedin,hesoonheardthesoundofajubilantPathollering.Itseemedlikealongtimeafter,buthislightwasfinallyseenreturningandhewasveryexcited.Hereportedemergingfromunderabeautifulcascadingwaterfallandclimbingupintoalargeroomandapassagewitha30-footceil-ingthatwenton!BynowtheBoomteamhadjoinedthem,andeveryonewaspumpedup.PathelpedenlargethesqueezetoallowDave
topushhistorsoovertherectangularedgeofthebreakdownblockatthetightestpoint.Itwasreallytight;butwithPat’sreportplusthethunderingsoundofthewaterfallhypinghisadrenaline,hemadeit.Thenwithahammerandchiselpassedupbytheboomboys,heandPatset toworkenlargingtwomorespotsto“Dave-sized.”Theythenclimbedupthroughthebreakdown,throughashortbellycrawlandunderneaththecurtainofasoakingwaterfalltostandupamazedatthesizeoftheroomandtheceilingfarabove.After41years,theTorrentRoombreakdownhadfinallybeenbypassedandtheupstreamboreholereached.Whatnooneexpectedwasthattheupperriverwouldberunningatanelevation20feethigherthanthelowerriver.Soon,JamieandBrianpoppedupthroughthewaterfallaswell.Unfortunately,thefirstsqueezewasstilltootightforTim,soheandToddremainedbelow.Itwasalreadylateintheday,astheyhaddugalongtime.Jamiewasoverdueto joinhiswifeCarlaforaHarrison-CrawfordGrottocookout.However,theyhadtoscoopalittlebooty.Theyheadedupstreaminbigriverpassagewiththefloorclimbingrapidlyasthewaterdescendedthroughnumerousriffles.
Afterafewhundredfeetofverynicecanyonupstream,theywerewalkinginabroadcorridoroverabreakdownfloor.Aslopetotherightledupintoalargeroomwithabeautifulflowstoneformationonthefarwallatthetop.Theyhustledthroughwhatappearedtobeanoverflowcanyonandrejoinedthemainriveratabroadjunction.Themainstreamapparentlywentaroundthebacksideof the large room,whichtheynamedtheMini-MountainRoomdueto itssimilarity inshapetotheMountainRoominBinkley’sCave.Ontheothersidepastthebroadjunction, jammedintothebreakdownabouteightfeetabovestreamlevel,theyfoundayellowhardhat!Earlier,
theyhadseenseveraloldcansandanoldplasticdishwashing liquidbottle.Noonehadeverseentrashinthelowerriver,prob-ablybecausetheTorrentRoombreakdownfiltereditout.However,therewasobviouslya fairlyopenconnection to thesurfacesomewhereupstream.Everyoneassumeditwasprobablyfromthedrystreambedflush-ingtrashintotheMiller’sCaveentrancetwomilestothesoutheast.Thepassageaheadcontinued25to30feetwideand8to12feethigh,withthewatergrowingdeeperastheyprogressed.Itcontinuedinthatfashionandtheyeventuallyretreated;itwastimetoheadout.Backatthewaterfall,BrianandPatclimbedthebreakdownslopeoppositethewaterfall,whichwaspresumably thebacksideoftheTorrentRoombreakdown.Itcontinuedupandupataverysteepangle.Everyoneheadedbackdowntheriverandarrivedattheentrancejustasitwasgettingdark.Thiswasthesecondbigdiscoveryinjustoverthreemonths.TheycaravannedtotheSchottersandfoundplentyoffoodandgoodcompanystillpresentat thegrottopicnic.Ithadbeenagreatday!
Thisconcludespartone. Inthenextissue,thesurveyofBlowingHoleensues,withthecavelengthgrowingfromtheinitial1.85milesto5.19miles(asofDecember2010thereare6.75milessurveyed).
Dave
Eve
rton
Dave
Eve
rton
Laura Sisken at a nice spot in I-64Adam Baldridge at the North Formation Y area
The “North Y” in Binkley Cave, which leads eventually to Helictite Utopia and the Coontown Extension
Dave
Eve
rton
Feb
ru
ar
y 2
011
