by GroundquestMSA » May 7, 2014 11:50 pm
I rigged a climb with a dead cedar tree once. It was very technical. I had to drag it into the cave and then I had to lean it against the wall, and then someone else had to "hold it," a very advanced technique that involves grasping the the trunk with an ungloved hand, while I climbed up. The ongoing cave led to pinches, but no more pitches, and I retreated. When I got back, my "grasper" had wandered off, and I started down without. When my tree started shifting, I performed a hurried changeover, which is surprisingly easy when using TOTYCFTWRT. Back at the top, I yelled for help, and hearing no reply took a technical "leap of filth" onto the slimy clay below.
But the most technical cave in my area (my living room, front yard, Lowe's, and the better parts of Quebec) is probably Fern Cave. It has 3 pitches of over two feet and a moderate slope. Fern Cave has not been connected to Mammoth yet but I expect to go eat a cookie here in a minute. They have lots of butter.
(The Only Tree You Can Find That Will Reach Technique is an undertaught discipline that would benefit many cavers who can't afford fancy stuff like Pantins and 1964 Plymouth Valiants and Rope. I recall many happy hours spent sitting around cheery tire and mattress fires and discussing the intricacies of the Hardwood Highway. When to back up your Poplar pole with a grapevine, why Sycamore stakes make poor primary anchors, how to prepare a Honey Locust for safe ascension, the load dynamics of Rotting Maple, and the grave dangers of static cowstails...)