Zicafoose Blowhole Cave Trip Report
Trip Date:
9/17-9/18
Trip Participants:
Mark Passerby and Bob Kirk
Photo Gallery:
http://www.cavediggers.com/zic/gallery16/
Map Book:
http://www.cavediggers.com/zicmap.pdf NOTE: New data hasn't been added but this survey extended the cave west with another 600 feet of cave that continues from the section that previously ended on Page 46 of the map book. Map Book will be updated by end of week.
Trip Report:
On a previous trip to the known end of Zicafoose Blowhole Bob Kirk, Mark Passerby, and Chuck Nuckols had stopped the survey with 2 leads: 1) a high very unstable lead and 2) a low lead.
Our goal on this trip was to push the lower lead and see if we could continue. We both know the route and kicked it to Camp 2 arriving in 3 hours and 20 min. and arrived at the end beyond Camp 2 in another 40 min.(the section from Camp 2 to Camp 3 is particularly grueling). Once at the end we decided to explore first then if it ended in short order probably head out but if it continued we would backtrack and begin the survey. We pushed up a crawl and then through a gnarly popcorn section and headed up slope eventually rounding a corner......as Bob followed he could hear my Whoo!! Hell Yeahs! we had found a perfect large decorated room with a deep gypsum sand floor and a stream flowing just beside.....a perfect new Camp 3 we both thought.
We stopped there for a few minutes then jumped down in the stream which quickly changed to a tall black much larger canyon.......the cave was heading west and clearly had just cleared the sandstone caprock high above us. Things became much wetter and active as the canyon became taller with formations seen at the top as well as more passage above that will need to be checked.
We then crisscrossed a bunch of "fins" in the streambed i.e. a fault with vertically bedded rock and for a short distance had to crouch as the cave made its way across this fracture zone. The passage began to get a slightly steeper with small plunge pools and swirl pockets and we noted one bat and one salamander. At this point we decided as air blasted us in the face that the cave was going to definitely continue so we headed back for survey gear.
We tied the survey in and knocked off about 600' of mostly west trending passage however the data clearly shows that even though we are heading dead on for the main valley the cave is too high to be taking water from there! Anyway we ended the survey looking at a very deep pool with a 8-10' waterfall pouring in on the far side that will be climbed on the next trip i.e. on 9/30-10/2 Note: the water levels in the cave seems to fluctuate very little from dry season to wet season. My general sense is that we are about to intersect a major strike passage that will run a big distance along the valley wall. BootyVille!
We arrived back at Camp 2 about 11 Saturday night and crashed. We woke at about 6:30 a.m. Sunday and heated a couple of meals then headed out. Time out was slower at 4.5 hours from Camp 2 to the entrance.....what a welcome sight the entrance was :).
Mark Passerby, Caves.com