TRIP REPORT: Webster Cave System (KY, US) 2005/09/11

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This trip was previously posted on the WCCSG site.

Our goal for this trip was the survey of the Mulu Sump. It's actually
the North Bore Sump, which leads up to the Mulu passage. Anyway... Pat
Mudd, Mark Phillips, and me met at the Post Office about 0800, and
headed over to the cave.

It had been very dry until Katrina struck here with heavy rains. My
hope was that the water levels would have quickly returned to normal so
we could make it past the low air. Once at the first lake, I realized
the magnitude of the flooding that had occurred. Although lake levels
were at summer (drought) pool, it was apparent the flood pulse had been
nearly to the ceiling there (about 4 feet or so). The lakes were cloudy
all the way to Blindfish Boulevard. Beyond there, they were essentially
clear (relatively speaking). I still saw evidence of a good flood. One
place in the main trunk I saw foam froth on the ceiling, though I cannot
say it hadn't been there all along.

When we reached Parks Avenue, I knew we had a problem. The sound of
water flowing out was pretty loud. The Mulu Sump is very sensitive to
water flow. A slight increase in flow, which may only manifest itself
by a louder sound, will sump it shut. We had a loud flow. The water
level was low, but just more volume. Well, we made it to the sump and
it was. Dang! About a three inch airspace at the sharks mouth (as Pat
called it), and no airflow. That indicated a total sump.

Admitting defeat, we secured a 200 foot section of rope Pat dragged in
for later use in the sump. Then we back tracked and checked a few
blowing leads, but these too were higher than normal.

At the junction of Parks and North Bore, Pat showed me a cache of
supplies he and Ben had discovered last trip. Pat had mentioned these
to Jim Jones, a previous Mulu discoverer, and he said they looked like
flood supplies we had placed there back in 1991. We had cached supplies
in Mulu, but they apparently got washed out in a flood. There they were!

I unwedged them from the crack they were in and opened them up to
inspect their contents. Mistake. I was met with the most horrid stench
imaginable. Something akin to raw sewage, garbage, and a bit of death
thrown in. I've smelled a lot of bad smells, but nothing like this.
Water had infiltrated the boxes and corroded the canned goods we had
placed. Everything else was wet and destroyed. I did manage to salvage
a Premier carbide lamp and MSR Whisperlite stove. I carried out one of
the kits and will return to get the other one later.

Now for the bad news. We didn't survey a foot. Not wanting to break
open chem lights and all that stuff for a few lousy feet of flooded side
passage, we turned around and started out empty handed. Better luck next
week I guess.

The next scheduled trip is SATURDAY SEPT 17th. Our goal will be Mulu
again (this time we'll compare flow at the mouth of Parks before making
the 3000 foot trek to the sump). Failing that, Webster Avenue beyond
Marathon. If we have enough interest in two trips, we can split up.

CG
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WCCSG/