Camps Gulf

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Camps Gulf

Postby tncaver » Dec 27, 2009 7:59 pm

Today I hiked up to Camps Gulf Cave in Falls Creek Falls State Park. I wanted to see what kind of signage the park had placed at the front of Camps Gulf Branch and at Camps Gulf Cave in regards to the caves being closed due to WNS. There were absolutely NONE. I could also see evidence that someone had driven part of the way up there (must have been a park ranger) and that the foot trail was recently and quite well traveled. Just goes to show that nothing is really being
done to halt human traffic to those caves. Officials are only targeting "real" cavers as opposed to spelunkers. Spelunkers are the ones with flashlights who
get rescued and throw bats at rocks remember? Cavers know better. What a travesty.
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Re: Camps Gulf

Postby graveleye » Dec 28, 2009 1:03 pm

I would love to get back up to Camps Gulf... to bad it's closed to honest folk.

BTW, anyone ever get that map done?
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Re: Camps Gulf

Postby tncaver » Dec 28, 2009 2:33 pm

graveleye wrote:I would love to get back up to Camps Gulf... to bad it's closed to honest folk.

BTW, anyone ever get that map done?


You can ask John Hoffelt about the Camps Gulf map. He is the person who has been mapping it for years. Of course being an "honest" caver, he had to give
that up due to the cave closure.
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Re: Camps Gulf

Postby graveleye » Dec 28, 2009 4:35 pm

sure seems to me that one could be granted permission to go in and complete a survey.
That to me would seem to be of scientific value... of course, the scientists advising the whole WNS business would likely disagree with me there.
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Re: Camps Gulf

Postby tncaver » Dec 28, 2009 4:41 pm

graveleye wrote:sure seems to me that one could be granted permission to go in and complete a survey.
That to me would seem to be of scientific value... of course, the scientists advising the whole WNS business would likely disagree with me there.


There is a colony of bats in one area of the cave. That is why I was surprised that there was no signage anywhere saying the caves were closed.
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Re: Camps Gulf

Postby NZcaver » Dec 30, 2009 6:53 am

This discussion drifted off-topic, so I've split most of the posts and moved them to a new topic.

See Project caving vs recreational caving on public lands
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Re: Camps Gulf

Postby graveleye » Dec 30, 2009 1:48 pm

well... let's talk about Camps Gulf. I have to say that was one of the most impressive caves I have ever been in. We got there and there were two other grottos in the cave - I would say probably 45 people in there that day. Several spotlights made it cool.
It was neat to be standing atop one of the breakdown piles and see a group of cavers waaaaaay off somewhere making their way through the rocks.

And breakdown... man that cave has it. I don't think I've ever seen so much. It almost got annoying after a while because if it wasn't slippery, then it moved.

We wound up way back in the borehole all the way to the lake. There were two rubber dinghies back there apparently for continuing through the borehole. Saw some huge mutant cave crawdads and wondered how far the cave went on the other side of the water.

Soon as the coast is clear, I am going back there.
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Re: Camps Gulf

Postby Kevenater » Jan 12, 2010 4:24 pm

I wanna go back to camps gulf, have only been once several years ago. That is an awesome cave. Post it on here when the cave is opened back up please!
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Re: Camps Gulf

Postby tncaver » Jan 12, 2010 6:36 pm

Kevenater wrote:I wanna go back to camps gulf, have only been once several years ago. That is an awesome cave. Post it on here when the cave is opened back up please!


Maybe if you write your senator you can get special permission to go. Possibly before your 90th birthday you can get permission. OR, you could just go for it.
There are no signs saying caves are closed. I saw plenty of evidence that people were still going in the cave. The trail was flattened and there were fresh
footprints. There were also no dead bats or any flying around to indicate the bats in the cave are sick. But I didn't go inside to see. There is nothing there
to indicate the caves are closed. Another example of government doing as little as possible to earn their pay. :whistle:
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Re: Camps Gulf

Postby Kevenater » Jan 12, 2010 10:47 pm

may just have to do that........
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Re: Camps Gulf

Postby tncaver » Jan 13, 2010 9:46 am

Kevenater wrote:may just have to do that........


Keep in mind also Keven, that park rangers may occasionally check on the cave. Especially if they see a vehicle with bat stickers or caving stickers
parked in the parking area which is in plain sight right beside the highway. They may even want to make an example of any caver unlucky enough
to be caught inside the caves. There is a bat colony inside that cave. Think about it before you make a decision.
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Re: Camps Gulf

Postby Speedemon636 » Dec 21, 2010 2:08 pm

There ARE signs now... :down: The friends I was with said that the WNS signs expire after a year of being posted. Is that correct?

It's sad to think that pretty much all gov. owned caves are now closed because of WNS
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Re: Camps Gulf

Postby tncaver » Dec 21, 2010 2:36 pm

Speedemon636 wrote:There ARE signs now... :down: The friends I was with said that the WNS signs expire after a year of being posted. Is that correct?

It's sad to think that pretty much all gov. owned caves are now closed because of WNS


Originally the state said "closed for one year". But that was more than a year ago. All caves on government land in TN are still closed.
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Re: Camps Gulf

Postby Mudduck » Dec 21, 2010 3:10 pm

Speedemon636 wrote:There ARE signs now... :down: The friends I was with said that the WNS signs expire after a year of being posted. Is that correct?

It's sad to think that pretty much all gov. owned caves are now closed because of WNS


Someone from Tgov probably saw the website and figured they better post some signage. Reading back in this topic those "honest" cavers that were discussed will probably wind joining the dishonest club soon
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Re: Camps Gulf

Postby Speedemon636 » Dec 21, 2010 4:21 pm

Any chance of WNS being reduced so the caves will be opened again in the near future? :sad:
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