trogman wrote:Greg Jones wrote:DawgsgoCaving, so Bob Gulden's website states that the maximum depth of Ulla Cave is 200 feet.
I think what Dawgs is looking for is how deep it actually is below the ground surface. The "depth" that surveyors report does not reflect that, but is merely the difference between the highest and the lowest surveyed points in the cave.
I did an overlay of the cave map to the topo, and according to my calculations the Lost Tape Passage is approx. 1000' below the overlying surface. The surface above this area is mostly sandstone, so hope for an upper entrance in that area is pretty slim. The chances are somewhat better closer to the entrance, although there have been a lot of folks looking in vain for such an entrance. In 2012 we had high hopes that we were about to make such a connection, which according to my reckoning would have connected in the area of the Big Flowstone. Alas, it turned out to only be a 50' blind pit, which we named "Little Hope Well."
The hunt will continue, however. An upper entrance would be a great safety valve in case a party got trapped by an unexpected rain event. As it is, such an occurrence could be fatal for those involved, since the cave is sumped shut for months at a time.
Trogman
Trogman, I actually knew that the depth that Bob Gulden has on his website was the difference between the highest and lowest surveyed points in the cave. I was trying to answer his question as best I could. That was the only piece of information that I was able to provide. I am sorry that I even responded to the post at all Trogman because it seems like you think I shouldn't have posted at all.