With over 200 miles of cave within an hour's drive, if you don't get underground at the upcoming MAR/VAR it will be your own fault! For those not familiar with the area, here are some of the led trips we will be offering:
Bone-Norman Through TripA skin-scraping connection adventure led by Dwight Livingston and Jay Balakirsky. Those over 8" thick need not apply. Those who do not fit will greased and given a carbide assist. Those who really do not fit
might be led back to the entrance if they ask politely and squeal like a pig.
Norman CaveA more leisurely tourist and/or photography trip to some of the nicer and friendlier parts of the cave led by Hank Ratrie. Part of the cave is wet, so plan on a dry bag for your camera.
Poor Farm CaveBob Bennett will lead a trip to and through the booming passages of nearby Poor Farm Cave.
Scott Hollow CaveA tourist trip to Scott Hollow Cave, about an hour from camp, will be led by Keely Owens. Due to the owners' regulations, only NSS members are allowed in Scott Hollow on wild trips. The river passage is a sight to behold if you have never seen it!
Snedegars Cave Druid Passage DigDoug Medville wants to dig and push the end of the Druid Passage in Friars Hole, and is looking for a few thin cavers who do not fear the K-Y Crawl at the end. The entrance is just off the campground and the Druid Passage starts only a couple minutes into the cave. If no one volunteers, he may go to Radio Pit or Death Pit instead.
Sinkhole CleanupFor project cavers and those interested in conservation, a sinkhole cleanup is planned off-site. Lunch and some drinks will be provided for workers. A backhoe will be on hand to help pull larger items out of the sink, and trucks will be available for immediate loading. Bring good gloves and sturdy clothing.
Other Guided TripsWe are certainly open to more guided trips! Please volunteer if you are familiar with a cave in the area. We could even use some leaders for Friars Hole itself. Please contact Dwight Livingston <dwightliv@verizon.net> if you can help out. Vertical trip leaders and a kids trip leader would be greatly appreciated!
Don't forget you will have over 46 miles of cave right beneath your feet! Here are some of your self-guided options in Friars Hole:
Snedegars and North Stream EntrancesYou can easily kill the day exploring the parts of Friars Hole just off the campground and getting lost in the maze that connects them. The Mack truck-sized Snedegars Entrance takes you down borehole passage past the Druid Passage, some old saltpetre digging areas, and the entrance to the Saltpetre Maze to the Amphitheater, one of the largest areas of the cave. A short side passage just off the Amphitheater takes you to the bottom of a normally dry 180 degree waterfall, which marks the end of the stream passage that enters at the North Stream Entrance, also just off the campground. Continuing past the amphitheater you pass a rock ledge covered with rock sculptures and further on come to the climb up a huge set of rimstone dams to the 100+ foot Snedegars Dome. For the hearty, just beyond the turnoff to the dome, the high ceiling drops to a low crawl to the sump, which is the gateway to the rest of the Friars Hole System. Returning back through the amphitheater, hang a left and take your chances in the Saltpetre Maze, which will lead you (if you can find the way!) to the North Stream Entrance. Watch for the historical saltpetre vats (canoe-like dugout logs) in the maze.
The DC Grotto is actively resurveying this section of the cave. If you miss out on this trip, contact Bob Gulden or DC and help out on the survey!
Crookshank EntranceA leisurely half hour walk from camp, this entrance is situated in a large, lushly vegetated sinkhole with a nice multi-tiered waterfall and a gaping 60 foot wide entrance pit. A visit to the scenic sinkhole is highly recommended even if you don't drop the 96 feet to the floor below. Not far from the bottom is the Baltimore Domes Complex, a series of high domes, or you can continue through the 20-30 foot high water-sculpted Plunge Pool Passage to a nice waterfall. Or you can turn right and take the 600 foot long, foot high Terrible Crawl over sharp gravel. Or you can just bounce the pit. The choice is yours. The lip is interesting. Make sure to bring rope protectors.
Monster CavernThe largest room in the cave, with a 200 foot waterfall, is actually only a few hundred feet from the campground. BUT, you can't get there from here! Only hardcore cavers need apply, and then expect a 12+ hour trip even if you don't get lost. You enter the commodious Snedegars Entrance and go a half mile down nice borehole. Then crawl to the sump, get drenched, find the Highway, and crawl for a couple more hours and you might be getting close. Of course, you have to do it all again to get back out. The trip from the Canadian Hole Entrance, if it wasn't closed by the owner, is wet and vertical and can get you there in 3 hours. The last caver who went to Monster Cavern took up cave diving right afterward and hasn't crawled since. Anyone up for it?
Friars Hole EntranceYou have to drive off site to get to this entrance at the southern end of the system. Although most of this section of the cave is nice, horizontal borehole, two nuisance drops of about 25 feet each are required to get there. We will hear after dinner about recent attempts to push this end of the system further south. The really ambitious can enter at this entrance and head north through the Sheep Dip and Dung Ho Way, through the sump (if it is open) and out the Snedegars Entrance directly back to camp.
Radio Pit, Death Pit, Thanksgiving Pit, etc.A series of pits and small caves lines the valley where we will be camping, a few minutes walk from camp. Most of these overlie the Highway, the route leading to Monster Cavern. These potential shortcuts would literally cut hours off the trip to Monster Cavern, but to date no one has made the connection. Will you be the first? Most of these are vertical (30-60 feet) and sometimes unstable. Be prepared.
If that doesn't give you enough opportunity for caving at the upcoming MAR/VAR, you must be dead! You only have until next Tuesday to save $5 by preregistering. If you haven't already, get the registration form and more information from
http://www.varegion.org/var/events/FallVAR/FallVAR.shtml and send it in soon!
As always, please clean and decon your gear before and after the VAR.
See you there!