FROM A HOLE IN THE GROUND by Jim Jacobs
I apologize if this issue is a bit late in getting out. Time just got away from me. Sorry!
It seems that the rules for visiting our favorite tour cave (Illinois Caverns) are getting more restrictive by the week. It started with rapidly shrinking visiting hours. Now, certain areas of the cave are being placed "off limits." This was forwarded by Jeff Gosnell:
Hey all,
Last weekend at Illinois Caverns, barricades were up in part of the cave. There
is some discussion of this on the NSS discussion board, but I wanted to get
this posting out ASAP. It's by Diane Tecic:
"I am a biologist with the IL
DNR and thought I might be able to answer a few of the questions asked on the
installation of the barricades in Illinois Caverns. A few years ago, we invited
the renowned and beloved cave management specialist, Ron Kerbo to Illinois Caverns
to discuss current management
and potential mgmt strategies in light of increasing visitation, a recently
federal endangered species (Illinois Cave amphipod), and other potential developments
in the area. In short, Ron strongly suggested that we "administratively"
close the relatively short portion of the cave upstream of the entrance to provide
a relatively undisturbed area for the Illinois Cave Amphipod. This upstream
portion has somewhat better water quality than areas further downstream that
receive drainage from off DNR property.
He also thought that the lunchroom area was probably one of the most decorated areas in Illinois Caverns (at least on DNR property) and should be closed off to avoid continued impacts. Ideally, he thought we should also try to restore the area so that it would be a more impressive overlook for cave visitors.
These suggestions came long after his first comment, which was that we cannot legally allow people to trespass onto other people's properties. We have grappled with this issue for a number of years now, and probably will continue to struggle with it for a while. However, at the strong urging of Ron Kerbo, we are trying to resolve this.
We do plan to place a barricade at the DNR property line in the near future. Our line is past the T junction near waterfall passage. Unfortunately, this will close off a good portion of the cave, but we cannot legally continue to allow trespass onto other properties. With that said, we also understand that this is an important public cave that has been used for recreation for at least 100 years. I am strongly in favor of the DNR trying to get easements or agreements with the other cave landowners to allow continued visitation throughout the cave. If we can do that, then we can push the barricade farther into the cave until, hopefully, it is not needed. The bad news is that the DNR is terribly understaffed right now after a hoard of employees took early retirements and there has been a hiring freeze that may continue indefinitely. This may make progress on getting agreements slow. Also, if landowners won't voluntarily agree, but want us to pay for an easement, that will slow progress because of the dismal current budget predictions for the State of Illinois."
[sigh!] (end of comment)
Larry Matiz forwarded this information on our old friend, John Vargo:
Here is an update on John. He had
surgery on his right shoulder, a total replacement with a long pin. The doctor
was surprised at how bad his arthritis was as all the test did not show the
degree of damage! He is
recovery nicely but has a lot of pain. The doctor said that he will have a long
term physical therapy due to the serious surgery.
It's a fact that if guts and desire have anything to do with it, John will be caving again and in time, we won't be able to keep up with him again. Hang tough, John!
John Schirle sent this in concerning a new caving video:
From: "John D Schirle"
<jds217@juno.com>
Near Normals --I mentioned at last night grotto's meeting about a video now
available for purchase from the MO. Dept. of Conservation, and some wanted the
info on how to order. It's called "Just Kiddin' Around: Caves", and
it's an upper elementary-age video that's 27 min. long, and gives a good, well-done
intro to caves and caving. It's been available for a while for loan from the
NSS library, but has just now been made available for purchase. I've borrowed
it from them before and used it, and found it good for school groups, etc. It's
$7.50 from MO DOC, plus shipping. I've attached the description from the NSS
website, plus order info. I'm ordering a copy, so of course anyone will be welcome
to borrow mine, as well.
NSS Catalog #V943
"Go on a restoration trip to Lone Hill Onyx Cave (MO) with Bill Elliott
and some middle school kids; join a CRF survey trip to Powder Mill Creek Cave;
go mist-netting for bats with DNR biologists; learn how to build a bat house;
and see a virtual cave website. This is a great program for kids, with a strong,
positive message." Mo. Dept. of Conservation toll-free: (877) 521-8632
Website: www.mdcnatureshop.com (It's so new it's not listed on their website
yet, but it IS available.)
IN THE TWILIGHT ZONE by Troy J. Simpson
It is hard to believe it is already
May! It seems just like yesterday that we were electing this years' board and
before you know it, it's May! It has been a very exciting past few months though.
I can come to you with the confidence that I have actually been caving again.
I made a return trip to Cave River Valley with some old friends from college.
It was a great trip, but something stuck out that I'm not sure how to react
to. After we checked in at the gate, I took a gander down into the valley a
noticed several cars parked below. I'm thinking to myself, this is a bit unusual,
considering I've never seen more than 4 cars there before (and 2 of those were
ours). Then up ahead was the bright, yellow mass of a school bus. Oh, my gosh!
There is actually a large group here! I'm not talking about a 15 kids and adults,
but 50 kids and adults! I looked to my friends and simply said, "It's a
good thing we have the rafts. Endless looks to be a little congested."
We had a great time exploring River Cave and were able to explore Endless Cave
afterwards without worry of running into any other groups. The reason why I
bring this up relates to the growing concerns of closures at Illinois Caverns.
As many of us are finding out, more people are becoming involved in caving activities.
This is evident as we encounter more individuals and groups on trips at many
of our caving haunts. At the April 2003 Grotto Meeting, we discussed what does
this all mean to us. I, for one, am a big proponent of keeping lines of communication
open and seeing how we (the NNG) can assist. I have drafted a letter, which
will be presented to the membership for endorsement, outlining the NNG's support
of the IDNR's efforts in karst conservation and offering our desire to be of
assistance in the future. This is inline with our discussion at the April Meeting
and we seem to be on the same page. I would encourage everyone to visit the
NSS Discussion Board at www.caves.org to see what other views around the country
might be. I was one of the first to sign on and have been able to glean enormous
amounts information from it since.
Other news... We have set tentative dates for the Vertical Training/Practice.
The first date is Sunday, June 1, 2003 from 1:00 to 6:00pm at the ISU Rappeling
Tower. Marc Tiritilli will be heading it up. There will also be a date in August
and we'll get more into on that as we approach that time. May 10-11 is the Central
Illinois Gem and Mineral Club is having is show. We will have a display there
along with various pamphlets about caving. I should be in attendance on that
Sunday. I have also become an "unofficial" NNG Librarian. I have copies
of past issues of the Near Normal News and created an index of articles since
1992. While I'm talking about The News, I noticed that the Near Normal Grotto
was "shut out" this year for 2002 SpeleoDigest selections. We have
several of our members who have had articles in the SpeleoDigest, so I know
it isn't because of lack of writing ability. What it does tell me is that we
need more articles in the NNN! You know what you need to do! o[;o>
I would like to end this little note with a warm welcome to new members Ambra
Deering and Don Kerouac. I am no longer driving the furthest to grotto meetings
as Don is from just north of me at Kankakee! So, how about having those meetings
at Watseka?! o[;)>
-The Pres.
Troy o[;)>
MINUTES OF THE MEETING - March and April, 2003
MINUTES OF THE
MEETING
March 14, 2003
Called to order by President Troy Simpson. Present: Ralph Sawyer, Bill Morrow, Ambra Deering, Brian Braye, Jim Jacobs.
The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as published in the NEWS.
The Treasurer was not present to deliver the treasury report.
NEW BUSINESS
Adjourned.
Jim Jacobs gave a slide show on the
BlackBall Mine.
MINUTES
OF THE MEETING
April 11, 2003
Called to order at 7:12 by President Troy Simpson. Present: Amy Marcier, Tracy Tiritilli, Marc Tiritilli, Steve Taylor, John Schirle (Vice President), Ralph Sawyer, Jeffery Gosnell, John Walther, David. S. Carson (Treasurer), Don Kerouac, Ambra L. Deering, Jim Jacobs (secretary).
· The minutes of the March
meeting were approved as read.
· The Treasurer's report was read and approved.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
· CIGMC Show, May 10-11, Decatur, IL
· Kentucky Speleofest, May 23-26; Ft. Knox, KY
· Lost River Karst System Tour, May 31. Contact Bob Armstrong.
· Indiana Cave Capers, June 20-22; Delany Park, IN (t-shirt design contest)
· NSS Convention, Aug. 4-8,; Porterville, CA
· OTR (Old Timer's Reunion) Aug 28-Sept 1
· NNG patches are available for $3.00. There are some shirts left, both
green and gray.
OLD BUSINESS
· We discussed the Illinois Caverns situation. We understand that they
will be erecting barriers at the property lines, and some other areas for protecting
of the endangered Amphipod. [See letter from Diane Tecic quoted in From a Hole
in the Ground]. Until they come to some sort of agreement and figure out what
they are going to do, we may have to deal with this mess for quite a while.
The State of Illinois is in a budget crunch and hiring new DNR employees and
negotiating for us to go under private property while in this cave, may not
be high on the priority lists. We discussed sending a letter of support.
NEW BUSINESS and TRIP REPORTS
· Steve Taylor has been caving (!) He's going to the Great Basin National
Park in Nevada.
· Jeff Gosnell is going to Colorado Springs. He says a friend has promised
to take him caving while he is there.
· Vertical practice at the tower. We decided to schedule the two days
on Sundays this year instead of Saturdays. It seemed to be the consensus that
more people would be able to attend. Marc's going to try for June 1 and August
3. Schedule those two dates unless announced otherwise.
· We may also have a vertical training session, a redo of the official
NSS Program that we did a couple of years ago. He may contact Larry Bird to
see if we might get access to the private canyon area that we were able to use
for last year's picnic.
Adjourned. Pizza!
Here's an interesting article from
the Harrisburg,IL, newspaper about a cave rescue at what is commonly called
Equality
Cave.
http://www.dailyregister.com/articles/2003/04/29/news1/news2.txt
Three rescued after 11 1/2 hour cave
exploration
Tuesday, April 29, 2003 2:21 PM CDT
Brian DeNeal
Staff Writer
HORSESHOE - Three thirsty teen-agers made it safely out of the cave at Cave
Hill, just west of Glen O. Jones Lake, this morning after an eight-hour rescue
effort of Saline County Emergency Services Disaster Agency, Saline County Sheriff's
deputies, Illinois Department of Mines and Minerals Mine Rescue, citizens, Illinois
State Police and the U.S. Forest Service.
A parent called the Sheriff's Department at 10:25 p.m. Monday reporting his
son and his friends had planned to visit the cave and had left at about 3:30
p.m.
At 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, Josh Myogeto, 15, Herrin; Garrett J. Mausey, 19, Carterville;
and Garrett R. Decoursey, 18, Herrin answered the call of rescuers.
The teen-agers told deputies they had been in the cave walking, apparently in
circles, between 4 p.m. and 3:30 a.m.
"They were worn out," Sheriff Ed Miller said. "They walked and
walked in circles and determined they were not going to find their way out.
Instead of using their batteries up, they sat down and were waiting."
Miller said the three had used string, but decided to venture farther into the
cave than the length of the string. Without the string as a guide, the three
became confused.
"They were about to go to sleep when they heard the rescuers calling their
names," Miller said. The three immediately yelled back.
"The parents were notified and were extremely happy. The boys were extremely
happy to get a drink," Miller said.
The three were also very cold and were shivering, but were not injured.
After receiving the original call, deputies asked a patrolling Illinois State
Police trooper to check at a church near the cave for the vehicle the three
were to have been in and the truck was there. Deputy Jeff Oestreich arrived
at the cave and found what he believed were fresh footprints at the entrance,
but no one answered his shouts into the cave.
At 11:30 p.m., Saline County ESDA Coordinator Alan Ninness began coordinating
the rescue effort.
Danny Miles, Herod, a local coal miner and who is trained in mine search and
rescue, got word of the search and offered to help with maps.
"He had been in the cave many, many, many times and has maps of the cave.
He said he would like to help and was asked," Miller said.
Ninness said Miles was accompanied by Bob Wiman, also experienced as a spelunker.
When the two offered to help, Ninness said he immediately swore them in as ESDA
volunteers.
A rescue team from Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Department of Mines
and Minerals, responded to a call for help from Ninness, driving to the cave
from Springfield.
Ninness said the rescue team was called because the members are experts at handling
underground injuries.
"They have special abilities," Niness said. "We wanted them here
just in case."
Before the team arrived, Miles and Wiman entered the cave to search for the
three.
"Miles was asked to go in and make a 30-minute quick search and didn't
see them. He went back in for a 40-minute search when it was almost time for
the mine rescue to be there," Miller said.
The mine rescue team arrived and entered the cave at about 3:13 a.m. Half took
a passage to the right and the rest went left.
At 6:32 a.m., a mine rescuer radioed out that they had found the three and were
coming out.
"Danny Miles was a godsend to them, he knew the area so well," Miller
said.
The boys emerged to see a large crowd outside the cave. An Illinois State Police
search plane was overhead casting a bright spotlight and on the way from Springfield
was an ISP mobile command unit along with two telecommunicators.
The fixed-wing aircraft was equipped with forward-looking infrared radar so
the heat from the boys could be picked up, should they have been above ground,
Ninness said. A Miller Ambulance crew was also on hand.
The boys were wet, muddy and thirsty, but happy to be above ground. "I
asked the one who had been in the cave two or three times if he was going to
be cave exploring any time soon. He said he would never go in a cave again,"
Miller said.
Ninness said the rescue went very smoothly with good cooperation from all responding
agencies.
One key to the success was the fact the boys had told people where they were
going, so when they didn't return home on time, authorities knew where to look
for them.
Ninness recalled the time the rescue began coincided with the one-year anniversary
of the time when a tornado touched down in Galatia. "It was almost a year
to the minute," he said.
U.S.
REACHES LANDMARK SETTLEMENT WITH COLONIAL PIPELINE FOR OIL
SPILLS IN FIVE STATES
$34 Million Civil Penalty Is the Largest
Paid by a Company in EPA History
WASHINGTON, D.C. April 1, 2003--
The Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency today announced
a settlement with Colonial Pipeline Company, resolving charges that the company
violated the Clean Water Act on seven recent occasions by spilling 1.45 million
gallons of oil from its 5,500 mile pipeline in five states. Under the consent
decree, Colonial will upgrade environmental protection on the pipeline at an
estimated cost of at least $30 million, and pay $34 million, the largest civil
penalty a company has paid in EPA history. Atlanta-based Colonial is the largest-volume
pipeline transporter of refined petroleum products in the world, moving an average
of 83 million gallons of petroleum products each day through an underground
pipeline that stretches from Port Arthur, Texas, to Linden, N.J., passing through
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina,
Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. The government maintained
that pipeline corrosion, mechanical damage, and operator error in seven recent
spills resulted in the release of approximately 1.45 million gallons of oil
and other petroleum products into the environment, including numerous rivers,
streams, and wetlands.
Oil spills from the pipeline damaged a variety of aquatic systems. In one spill,
more than 950,000 gallons of diesel fuel spilled into the Reedy River in South
Carolina in 1996, killing 35,000 fish and other species of wildlife, and dispersing
more than 34 miles downstream. It can take years for an ecosystem to recover
from damage caused by an oil spill. Other spills forming the basis of the penalty
occurred in Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana, and North Carolina.
"Maintaining the integrity of our nation's industrial infrastructure, such
as oil pipelines, is a critical priority for the Justice Department," said
Attorney General John Ashcroft. "Today's settlement sends the message that
we will vigorously pursue violations of environmental laws that subject our
citizens and our environment to potentially catastrophic consequences."
"This settlement is another example of EPA's 'smart enforcement' approach,
illustrating how an enforcement decision translates into the very real results
of cleaner air, purer water and better protected land. The combined efforts
of EPA and DOJ successfully address environmental damage and prevent future
harm to public health and the environment," said EPA Administrator Christie
Whitman. Today's settlement requires Colonial to designate its entire pipeline
as potentially affecting "high consequence areas." This will subject
the entire 5,500 mile pipeline to the pipeline integrity regulations of the
U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS).
Under the terms of the settlement, Colonial is also required to: Inspect its
corrosion prevention system along the entire pipeline system every five years;
Repair problems detected in the corrosion prevention system to meet the standards
developed by the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE); Maintain
its right-of-ways, including mowing and removing debris; Have personnel on site
when utility or other excavation is occurring within five feet of the pipeline;
and Survey and inspect the pipeline where it crosses water, and address areas
of the pipeline that are exposed or insufficiently buried.
Finally, the settlement requires Colonial to pay for an independent monitoring
contractor, approved by EPA, to ensure that the company incorporates these requirements
into its existing programs and then implements the requirements.
Colonial's $34 million civil penalty will go to the United States' Oil Spill
Liability Trust Fund. The Fund underwrites oil spill cleanup activities nationwide.
On Feb. 25, 1999, Colonial Pipeline Company pled guilty to criminal charges
in connection with the Reedy River, S.C., spill. The company was ordered to
pay a $7 million fine and serve a five-year term of probation.
In addition to this settlement, the United States has taken action recently
against several other pipeline companies for oil spill violations. For example,
in January of this year, the United States and the State of Washington reached
civil settlements with Olympic Pipe Line Company and Shell Pipeline Company
that included penalties totaling $15 million plus injunctive and other relief
for violations leading to a fatal pipeline rupture in Bellingham, Wash., in
1999. In December 2002, Olympic and Shell entered pleas and agreed to pay $21
million in criminal fines for criminal violations arising from the same incident.
Today's settlement agreement has been lodged at the U.S. District Court for
the Northern District of Georgia in Atlanta and is subject to a 30-day public
comment period and final court approval.
For more enforcement and compliance
news and information, visit
http://www.epa.gov/compliance
PARTICIPANTS
TRAVEL BY BELLY THROUGH THE TINIEST PLACES IN KENTUCKY'S MAMMOTH CAVE
Robert K. Elder
Chicago Tribune
03/30/2003 12:00 AM
MAMMOTH CAVE, Ky. - Worry sets in
when I find out our guide is a submarine veteran. This means Alan Sizemore,
our lifeline through Mammoth Cave, has spent a significant amount of time living
in tight spaces. I was already sweating, having found out that my friend Jessica
signed us up for the Wild Cave Tour - a 6 1/2-hour, 5 1/2-mile expedition through
the world's largest caving system. It all sounded exotic and adventurous when
we five friends - Jessica, Doug, John, Karl and I - were back in Chicago. Now,
as we're strapping on our helmet lamps and picking up our rubber kneepads this
Saturday morning at 10, reality sets in.
Already two of our 14 cavers have dropped out after Sizemore's introductory
speech.
"It's a caving tour; it's not a sightseeing tour," he said. "The
only lights we have, we bring in. We will not have time to stop and pose for
group photographs. The first couple of hours, get used to being on your hands
and bellies." We'll have to squeeze into spaces no bigger than 10 inches
tall, we're told, exhaling sometimes to fit through some of the more snug spaces.
For this reason, no one under 16 years of age, or a "chest size of no larger
than 42 inches," is allowed on the tour.Pace, we're told, will be the most
difficult part of the trip.
"By the time today is over, you'll be tired, you might be scratched and
bruised, but that's how you know you've had a good time," Sizemore said.
He concluded: "If you're claustrophobic, save yourself $45 right now. You're
not going to like anything about this tour, I guarantee. Afraid of heights?
Save yourself $45 right now."
But the lunatic adventurer in me can't resist any trip that combines the fear
of heights with the fear of tight spaces, so we suit up and head to the bus.
Because the entrance for the Wild Cave Tour isn't at the visitors center, we
have a five-minute ride to a dank cement stairwell - an old tourist entrance
called the Carmichael Entrance. The first half of the tour weaves through, under
and over Cleaveland Avenue, one of the main underground tourist paths in Mammoth
Cave.
Self-educated slave Stephen Bishop pioneered many of the trails still operating
on this and other tours, which nearly a half-million people take each year.
Two million people annually visit the park itself. Mammoth Cave is home to 365
miles of caves; its next-closest competitor is the 113-mile Optimisticeskaya
cave system in Ukraine.
With our helmet-mounted LED (light-emitting diode) lights, the caves we see
at the beginning of the tour are neither long nor vast. We're instructed to
keep track of the person in front of us, turning around to announce which way
we're going in the event of a cave split. Sizemore's protege, 22-year-old Nathan
Talley, keeps a watchful eye on us, often taking alternate routes and popping
up ahead of us.
Soon, Sizemore leads us to a long crawl, at the end of which sits a tricky obstacle
called Split Rock.
"Don't take your helmet off," Sizemore instructs. "At the end,
it's going to look like a blank wall, but tilt your head sideways and pull your
body up. I have no question that all of us can make it through physically. Psychologically,
that's another matter."
Positioning himself on his belly, Sizemore's torso disappears ahead of us, his
legs sticking up in the air as he wiggles his body into the opening that looks
not much bigger than a hubcap. This is the first major test, the dusty battle
of skin and sandstone meant to separate the men from the boys, the women from
the girls.
I wanna go home.
Underground, you fight yourself as much as the laws of geometry and physics.
The pack mentality helps, of course, especially for those of us with no caving
experience. If the person ahead of you goes, the momentum of the tour carries
you through. We find out that, yes, if our friends jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge
- and survived - we'd do it too.
The roughly 25-foot crawl itself isn't so bad, as my upper body gets used to
working without my legs. When the legs follow, it's almost like learning to
crawl again, but without my hips. Since I can't bring my knees under me, I have
to drag myself on my elbows or shoot forward in brief bursts with what footing
I can gain.
It's tough, skin-scraping work, and I have to take off my small backpack and
toss it up ahead of me. Split Rock requires me to bend my body in an almost
unnatural 90 degrees, arching my spine backward through the crack. My white
plastic helmet does get stuck briefly, although I adjust my neck to compensate
and pull myself up onto a ledge where the few people ahead of me lay panting.
And, it turns out, these are my favorite parts of the trip, the thin seconds
of solace between the claustrophobic crawls and steep climbs, when the adrenaline
beats against my eardrums. Sizemore likes the Wild Cave Tour because it provides
the most freedom and creativity of the other pack tours. Some tours have a horde
of a hundred or more tourists and their children, but there are only 12 of us
to lose on this trip. He does what he likes, goes where he wants, and every
tour is different from the one before. How many of us have job freedom like
that?
About an hour into the excursion, we're given the choice between two crawls,
one called Kathleen's Crawl and the other called The Hellhole.
Never would I have thought I'd regret not choosing going through something called
The Hellhole.
Kathleen's Crawl was discovered in the 1970s, we're told, by a young Mammoth
Cave Park ranger named Kathleen Dickinson, an adventurous woman who wanted to
explore an opening no one else in the park cared about.
Hubris has been the downfall of better writers (and cavers) than I, but fear
combined with hubris provides an odd chemical cocktail in your brain. Imagine
crawling 100 or so feet through a jagged hole the size of a computer screen.
Endorphins released into your brain during the first 10 yards give way to fatigue
in the next 10, only to give way to the inevitable deals with God during the
last five.
Not being able to raise my hips is a maddening experience, but knowing that
people behind me need to move as well is an omnipresent motivator. We're not
even halfway through this thing, and already I'm bleeding, tired and dirty.
One of the disposable cameras I brought is so clogged with sandstone and sweat,
it doesn't work anymore. My mouth is dusty, and there's grit in my teeth. I
need water so badly that I clean whatever dirt I can off my water pouch and
swallow the rest.
Around noon, we arrive at the Snowball Room, where our tours and some of the
mainstream tours connect. There's a dining room, with rows of picnic tables
lined up in front of a cafeteria-style serving area.
Although instructions on the National Park Service Web site suggested Wild Cavers
bring their own lunch, Sizemore suggests we simply bring $6 for a sandwich and
vegetable soup. "What you bring down won't look like food by then anyway,"
he says.
"Best soup in the cave," Talley says, offering a joke certainly almost
as old as the gypsum hanging from the ceiling.
Karl puts a finer point on it. "Man, this vegetable stew is terrible, and
we're wolfing it down as if it was manna from heaven," he says.
Sizemore offers a story about an extended deployment at sea when all he had
to eat was lime Jell-O and ravioli. We pipe down.
We look like miners, or worse, and several people from the other tours gawk
at us. We tease John, now clay-colored from head to toe, that he's effectively
a human bottlebrush for the caves.
After lunch, no one drops out of the tour to head off with the Cleaveland Avenue
crew. We head off "about two miles from civilization," Sizemore says,
and fast. We're moving at such a brisk clip that I stop taking notes on my tape
recorder, more preoccupied with survival than journalism. With four hours ahead
of us, Kathleen's Crawl still got the gold medal for toughest crawl, save for
a torture chamber Sizemore dubbed "The Cheese Grater," which was no
tighter, but more jagged on already skinned elbows. Further along, we're required
to straddle a canyon, during which one ledge completely drops away, leaving
us to cling to the other side.
I hear Jessica pray "Hail Mary" out loud, and the blood rushing between
my head and heart tells me this is one of the most exhilarating experiences
of my life.
My head adds: one that we're never doing again. My heart has yet to weigh in,
still pumped full of adrenaline. But I'm bleeding, dirty and sweating through
my clothes, so I must be having a good time.
========================
If you go,
Getting there: Mammoth Cave is part of Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky,
near Cave City off Interstate 65.
Details: The park offers a variety of tours, ranging from the family-friendly, half-hour Discovery Tour ($4) to adventure hikes of all levels of athleticism. For example, the popular Great Onyx Lantern Tour ($9 adult, $6 youth) offers an authentic lamp-lit tour of Flint Ridge and the Great Onyx Cave, full of stalactites, stalagmites and other natural wonders.
Make sure to bring or buy gloves if you're going on the Wild Cave Tour, and to wear clothes that you don't mind throwing away. Jeans and a lightweight, long-sleeve shirt are best. Hiking boots with ankle support and deep treads are a tour prerequisite. Wild Cave Tours operate seven days a week, except Oct. 28-March 14, when it's weekends only. But conditions can change, so call to confirm schedules. Reservations are recommended.
More information: Details about Mammoth Cave tours can be found at www.nps.gov/maca/. Camping reservations can be made on the same site or by calling 1-800-967-2283; the general information line is 1-270-758-2328.
Contact the Kentucky Tourism Council at 1-800-225-8747; www.tourky.com.
TROY
GETS YET ANOTHER TOY
Troy J. Simpson
Almost three years ago I saw the
LED light conversion that Marc Tiritilli had designed for Steve Taylor. Shortly
there after I had one custom built. This particular model was actually built
by Brett Bennett utilizing a Petzl Zoom as the platform. I had a 20-LED array
put in with a dimmer switch to help regulate the light output. I have to admit
I have enjoyed my LED converted light the past couple years. In fact is has
been a hit with other cavers everywhere I have went. Alas, I would not be satisfied
with what I had and would see about the possibilities of making an improvement.
A few months ago, I chatted with Marc again about some new features that I would
like to see on a headlamp. I enjoyed the output and efficiency of the 20-LED
array, but missed having the beam of a halogen available to light up distant
objects. So, I did what any person in my shoes would do, I asked Marc. We started
off with a little brainstorming session and then followed up with some ideas
of how to put it all together. The plan was to utilize the Petzl Zoom's housing,
reflector, and halogen light, then incorporate a 20-LED array into the housing.
After a brief talk, we agreed to give it a whirl and see what happens.
January came and along with the month a trip to Sullivan and Buddha Caves. Marc
surprised me with having the prototype of the redesigned headlamp. I couldn't
wait to give a try! The prototype looked very similar to my original converted
headlamp. There were some noticeable changes though. First, the original halogen
light set-up remained intact, but was surrounded by 20-LED bulbs along the outer
edge of the reflector. The bulbs were drilled into the reflector so that the
halogen bulb could get the maximum reflecting capability. Second, the LED's
simply had an on/off switch, with the halogen turned on using the rotating bezel.
The battery pack utilizes the Petzl's original housing. Marc said that he had
to make some adjustments to the power source in order to prevent the batteries
from "blowing out" the LED's on this prototype. These adjustments
include using only 2 AA batteries and a third AA that was nearly dead. The adjustments
are a temporary solution until a dimmer switch can be installed. This meant
that that the halogen would not be up to full speed, but the LED's should draw
enough to provide adequate light. I could not wait to give it a try out!
Marc handed me the light and I attached it to my helmet. It was weird seeing
the blue colored band instead of the bright orange that has been a mainstay
for 6 years. I stood outside of the gate at Sullivan Cave and flipped my new
headlamp on for a light check. So far, so good. I volunteered to be the last
one into Sullivan Cave to close and lock the gate behind us. This gave me a
chance to see my new light in action before catching up with everybody else.
As I began my descent, I flipped on the 20-LED array that sat on my helmet.
All of a sudden, the darkness became light. The first thing that went through
my head was "WOW, who needs halogen!" I finally made to where everyone
was waiting, just before the dreaded "BackBreaker." I climbed up into
the connecting passage and immediately blinded Steve and Bill. Oops! I didn't
realize the intensity would be so great. Marc seemed as impressed as I was with
the light set-up. He had put in a newer, brighter LED and wasn't sure exactly
how bright it would be. We killed our lights and each of us, one at a time turned
on our respective lights. I cranked it up and watched as my headlamp lit up
the entire passage! This time I made my thoughts audible with a "WOW!"
After we had taken our turns with the lights, I had to admit that a couple of
other lights out shown me, but Marc cleared things up a bit. He made sure to
let everyone know that I was running on TWO AA batteries, not full 4.5 or 6
volts of some of the others.
As we continued through Sullivan, I had to keep reminding myself to tilt my
light down or turn it off when I faced someone to talk with them. This is one
reason I can't wait for my light have the dimmer switch installed. As the day
progressed, I watched others lights dim and some change their batteries, as
my light continued to hold strong. I found the same to hold true even the next
day at Buddha Cave. I continued to draw power off the original batteries and
perhaps had several hours still left.
I'm looking forward to trying out the final product. I've seen some other lights
out on the market, similar to the set-up that Marc and I have come up with.
But, when push comes to shove, I've been more than happy with the designs that
we have come up with. I think as materials drop in price, a reasonable priced,
reliable, LED headlamp is not that far in the future. In fact, I would dare
to say for members of the Near Normal Grotto, the future may be now.