Photos by: Mike Huber
Pictures:
On Rope
Tables
Christmas
Baby Bush
Our short hike to Cottonwood reminded me how good New Mexico smells after a rainstorm. A forest fire a few years earlier had caused some incredible regrowth, but it also left hundreds of scorched pinon and juniper trees that looked downright eerie in the breaking fog. Cottonwood is a huge and beautifully decorated cave with, until recently, the largest stalagmite in the world - "Goliath". It has been heavily visited since the historic occupation of the area (and undoubtedly prehistoric as well), and a great deal of restoration has been done to the cave through the efforts of the HGRP. Most modern graffiti has been carefully removed from the formations, but an area on Goliath retains several signatures of settlers in the region dating to the early 1800s. The permit only allowed us to visit the main passage of the cave for the bat count (which turned out to be few due to the heavy fog and rain), but I knew that the speleowonders I did see would be keeping me up all night.
Many more cavers had arrived and set up camp by the time we returned (a total of 39 participants from 8 states). I was introduced to Dave Jagnow, Project Leader for the HGRP and NSS Conservation Chairman, and his fiancé, LaVonne Jordan. Although different last names threw us off at first, LaVonne and I quickly realized that I was the kid she watched grow up and leave for college and she was the close family friend whom I absolutely adored. We still can't get over our amazement at having met on a remote mountain in southern New Mexico after fourteen years with no communication.
I woke at 6:30 am to a beautiful view - agave and lechuguilla plants, pinon and juniper trees, and more topographic relief than I'd seen in months. I told Mike that I would be happy to go anywhere, so to send me where I would be the most useful. He invited me to join his small group to Cave of the Madonna, a cave located within Forest Service boundaries on the same ridge as Lechuguilla. The purpose of this trip was for Mike to transfer Madonna's survey and restoration responsibilities to Ed Goff (Maverick Grotto and Dallas-Fort Worth Grotto). Mike was to show Ed which areas of the cave need to be surveyed, resurveyed, and inventoried, and which areas need restoration. After several years of hard work and running two four-wheel-drive vehicles into the ground due to the "road" to Madonna, Mike was somewhat relieved to be transferring the responsibility.
Mike Huber, Ed and Laura Goff, and I headed out for Madonna. After driving for an hour and a half through sections of the road called "Dragon's Teeth" and other frightening descriptors, we were ready to start the 45 minute hike down to the cave. Trails out there can be obscure at times, particularly in the fog, snow, and dark, so Ed took GPS readings on the way down to ensure that he'd be able to find the route easily in the future. An out of place maple tree marked the entrance to Madonna. As you look into the cave's entrance your first view is a large formation that resembles the Madonna and Child - thus the name.
Mike and Ed rigged the big drop (216') and we all headed down. I had a blast on the way, then found myself standing in a room so big and beautiful that I was speechless. Mike explained what had been accomplished to date and Ed took notes. We walked around for a bit (staying on the trails double marked with blue and white flagging tape) while Mike rigged the next descent . Dean's Drop was 165' through a narrow chimney. Mike kept telling me to save my film, but I couldn't imagine things getting better. But they did. We passed sections with enormous blue crystals Mike referred to as "Blue Dog Tooth Spar", deep blue pools, giant mushrooms, cocktail tables, popcorn that looked like it was meters thick. We came to an area called the "Star Trek Room" which resembled dozens of Star Ship Enterprises docking on the cave's walls. Eventually we entered the delicate Wine Cellar and I was stunned by it's beauty and size. One of the highlights of the room is the Guardian - the Guardian of the Shield. The Wine Cellar log book was fascinating. Though the instructions are to enter your favorite "whine", it also contained poems, songs, and clever prose. Naturally, the whines made interesting reading material...my main whine was running out of film.
Mike and Ed completed the survey review so we began our climbs back through Dean's Drop and the big drop, and exited the cave around 11:00 PM. Thirteen hours in a cave and my boots weren't even muddy! The hike back up the hill, as hard as it was, was such a joy for me as the sky was clear and covered with stars that I don't think I've seen since I was a kid. The road back to camp was every bit as bumpy and miserable as it was on the way there, but I probably could have slept if I had a place to lay my head. We returned to camp at 2:15 AM, ate some soup, and slept like cave rocks. The next day I headed down the mountain, stopped in the town of Queen for a green-chili cheeseburger, and started my drive back to El Paso.
Anyone interested in participating in the High Guads Restoration Project should contact Dave Jagnow, NSS Conservation Chairman, at the following address at least three weeks prior to the scheduled trip. Trips are scheduled for the last weekend of most months.
For more information, or
to sign up, (at least a week ahead) contact:
Expedition Leaders: Jennifer Foote/Susan Herpin
highguads@yahoo.com