Jim Jacobs
Hi, gang! Well, I hope that you are ALL busily writing up your caving bios to send to Troy Simpson! It’s time we all got sort of a running start at the special issue of the NNN, which will come out in November. We will be, after all, ten years old! That’s pretty amazing, isn’t it? Troy has graciously volunteered to help to coordinate the activities related to our anniversary. I’ll be checking with Troy to make sure we get bios from everyone. Be warned! If you forget, I may just have to “ghost-write” your bio for you. Let’s see…(rubs his chin)…”after Kevin R. escaped from the circus, he had to hide in a cave for a while to avoid capture, and he got to like it…” Yeah! That’s the ticket! Uh, well, maybe you ought to write your own…just to get SOME of the facts straight. Please also get some good photos to Brian for that issue. We’d really like to go all out. Possibly have a color front cover.
Those who weren’t able to attend the picnic on August 17 missed some good food and good times! We even discovered and mapped a cave! (See Troy’s article, this issue). It’s a good thing that we like Kentucky Fried Chicken. There was a log of the Colonel’s favorite recipe on hand. But there was also plenty of variety, and no one went away hungry. It’s a dead certainty that the picnic has become an annual event for the NNG.
Speaking of Troy, (and aren’t we all) he has also favored us with a fine article on his trip to River Cave, in Cave River Valley. He and his rubber raft had a grand time!
Thanks again to Marc Tiritilli for coordinating our second vertical practice of the summer at the ISU rappelling tower. I didn’t take any videos this time (to the relief of all), but there may be some still pictures available. I didn’t really take the threats seriously, I just forgot to bring it. Honest! (???)
It never ceases to amaze me when I’m reminded of the level of knowledge and expertise that exists in this group. Watching the activities at one of our vertical practices really brings it home. We’ve got a great bunch! And now that we have access to the tower as a group, we’ll be able to do this much more often.
Kevin Rasmus is still discussing a trip to Sullivan’s Cave in October. I hope the trip comes together. I’m really looking forward to it, since I’ve never been there. But luckily, I have read Ralph Sawyer’s article (this issue). (Smooth segue, eh?)
Ever wonder what would happen if there were a large chemical spill around Mammoth Cave? It looks as though we’re going to find out. According to the Bowling Green Daily News, a truck hauling nearly 3,800 gallons of diesel fuel went off the road (I-65) near Mammoth Cave National Park, and the fuel “disappeared down a crack”. It will likely show up in Green River, if it hasn’t already done so by the time you read this article. You can keep up with the story by accessing (http://www.bgdailynews.com/
In honor of the Indiana Karst Conservancy’s purchase of Buddha
Cave, we are reprinting from the September 1993 issue of the NNN, an
article written by John R. Marquart detailing trips he took to Buddha and two
other Indiana Caves.
Troy J. Simpson
tsimpson@lycos.com
Hi Everybody!!
I have made myself available to assist in coordinating w/Jim, the special NNG 10th anniversary issue of the Near Normal News that will be published
in November. First and foremost, any additional ideas to make this a great issue would be greatly appreciated. Secondly, as a way to celebrate
the members that comprise this great grotto, we have decided to include brief bios on who we are. We are a group of diverse experiences and to be
honest, wouldn't it be great to know that someone else started as a "flashlight caver?"
Tentatively we will be publishing an updated history of the NNG, the bios, and some "classic" grotto articles. I will be coordinating the "Bios"
section, so send those responses to me. If you have a suggestion for a question I may have left out, feel free to let me know (Don't be shy Steve!!).
I would like to have as many as possible and returned A.S.A.P. The self imposed deadline is SEPTEMBER 14, 2001. That should give plenty of time
to put something together. The questionnaire is pasted after my "signature."Thanks Again to All of Your Contributions!!!
Sincerely,
Troy J. Simpson
(the guy that likes to mix things up!!!) o[;)
Near Normal Grotto Spotlight
"10 Questions for 10 Years"
For the 10th Anniversary Issue of the Near Normal News we will be including a segment that features short "bios" of the members of the NNG. This is a chance to get to know who makes up the Near Normal Grotto. Please take a moment to answer the following questions to be included in the November issue of the NNN. Thanks!!
1. Name:
NNG Member Since:
2. Town of Residence:
3. Occupation (s):
4. What was your first cave?
5. What was your first "wild" cave trip like?
6. How did you get involved in caving?
7. What is your current caving headgear?
8. What is your favorite piece of caving gear? Why?
9. What is one thing you'd like to do, caving wise, in the upcoming year?
10. If you could be a cave critter, what would you be and why?
Cave Trips to Buddha, Donnehue, and Donaldson Caves, Indiana
John R. MarquartThe weekend of July 24-25 Jim and Marty Jacobs, John Marquart, Tim Shaffer, and Ken (Tim's step-dad) explored several caves in Lawrence County, Indiana. We met at Spring Mill State Park, where we camped in luxury for the weekend (flush toilets, hot showers, and excellent food supplied by Jim and Ken).
Saturday, we explored Buddha Cave, a show-case quality cave. The friendly landowners greeted us cordially and told us that it was fine for us to visit the cave as long as we didn't hurt the cave or ourselves. A short walk across their cow pasture took us to a gaping entrance which was all but hidden by this summer's abundant vegetation. A shallow stream flowed into the large entrance room and soon disappeared into the floor. From inside the entrance made a beautiful backdrop with sunlight streaming in through the greenery. The room ended abruptly at the sinking stream, but by making a slippery climb to the ceiling along a narrow ledge to the left we entered a dry (for now) upper level passage. The passage meandered for a few hundred feet of mixed duckwalking, crawling, and upright walking to a crevice drop of 30 feet into the lower stream passage that had sunk into the floor of the entrance room. A second stream entered the fissure wall ten feet below us and dropped noisily to the floor as a 20 foot waterfall.
I rigged a 30-foot cable ladder and a rope on some handy stalagmites and we each proceeded to rappel to the bottom. Immediately, we were greeted by pristine formations which were very shiny wet with abundant water. Even this close to the entrance, there was not a sign of human disturbance in sharp contrast to so many Indiana caves. Upstream the ceiling lowered to a bathtub crawl. Under the low roof we see that in about 30 feet it may have opened up somewhat. Our goal was, however, to follow downstream where the cave continues as a major solution passage. I was already struck by the surprise that the water level was at the lowest that I had ever seen since I first visited Buddha in 1988. This year my son, Bob, and I visited Buddha twice to check it out for a potential NNG trip. In January we found that the waterfall was a thundering torrent and the lower passage was full of water well over our heads. We canceled plans to do the drop. In June the situation was more favorable and we did explore the lower passage and get in some picture taking. See the photos of Bob at the entrance and in the lower passages. There was still much more water then than we now found. The upstream bathtub was a total sump. Buddha is very fickle when it comes to its water level. Large logs frequently drift into the upper level, 30 feet above the normal stream. It clearly floods to its ceiling! This accounts for the extreme cleanliness of the formations in this show-case cave. Anyone planning a trip is cautioned to be careful! It floods quickly and also drains quickly through a resurgence from Christian Cave into the White River. Low water in Indiana, while much of Illinois and Missouri are at flood stage, emphasized an extreme contrast. Apparently, Indiana had escaped the flooding rains and was even on the verge of drought. Great caving was in store!
With all of us at the bottom of the fissure, we heard voices above us in the upper level. I started a cautious dialogue with them and ask them to leave our rope and ladder alone. They seemed to be good cavers, who came to check out the cave with no intention of doing the drop and said, "No problem. Don't worry." I was sure hoping so, since it would be something else to try a free climb out of here.
Downstream we scaled six foot of rimstone dams right under the gently falling 20 foot waterfall. The cave continued as beautiful walking passage with an occasional duckwalk, thrown in for good measure. The formations are exquisite. Glossy wet, fluted columns rise for 20 or more feet in shimmering white and an array of light to dark browns. The flow stone coated walls are equally spectacular in multicolors with some even colored jet black. Roughly 1000 feet more took us to a low wet stoop/crawl. A month ago Bob and I halted here as we encountered a near sump, but it was now very easily passable with only modest wetness. The cave went on for what has been mapped as over half a mile of spectacularly decorated passage. Finally, we reached a point beyond which any more progress would have required a very wet, low crawl that would probably ultimately sump out. We turned back to again enjoy the beauty and to prepare to do the climb out, which was to be a new experience in climbing for Marty, Tim, and Ken.
Back at the fissure to the upper section, Jim rigged Marty with his frog-system and intended to follow up beside her on the cable ladder self-belaying himself on the climb rope. After a short while, Jim decided to go on up to the top and direct Marty from there. He left the ladder with the exclamation, "Off ladder - Thank God". Free hanging cable ladders are like bucking broncos. Definitely, don't climb without a belay of some kind! Marty made the climb frog-style and then faced the worse of it all, the crack and lip at the top. She learned the misery of terminating such climbs. Next up was Tim on one of my Mitchell systems. At the top, Jim helped him find a way over the lip. The cable ladder supplied a nice assist with a place to put his feet to get weight off the rope. Then it was Ken's turn. Finally, I got to climb out, a bit hypothermic, from inactivity at the bottom.
At the entrance room, the climb down the narrow, muddy ledge proved more risky than the climb up had been and we used a double rope handline for some extra security. We exited into the cow pasture at sunset to end an excellent six hours of caving. We traveled back to Spring Mill to feast on Jim's delicious wok dinner. End of a perfect day!
Sunday, the culvert entrance to Donnehue Cave gave us a conveniently short and easy trip and which was new to all of us except for myself. We parked and walked the short distance down a concrete drainage to the steel pipe leading into the cave. The solution passage is mostly walking or duckwalk and, like most solution passages, is sparse in formations. At a junction in the cave a small hole near the ceiling leads to the decorated upper passage. Here we met a group from Purdue who where planning to complete a loop-trip through the upper passage which led back to the culvert entrance. They had tried it before, but had an injury on the way and retreated out their way in. Before we ascended to the upper section, the advantage of low water was again apparent. On earlier trips the stream had disappeared here under a wall as a sump, but it was now passable to go under the ledge. Jim, Tim, and Ken followed it for a ways and reported that it opened up into upper rooms. This needs checking out on future trips. We wished the Purdue group good luck when they separated from us into a fissure in the upper level as we proceeded on to "Main Street", the decorated part of Donnehue Cave. When "Main Street" got low and muddy we headed back out to the culvert to end a short three hour trip.
Back at Spring Mill, our feast this time was on Ken's tasty chili. After breaking camp, we decided to get a quickie look at some of Spring Mill's caves. First, we drove to Twin Caves, where the stream has a resurgence from one cliff with a gaping entrance and disappears into an opposite cliff. The park has dammed the stream and runs boats for tourist trips into the upstream section. Next we went to Donaldson Cave with its perfect postcard entrance. A major stream made its resurgence at the end of a deep box canyon with beautiful limestone and sandstone cliffs and nearly tropical vegetation ("tropical" by Illinois standards). I highly recommend the short hike to it. Donaldson consists of one large room and is the only cave open to the public. The stream from Twin Caves drops over a waterfall inside Donaldson Cave before exiting into the canyon.
Our last venture at Spring Mill State Park was
to check with the Park Service to see how we could get permits for future grotto
trips into their caves: Twin, Bronson, and Hamer. The park rangers gave us application
forms and told us that with proper application and a months lead time, we could
get into Twin Caves and Bronson Cave. However, Hamer Cave, is permanently closed
to protect its formations. Damn! I have been in Twin and Bronson years ago,
but not Hamer. It sounds like that's the best one! Anyway, they are all worth
a cave trip and our experience at camping at Spring Mill State Park was most
enjoyable. Good weekend, good caving, good companionship.
Topography may prolong diesel cleanup effort
Robyn L. Minor
Bowling Green Daily News (http://www.bgdailynews.com/)
The region’s karst topography likely will hamper or at least prolong efforts to clean up a diesel spill that closed down Interstate 65 on Thursday.
Nearly 3,800 gallons of diesel could seep into Mill Hole Spring today – a spring on property near Mammoth Cave National Park. That spring feeds into the park’s Turnhole Spring and eventually into Green River.
“This is a prime example of how seemingly unrelated events on the surface can damage the frail cave ecosystem,” park Superintendent Ron Switzer said. “As our area becomes more industrialized, the potential for environmental accidents increases.”
Switzer was the author of a lengthy letter earlier this year to organizers of the Kentucky TriModal Transpark, urging them to use caution in planning for the 4,000-acre site park near Oakland. The transpark would be serviced by road, rail and eventually air transportation.
The spill Thursday was not in the transpark site. It was just south of Park City, about six miles from Oakland.
Police reports don’t indicate why driver David Hammond of Franklin veered off the road, causing the tanker to overturn. The tank spilled diesel that “immediately disappeared into a crevice and went underground,” according to Jim Carroll of MCNP.
Cleanup crews put absorbent materials on top of the Mill Hole Spring where the diesel is expected to arrive sometime today – earlier rather than later if it rains, Carroll said.
Carroll said there is no question that some of the cave’s more delicate species, such as the endangered shrimp, will be harmed by the spill.
“It could be really devastating on them. Diesel grabs onto everything it comes in contact with, so even if they are able to capture a lot of it, there is some that will be washed out with each rain,” he said.
It also is likely a small amount of the fuel could make it into the Green River just above Brownsville’s water intake point.
But because diesel floats on top and the water intake is well under the surface, it probably can be captured on the surface, he said.
Diesel fuel in the Green River could affect sport fishing and endangered mussels there, Carroll said.
“The cleanup may take a while because of the topography there,” said Mark York, a spokesman for the Natural Resources and Environment Protection Cabinet. “It is more of a long-term type situation as opposed to a spill that may have occurred along the interstate in another part of the state that does not have karst topography.”
For now, the trucking company out of Chapel Hill, N.C., has hired two consulting firms to handle the cleanup – the cost of which is yet to be determined and primarily will be borne by the trucking company, York said.
“It is too early to tell if there will be any fines levied in the incident,” he said.
“Right now, our primary concern is to get the situation” controlled.
July 13, 2001
Called to order by Vice President John Schirle. Present: Steve Taylor, Kevin Rasmus, Nathan Clark, Val Adam and Andy, Jim Jacobs.
OFFICER REPORTS: Minutes of previous meeting approved as published in the NEWS. Treasurer’s report delivered by Jim Jacobs. Treasurer Dave Carson and Angie were off having a baby (flimsy excuse!) Congrats, kids! Both the treasurer’s report and the baby were approved by the group!
OLD BUSINESS: The picnic will be August 17th. We’ll eat at 7:00, but you may arrive as early at you want, since Jim will be there to preserve “squatter’s rights” on a pavilion and tables. Bring a main dish, and/or a side, picnic “plastic ware”. Jim will bring Pepsi
NEW BUSINESS: The Indiana Karst Conservancy has purchased Buddha Cave in southern Indiana. Donations are being solicited. This is good news, as anyone who has been to Buddha will attest. It may be the most beautifully decorated cave I’ve ever visited. It remains remarkable clean, due in part to the fact that it floods to the ceiling occasionally. It’s probably a good idea to stay away during the spring melt, but a visit during dry weather is memorable. We visited it the year that the midwest had such heavy floods. Strangely enough, southern Indiana was dry as a bone, and we were able to penetrate deeper into the cave than any time we had been there. You may check the IKC website for details on making donations.
TRIP REPORTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- Indiana Cave Capers, August 10-12, sponsored by the Central Indiana Grotto
- NSS Convention, July 23-27
- The vertical practice will be Saturday, August 25th. Marc Tiritilli will coordinate.
- The newest Speleodigest contains reprints of five NNN articles. Way to go, gang!
- Steve Taylor did some priliminary scouting for his grant project on fire ants living near cave entrances.
- Kevin Rasmus took a group of Boy Scouts to Illinois Caverns, and visited Sullivan’s cave with some friends.
- John Schirle did Illinois Caverns four times in his capacity as church youth leader.
Adjourned – Pizza at Tobin’s
Respectfully submitted,
Jim Jacobs, Secretary
August 10, 2001
Called to order at 7:25 pm by Secretary Jim Jacobs
Present: Val Adam, Jim Jacobs, Bill Morrow, Tim Sickbert, Troy J. Simpson, Andy Skattebo, Phil Von DeBur. It was noted that several NNG er's were attending the Mammoth Cave Restoration Camp this week.
Introductions were made as new faces were welcomed to the meeting. Jim Jacobs read the minutes from the July meeting. Approved. Jim reported that there was no change in the treasury report and the balance remains the same as the July meeting.
OLD BUSINESS:
· The 2nd Annual Grotto Picnic is to take place on Friday August 17, 2001 at Forest Park in Bloomington, IL. Festivities will begin at 6:00 pm with dinner at 7:00pm. Bring a dish to pass and dinnerware. For directions contact Jim Jacobs.
· Vertical Practice is scheduled for Saturday, August 25 at the ISU Rappelling Tower. Contact Marc Tiritilli for more information.
· NNG 10th Anniversary celebration (see New Business)
· Reminder that IKC has purchased Buddha Cave and is seeking donations to offset the cost.
NEW BUSINESS:
· The Near Normal Grotto turns 10 !!! Troy J. Simpson led discussion on possible ideas for celebrating this big event. There will be a special commemorative issue of the Near Normal News at the end of the year. This issue will celebrate the history of the grotto, have short bios of members, possibly reprints of "classic" grotto articles, etc… Jim noted that it should be reasonable to have color photos and Tim Sickbert suggested that having a color front and back page would really help the NEWS stand out. Troy has volunteered to help coordinate the collecting of articles and submissions. He will also be sending out a brief "Bio" questionaire to all members to fill out for the issue. ALL NNG er's are encouraged to be a part of this historic event!!
· There is a trip planned for Illinois Caverns the day after the Grotto picnic. John Schirle is organizing the logistics. Contact John for more details.
TRIP REPORTS:
Troy shared his little 24-hour escape trip to Cave River Valley the day before the meeting. He and friends from Watseka, squeezed in four caves during their little adventure. They started at Donaldson Cave at Spring Mill S.P., then proceeded to CRV to explore River Cave, with detours into Endless and Bear Den. Phil Von DeBur also shared his last cave experience this past April. Tim Sickbert, not to be outdone, shared that it had been 3 years since his last trip underground!! We all look forward to hearing the reports from the Mammoth cavers!!!
UPCOMING EVENTS:
· Cave Capers in Mitchell, IN August 10-12
· Grotto Picnic, August 17, 6:00 pm, Dinner at 7:00pm
· Grotto trip to Illinois Caverns, August 18. Contact John Schirle for more information.
· Vertical Practice, August 25 at the ISU Rappelling Tower. Contact Marc Tiritilli for more information.
Val Adam expressed her desire to eat and moved for meeting adjournment. Meeting adjourned at 8:39 pm and Tobin's Pizza was enjoyed by all!
Respectfully Submitted by:
Troy J. Simpson
Administrative Assistant Trainee
a.k.a. "Picnic Caverns"
Troy J. Simpson
Once again the annual Near Normal Grotto picnic is marked by historic events, which will live long in Grotto lore. This time last year I was unable to reach the picnic due to the shredding of the "Geology-Mobile's" fan belt outside of the Melvin, IL. I later learn that those who were present enjoyed the thrills of tornado and thunderstorm warnings. I anticipated with excitement what adventure might lie before me this time. After an enjoyable potluck dinner, Steve Taylor noticed a slight depression near picnic shelter where our festivities were taking place. Grotto members quickly went over to see what the commotion was, as Steve shouted,” I’ve found a small blowing hole and it appears to go!"
"Alas!!" I though, "perhaps a cave in Central Illinois!!" Steve pointed out a small opening in the sedimentary substrate. Noting that we were on public grounds, eagerly, we quickly rounded up lights, compass, and notebooks to record and chart this undiscovered country.
Steve Taylor was designated as chief surveyor, I would assist in surveying and recording, and Grotto members took on the task of describing the features of the cave.
The entrance was surrounded by a homogeneous matrix, which appeared to be highly ferrous in nature. Emblazoned on the surface of the material was what we believed to be the name of an earlier visitor to the cave, "Quimby" and the date "Apr. 1895." Beyond the entrance the cave was vertical in nature dropping to a depth of 4 feet. It was noted that vertical gear would not be necessarily needed and that a previous visitor's ladder might suffice for exploration. The cave walls were made up of a highly consolidated limestone conglomerate matrix with no fossils present. Surprisingly, no graffiti was present on the passage walls. The cave floor consisted of organic and sedimentary fill, estimated to be several inches in thickness. The fill also appeared to be highly bioturbated and result of a high-energy environment.
Steve suggested that I journey into the cave to conduct further, more detailed collections. A scent of “bad air” was detected and it was decided it was best to do all further surveys and data collection from the entrance of the cave, much to the displeasure of grotto members.
An intermittent stream channel was noticed traversing the cave passage. The stream channel trended southwest to northeast and is highly joint-controlled. The stream channel emerged from an 8-inch diameter passage into the main passage and then continued down into another 8-inch passage. The channel was currently dry, but due to the presence of flood debris it is believed that the main passage frequently floods during inclement weather conditions.
There was great abundance of flora and fauna present. The sedimentary fill contained what appeared to be a strange fibrous material that is presumably organic in nature. Several unidentified, white bulbous figures where also spotted amongst the sedimentary fill. Araenid spiders were found to be living near the entrance of the cave, preying on unsuspecting insects that ventured too close to the cave. Psychodide flies were also identified living and feeding on organic material that had been dropped on the sedimentary fill. The micro-ecosystem appears to rely on outside intervention to maintain the balance of the food hierarchy.
Without further exploration, it will be difficult to track the impact of this new discovery and how environmental factors will influence the development of the system. No future plans have been set to continue study of this cave. Until the “bad air” dilemma has been solved, it has been decided to hold off on further study.
Troy J. Simpson
The school year was soon upon me and I realized that the summer went by with nary a cave ventured into. This is a not a good thing considering a good number of my fellow grottomates were down in cave heaven known as Mammoth Restoration Camp and I really didn’t want to show up to the Friday grotto meeting without some good yarn to spin. I decided that I was going to Indiana for a little caving on Thursday. Be aware that I’m making this decision on Wednesday night and yes, it is a good 3 and half hours to the nearest cave. After making a few phone calls, I finally found a taker for my little fix. In less than twelve hours we would be on our way.
Thursday morning arrived not soon enough. I went to pick up Amy and we made our way to Spring Mill State Park. This would be Amy’s first caving trip and she was excited to finally experience a cave in the “wild.” After eating lunch outside of the Pioneer Village in Spring Mill, we donned helmets and lights and hiked down to Donaldson Cave for a quick orientation of safe caving and a sharp contrast of environments that we’d see later on. Amy soon learned what safe caving is not. The cave had literally dozens of explorers who had nothing more than a flashlight with them. This didn’t disturb me as much as seeing people with cans of beer casually walking around the passages. We even noticed one group of five people wandering through the largest room without any lights at all. Granted, this is a heavily traveled cave and the risk of serious injury is small, but this was a very graphic example of the “nots” that can be avoided.
After this enlightening experience, we were off to Cave River Valley and the ultimate decision of what cave to explore. It didn’t take long for us to decide. It is a rare opportunity to explore a cave by boat, so we unpacked the raft and headed up to River Cave.
The Clifty Creek flows out of River Cave’s scenic entrance and down the valley below. There is a man-made dam, which creates a small pool outside the entrance, ten feet above the creek bed. We positioned the raft in this pool, climbed in, and began our negotiating the stream passage. The entrance is approximately 8 feet wide by 6 feet high from the surface of the stream. It is known that the water depth here can easily reach over ten feet. As we navigate the linear passage and transition into the darkness, the stream takes a ninety degree left-hand turn. Ahead of us is the former boat dock used during the cave's former commercial days. We decide to paddle on.
The last time I visited River Cave, I was privileged to see blind cavefish swimming around the passage walls. Amy took our waterproof lantern and shined it in the stream in hopes we would spot the elusive critters. As we made our way through the first set of rapids, we spot our first critters, a pair of blind crawdads patiently guarding a niche in the wall. The raft hits bottom and we make our first of two portages. Here are a series of "potholes" that were created by the swirling of stone filled rushing waters and scouring the nearly perfectly round cavities. We finally reach the end of the boating section and after a short break we begin our walking exploration.
One of the unique things about River Cave is the lack of human presence. The rafting section makes it difficult for the casual person to "walk in" to the cave. The advantage of this was few graffiti marks and absolutely no trash! As Amy and I walked, we encountered alternating sections of breakdown and stream cut boreholes. There were numerous side passages that broke off along natural joints. I hesitated at first to explore these passages. That is, until Amy decided that she wanted to check out where these unknown arteries went. I no longer had a "rookie" with me, but a full-fledged caver!
We were soon upon one of the true natural wonders of River Cave. Before us was perhaps the longest and straightest passage surveyed in the United States. According to survey maps, this passage is over 600 feet in length. Not even the halogen lamp on Amy's helmet reached the end of this tunnel. We walked what seemed like forever until the passage began to break off its linear course. A series of duck-walks and we reached a series of ceiling slots. Here were a number of signatures dating to the 1930's and earlier. We ducked down and noticed the passage got considerably wetter. We looked at each other and had the same thought in mind. "Let's save that for another time."
Our return trip proved to be somewhat uneventful. We were occasionally blessed by bat "fly-byes" and continued to see numerous blind crawdads in the pools of the intermittent stream. We reached the boat and headed for the exit, with one detour in mind. On the way out, we roped up to the old boat dock and walked up into the dry passage. The floor had been dug out to accommodate the commercial visitors and the path led into a series of rooms containing elaborate flowstone and stalagmite formations. A rare treat that I had missed out on during my previous visit. After a series of photos, it was time to leave this wonderland. As we approached the entrance, a thick haze obscured what lied beyond the twilight. We reach the entrance pond and the cave seems to disappear in the mist. Our little escape trip as ended and it is time to endure the 4-hour drive back to the prairie paradise.
Ralph Sawyer
Youth and adults from Venture Crew 64 returned to Sullivan Cave in July. Our first visit to Sullivan was last January as Boy Scouts in Troop 64 of Metamora; this trip we are part of the BSA's Venturing program, which includes male and female high school age youth as members.
At the entrance we observed what I believe was a Northern slimy salamander, then shortly thereafter a Cave salamander. Both were discovered by sharp-eyed Lisa Johnston. For those who are interested, I make these identifications from Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Illinois, a beautifully photographed and informative book from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
On our January journey into Sullivan Cave we expended an hour finding The Backbreaker passage. This time we were there in ten minutes. How does one describe the Backbreaker? If a crawlway forces you to crawl, should we call the Backbreaker a "bendway"? A "stoopway"? A "crouchway"? Whatever you call it, it is about 1000 feet long. When we reached the end, some of us were drenched with sweat. I was afraid that I would become chilled very quickly when we slowed down or rested. I have decided that for me a summer visit to Sullivan should begin wearing a tee shirt, with a long sleeve shirt and sweater stashed in my pack for later.
We gained the entrance passage to the Mountain Room very quickly, although we still had some minor confusion just before it. I think we often fail to realize how our position -- crawling, stooping, or walking upright -- affects our rate of progress and therefore our perception of distance traveled. Crawling or crouching for 500 feet simply feels like a much longer distance than the 500 feet of passage through which we stroll upright. Because of this misperception we arrived at a tee junction much sooner than we thought we should, resulting in a wrong turn and an unplanned visit to The Merry Go Round section. After animated discussion we deduced our location then proceeded to the Mountain Room. We arrived at the Mountain Room passage more quickly than we thought we should, but once again, this was through walking passage, not crawling. We rested and snacked in the Mountain Room. I would guess an hour had elapsed since our entry. On our last trip it had taken at least three hours of searching to find this room. Now I felt I had this cave figured out. I took over the lead of the group at this point. We dropped down through massive blocks of breakdown into the lower passages and began to follow the stream passage. My first action as leader was to take us north when we wanted to go south, bringing us right back up on the other side of the Mountain Room. Honest, folks, I am a really good orienteer on the surface. I attempted to explain to the crew that this was part of the fun of caving, that this is the best way to learn the cave -- to visit all the places you don't want to go first. We tried again and this time we gained a stream passage. Lisa spotted several of a species of fish, which Caves of Indiana says is Miller's Thumb or Sculpin. We progressed over breakdown and through ankle deep water to the Sullivan River. This is a very noisy, wide passage with a high ceiling. Those of us who had managed to keep their feet dry up to this point were finally forced into the fifty-two degree water by steep banks of slick clay. Here parts of the limestone streambed have been worn into small intersecting potholes a few inches across and deep by the circular movement of small pebbles of harder stone. Lisa spotted surface-type crayfish residing in several potholes. We sloshed downstream, the water reaching knee depth.
One of the interesting features of the cave is man made. Armstrong's Folly is a narrow horizontal crawlway, a neat rectangle in cross section, excavated through a thick layer of clay that is capped by limestone. Following an air current, Robert "Bugs" Armstrong excavated the crawlway in the 1960's in an attempt to find more cave. One has to journey to the excavation to realize the immensity of his endeavor. The 150' of passage must have been chopped or sliced out of the dense clay with a short handled spade or entrenching shovel from a kneeling position. Any excavated clay that could not be stuffed into racks would have had to be carted out of the crawlway. The work would have progressed at a rate of inches per hour. How many trips into the cave did Armstrong make to work on his obsession? How many cartloads of excavated clay did he shove ahead of him through the passage? How many nights did he lay awake before he finally decided to quit? And how many nights did he wonder What if I dig just five more feet? Ten more feet?
We continued our journey downstream a short distance, sloshing through the chilly water. Very gradually the water deepened. Some of us wondered aloud about turning back. I was for going on -- at least for a few more minutes -- until it became obvious to me that within a few short steps, I would reach the depth at which most men lose their resolve in cold water. My boys were going to get wet.
Our return journey to the surface proceeded rapidly. I was very comfortable as long as we were moving, but I began to feel fatigue setting in. I considered that the area of flesh exposed to cold water doubles when one goes from ankle deep to knee deep; it quadruples when water reaches the tops of the thighs. At this point of our journey any accident, no matter how minor, would put every member of our party at risk for hypothermia.
After frequent short breaks, we exited the cave without incident. We had toured about 5000 feet of the more than nine miles of Sullivan cave. I trudged slowly up the hill to the van. I was out of breath and my legs felt rubbery. Some day I want to visit the more recently discovered parts of Sullivan Cave, but I know this involves getting completely wet. The thought that sections of the cave may be denied to me because of my age and physical condition is both sobering and frustrating. I gotta go back. I gotta see as much as I can. I gotta be careful.