Cave 2

[RedRoxx44]

8 hours in Cave 2----

The usual suspects met and carpooled out to the site. Once again, not an obvious entrance until you almost stumble upon it. On the way we spotted a bee hive and gave it a wide berth. I'll dispense with the "alphabet soup" and use fake names.

To get into this cave required some vertical work. Once inside the cave it is a two dimensional maze cave; we were traveling to a central room, then side trips time permitting. Two 160 foot ropes were rigged down what I call an elevator shaft, one for rappelling and the other as a safety line. Most wanted to rappel and three of us (me included) decided to downclimb, clipping onto the safety rope as we needed. Features were a step across to a three inch sloped wedge with some exposure, a challenge for me as my two partners were 6 footers, then down a slanted crevice with smooth rock. The ceiling closes down and you actually put your feet on the ceiling to slow you down as you let gravity take you, controlling it with the hand line. I was glad I had good grippy gloves here, as I was not clipped on the line. And of course your pack is alternately jamming you or helping you. I elected to suspend the thing off my sit harness on the climb out.

After the drop the first room is nicely decorated with flowstone, stalactites and some interesting rock, box formation, then to the "hidden entrance" to the main cave. As the rocks were pulled away a small crawl space was revealed. A large boulder would require some foot power to remove, so I squirmed thru, Sam designated me " the tight space advance team". After the crawl thru another room, where we rested waiting on the rappelers to get off rope and get themselves together. Dave took a power nap complete with some resonating snoring. Sam and I poked around a couple of small side passages, looking for coral and fossils, which we found, some vandelized from the last time he was here.

It was educating for me to see all the different gear. Descending/ascending devices, harnesses, packs, light sources and types, knee and elbow pads, learning to read a cave map, markers used to mark our way to trace on the way out.
As folks arrived, we moved out. Sam several times had us wait at junctures. There is a fairly long walking passage which was nice. This cave has passages every which way; some are short loops arriving at the same destination. Formations here are intermittant and mostly small, it was heartening to see the water dripping, the cave growing some more, some formations wet which had been dry several years ago.
The cave got wetter as we went deeper, and the mud made for some interesting footing. It was damp, no swimming, but more crawling and you got mud on everything. At the main room the floor was deep in packed mud. You could see a line on some walls where it had almost filled the room. One spot I looked up and saw the smooth bottom of some flowstone I pointed out. I was informed at one time the passage way was filled and we were looking at the bottom of flowstone once supported by a mound of fill.

A beautiful formation graced this central room. Delicate soda straws and helectites were tucked here and there in the ceiling.
A group decided to take off to try and find a pool; Sam, John and I stayed behind and talked, rested, explored. Great excitement was had when Sam spotted a tiny centipede type creature on the formation. It was albino, had no visible eyes, and about a quarter inch long, with about 9-10 segments. Sam assists scientific survey and the "paleo" guys as he calls them and is one of the most well read individuals I've met. He was very excited and thought it might be a new cave species. I took several pictures which will hopefully turn out and be sent to the appropriate scientists.
(Sam I found out is credited with "discovering" the big crystal room, in a different cave, near Colossal Cave, which has a pure crystal floor and wet formations. He told us that they use a NASA type approach for study, dedicated clothes and shoes to that cave only, sterile coveralls, booties to walk on the floor, neutral chemical compounding in the gloves).

To save our lights we went lights out and just talked and alternately sat in silence. It was great. Dripping noises were heard at different corners of the room as water made its way through the earth. Pimeval it felt. In the womb, the great mother, the earth.
All too soon time to leave, we sort of straggled out as the way was marked for us. For a time I was alone in the passageway and I enjoyed the solitude. Crawling out at the last I noted a small column forming to the side, wet, right in the crawlspace, not at an angle to be viewed on the way in--------neat.
Climbing out was a challenge. In the group were various types of ascenders, John used a Prussic system. Most just clipped into the safety rope and climbed, and the other rope was used to haul the heavier, bulkier packs. One guy did a shoulder stand off of my shoulders, then I wedged myself in a little different spot to get up the wall to start the climb. Knee and elbow pads are worth the price of admission as you use your body to defeat the physics pulling you downward. As one veteran caver put it, one aspect of cave rock climbing is different from rock climbing outside, there you want to keep your body mostly vertical on the rock face; in a cave you want anything but a vertical alignment of your body.

I don't know how many calories I burned but we were all sweating up a storm climbing out. We had a slight problem at the step over and one of the good climbers had to do some rock gardening there to prevent some sizable rocks falling on peoples' heads. It was amazing to step into sunlight at almost 6:00 pm, the sky beautiful with some clouds, and nice temperatures.

Mexican food and beer to cap the evening, fun conversation, and a great day. Another good group of folks, everyone worked well together and personal satisfaction for me as I embark on another journey to see more of our wonderful world.
_________________
You can rest when you're dead

[Arizonaheat]

Letty it is obvious by your words that you have found a new passion that touches your heart and soul I enjoyed the write up and look forward to some more great pics last your last ones.
_________________
Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life.

[BoyNhisDog]

You have certainly discovered a new dimension of fantasia like adventure wrought with danger. It does make for great reading, albino cave dwellers and all. Cool photos. It must be a challenge trying to light up, focus, and expose an image in those nether worlds, trembling in the shadowy dreams of hard angles, tight squeezes and the flickering light of headlamps.
_________________
Seize from every moment its unique novelty and do not prepare your joys
- Andre Gide

[Arizonaheat]

Thanks for the pics. Is your "soon to be famous" a new species of cave dweller you guys discovered. The albino centipede that lives in darkness.