Oh GAWD I remember that corkscrew WELL! Was SO happy that it was a 'through' trip and going back through it the other way WASN'T necessary!!! :) -DC
On Thu, Mar 13, 2014 at 11:36 AM, <[email protected]> wrote: > > See below > ------------------------------ > *From: *"Louise Power" <[email protected]> > *To: *"texas cavers" <[email protected]> > *Sent: *Wednesday, March 12, 2014 6:26:17 PM > *Subject: *[Texascavers] Favorite crawl > > My favorite crawl was The Corkscrew in Midnight Cave on one of my early > trips to CV. I didn't find it a particularly hard crawl except that I got a > little claustrophobic. But what made it stand out in my mind was that > someone (don't remember who) had taken their speleopups into the cave. As I > was making my down the crawl, I heard some noise behind me and four furry > feet planted themselves in the middle of my back and a speleodog went right > over me and out of the crawl. Guess he didn't want to wait while I made my > way down. > > --------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > *The Rest Of The Story* > > That was a memorable weekend at Carta Valley, camped inside the long-gone > Triangle. Probably in the late 1960s. It was a dark and stormy night, as > chronicled by Carl Kunath in his 50 Years of Texas Caving. Trucks and > assorted vehicles arrived and found themselves parked nose-in, in a ragged > circle. Tarps were strung from truck to truck, cavers sitting on the warm > (initially) hoods and speleo-bumpers in the center. Louise arrived in her > VW beetle. Jon Everage arrived from Houston with a case of odd-lot > bargain wine from the get rid of it quick basket - a buck a chuck. Bottles > of various unmemorable vintage were passed about the assembled cavers. > Stories > grew, songs were sung, and bladders filled as it continued to rain. > > After Sandy and I turned in, Louise decided she had found a dry spot > under Tortuga. (See Kunath for complete description of why she found > herself so wet in the morning). > > The next morning the rain had stopped and we visited with Doc Harding. > Then off to Midnight Cave. Both Crooked Thumb and Woola were along, as > were students from Sul Ross. Pete Lindsley was there and also stalwart > Carta Valley Texicans. Crooked Thumb (the Truffle Hound) was the much more > experienced caving and climbing dog. He was used to waiting patiently as > I climbed up a distance and then signaled him, whereupon he would scramble > up over me, using me for toe and claw-holds, and continue upward. > > We started up the Corkscrew, and from Louise's post, she must have been > ahead of me (although I remember being in the lead). Crooked Thumb > suddenly clawed his way up and around me (he failed to wait for my signal) > and continued ahead, up the Corkscrew. He disappeared on up into the > cave. Woola (the Norwegian Elkhouhd) less adept, followed. > > Dimnly, In the far distance, I hear voices of someone we did not know was > in the cave: > > "Did you hear that?" > > "Someone is coming behind us!" > > "G--- D---IT!" > > "*IT'S A DOG!"* > > * "SH---!!! HERE COMES ANOTHER ONE!!"* > > It turned out that there were four young people ahead of us. Doc > Harding's son and some friends. > > DirtDoc > > > > > >
