texascavers Digest 28 Jan 2014 08:15:14 -0000 Issue 1921
Topics (messages 23337 through 23346):
pfds/ life jackets
23337 by: Ben Hutchins
Government Canyon Karst Project Reports
23338 by: Marvin and Lisa
23340 by: Mark Minton
23345 by: Marvin and Lisa
UT Grotto Meeting January 29th
23339 by: Andrea Croskrey
new e-book on Lechuguilla Cave
23341 by: Mixon Bill
23342 by: Stefan Creaser
Conference Announcement: Integrated Use and Protection of Underground Spaces
23343 by: George Veni
Flashlight related
23344 by: David
just for fun
23346 by: David
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
--- Begin Message ---
I'm looking for 4 lifejackets to use for a caving expedition in March. For
comfort sake, I'm not looking for the cheap orange kind. If anyone has any
that I could use (preferably in the San Antonio - Austin area) please email me
off list at [email protected].
Thanks,
Ben Hutchins
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
December and January Government Canyon Karst Project trip reports:
December 7, 2013
Participants: Christin Miller, Marvin Miller, Angela Young, John Young
We headed up the trail on this cold morning, happy that the objective was to
survey and explore the warm interior spaces of Big Dome Cave. We first
finished the survey of the entrance area, even venturing back outside to
survey the 2nd entrance. Angela was able to push just a little farther in
the entrance room than I and Rick Corbell had been able to on the previous
trip, but not even far enough to bother setting another station. The eastern
borders of the entrance room just get too low to follow.
We then headed on into the cave and started surveying at station 10 to the
downward lead at the north end of that room. From previous descriptions by
people who had checked the lead, I expected it to get small quickly but was
pleasantly surprised to find some interesting passage and more leads. We
surveyed 21.81 meters in this area and a total of 34.57 for the day. The
cave survey length now stands at 247.9 meters.
One more thing we did that day was take a look at Big Dome with the goal of
planning a climb to check out the obvious leads at the ends of the ceiling
channels in the roof of the dome. John and Angela, being rock climbers, were
excited by the prospect and we identified several routes that would require
a combination of crack protection and bolt placements.
I had a collection bottle with me and, when Christin spotted one, I nabbed a
resident Rhadine beetle.
4 January, 2014
Participants: Niki Lake, Marvin Miller, Jonathan Villastrigo, Angela Young,
John Young
John and Angela and I brought out all our gear and spread it out on a tarp
in the parking lot and picked out what we needed to do the climb in Big Dome
Cave. Niki and Jonathan Villastrigo also joined the team. Jonathan was a
first time caver.
After doling out cams and slings, hammers and rope for the trek to the cave,
we loaded everything into my 4Runner and drove up the Joe Johnson Rd. to our
parking area at the Little Windmill Trail junction. We were in the cave and
setting up by 11:30.
John, Angela, and I tag-teamed on the climb. John started and then I made it
to the top on the north end, finding no leads. John traversed from the north
end of the dome to the south end and set a bolt just below the narrow
channel on that side. Angela then climbed up and, using an etrier to boost
herself up into the channel, managed to clamber up to a safe stance where
she could look around. Unfortunately, the channel on that side also did not
lead into any passage. We got some good pics of all the climbers and some
good long-exposure shots of the dome with Angela up there lighting up the
ceiling channels.
While we were climbing Jonathan and Niki poked around in the holes and
hollows of the Breakaway Room and the Ramblin' Roland Passage leading to Big
Dome.
The next project day is February 1. We will meet at the Volunteer/Research
Station at 9:00. Take the first right after entering the park. Go through
the gate and 1 mile further to the parking lot at the VRS. If you want to
camp, contact me.
Marvin Miller
(210) 415-5190
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Marvin,
How high was your climb up Big Dome? Too bad it didn't go. :-(
Mark
At 12:10 AM 1/27/2014, Marvin and Lisa wrote:
John, Angela, and I tag-teamed on the climb. John started and then I
made it to the top on the north end, finding no leads. John
traversed from the north end of the dome to the south end and set a
bolt just below the narrow channel on that side. Angela then climbed
up and, using an etrier to boost herself up into the channel,
managed to clamber up to a safe stance where she could look around.
Unfortunately, the channel on that side also did not lead into any
passage. We got some good pics of all the climbers and some good
long-exposure shots of the dome with Angela up there lighting up the
ceiling channels.
Please reply to [email protected]
Permanent email address is [email protected]
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
The climb up Big Dome was 8.5 meters. You can see a picture of John on the
climb here:
http://s799.photobucket.com/user/comalcaver/media/Caving/IMG_1134edited.jpg.
html?sort=3
<http://s799.photobucket.com/user/comalcaver/media/Caving/IMG_1134edited.jpg
.html?sort=3&o=0> &o=0
_____
From: Mark Minton [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, January 27, 2014 8:59 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Government Canyon Karst Project Reports
Marvin,
How high was your climb up Big Dome? Too bad it didn't go. :-(
Mark
At 12:10 AM 1/27/2014, Marvin and Lisa wrote:
John, Angela, and I tag-teamed on the climb. John started and then I made it
to the top on the north end, finding no leads. John traversed from the north
end of the dome to the south end and set a bolt just below the narrow
channel on that side. Angela then climbed up and, using an etrier to boost
herself up into the channel, managed to clamber up to a safe stance where
she could look around. Unfortunately, the channel on that side also did not
lead into any passage. We got some good pics of all the climbers and some
good long-exposure shots of the dome with Angela up there lighting up the
ceiling channels.
Please reply to [email protected]
Permanent email address is [email protected]
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Howdy Texas Cavers!
Join us this week for the UT Grotto meeting and you'll get to enjoy Matt
Turner's tale of how he got started in cave diving and where his training
has taken him, including dives in Mexico and Florida. Hope to see you
there!
We will now be meeting at 7:45pm in *Burdine 136*. Follow this link to a
map of where the building is located on the University of Texas campus:
http://www.utexas.edu/maps/main/buildings/bur.html
For information on Underground Texas Grotto activities, please see
www.utgrotto.org
Before the meeting, take advantage of Sao Paulo www.saopaulos.net for
happy hour specials. Attendance by cavers varies but this area is the best
place to park and meet folks walking over to the meeting. Then after the
official meeting, we continue with the decades long tradition to reconvene
for burgers, beer, and tall tales of caving at Posse East.
www.posse-east.com
Cavingly,
Andrea Croskrey
UT Grotto Vice Chair
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Back in 2011, I did extensive copy-editing of a manuscript called "A
Fine Cave: The Elusive Splendor of Lechuguilla Cave, A Twenty-Year
Odyssey of Discovery," by Ron DeLano with Donald Davis. It turned out
to be quite a project, as the text was about 170,000 words. At the
time I envisioned a book something like "Deep Secrets," about the same
cave, with a few maps for clarity and a token number of color photos.
For a while we thought that the NSS might publish the book, but that
didn't work out. (My editing was not predicated on that assumption. I
just figured if I didn't do it, nobody would.) The difficulty, if not
impossibility, of finding a commercial publisher for the book,
together with DeLano's reluctance to sign over the copyright, has
caused him to publish it himself as an e-book, and as a trilogy, since
DeLano has added, I'm told, 175 illustrations.
The first third of the book is now available as "Elusive Majesty: Part
1 of the Exploration of the World's Most Beautiful Cave." Supposedly
all major sources of e-books have it. One for sure is Amazon as a
Kindle book for $9.99:
http://www.amazon.com/Elusive-Majesty-Exploration-Worlds-Beautiful-ebook/dp/B00I0GP4RA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1390585419&sr=1-1&keywords=lechuguilla
or just search for Ron DeLano or Elusive Majesty.
So far I have only seen the text. I suppose sooner or later I'll break
down and buy a version I can view on my computer, although I'm not
real interested in e-books with rights protection, so that I
presumably couldn't even shelve a copy on disk. I can say that cavers
will find the text a good read, if occasionally controversial. And of
course it's hardly possible to take a bad photograph of Lechuguilla
Cave. -- Mixon
----------------------------------------
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----------------------------------------
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--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Looks like this is also available on iBooks (for Apple stuff), search for
"Elusive Majesty" and it's the only hit.
I intend to download it when I'm at home and I'll bring it to the Posse on
Wednesday, for those in the UT Grotto who'd like to see what it looks like.
Cheers,
Stefan
-----Original Message-----
From: Mixon Bill [mailto:[email protected]]
Back in 2011, I did extensive copy-editing of a manuscript called "A Fine Cave:
The Elusive Splendor of Lechuguilla Cave, A Twenty-Year Odyssey of Discovery,"
by Ron DeLano with Donald Davis. It turned out to be quite a project, as the
text was about 170,000 words. At the time I envisioned a book something like
"Deep Secrets," about the same cave, with a few maps for clarity and a token
number of color photos.
For a while we thought that the NSS might publish the book, but that didn't
work out. (My editing was not predicated on that assumption. I just figured if
I didn't do it, nobody would.) The difficulty, if not impossibility, of finding
a commercial publisher for the book, together with DeLano's reluctance to sign
over the copyright, has caused him to publish it himself as an e-book, and as a
trilogy, since DeLano has added, I'm told, 175 illustrations.
The first third of the book is now available as "Elusive Majesty: Part
1 of the Exploration of the World's Most Beautiful Cave." Supposedly all major
sources of e-books have it. One for sure is Amazon as a Kindle book for $9.99:
http://www.amazon.com/Elusive-Majesty-Exploration-Worlds-Beautiful-ebook/dp/B00I0GP4RA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1390585419&sr=1-1&keywords=lechuguilla
or just search for Ron DeLano or Elusive Majesty.
So far I have only seen the text. I suppose sooner or later I'll break down and
buy a version I can view on my computer, although I'm not real interested in
e-books with rights protection, so that I presumably couldn't even shelve a
copy on disk. I can say that cavers will find the text a good read, if
occasionally controversial. And of course it's hardly possible to take a bad
photograph of Lechuguilla Cave. -- Mixon
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please notify the sender immediately and do not disclose the contents to any
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ARM Limited, Registered office 110 Fulbourn Road, Cambridge CB1 9NJ, Registered
in England & Wales, Company No: 2557590
ARM Holdings plc, Registered office 110 Fulbourn Road, Cambridge CB1 9NJ,
Registered in England & Wales, Company No: 2548782
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Dear Friends,
The Integrated Use and Protection of Underground Spaces is a conference that
will focus on the problems of scientific study and exploitation of underground
spaces, management, tourism, and recreation in karst areas. It will be held in
the Perm Region of Russia on 26-31 May 2014 at the spectacular Kungur Ice Cave.
For details on the conference, registration, and to submit papers, visit
http://www.mi-perm.ru/information/conference/icecave (you'll see Russian text,
but if you scroll down you'll quickly find the conference information in
English).
Please share this information with anyone you think may be interested.
Thank you,
George
********************
George Veni, Ph.D.
Executive Director
National Cave and Karst Research Institute
400-1 Cascades Avenue
Carlsbad, New Mexico 88220-6215 USA
Office: 575-887-5517
Mobile: 210-863-5919
Fax: 575-887-5523
[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
www.nckri.org<http://www.nckri.org>
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Costco store has a 3-pack that equates to $ 6.12 per flashlight.
These are pocket-sized flashlights, but have a high lumen setting of 250,
and one dimmer setting, which I would guess is 60 lumens. Also, has strobe
setting.
These appear to be rugged and compact enough as your 3rd source of light.
Price includes quality batteries.
The lights are only resistant to moisture and rain, so in a river cave, you
would want to wrap them in something, or gerry-rig them with a sealant.
See Duracell #739422
( Disclaimer: I am only viewing the product through the packaging )
It would seem there is no reason to carry a bigger flashlight into a cave,
unless you were in an easy cave with mostly walking passage, or were a tour
guide. For that purpose, Costco offers a 2-pack that equates to $ 10.80
each. But even that one, is smaller than the flashlights I used to carry
in my cave-pack back in the 20th century.
I am certain there are experienced cavers that do not take a flashlight
with them now, as they either only use 2 sources of light or carry small or
tiny headlamps in their cave-pack. I think that has been going on for
years. Feel free to correct me, as I have done zero caving in this new era
of high-tech headlamps.
David Locklear
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Anthropologist have a sketch of a man they believe lived 7,000
years ago in cave in Spain.
http://img5.tgdaily.com/sites/default/files/stock/la_brana_1_dark_skinned_blue_eyes.jpg
He looks just like many cavers I know today. Which caver do you
know that most
resembles him ?
I bet my ancestors in those days had much longer hair and a much longer beard.
--- End Message ---
