new the underground movement · 2008. 3. 17. · karst-o-rama june 22, 23, and 24, 2007 held at the...

The Underground Movement VOLUME 5, EDITION 3 APRIL-MAY, 2007

Westfall Cave Culvert, Submitted by Steve Millet


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The Central Connecticut Grotto (CCG) invites you to join us in the exploration, study and conservation of caves.

The Underground Movement (UM) is published bi-monthly by the Central Connecticut Grotto (CCG) of the National Speleological Society (NSS). Contact the UM editor or individual author for permission to reprint.

Editor: Steven Janesky (NSS #47988) C/o CCG 117 Church Street Sharon Springs, NY 13459 (518) 284-3201 [email protected] or [email protected]

CCG Meetings Meetings are held the 3rd Tuesday of each month, starting at 7pm. These are reasonably informal, and generally consist of a short business meeting followed by a caving presentation. Summer meetings are usually held at a member’s house in Southington; please contact any CCG Officer for further infor-mation. Meetings for the remainder of the year are held at HRP Associates in Farmington. Non-members are always welcome.

CCG Meeting Directions

HRP Associates 197 Scott Swamp Road Farmington, CT 06032 Contact Bob Simmons on (860) 674-9570 ext 134 -From Interstate Route 84, take Exit 33, Route 72 West to-wards Bristol. -In 2 miles, take the North Washington Street Route 177 Exit. -Turn right off the exit ramp onto Route 177, heading north. -In 2 miles you will come to the intersection with Route 6, a.k.a. Scott Swamp Road. (Tunxis Community College will be on your right) -Turn right onto Route 6 east. -At the second set of lights (about a half mile down the hill from Route 177), turn right into the driveway for the Farmington Cor-porate Park. -You will immediately come to a “T” Intersection (stop sign), turn left. -At the bottom of the entrance drive you will come to a traffic circle. Bear right, and you’ll see the 197 Scott Swamp Road building on your left. - The entrance to HRP Associates is in the inside corner of the L-shaped building, directly behind the three flagpoles. -HRP Associates is through the right hand door as you enter the building.

CCG Dues Regular Membership Dues: $5 per year (NSS members can opt to pay $20 for a 5-year membership) Associate Membership Dues: $2 per year (Non-voting – intended for family, youth, or full-time stu-dent members) Institutional Membership No Charge yearly renewal (Open to educational, scientific and conservation organizations)

CCG Website

The CCG website is www.ctcavers.org

The website is an excellent source for grotto information,

events, history, and photos. A separate CCG message

board is at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ctcavers/ and

is accessible to members only. To send a group email,

use [email protected]

Trip dates in this publication are subject to verification on the CCG website

Coming Next Month: Caving in Hawaii with Jansen Cardy Pictures and reports from the Spring 2007 NRO Also, The May monthly grotto meeting will be on a Wednesday, a day after the usual Tuesday meeting.


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CCG Officers Chair: Norm Berg 860-621-2080 Vice Chair: Alisa Werst 203-269-5460 (Program and Activities) Treasurer: Andy Ouimette 860-384-1178 Secretary: Sara Herman 860-518-4015 Communications: Norm Berg 860-621-2080 Membership: Emily Ray 203-589-2376 Safety: Doug Truitt 860-298-8862 Conservation: Garth Varian 203-453-5639

Vertical: Bob Jacobs 860-429-7067

Equipment: Steve Millett 203-640-6703 UM Editor: Steve Janesky 518-284-3201

National Speleological Society The National Speleological Society (NSS) is the national organization of which CCG is a part. CCG members are encouraged to join the NSS. The NSS website is at www.caves.org The NSS discussion board is at www.cavechat.org

2813 Cave Avenue Huntsville, AL 35810-4431 Phone: 256-852-1300 Fax: 256-851-9241 E-Mail: [email protected]

The Central Connecticut Grotto (CCG) invites you to join us in the exploration, study and conservation of caves

CCG Calendar

Events are not limited to what is on the calendar! Listings are subject to change. Check out the activities listed at www.ctcavers.org or contact fellow grotto members to create your own trips. www.caves.org/io/grottos.shtml Remember our neighboring grottos in the northeast may have activities planned too – see the Northeastern Regional Organization (NRO) website at www.caves.org/regions/nro/ for links to other grotto websites. Keep everyone updated on trips, events, changes, and other news by emailing the information to [email protected]

Join members of the CCG this Memorial Day weekend for a sinkhole clean-out on Bill Balfour’s property in West Virginia. Contact Garth Varian for details.

203-453-5639


Update on the progress @ ANC Saturday, April 14, 2007 Eight of us set out, up the 300 ft mountain, to work at trenching down ANC for culvert installation. The 8 were: Andy Robinson, Seth Perlman, Chuck Porter, Steve Janesky, Darren Dolezel, Josh Cook, Ray (from Jersey, sorry Ray I need your last name for the story) and Joe Armstrong. We dug the trench down to the bedrock pavement, and then installed the two culverts, only thing was I had forgotten to get the collar that would join the two pipes, Whoops. Today I got the collar, just sitting there on the floor, DON’T. Darren and I went up the hill (with crampons on, because of all the snow and ice) and finished the job, by digging out around the pipes (overflowing with water) and sliding on the collar. Sweet. I had only used some webbing and tied it as best as I could, it held, and was under some pressure. The water at the end of the first pipe was to the top of the pipe, full flow. Water at the entrance (or beginning of the first culvert) was over the pipe flowing out of the trench. Out of the end of the second culvert, ¾ flow, just gushing, everything working as planned. Good deal, I am sending a picture of the finished job @ Westfall’s Spring Cave (see cover sheet), its got the second and upper culvert, not that it shows, but it’s a 36 inch culvert very easy to get through. Its design is to allow caver, as well as bat flight smoothly into the entrance, also doing its best to hold the hillside in place too. Its working perfect, I checked it a week ago, completed in the fall of 2006, take a look and see. Take care, Peace! Joe Armstrong

Progress securing local cave entrances The following is a email sent from Scott Sala to the MET grotto last month: “We officially voted to contribute $200 to the purchase of a culvert that will be used to improve the entrance to ANC Cave. The background of this action is based on numerous Rock eaters putting in countless hours of hard labor trenching out en-trances to caves that collapsed after rain, floods, winter, etc. Often, this is done repeatedly, year after year. By introducing culverts, water is allowed to exit the cave regardless of collapses, debris, etc. Schoharie Caverns has such a setup. Also, check out the attached picture of Westfall Springs Cave that shows a culvert being put in. While landowners and policies usually come to mind when people think of challenges to cave access, sometimes the earth itself is the obstacle. The Rock eaters have kept many caves accessible through their labors, and we all benefit by helping their efforts. When a work weekend is planned to install the culvert at ANC, everyone will be invited to help out. Stay tuned...”

Schoharie Caverns floods, Again! Due to the heavy melt-off and heavy rains Schoharie had this early spring, Schoharie has flooded for a second time this spring. The first time, during the heavy snow melt, there was a rock and mud slide from the North-West side of the entrance that had slid into the culvert covering it. This mud and rock was enough to block the culvert enough so that the cave water reached to within 2 feet of the ceiling at the entrance thus killing nearly all the bats in the cave, which as reported, were all near the entrance. During a trip with the CCG, I was able to rescue one of the bats from certain death, as it had clung to the gate. It was cov-ered in mud, soaked to the bone and looked dead. After warming it up near the cabin stove, I put it in a coffee cup and took it home, where it now resides in my basement. Two weeks later during that torrential rain/snow storm in mid-April, it happened again. More mud and debris had washed into the cave, covering the culvert, thus flooding the cave all over again. Darren Dolezel and Joe Armstrong put on their wetsuits, and almost got sucked in while unclogging the culvert for the second time this year. They reported that the water had gone down four feet in a matter of hours. Currently the water level is back to normal, however the debris is still there. I have been given permission from Bob Addis to continue the entrance excavation and to build a retaining wall at the en-trance. Also to do whatever it takes to shed the debris to the side during another torrential rain/ snow melt event. This will be an on-going summer project as well as the repair of the cabin on the Schoharie Caverns Preserve. Steve Janesky


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This message was sent to you via e-mail burst from the NSS Office, at the request of Greater Cincinnati Grotto; please con-tact them if you have questions or comments. Thank you. Join the Greater Cincinnati Grotto at one of the largest caving events held in the eastern half of the United States.

Karst-O-Rama June 22, 23, and 24, 2007

Held at the Great Saltpeter Cave Preserve in Mount Vernon, Kentucky, just off Interstate 75 at Exit 59. Additional Informa-tion along with registration forms, on-line registration, maps and much more can be found at www.karstorama.com Karst-O-Rama weekend actually starts off on Thursday night with a welcome party at the shelter. This will be an opportu-nity to meet new friends and join up with old ones. Cave trip sign up sheets for Friday will also be available. About one third of KOR participants arrive by Thursday night so come early and join the fun. Registration opens Thursday at 11 am and remains open till noon on Saturday. Beginning Friday the kitchen will be open throughout the weekend for breakfast and lunch as well as dinner on Friday. Friday cave trips will begin in the morning or afternoon. Friday night will include a Howdy Party for checking out the crowd and signing up for cave trips on Saturday and Sunday. Then just before you wind down for the day, you can engage in noodle wrestling with people who out caved you during the day. On Saturday morning, cave trips will begin, both guided and self led. This area of Kentucky has one of the highest con-centrations of caves in the United States allowing for more opportunities to explore both mapped and unmapped caves than anywhere else in the country. Other activities for the day include a photo contest, hayrides, hiking and a climbing con-test. If the June temperature becomes unbearable while shopping at the vendor section, the Crooked Creek swimming hole awaits complete with rope swing. The preserve includes several miles of hiking trails both on and off the property. For those that are shopping addicted, the preserve is only a few miles from the city of Berea with its many gift shops and an-tique malls. As the evening approaches, there will be a banquet under the shelter followed by a caving program. Door prizes will be awarded prior to the program. If you want to stay up till all hours, there will be lots of activity in party camp in addition to the sauna and hot tub. The party will be starting at 9:30. For those with leftover energy, there will be cave trips Sunday morning. If you have any questions about this yearly caving event, please contact Tammy Otten at [email protected]

One of many caves found in Cherry Valley. We have found 4 new

caves in the last month.

And have many leads To find even more!


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Central Connecticut Grotto Minutes of March 20, 2007. Meeting held at HRP Associates, Farmington, CT Minutes Taken By: Sara Herman Chairman Report: Next meeting April 17 2007 We are looking for a meeting location. Vice Chair: No report Secretary Report: Sara read the Feb minutes, no corrections. Treasurer Report: No report Membership Report: Emily passed around the membership list. She read off the names of people that need to renew. Safety Chair Report: Everyone is safe. Webmaster Report: Website is kept up to date. Pages are being added that can be viewed by CCG members. Norm has been adding the UM to the site. Vertical Report: (Given by Steve M for Bob J.) Stone Age rock gym vertical practice last month. Conservation Chair Report: Garth reminded us of the W.V. sink hole clean up to get the car out of the sink hole. There is a backhoe rented for that weekend. Equipment Report: Steve M. will bring equipment for future trips. Newsletter Report: (given by Norm for Steve J., though he doesn't know this). Steve Janesky will send an email to an-nounce that the UM is now available online. Future Trips: 1. Convention in Indiana 7/2007 2. Met Grotto is going to Schoharie weekend of April 13 3. Schoharie cabin 3/23/07 4. VAR in April 27,28,29 5. May 5-6 rescue session in NJ 6. Litchfield County May 13, 2007 7. West Virginia trip in May 8. NCC board meeting June 9 Past Trips: 1. Schoharie trip 3/17/07., Cave drainage blocked and water was high. Lots of snow in area. 2. Bob and son and Norm went looking for sink holes in the Litchfield area.

Old business: 1. Um made public is brought to the table. Some comments said do not list email or addresses online or the location of caves. Review UM issues and then post online. If things are redacted they should be seen as a big smudge, or otherwise noted that content was redacted. Alisa will be able to review UM issues. Bob Simmons presents a motion to make public all copies of UM following editing. Norm presents a friendly amendment to this motion to restrict it to issues of 2003 on. A vote was held and all are in favor. Norm will work out details of the review process. New Business: 1. Due to room availably conflict at HRP, the April CCG meeting is at Mark and Diane house. 2. Suggestion was made by Steve Millett to redo Schoharie cabin, purchase windows. 3. Interested in putting a culvert pipe in the ANC Cave (Steve Millet). 4. Clean up at Onesquethaw. Program: A presentation by Steve Millett of caving photos on the web.


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Minutes of the CCG Monthly Meeting April 2007 Meeting Date: 4/17/07 Meeting held at Mark Lucas’ house in East Hartford, CT Minutes Taken By: Sara Herman Chairman Report: Thanks to Mark and Diane for hosting the CCG meeting. May meeting will be held on Wednesday the 16th at HRP Vice Chair: Culvert was put into the ANC cave. CCG is looking to put forth money towards a project to renovate Schoharie Cabin. Needs assessment of what needs to be done. Secretary Report: Sara read the March minutes, no corrections. Treasurer Report: No report Membership Report: Names of those who recently joined were read off the membership list. Safety Chair Report: No report Webmaster Report: The main registrar of ctcavers.org domain was changed from Registrar.com to is now GoDaddy.com Vertical Report: April 28 vertical caving trip in NY lead by Steve Millet. Conservation Chair Report: Garth reminded us of the W.V. sink hole clean up to get the car out of the sink hole. There is a backhoe rented for this Memorial Day weekend activity. Equipment Report: Steve will manage the equipment list. Newsletter (Underground Movement): No Report at meeting (however, I’d like to report that very few submissions have been made this past couple months, doesn’t anyone cave any more?) Old Business: no old business New Business: Surprise Cave will be resurveyed under the management of Peter Lenahan. Survey will be done in metric and Peter is looking for volunteers. UM is going to be reviewed so that we can post it online. CCG is looking into hosting the Fall 2007 NRO. Future Trips: 1. Convention in Indiana 7/2007 2. Litchfield County May 13, 2007 3. West Virginia trip in May 4. NCC board meeting June 9 5. Vertical trip on April 28 Past Trips: none mentioned Presentation: We saw the DVD movie: "The Secret Abyss of Movile Cave"


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Welcome to Spring 2007 NRO!

Return the New York's premier caving country aboard the newly renovated and ultra-futuristic Limestone Express. Choose any track and discover the wonders that await you underground!

DING! Stand clear of the closing doors. There are no food or drinks allowed. Panhandling is against the law. Please take your mud with you when you leave.

There are many wondrous stops along the way, including historical underground caverns such as Schoharie Caverns, Sel-leck's, Onesquethaw and Clarkesville Caves. For those seeking places further below, try visiting Gage's, Benson's or McFail's. And those wishing to get wet, put on your neoprene, don your hoods and head into Barytes or ANC. There's fun for the whole family!

DING! This is an important message from the Cobleskill Police Department. All bags carried on the subway are subject to search. And if you see any suspicious activity, it's probably just cavers.

For a full list of featured stops, view the 2007 Official New York Caving Map & Guide. Registration Please register now! The basic fee is only $8 plus camping. You can also order a 2007 Official New York Caving Map & Guide. Saturday and Sunday breakfasts plus Saturday Dinner will be available on-site and are in addition to the registration fee. Location Hide-a-Way campground is located in Central Bridge, NY, right off I-88, between Cobleskill and Schoharie. For complete directions and a map, visit the Hide-a-Way website. Vendors Speleobooks will be offering the usual cave books, clothing, jewelry, ephemera, art and more. Mike and Emily will also have a small selection of basic caving gear for sale. Also setting up will be the Northeastern Cave Conservancy. Stop by to view information on the many properties under this local organization's management, including information on the most recent purchase, Clarkesville Cave. Or, renew your membership, join for the first time or simply chat. If any other vendors are in-terested, email us. Meals & Entertainment Andrew Foord is donning the chef hat and serving up some delicious simple breakfasts every morning, plus a monster pasta feed Saturday night. Don't bring food. You'll have plenty here. Pasta, salad, bread, plus beverages are included - and a surprise alcoholic beverage as well!

Friday, May 18 5:00pm-11:00pm Registration Saturday, May 19 All day Caving! All day Vendors Row 7:30am-9:00am Breakfast 6:30pm-7:30pm Dinner ~7pm Surprise Survey Meeting 7:30pm NCC auction and 50/50 9:00pm Live music All night NNJG's Hotsy the Hot Tub Tentative Slide show Sunday, May 20 All day Caving! All day Vendors Row 8:00-9:00am Breakfast 10:00am NRO business meeting 10:00am-4:00pm Vertical workshop

NCC Auction The Northeastern Cave Conservancy will host another fund raiser auction featuring the Spring Pereneul Bob Addis as auctioneer. The NCC is requesting your donated items so that we may raise money for cave conservation. We have a number of projects/caves on the very near horizon and soon one or more will start towards closing and we will need money! So clean out your closets, garages and caving lockers and bring us the best in caving, camping, whatever-within-reason items. Drop donations off at the NCC booth/tent and receive a donations letter allowing a tax deduction next year.

For more information, email Scott Sala <[email protected]>, Ayzha Wolf <[email protected]>, or Andrew Foord <[email protected]>.

From NY State Thruway (I-90) exit 25A, I-88 West to exit 23, at end of exit ramp turn right, at the first stop sign turn left onto Rt. 7, turn right onto Rt. 30A, turn left onto Grovenors Corner Road (County Rt. 10), at the top of the hill make a right, then make a right onto Woodman Road and a left onto Janice Lane. From I-88 East, Exit 22 (Rt. 145) toward Rt. 7 Cobleskill/Middleburgh, make left onto Rt. 145, make right onto Rt. 7- it will be a sharp left onto Rt. 30A, turn left onto Grovenors Corner Road (County Rt. 10), at the top of the hill make a right, then make a right onto Woodman Road and a left onto Janice Lane.


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Learning to Climb This Friday, I took Darren Dolezel to Benson’s Cave to learn how to climb rope in a cave. Climbing rope was nothing new to Darren, he’d already learned that in the Marines and has done so on his first attempt at the summit of K-4. But as he found, cave SRT (Single Rope Technique) climbing is much different from that done on the surface. He had his own ideas, and as a good teacher, I let him do what he thought was right. Of course, he had some difficulties maneuvering, especially when it came to change-overs and getting over rock edges. He then switched to the Frog system, fighting the idea initially, he certainly had problems. His first couple attempts were scary, and at one point he was stuck. Lucky for him we were only in the training pit at Bensons while waiting for our third caver to arrive. But once he’d gotten the right adjustments of his foot loops and cows tail, he was ready for the big plunge. We entered Benson’s Cave, having no problems getting in. We spent about 3.5 hours in the cave exploring the entire cave. I took point on the way out, having no problems with my frog, made it up in about 2 minutes (60 feet). Darren took his time getting on rope, did the first 25 feet without a problem, and starting becoming fatigued. He had fought with the gear a bit, but with a little perseverance made the 60 foot climb up in just under ten minutes, which was pretty good for a surface climber. Climbing rope is much more difficult underground, fatigue, lack of illumination, tight spaces and constricting clothing all play a part in making climbing in a cave a challenge. Practice and more practice make most of these obstacles disappear, or ap-pear more natural to the climber. Article by Steven Janesky, photos by Steven Janesky.

Above: Darren in the Practice pit

Below, Darren on rope ascending Benson pit

new the underground movement · 2008. 3. 17. · karst-o-rama june 22, 23, and 24, 2007 held at the...

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