Carroll Cave Survey Trip Report

Supplemental Trip Report

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Permit: Your Permit Number
Leader: Joe Sikorski
Phone: (314)-481-5116
email: jsikorski@sbcglobal.net
date: 12/6/03
manager: Bob Lerch
Assessment: Convention Hall
participant1: Dan Lamping
participant2: Joe Sikorski
participant3: Rita Worden

TimeIn: noonish Saturday
TimeOut: 3 to 3:30am Sunday
Damage: No

Date: Wednesday December 10, 2003
Time: 12:59 AM

purpose:

To complete the surveys of a loose end and loop closure in the UL2 side passage. To also help the continuing survey out of Convention Hall to the newly named Conference Hall.

details:

Our first survey started at where Spike and I had left off on the Nov. trip. Spike and I gave this passage the name Brown Sugar Crawl on that previous trip. The floor material was soft and made it a more comfortable crawl. We continued past the restriction Spike had mentioned before. There was only 2-3 more shots after the tie in. A small amount of surface sand and clay had to be moved to continue toward the back-end terminus. Dan performed this task and it gave us a short length of virgin cave. Approximately 65 feet was surveyed. There were more formations toward the end. Rita noticed a splash cone and there were small stalactites and stalagmites along with flowstone. Off to the right at the end was an area that had soupy looking mud with a few small puddles. Some of this mud had a calcite crust over it. This mud gradually made its way up to the ceiling of this 1 to 1.5ft high area. Off to the left was a small area that had the appearance of a sinkhole collapse from the underside. This could have been an upper cavity of the cave that collapsed in. There was rubble coming in from near the ceiling of the left wall. This was the most decorated portion of the Brown Sugar Crawl. Toward the last 80 to 90ft of the crawl, small cross joints cut in at an angle mostly perpendicular to the passage. There was no point in this crawl where you could stand up completely. The passage height didn’t exceed 5.5 ft. The width was an average of 15ft throughout this crawl. Rita inventoried and many bat bones were noticed intermixed in the sandy surface. No bats were noticed perched or flying. This loose end is completely surveyed.
The second survey brought us to Convention Hall. After a light snack we took the 10 to 15 ft climb up out of Convention Hall into the last remaining loop tie in of Ben’s Land Before Time side passage. This side passage basically ran parallel along side Bob’s previously surveyed portion of the UL2 that headed into Convention Hall. Once we got into the Land Before Time passage from Convention Hall, it took several small 7 to 10 foot long shots to get up and over a collapsed ceiling area. My compliments to Dan and Rita who had to suffer through shooting those difficult compass and clino shots. Once we got over the collapsed area it took a couple more shots to tie into Ben’s last station. It took approximately 80ft of survey to make this loop complete. When we made it to the tie in point we got the opportunity to stand in a fairly big room with a small shower coming in from the ceiling. This room developed its bigger size from the great amount of ceiling collapse that made up the floor material.
After another break in Convention Hall a few of us helped out Dan Austin with his photography efforts. The 3 flashes really lit up the room and gave a more detailed perspective of the grand size. Hope they turn out. After that, we surveyed out of Convention Hall, at the foot of the climb up to the balcony. Our survey immediately went downward (approx. 25ft at -42 degrees) and wrapped around the shower area of the Convention Hall. This area broke open into that more crazier mind boggling type of passage that is similar to the irregular, incised shape of UL2 that gave us the woes on last month’s survey. An upper level plan had to be made along with a lower level plan just to show the full dimension of this area. Once at bottom, the sound of the Convention Hall shower could be heard through a tiny side meander along the left wall. My sketch didn’t quite make it to the Conference Hall where Bob’s team started surveying after they leap frogged us. A cross section showing the passages irregular shape will be completed after a splay shot is made on the next survey. Rita found a little side passage bypass that led up into Conference Hall. UL2 has a variety of challenges for the sketcher and instrument readers. I’m looking forward to the next trip. See yah,

Joe Sikorsk