Shannon Zaloz , Victor Munsen , Kohl Mitchell and Martin Carmichael

We arrived at the silo around 9am. The field was incredibly soggy so we all kept our vehicles parked on the gravel.

I opened the silo and rigged our rope for rappelling in. We went over quite a bit of basic information, the entry and exit logistics, how to use the cable ascenders and the emergency equipment.

All four of us were in the Silo by 10:30.

We first went to the water barrier. From there we walked back to the ladder and then headed up Thunder River to Convention Hall.

Due to the snow melt and recent precipitation, the water level was up perhaps 4-6”. This was my third trip to Convention Hall and the amount of water pouring from the ceiling was much greater than usual. Perhaps before it had been a very light shower, but this time it was a steady pour that dissipated into a very heavy shower.

We spent a considerable amount of time setting up lighting for photos of formations, passages and fauna. Victor brought his camera phone and some very bright lights for us to illuminate the surroundings. We took photos of the formations near the water barrier, of critters in the stream and of the passage up Thunder River and in Convention Hall, however, in Convention Hall, Victor dropped his phone and it died right on the spot.

Victor will attempt to retrieve the photos from his phone and will share them with us if he’s able.

From Convention Hall we headed back to the Ladder and climbed our way out. We exited around 4pm. Several of us stopped by El Caporal in Camdenton to enjoy some Mexican food on the way home.

~Martin Carmichael