PROJECT REPORT

This weekend, we had another small turnout due to nasty weather on Friday night. Silly people—the weather was beautiful on Saturday and Sunday.

Team 1: Howard Haddock, Julie Sandefur, Steve Keselik, Jubal Burgan, Terry Burgan

Time: 5 hours * 5 people = 25 hours

This crew started at SAB193, which apparently has no marker. They then went to Horseshoe Chimney where Terry Burgan went down and wrote a description. They then went to Parsley Pit where Jubal and Steve went in dug into a small room. Since this cave is near the primitive camping area, they used a power pole as a reference for this location. They then went to Rabbit Run Grotto. This cave required ropes to get into and they did not consider it worth a trip back to the truck for the rope. They noted that it was a clean-looking cave. They then looked for Sherry’s Diet Cave (SAB205) where they found a small crevice marked K11 (SABK011). Hmm. They said that SABK011 had a bearing of 27 degrees from Rabbit Run. They then looked unsuccessfully for Be Snaky (SAB223).

Team 2: Dale Barnard, Terry Holsinger, Jiyoung Cha

Saturday Time: 8 hours * 3 people = 24 hours

Sunday Time: 2 hours * 2 people = 4 hours

We spent most of the morning organizing teams and discussing the project with the rangers down at the office. Early in the afternoon, we began hiking the new backpacking trail, taking GPS readings at approximately 30-50 meter intervals and taking digital pictures along the way. This will help us to determine how closely to approaches endangered bird habitat. We began by hiking a few dozen meters down the Spicewood Spring trail until it makes a hard-left turn. Where the trail is forced to the left by a rock berm on the right edge, we continued straight down an old road. We discovered that this road continues all the way to the point that the fence kisses the main road. We decided to relocate the hiking trail to follow this road rather than cutting trail on the other side of the road. The only yucky part of the trail is along the fence where it hugs the road. There is barely room for biking, but it is doable.

On Sunday, I finished GPSing the trail with another caver. I just can’t remember who it was that helped me. I’m sure I will be griped out if they read this and see that they are so forgettable. They shouldn’t take it personally—I forget nearly everything and everyone (just ask Denise).

Team 3: Chris Hall, Paul Trowbridge, Brian Trowbridge, Rafal Kedzierski

Saturday Time: 10 hours * 4 people = 40 hours

Sunday Time: 6 * 2 people = 12 hours on Sunday

Here is Chris’trip report:

On Saturday, the team headed down to the banks of the Colorado River with their trusty and only somewhat leaky inflatable raft with the intention of once again ridgewalking park property acrossthe river. Some difficulty was encountered due to the fact that the rope used to rig a ferry across the swiftly flowing river proved to be too short. However, with a scavenged length of webbing, the gap was (barely) bridged. Across went the team, and they walked the ridge, fighting the particularly thick and nasty brush on this remote park land. The day wore on and nothing was found. Discouragement was settling in when Rafal found a genuine cave. This cave was denoted CB6 (since this is Lampasas County, CB is the working prefix). GPS readings will follow at the end of the report.

This cave appears to be a drainage feature with three visible entrances—VERY small entrances. In fact, only 11-year-old Brian was able to fit into any of them. He explored and seemed to think that the cave continues.

The team decided to walk down to their raft along the base of the cliffs by the river since dark would be ascending soon and try to find and GPS CB5 (see report for last month). This cave has been subsequently identified as Soot Cave. It proved impossible to find CB5 in the dark, bu the team, strolling along with skittish cattle for company, found an interesting feature in a drainage along the cliffs – what appeared to be a cave spring. One can look down into a depression and see an entrance into what is likely a humanly-enterable room. That is, if it were not filled to the top with clean, clear water. This was denoted as CB7. The team recrossed the river in a hauntingly beautiful moonlight.

On Sunday, Chris and Rafal crossed the river once again to hammer out and try to enter CB3, found the previous month. CB3 is a very small crack leading into what appears to be a vertical passage. The limestone in the squeeze proved to be very tough, indeed. After quite some itme taking turns hammering and as it became near time to head back, the abnormally skinny Chris was finally just barely able to squeeze into the crack. Chris was handed a maglite since he’d had to remove his helmet to squeeze in, and in the weak light of the maglite, peered down into what can only be described as a pit. Rope would be required. Although they had rope and vertical gear, it had grown very late and it was time to leave. This cave, which looks promising indeed, has tentatively been named Glove Cave due to the loss of a team member’s glove down the unenterable pit.

Later, Chris’ truck got stuck in soft mud near the river bottom, and Rafal’s truck died heroically attempting to pull it out. It wasn’t unti lthe next morning that a tractor could come and pull out Chris’ truck and haul Rafal’s truck to a mechanic in Lampasas.

Later, Terry pointed out that he had found the same 50-foot pit (Glove Cave) a few years earlier. Why didn’t you survey it, Terry? I know, I know—difficultly accessing the land across the river.

Extra volunteer hours

In addition to the hours accumulated on this trip, an estimated 10 hours was spent during November on project-related activities. An additional 144 hours was spent commuting to and from the project. This brings the total hours for this month to 10 + 66 + 105 = .181

What Should Be Done Next: