by Bob Hohn (March, 2017)
We had a fantastic cave exploration trip with the Jr Rockhound group for our March meeting with 11 Juniors and 8 adults attending. Jeff Sorenson did a wonderful job suiting us up safely and leading us through this wonderful cave. Thank you Jeff!
Assembling at the cave site we suited up with lights, helmets and knee pads for us old folks and gathered at the cave’s entry for our Q & A session. After our safety talk, Jeff gave us a description of the cave and how it formed and what we would expect. Some of the adults had a few reservations about entering but after our first 30 foot crawl we quickly warmed up for what excitement and exercise was to come.
We immediately discovered many fossils laying about and embedded in the cave walls. There were beautiful calcite formations and the ceilings had reflective properties that resembled the milky way overhead, quite exciting to see! We were also greeted by creepy crawly bug and spiders that seemed to not object to us invading their territory too terribly. And did I mention bats! And salamanders! Everybody came out to greet us and we greeted them and viewed them in their environment with respect and awe.
The cave itself was absolutely perfect for us, for it was kind to us in most areas but definitely challenging in others. We could walk through most areas but we also had to bend over and climb and crawl some of the time and there were water obstacles too. There were places that we had to work as a team and set up a human safety line so no one would slip off the trail into a 20 foot or so drop. Team work and the buddy system were followed so all were accountable at all times. Great job Everyone!
What a wonderful day for children of all ages! We all want to do this again.
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