Hobbie's Past

Yotehntr · October 04, 2010, 12:49:01 AM

Was looking for something in the closet, and ran across some old pics. I used to do some "vertical caving"... We considered it sport caving or vertical caving...folks that like to show their smarts have another name for it. I'll leave that for them. We just had a good time and a bit of an adrenaline rush from it.. Thought I'd share the pics. I'll explain a little as I go. Make it an open thread if you want to show your old hobbies past!

There is a cave here in TN. There were a tribe of Indians that would use this pit as a burial site. I couldn't find a pic of the entrance but this is what's inside.... spooky huh? There were human bones everywhere... some obviously were children, I guess the young die too, but still bothered me to see that.

Here I am going into a very small entrance pit.. the name is Storm Chasm. There's a very narrow walkway after you squeeze into the entrance that leads to a 112' drop.

This was one of my favorites at the time. It's name is Conley hole (155' drop). I could drive my old '72 Bronco right to the entrance. Made it where you could rig multiple ropes and just have a good time... usually at most pits the walk up the mountain would have your butt kicked where you didn't want to carry more than necessary. Some pit's are "in cave" this was just an "open drop". Also called a "blind pit" because there was no horizontal caving to be done once you get to the bottom.

Through the years that I carried on with this hobby I "dropped" over 100 pits that were over 100' deep. The most technical being multi drop wet caves. Basically those where caves with several pits that had horizontal caving to do between. Wet because they had streams still running through...technical because it's (L) to climb up a waterfall ...especially when you're going over the lip. Had to keep your head down to form an air pocket to breath in.

I've tried to take pics in those but you had to wear a wet suit and the steam from the heat of your own body made it about impossible. Well here is the apex of my caving we all went in together and bought a spool of rope 1400' long. We drove down to Mexico to SÃ³tano de las Golondrinas. (Cave of the swallows) it's a 1280' drop from where we rigged. It's about 300' across, the thing kind of messed up my proportions. It was so massive that it scaled down in my head and really didn't look so big.

These are what the local boys that guided us there called paroka's... some kind of parrot type of bird, they lived in the sides of the pit. To fly out they'd circle around and around gaining about 10' in elevation each revolution.

This is me, one of my buds, and one of our "guides". We tipped them well.

We're getting the rope out of the duffel bag.... dang that thing was heavy!

One of my buds headed down!

A pic I took from the bottom.... those are full grown trees up there on the edge.... and that's 300' across.

Me about to hit bottom.

Hope you enjoyed!

Todd Rahm · October 04, 2010, 01:32:29 AM

I don't think I wool do well in some of those confined spaces!

Cool stuff though and thanks for sharing, it's very interesting.

HaMeR · October 04, 2010, 05:09:40 AM

That's neat Brad!!

I ainta gonna do it!!

But still neat!! Thanks for sharing.

FinsnFur · October 04, 2010, 07:07:50 AM

Very interesting. I dont think you'd ever see me in any of those situations either.

It's kind of boggling that your still finding bones in those things though. We have tons of those caves around here since the Indians lived on the waterfront, and there's been so many people through them that all the artifacts are trashed or gone.

Find us some more pics, that was kinda fun

KySongDog · October 04, 2010, 07:21:29 AM

I've been in Mammoth Cave and also used to frequently go underground in coal mines. That was enough for me.

I think I have a touch of claustrophobia.

Neat pictures though. Do you have to take special training for that sport? Or just buy a long rope and go for it?

alscalls · October 04, 2010, 07:33:51 AM

Waaaaaaaaayyy Cool!!!!!! I woulda loved it!

Hawks Feather · October 04, 2010, 07:39:39 AM

Neat pictures, but if you ever see me in one of those caves it will be a picture like your first one - nothing but bones.

Jerry

Yotehntr · October 04, 2010, 07:57:22 AM

I'll dig around and try to find more... I don't have a scanner, I'm just taking pics of the old pics.

It was always interesting trying to figure out how the pits were named... even discovered a few a long the way. We belonged to the TN cave survey and would turn the cave's in with a discription and get to name them. Some that pop into mind are "Lost Mule pit" I actually knew the guy that discovered it. It was on "Mounteagle mtn" The guy asked the land owner "you have any deep holes on your land?" he told him that his dad was logging the place with his mules and as they were snaking a log down the mtn the log rolled into the pit and drug the mule down with it. It was 103' deep if memory serves. There was an old leather harness left, horse shoes, and a pile of bones. I was amazed that the leather harness had lasted. One was called "Lost Joe's pit"... around 110'. Got to the bottom of the pit, looking around and a little pile of bones at the bottom... was an old coon dog still had the dog collar on it.....guess the name on the collar.

I did most of my caving in TAG TN, Ala., & GA. GA had the deepest pit in the area it was a multi drop (dry for the most part) It had an in cave drop of 610' if I remember right... the name of the pit was "fantastic"... here I did a quick .net surf for a good pic of it. This is a timed exposure.... pretty easy to do. Put the camera on a tripod hold the shutter open. Have someone rappelle down and at intervals use a flash. This pic doesn't show it but at about 100' down there is a waterfall...after a rain you were sure to get a little spray.

There weren't any laws per say on having to have training Semp. If you could buy a rope, harness, a rack (or figure 8) you could go. Once while caving alone I had climbed to the top of a 135' pit, and my knee knocked my rack off the carabiner that was holding it (the rack is used for decent only) racks are pretty expensive so I rappelled the 135' again by doing a carabiner wrap with the rope. I accidentally got into this when I found a small vertical pit myself while hunting. I knew someone who was on the rescue squad that knew a little about rope techniques...scare y after I learned how little he knew. I bought a book and got together with some guys in a caving club. Taught a few friends along the way.... it was always fun to watch their knee's rattle... It's spooky as heck the 1st time you rappel into a big open air pit....you go over the edge and 150' + feet down you can see the bottom. I had a very strong light I wore on my helmet... it was suppose to reach 180'... so I guess you can see that rappelling a pit like the one above there is quite a while where you look up and you see a rope disappearing above...look below... the rope goes into no where!

coyote101 · October 04, 2010, 08:07:38 AM

Very intersesting Brad. Thanks for sharing. How do you get back out? Do you have to ascend the 1300' of rope?

There were a lot of caves around where I grew up. We used to go into them as far as we could. Five or six kids with only a couple of flashlights between them putting out a weak yellow beam of light. What a bunch of knuckleheads.

Pat

vvarmitr · October 04, 2010, 08:52:05 AM

Ever find the Jimmy Hoffa pit?

Like Pat, we boys used to do dumb stuff like that too, but today there ain't no way!!!!

The older I get the more claustrophobic I get.

Then too the older I get the less likely I'd fit through the holes.

Those pix are awwesome; thanks so much for sharing!

KySongDog · October 04, 2010, 10:17:39 AM

Hey Brad

Did you ever see the movie The Descent ? You'll never go in another cave again!

Yotehntr · October 04, 2010, 10:27:30 AM

Quote from: Semp on October 04, 2010, 10:17:39 AM
Hey Brad

Did you ever see the movie The Descent ? You'll never go in another cave again!

Never have seen it Semp, actually I'd be scared I'd plug up then entrances nowadays!

I dug out a few more pics...

Here's the old '72 Bronco before I did a body swap... I put a "Lock right" rear end in it, a Detroit easy locker in the front. Converted it to power steering, disc front brakes, 4 in the floor... it was 3 on the tree.

I'm headed into "Lost Joes Pit" that I mentioned earlier, on the back of the pic it says it's 109' deep.

This is "Bugger hole" 145' deep.

Fiery top drop...from the top. (166' deep)

From the bottom

FinsnFur · October 04, 2010, 10:32:53 AM

I'm beginning to wonder if your part of the country is getting ready to collapse into a pile of rubble with all those faults and caves.
The whole friggin area is one huge pitfall.

So how do you get out of these things? Bear Grils never really showed me that.

Yotehntr · October 04, 2010, 12:06:40 PM

Sorry about that, Pat asked earlier and I got caught up with the other pics. Only one way out most of the time.... climb the rope.

Actually there are climbing systems we used. Old school way was prusic knots...
You would use one attached to your waist, the other attached to your feet. Stand up, slide the other up and sit down...called the "frog system"

That is very "old school" and just good to know for a back up... I used a 3 ascender system, called a "rope walker system". I used an ascender on top of my left foot, one attached to my right but rode just over knee height (they can't pass each other on the rope) and then one attached to my seat harness (just a safety) when you get tired you sit down and rest. There is also a chest harness that the rope passes through a roller on to keep you upright. We made most of the harness system ourselves,....made the harness's to fit tight enough so there wan't a lot of slack but wouldn't interfere with breathing. I did a search on youtube...found this...

This is some guys that like to buy everything... you know if you make it yourself you don't have as much crap to carry. If it "fits all" it don't ever fit good. He makes it up the rope, but what a bunch of crap to have hanging on ya!

A close up of a "Gib" the type of ascender I used on my feet.

FinsnFur · October 04, 2010, 01:27:55 PM

VERY! interesting

I dont understand how that thing works but it is pretty.

Yotehntr · October 04, 2010, 01:40:07 PM

The rope slides through at "A" .. there's a pin that holds the cast aluminum part (with the ring) The "load" (my fat azz) bears on the ring "B". There's a pin that holds the 2 together that "B" pivots on, the cam action pinch's or holds the rope. It is one direction only. You can "down climb" but it is a major pain... Also the only way to cross a knot though. I penciled in what you can't see of "B"

FinsnFur · October 04, 2010, 04:34:09 PM

I kinda had a half an idea, about binding the rope inside there.
Man...I'm getting a charlie horse just thinking about ascending with something like that.

iahntr · October 04, 2010, 06:32:51 PM

Very cool. Looks like fun, love to explore.
Although the climb out doesn't sound like
quite as much fun.

Thanks for sharin !

Bopeye · October 04, 2010, 06:46:00 PM

Dang Brad. We use to love to Rappel, but I didn't like the cave thing much. I went down into one called "Calf Lick" and that sucker was a blast dropping into. It was the climb out that absolutely sucked!!! I was just 20 years old and still didn't like it a bit. The rhythm you have to get down to ascend out of them is something I just couldn't seem to acquire.

Awesome pics. I had a buddy, that he and his brother did that all the time. He was killed several years ago, but I bet you knew him. Spelunkers like ya'll are a tight knit bunch.

Yotehntr · October 04, 2010, 09:03:20 PM

I've done some caving out your way Bop! Actually one of the nicer caves we found was in Crossville. Had to dig it open so I know I was the 1st one ever to see that one.

The climbing system is the trick to it. Almost like walking up stairs and you can sit down and rest when ever you want. The only bad part is with the rope going through that roller on your chest it hits you in the lower back a little.