*******************************************************************************
Permit: Your Permit Number
Leader: Andy Isbell
date: 1-24-04
manager: Mike Hartley
Assessment: Upstream-Round Room or beyond
participant1: Andy Isbell #14
participant2: Jamie Euliss #216
participant3: John Ryder #217
participant4: Seth Makery
participant5: Carl Wagner #42
participant6: Ed Simmons #3
 

TimeIn: 14:00
TimeOut: 02:00
 

Report made

Date: Sunday February 01, 2004
Time: 02:31 PM

purpose:

Purpose of Trip- Check trail marking up thunder river.

details:

We entered Carroll around 2:00pm to do a marked trail check of upper thunder river passage. Right off from back door the first trail marker is not visible from the entrance shaft. From there it got better, but not good enough, There were several places we lost sight of all markers completely. If a marker gets moved just a little it will not reflect back to the right spot. This can happen by someone putting there hand on the marker as they pass or loose rocks moving it if bumped.
I noticed when coming out that the markers led over a mound but that the markers coming in led around the same mound. The trail around the mound was much better walking I have led trail marking trips. I think I/we can do better. I think my next trail marking trip will have a short class on how to find and mark trail before entering the cave. It is not as easy as it seems on the surface, for those of you how have trail marked you know what I am saying.
We checked a few reflectors near the back door for rust and found none. A suggestion was made to me about different color reflectors, say white going in and yellow going out? Something to thing about.
We went in as far as the collapsed dome room. About 1,200 ft short of the mapped end. Here Carl Wagner took several pictures then we headed out. (there was a small brown bat in this room).
The weather outside Sunday morning at 2:00am was sleet/ice/and very cold. Having the silo above the hole was wonderful, but watch out for ice as the door can ice up. We all got out of the silo fine but the next morning the door was totally iced over and we had to use a rock to break in to retrieve our gear. (BE CAREFUL) Sunday as you know the members meeting was canceled so I headed home.

Thank you to those cavers who went with me
Andy Isbell CCC #14


RestoNeeded:

Silo Door iced up. Could happen with people in cave.