Restoration Project
Trip Report up Thunder River
Restoration Inventory/Trail Making Development
February 15, 2003
On Saturday morning, I remember Carl and I packing the car in tee shirts. It was about 8:00am and 50 degrees. Boy was that gonna change. We arrived at the schoolhouse at 10:30am to find plenty of camps, but no one around. Apparently everyone was at the site already working. It didn’t take more than opening the car door to realize it wasn’t 50 degrees anymore. Temperature drop was forecasted all day. The high would be in the morning, dropping to low 20s by P.M. Not to mention the horrible wind on the open hill.
Rick had a full crew of dedicated people who would be working on the ladder throughout the weekend. They were nice enough to let our small group in and out around their work. We entered the cave around 1:00pm. Our party consisted of Carl Wagner, Mike Hartley, Jeff Page, Peddgie Heinz, and myself. The purpose of the trip was general Restoration Inventory and trail development for the first mile Up Thunder River. The Survey is currently working this part of the cave, so we thought it pertinent to address this area immediately.
This part of the cave is very large, with passage widths reaching 100 feet. Ceiling heights can average 30 feet plus. We were continually looking for places to reroute traffic away from the river. Unfortunately, in this section, those kinds of places rarely exist. If you avoid the water by taking the shore, you’re typically led up a clay embankment only to find the river has cut you off yet again. A lot of these times, your led so high up the clay bank, that you find yourself above the river with no way down. You end up backtracking to return to the water. The river continually bounces from side to side of the trunk, making by-pass virtually impossible. All this made us understand a trail through the water would be inevitable. But how? It is well known that Thunder River does fluctuate with outside rain. It’s been reported to rise up to 15’ in extreme times. With this in mind, the real challenge would be coming up with something that would tolerate these conditions.
We discussed numerous options as we made our way Up River. One idea that seemed to prove the most efficient was a reflector system. Small but useful, these could be the answer we were looking for. For one, they could be easily and permanently installed. For another, if the actual reflector was threaded, as to screw on and off an installed bolt, this could also prove beneficial with general maintenance in the future. A simple two-color scheme could be used. One color representing the main trail and another to represent off limits. Reflectors would be placed in a manner so traffic going both directions could easily use them. At the same time a certain level of discreteness would also be used in placement, as to not take away from natural beauty of the cave. The reflectors would be a way to control traffic through the water with little to no effort for the participants. Our Biologist, Lawrence Ireland, will work with us in placement of these reflectors so we can best minimize impact to areas of the water with most importance. Along this route, numerous areas where one would consider crossing the river are also encountered. The reflectors would allow people to know, without thinking, when to cross or when to continue traveling where they are. Because all trips to Carroll must be lead by an approved Trip Leader, it would not take long for them to become familiar to a system such as this.
We located several places the Project will start routinely photo documenting. These initial locations will concentrate on trail impact to the River floor. This is the kind of information that will be used in the future to help in developing water-related trails. In a protective sense, impact to the river floor in this area should not prove too detrimental. Unlike most the rest of the cave, the river floor going Up Thunder continues mostly good solid bedrock with a minor gradient for a significant distance. We will start documenting other locations throughout the cave concerning impact areas. This will also help to create task Trip Leaders may choose from on a regular basis every year. The photo locales would be set up very simple and universal. A picture will be shot from an installed fixed position and also focused on an installed fixed centerpiece. Pictures will typically be taken at these locations every few months. With Projects currently working Up River monthly, we should start to see valuable information come from these first locations in as little as a year or two. This was another reason Mike insisted we get these first places picked and get documentation Up River started.
In regards to starting the Speleothem Resto Inventory, it didn’t take Mike long to become baffled at the job he’s undertaken. This is truly a life long challenge. The speleothems Up River are sometimes enormous and/or enormous in volume. Calcite covered everything is typical in these speleothem clusters. There’s about four of these areas that will start being researched. All four contain boisterous Stalagmites, Columns, and Dripstone. Along with all the ceiling decorations that accompany such. Around the bases of these magnificent pillars can be found many white Rimstone Dams. Some of these are absolutely covered with beautiful crystalline encrustations. There has been so little traffic (on a whole) that these areas are hardly damaged in any way. Most will be easy to protect given the locations are generally high in the passage.
A couple other specific areas of interest were also documented. One is a fantastic example of a unique and somewhat rare (in this part of the world) speleothem known as a Showerhead. Although one of the best examples in the world is right here close in Ozark Caverns State Park at Lake of the Ozarks, I’ve not ever found Carroll to be documented for also having one. This wonderful Stalactite protrudes out of a crevice in the ceiling appox. 8-10 feet over ones head. The noise fills the passage with the ringing sound of rain. Water pours out the flattened bottom through numerous showerhead looking bumps. This seems to run at a constant, rather heavy, pour throughout the year. It is a truly neat thing and needs to be recognized. The formal identification and documentation of this possible Showerhead will be further investigated.
Another area small in regards to volume, but very worthy all by it self, is a beautiful 2-3 foot tall white Dripstone. Totally surrounded by Rimstone with that same dense crystalline texture. It sits all alone in alittle corner almost unnoticeable. The front side is somewhat dried and some mud stains are present. This also should be easily restored and protected. This is just another one of the many speleothems that cavers for generations to come will enjoy viewing, photographing, and appreciating the protection our Projects keep as a priority.
The last area I’ll mention is at the UL2 intersection. A massive joint collides with the main trunk to make many interesting attractions. This side passage, also known as Convention Hall, is the height of the whole passage in Upper Thunder. At water level is a small but attractive waterfall. This is also where UL2’s discharge is entering Thunder River. It makes noise, it’s breezy, and it makes you feel like you’re in a big cave. (And that could be an understatement) As you climb up and away from the river, many speleothems seem to be coming into view all around the ceiling. Avery sloppy and steep embankment is climbed to allow view of a massively decorated peninsula that was obviously hit with a calcite nuclear bomb. This big volume of pure white Speleothems is to hard to even describe. Some flagging around this area is present, probably put there by cavers over 20 years ago. It has served its time and needs to be removed. For the moment though, it is serving the purpose. This is another area that will be researched and work will begin very soon.
I have to again give the surface crew Rick had a lot of credit. They were still working when we arrived back at T-Junction around 5:30pm. They graciously gave each of us an elevator ride out. It was freezing cold upon surface arrival, and these surface guys had been there all day. Tough MoFos. We rapidly changed and headed back to Springfield with freezing precip most the way.
Eddie Simmons