*******************************************************************************

Leader:             Jamie Euliss

date:               Feb 19th, 2005

manager:            Mike Hartley

Assessment:         Carroll Passage

participant1:       Mike Hartley

participant2:       Colby Johnson

participant3:       Mike Wise (Julio Bongo)

participant4:       Randy Rosebrough

participant5:       Melanie Klieber

participant6:       Jeff Page

participant7:       Brandon Long

participant 8:      Bernhard Arnold

Time In:             11 AM

Time Out:            6:30 PM

Date:               Friday February 25, 2005

Time:               05:00 PM

purpose:

To start making a trail from the back door entrance to the water barrier

details:

The trip started in Springfield Missouri for me.  Brandon Long and I left my house around 7:30 Feb 19th, 2005. and arrived at the school house about 9:00 AM. Bongo, Randy, and Melanie were not far behind us.  We talked a bit and decided to go on up to the hill and wait on Mike and Colby who were in town at breakfast.  Bongo had a rope so we started gearing and getting the whole prepared for landing. We decided to wait for Mike and Colby to arrive and it was not much longer before they did. We all geared and entered the cave.

We finally ended up with a group of nine people, Mike Hartley, Colby Johnson, Mike Wise, Randy Rosebrough, Melanie Klieber, Jeff Page, Bernhard Arnold, Brandon Long and myself.  I was about the 5th person down the hole I believe and when I reached the bottom Mike already had the crew actively at work on the trail. We managed to get to the rock where you step up to go cross over and get to the water barrier.  We used the loose sediment right around the ladder to make the bigger flat rocks more stable.

Besides starting the trail right under the ladder where we were getting the loose sediment for planting the rocks, we started to move the flow of water that comes down the whole to wash off the formations naturally that are under all the breakdown. Good thought when I saw that happening. I hadn't ever thought of that. Mike got some good before and after shots of the trail along with shots of people working.

It became apparent that we needed more buckets to carry the loads of rocks and sediment we needed to do the trail.  Since we had buckets with materials and two backpack sprayers at the water barrier, Bongo selected a crew of three to go with him and retrieve the buckets.  Himself, Randy, and Melanie went to the water barrier and brought back the two backpack sprayers. I later returned with a group of four, myself, Brandon Long, Jeff Page, and Bernhard, to get the buckets. We observed many of the stalactites in the forest area and Brandon took many pictures. On our return with the buckets Brandon and I took the short cut to Thunder Falls to take a look at it.  The water looked up, making me wonder about Rick's trip through the “Forevers”  going down river the next week.

All in all we had a very productive trip. The trail is started. It will be a long road for resto by the looks of it.  The Yellow Brick Road comes to mind when I think of the trail. Only what are we looking for, OZ, or Diablo down here? Guess it depends on if we go up or down river.

Vandalism:

The Shaft entrance was left unlocked. The silo was locked but the shaft was not upon arrival.