As usual suiting up and getting down the shaft took a little longer than planned but we were all at the base of the ladder by 4:00PM.

I had a bad start to the trip!  As I tried to find a way down to Thunder River from the base of the ladder I ended up on a steep slippery slope and started to slide.  I sat down and poked my walking stick into the mud but couldn't stop the slide.   I slid down about 6’, bounced off a lip and free fell another 6’, landing horizontal in the mud at the edge of Thunder River .  The fall would not have been too bad except that my right thigh landed on a football sized rock.   It hurt but I was able to stand up and walk; nothing broken.   I did not want to abort the trip and decided to go on a little farther and see how I felt.  This thought process continued for the next day and a half until we reached the Lake Room. 

There are probably many reasons why I took my fall but my story is that after losing the vision in my left eye last summer I have no depth perception and could not judge the slope correctly.  That’s my story and I am sticking to it.  My son Craig may try to tell you that I fell because I didn't listen to him when he tried to tell me the correct way down and told me to wait for him to lead.  (I let him lead for the next three days.)

Other than my slow pace, everything went well on the trip.  We passed DL7 and found a large fairly flat camping area just as Andy Isbell had described from a previous trip.  We heated water for a hot dinner and we were in the sack by midnight.  We had a slow start the next morning, getting up, pumping water, making breakfast and finally getting into a cold wet wetsuit and heading for the Lake Room.  We were moving toward the Lake Room by 11:00AM

On the way to the Lake Room we photographed the falls just beyond DL7 (Do they have a name?) and the Liberty Bell.  We passed a pair of large natural bridges and a large pendent hanging in the passage and decided to photograph them on the way out (I should have known better, that never happens and this trip was no exception.). 

I think it was about 4:00 PM when we pulled ourselves through very deep mud to arrive at the Lake Room.  I planted my walking stick in the mud and strapped a mini-tripod to the top to hold the camera for a time exposure.  With the camera wide open and on maximum wide angle we fired 7 Vivitar 285 flash units 5 times each for a total of 35 flashes to get a reasonable exposure of the far side of the lake.  Even with the maximum wide angle setting on my camera I was not able to get in all the width I wanted.  I then took a left and a right hand shot to be stitched together later using Panaview software. 

We located the rubber boat Jamie and others had hauled in on a previous trip and my two sons, Chad and Craig, each took a turn paddling across the lake to explore the far side.  Craig tried to plumb the depth of the lake but found only that much of it was deeper than the 30 foot string he had to measure with.  They found a stream entering the lake on the far right hand side.  The stream flowed down a steep mud bank from about 20 feet above the lake level.  After a tough steep climb through deep mud they entered horizontal walking passage.  They traveled a few hundred feet in walking passage before turning around in walking passage.  Footprints, most likely Jaime’s from a previous trip, continued on. 

We took one photo of Chad in the boat but we could only do one simultaneous flash of the 7 flash units.  We had just enough light to expose Chad and the boat but not the entire room.  My plan was to use PhotoShop to place the boat in the Lake Room photo.  I was careful to keep the location of the camera and the wide angle setting constant for both photos.   

We left the Lake Room, cold and tired, at about 6:00 PM.  I was very slow, and tired on the trip back to camp.  We reached camp by 10:00 PM and after a hot meal we made it to bed a little after midnight. 

After another slow start the next morning we headed out about noon.  Just down stream from Jerry’s cairn we ran into Bob Larch and his survey crew.  

Shawn, after three days caving with us, decided to join surveyors for another 3 days before seeing daylight!  Bob followed us back to Jerry’s cairn so Shawn could drop his camping gear and then the two of them could catch up with the others on the survey trip.

The six of us continued on at a slow pace and with many breaks to allow my leg to regain a little strength. 

We made it to the ladder by 8:30 PM and Terry, Regan, Craig and Chad headed up.  Terry rigged a 2 to1 to haul the packs out.  Jamie and I hooked the first pack on and watched then go up.  The packs were heavy and I assumed they could use more help at the top.   Jamie climbed the ladder to help topside and I stayed below to connect the packs.  After the last pack it was my turn.  We used to 2 to 1 to give me an assist as I climbed out.  Near the top Terry asked me to let them try to pull me up as dead weight.  I was more than happy to oblige.  After a few feet they had enough of that test and I went back to climbing.   

We were all out and cleaned up by 10:00 PM.

Thanks to all on the trip for carrying my slave flash units.  Thanks to Craig and Chad for carrying more then their share of our group gear on the way in and nearly all of my gear on the way out.   And thanks to all for putting up with my slow pace.

Low resolution photos are attached.  High resolution photos on CD will be provided to all on the trip and to anyone requesting a copy. 

PS  If you are ever injured during a cave trip and think the injury is not severe enough to abort the trip please consider the consequences of potential complications under ground.  When in doubt head out!

After 4 weeks the bruising is almost gone but I still have and a large hematoma on my right thigh.   It is shrinking.

Rick