Backdoor Work

November 2, 2002

Workers: Bill Copeland, Mike Hartley, Carolyn Hartley, Rick Hines, Dave McCool, Jeff Page, Chris Wolters

First I would like to thank Hertz Equipment in Springfield for again loaning us the pneumatic chisel we are using to round out the shaft and thanks to Bill Copeland for delivering it.  We all wish to thank Carolyn for providing Saturday dinner; beef stew and hot rolls for dinner with brownies for dessert.   The leftovers only got better by Sunday lunch. 

Although the weather was nasty all weekend we did make good progress on the shaft.  With only a few minor exceptions the shaft tight spots have been removed.  There is one area about a foot above the cave ceiling that still needs a little work and I am sure we can find a few more spots to chip on but with another hour or two of chipping we will have a clean 32 inch minimum diameter shaft.

By 9:00 AM Saturday a sufficient crew had gathered at the schoolhouse.  We moved on to the dig to start the chipping process.  We complained about the falling sleet as we rigged the elevator.  Despite a weather forecast that called for a dry weekend the sleet soon changed to a cool drizzle that was with us all day. 

Soon Lawrence Ireland and a crew of two, Sean Ireland and Jason Covert arrived to do a trip into the cave to measure the Thunder River flow rate.  Their high tech equipment consisted of an orange.  You will have to wait for Lawrence's report to hear how it worked.  Lawrence and crew soon decided to take the elevator rather than rappel in once they had obtained assurances from us that we would be there at 4:00 PM to pull them out on the elevator.  By 4:00 PM we had made a lot of progress on the shaft and they all had a very smooth ride out without bumping on the wall on the way up. 

One thing I noticed this weekend was that there seemed to be less water flowing down the shaft than in any prior dig in spite of about 4 inches of rain in the prior week.  It will be interesting to measure and record the water flow over time.  Another thing everyone noticed was a very strong flow of air up the shaft.  With the surface temperature around freezing this was not unexpected.  When we left we tied a tarp over the culvert at the top of the shaft.  The differential pressure formed a large bubble in the tarp.  The sooner we get our new stainless steel airlocks in place the better. 

The next work weekend is scheduled for November 23.  We will finish the chipping and pour a concrete base for the ladder and cable ascender system.  We will lower the debris pile about another foot to give us headroom.  We will dig down around the large break down boulders so that the concrete will be locked in place by the boulders.  The concrete pad will provide a stable base for the ladder and will hold an anchor that will allow us to put a lot of tension on a steel cable that will be the main element in a cable ascender system.   With lots of aggregate and water available we will send down Portland and mix the concrete on the spot.  Sign up now to help. 

I will lead a photo trip into Carroll on Sunday November 24.  I have room for one more on the trip.  I have added a new requirement that will apply to this eighth crewmember.  He or she must work on Saturday. 

The work weekend originally scheduled for December 7 is now planned for December 14.  No one had signed up for the 7th and I have a grotto club Christmas Party at my house that day.

On December 14 I will be taking Tom Aley into the cave to study the possibility of expanding the existing National Natural Landmark designation for Carroll Cave that currently covers only the natural entrance.   Tom wrote the 1976 report that resulted in the designation of the natural entrance as a National Natural Landmark.  We will take photos and will need help with slaves.  We will need help on the surface to operator the elevator and will need a few very experienced Carroll cavers to help guide.

Schedule
November 23, 2002, work weekend
November 24, 2002, Photo trip, Could use one more Sherpa to haul gear and man slave flash units. 
December 7, 2002, work weekend Canceled
December 14, 2002, work weekend and Tom Aley trip
January 12, 2003 Semiannual Members Meeting, Sunday, 1:00 PM, Camdenton Fire Station (Note: Changed from date and place announced in Board Meeting Minutes

Please call or email to sign up.

Rick Hines      913 897 4258    Or    rickhines@aol.com

PS  The weather didn't provide any photo opportunities this weekend so I have attached a photo of Alley Springs taken at the Fall MVOR.