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kvmapr
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Post subject: Schoolhouse Cave Survey Reports - 11SEP04
 Posted: Sep 16, 2004 - 12:35 AM
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Joined: Jun 16, 2004
Posts: 224
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After reading this article, feel free to reply with your thoughts/comments at the bottom of the page!
Working closely with the WV DNR and the US F&WS has paid off for those of us who regularly show up to survey and push caves in Germany Valley. As a result of the reputation we've built with those organizations, the work done with the quarry, and enless hours spent talking to local landowners, we were recently granted the rare opportunity to enter and RESURVEY Schoolhouse cave.
Anyone familiar with this cave will know that the best map available to date is still the Culverwell map done in the late 50's. A resurvey to bring the cave up to modern standards of mapping has long been a desire of serious cave mappers. Now we have our chance.
The following trip reports were collectd after the first weekend of resurvey in Schoolhouse, on or about 11 September, 2004.
Jeff McCracken and Craig Stihler at the Schoolhouse cave bat gate. This photo taken several months before the resurvey began. - photo by D. Kouts
Schoolhouse Hodag Survey
I joined the Schoolhouse Survey on Saturday evening, aligning myself with Barry Horner and Dan Zinz to survey past the Hodag Room. Bob Anderson, Lew Carrol, Gordon Brace and Mike Frisina planned to go to the back of the cave and map out to join our survey.
Barry and I entered the cave with Devin Kouts to help him do some splay shots in the entrance room, thus allowing Dave west, Karen Willmes and Miles Drake to enter ahead of our crew and start their trip down to the Sand Room and other passages below the upper cave. This would also allow Bob Anderson and Lew to get ahead of us to head into the back, rigging sundry drops and traverses as they went. Gorden and Mike would join them after rebolt the rigging at the jumping off place.
This plan would eliminate the problem of all the parties waiting at the top of the drop at the same time for a free rope; of course it did not work that way. Devin and Barry looked over the entrance room and decided that a slpay shot wasn't needed there after all so we heade to the Jumping Off Place to find out that Miles was on the long rope to the bottom of the cave trying to free the rope to the upper cave from a projection below the Nick of Time that kept too much tension on it to allow it to be used. He gave up and repelled on down followed by Dave and Karen. Karen was held up when her rack hung up in the insidious crack below the breakover at the Balcony. Meanwhile Bob Zimmerman, Kurt Waldren and Pete Pinzer joined the crowd at the top. They planned to pick up the survey there and drop it into the Big Room and tie into our survey.
Bob Anderson goes up Leo's climb on his way to the Judgement Seat - photo by Mike Frisina
After Miles crew was finally down Bob Anderson rigged into the long rope to have a shot at freeing the rope at the Nick of Time. I derigged the rope and gave Bob enough slack to clear it from under what it hung up on. This legacy from the previous night cost an hour of survey time.
Lew followd Bob and was held up when his rack hung up in the insidious crack below the breakover at the Balcony.
I went on down followed by Barry and Dan. Coming over from the Nick of Time Dan wrapped himself around the corner, hugging it like a doll stuck on a car window with suction cups on it's feet and hands. Climbing throuh the breakdown we found the rope rigged at the Judgement Seat without any trouble. As I climbed I looked at Leo's climb and was glad Bob Anderson had done it the night before. I had done it 30 years ago and didn't remmeber it looking quite as daunting then. We could hear the commotion of Gorden and Mike drilling and Zimmerman's survey team as we climbed the rope into the small hole through the breakdown to the judgement seat.
We started our survey in the crawlway at the top of Clark's climb and headed to the Hodag Room. We were there in 2 shots. Bob and Lewis rigged a traverse line there on their way into the cave so we sent Dan out to take the tape across for the next shot. While Dan was sorting himself out on the traverse I climbed down through the breakdown to the bottom of the room, about 40' below him. There seems to be plenty of breakdown to squirrel around in there.
It looked like a 50' shot would get our survey to the far side of the traverse, but it wasn't so. It took a 56' foot shot to avoid setting a station on the traverse itself. We accomplished this by attaching my tether strap to the tape, adding 5.3 feet to it's total length (we had no disto).
The traverse has a 3" to 4" ledge with enough of a ridge on it to grab with your fingers. The wall slopes away steeply below this with a slight ledge below, so you start out standing proud of your climbing form but you end up wallowing like a graceful beached whale when the lower ledge disappears; one leg and arm on the ledge, but not enough to keep you there with out hanging on to the little digit holds along the top with both hands, the other leg dragging along the face below. You have to hang your weight on the ledge with one arm or elbow while you move your safty past the ageless pitons that the rope is clipped into (these may date to 1940).
Bob Anderson does the ledge traverse in the Hodag Room of Schoolhouse cave. That's a 40 foot drop below him. - photo by Micheael G. Frisina
We did a short easy survey through a wide crawlway to the Parapet which drops down a 20' wall of mud fill into the upper Thunderbolt Room. Foot holds have been dug into the clay in the right hand corner making it possible to free climb, but they were filled several inches deep with bat guano. Bob and Lew ahead of of us had rigged the drop. 2 shots down a steep sandy slope brought our survey to the top of Pendulum Pit where we stopped. As we packed up and heade out we could hear Bob and Lew starting up the rope in the pit, returning from their trip to the back of the cave.
Back at the top of Clark's Climb we surveyed down to the Judgement Seat and from there where able to tie in to Bob Zimmermans survey, preforming a 75' shot across the canyon with Pete's disto. Bob and Lew passed us here and headed out. They were frustrated because Gordon and Mike had not joined them so they had done no survey, but they completed rigging the climbs and drops to the back of the cave. As we rappelled down Zimmerman's crew headed out leaving us to sketch to cave between the 2 stations. In order to do that we had to survey 2 stations back from Zimm's last sation. When we reached the rope everybody was up except for Miles and Lew. Lew was stuck at the insidious crack below the Balcony breakover and we waited about 1/2 hour while Miles climbed up above him to help him. When they were clear Dan climbed up over the Nick of Time and changed over to the other rope at the Grotto so that Barry could start climbing. Barry did the same so we were able to cut some time off of our acsent. We found an amazing awray of bolts and rigging at the top of the drop that Gordon and Mike had done. We were out by 6:30 am. Since we started the trip in at 9:30 pm. it seemed like a much longer trip. I did not total our survey but think it was approximately 350'.
Bob Alderson
The DUH Survey
Howdy all,
On both Friday and Saturday nights I led Kurt Waldron and Pete Penczer in a survey of the Jumping Off Place, down to the Nick of Time, and into both the Big Room and the Helictite Passage. We picked DUH as our survey name while we sat at the top of the drop during the endless confusion of the beginning of the first day. Here we were, 12 very experienced cavers in a cave almost none of us had ever seen, trying to rig ropes in what is considered one of the world's most famous and challenging vertical caves, then survey it all in less than 8.5 hours. To put it mildly, things were hectic, making DUH seem appropriate.
A caver on rappel below the Jumping Off Place in Schoolhouse cave. - photo by Micheael G. Frisina
On Friday Pete had to cancel for health reasons, so Kurt and I had to do a two man survey. Fortunately, Pete lent us his Disto which made things much easier. While Kurt read instruments and Disto, I both sketched and read instruments. Our plan was to rappel down to the Nick of Time, survey some stuff in the middle level, and then survey up the drop on our way out.
Instead, we surveyed most of the Helictite Passage, which heads west as a comfortable and pretty crawl right off the Nick of Time. Because we were only two people, both somewhat large, we did not crawl through Sam's Struggle. Thus, our survey ended about 50 feet short of the end of the passage, at least according to the old map. As we both felt airflow and saw bats go by us several times, we wondered whether the passage actually ended as shown on the old map.
On Saturday Pete felt better, and the three of us surveyed down from the Jumping Off Place, past the Grotto, down the drop to the Nick of Time, tying the DUH survey to the entrance survey done by Devin Kouts and George Dasher. We also tied to both Miles Drake's and Bob Alderson's surveys, so that we were left with no hanging surveys at the end of the weekend.
I must note that I was very impressed with the instrument reading of both Pete and Kurt on the drop. Every station was a steep, high angle shot, from 40-50 degrees, and they got their numbers within 2 degrees everytime, the first time. Great work, guys!
Bob Zimmerman, Kurt Waldren, and Bob Anderson begin survey on the Nick Of Time in Schoolhouse cave - photo by Michael G. Frisina
I also must say that I had waited 25 years to see Schoolhouse, and it was definitely worth it. The Plateau in the Big Room, with its massive pinnacles and flowstone coated pits scattered across the floor of a wide and gigantic room, was quite memorable.
Thank you Gordon and Devin for making this finally happen.
Bob Zimmerman
The DCK Survey
On Saturday, Karen Willmes and Dave West joined Miles Drake to pick up the survey from the Dome Room back to the Jumping Off Point. As the first group down the drop, our first effort was to try to free the other rope. No success. Whatever it was snagged on was beyond our reach. After reaching the station where Miles' party had stopped the previous evening, Dave and Karen took a quick look at the Dome Room while Miles started setting up his book.
Barry Horner on the climb up from the Cascade Pit. The Nick Of Time is in the lower left of the image - photo by Michael G. Frisina
This was nice stuff to survey. Nice and dry, with a light covering of moldy guano scattered about. We brought the survey into the Sand Room, an oddly shaped room with sharply dipped ceiling joints, one of which may contain a lead. Our lights were not up to the task of lighting it. The Sand Room also contained a couple small areas with fresher guano piles, although these were not extensive or deep. We also noted an old pile of tin cans left from a parties lunch, we presume.
Continuing back towards the Pancakes, we noted a few old signatures from the early fifties, including W.H. Clark and Douglas, presumably William.
As we were about to shoot to a station at Pancakes, a much wetter area from the small waterfall there, we could clearly hear Zimmerman's group. We sent Miles on ahead to set up a tie in station. Karen and Dave waited in the still dry portion of the passage while this was accomplished. On Miles return, we continued past Pancakes into the bottom of Cascade Pit.
Miles took a quick reading of the depth of the well (the name escapes me at the moment) below the Ribfiddle while Karen held a stick in the water to divert the flow. 27 feet. We then continued our survey up Cascade Pit to our tie-in. All managed to leave the cave by about 5:55 a.m.
We left two leads, the aforementioned ceiling joint, and a hole that goes down about 30 feet in breakdown to an easy dig.
Dave West
Tape Rat
On Friday evening, the 10th of September 2004, George Dasher and I parted from the milling crowd of cavers at the vehicles parked outside the Schoolhouse security fence. It was 9:30 in the evening and as we made our way to the gate in the fence a few other surveyors with differing survey objectives followed us toward the gate. A rigging team went in first to get the ropes set at the Jumping Off Place. Those who would follow took their time entering the cave while George and I surveyed down into the entrance sink.
This survey trip was a by product of the relationship that has grown up between the cavers in Germany Valley, the WV DNR, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the surrounding landowners. Having established credibility with DNR and FWS in the conduct of Hellhole survey it was much easier
to pursuade them to give our group a crack at mapping Schoolhouse.
Working with the owners of Schoolhouse cave to map another cave on their property had helped us build up trust on that front as well. So when we started talking with DNR last Spring about the possibility of surveying in Schoolhouse the chances were as good as they were going to get.
After some early doubts, many months of collecting release forms, and a last minute solution to an otherwise unworkable problem, DNR and FWS gave me a call and authorized a survey in Schoolhouse just two days before we had anticipated getting started. Needless to say this probably had a big impact on the number of people milling about that first evening, but maybe it was for the better. Looking back at the weekend, even with two ropes, many more people in the cave would have made it very impractical to get up and down the main drop in time to meet the 6 a.m. out of cave deadline.
George and I zigged our way down through the trees with a fifty foot tape. We were fortunate that Criag Stihler had hung about to help us, especially after the long day he'd spent installing the new temperature sensor in the cave. At the tremendously magnetic bat gate we took shots from 50 feet away to a station set just above the human entry point.
Jeff McCracken, foreground, and Craig Stiler, backgroung, in the Schoolhouse entrance room. This photo taken several months before the Schoolhouse resurvey began. - photo by D. Kouts
Inside the gate we set our next station an equally long distance away from the gate to minimize the impact of all that iron on our compass readings. We zagged our way down the great entrance room to the lowest point in the floor. Bouncing from wall to wall we were sure to get a good outline of the room. From there we surveyed up the sand hill in the back of the entrance room and into the first passage lead from that area.
On Culverwell's map this area is shown to go for about 120 feet before
his map ends with a question mark. We pushed passed the question mark
through an increasing collection of beer cans, rat nests, and rodent pellets with the ceiling dropping all the while. After about 100 feet of belly crawl I told George and Craig to hang back, the next bit of crawl looked exceedingly gross.
Forward I pushed through a very low spot, belly to floor and back to ceiling, to where it finally opened up after about 5 feet. All the while I was forced to brush dried rat pellets from the floor in front of my face. Those that I missed wound up ground into the chest of my caver suit.
As I grimaced my way through this fetid mess I could see the passage opening up just ahead, and a curious cave rat poked his head from a hole to check me out. We stretched the tape to it's maximum and set a station in this comfortable turn around chamber. It was piled in rat feces and the lead onward grew too low to follow, thankfully.
We hauled ourselves back out of this long crawl, something I'll estimate in the 300 plus range, and moved back to the large entrance room. It was there that Pete Penczer appeared and asked for a ride back to the fieldhouse. It was the perfect opportunity for Craig to end his very long day so he and Pete left the cave together.
George Dasher looks out over the entrance room of Schoolhouse cave from a high ledge. The dryness of the room causes dust to suspend in the air. The pipe in the for ground runs to a temperature and barometric pressure monitor deeper in the cave and protects data wires from the cave rats. - photo by D. Kouts
George and I surveyed on alone. We went up the rest of the climb to the saltpeter passage that leads back into the cave and the Jumping Off Place. But before entering that passage we put a quick splay shot into a nice round room to the north of this passage junction. It was an interesting room of good size and I learned later that it was part of the winter bat count.
We surveyed our way into the saltpeter passage and things became much easier. The walls were uniform and survey stations were easy to select. Enthusiastically I stretched the entire survey tape out on its reel to look for another 50 foot shot.
I couldn't find a decent station 50 feet from George so I dropped the reel and walked back toward him and a projection he'd spotted at the 25 foot point. We stretched the tape and about the time I hollered "mark" I heard the tape reel behind me scrape against the passage floor, repeatedly.
I looked back over my shoulder and in disbelief witnessed a large cave rat trying to pick the reel up in both front paws. He almost had it, until I yanked lightly on the tape and pulled it from his grasp. He pounced on the escaping reel, not willing to lose his prize so easily. I called George's attention to this amusing spectacle.
Before I knew what happened, Mr. Rat nipped through the tape and separated it from the encumbering reel. He got a couple of loops into his mouth and started walking away from George and I, up the passage, with his prize. But when he got to the end of the tape he was stopped short.
Again I yanked it from his grasp. Again he wasn't going to give up so easily. He grabbed a fistful of tape and quickly nipped through it a second time. With a smaller, detached piece of tape in his mouth he turned once more to make his way up the passage and toward home. Thoroughly amused by this series of events I had no choice but to give
chase.
I ran quickly after Sir Rat covering about 50 feet of passage and closing the distance between us the whole way. As he hopped into an opening in some breakdown he looked back over his shoulder to see my form looming over him. Clearly freaked out he dropped the prize and dodged into a hole.
But just as quickly he came out of that hole to face me down for his beloved stretch of fiberglass marked in feet and tenths. He went for the tape. I went for the tape. As my large leather-gloved hand reached in to grab, his senses came to him and he realized the tape probably wasn't worth angering that big multi-fingered thing stretching out from under the bright glowing orb of light. He backed down and watched as I plucked his precious away.
A few steps down the passage I stopped and looked back. There he sat, forelorn and tapeless. I looked down and saw that he'd nipped a nearly perfect 3.1 feet from the end of George's tape. That meant I still had 45+ feet of tape waiting for me back up the passage. How could I be so selfish as to deny this poor struggling critter his hard earned booty. He certainly showed a lot of balls coming out to take that tape from a 400 pound team of cave surveyors.
I put the tape down on a rock near where I'd stopped and returned to survey with George. We laughed at the incident and stretched our now 47.1 foot tape. As we surveyed past the place where I'd left the tape lay, I was happy to see it was already gone.
George and I finished the survey to the Jumping Off Place. We tied into a flagged station, DUH1, near the rigging point and headed back out of the cave. It was 3:30 a.m. when we exited.
George Dasher looks off from the top of the Jumping Off Place in Schoolhouse cave. - photo by Devin Kouts
The next day George and I went out to surface survey from Schoolhouse to the Hellhole surface survey. It took a couple of hours but was well worth the doing. When we returned to the fieldhouse we found everyone lounging in the sun. I recounted the tale of the great tape rat caper and everyone seemed highly entertained.
Saturday evening George departed for home. I returned to Schoolhouse in the evening with the other survey parties that were returning to the depths of the cave. The splay shot I thought I needed turned out not to be necessary, and after watching a couple people start their rappels I was content to return to the fieldhouse and get a good night's sleep.
Devin Kouts
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posted by KVMAPR
Last edited by kvmapr on Oct 02, 2004 - 03:03 PM; edited 5 times in total
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Post subject: RE: Schoolhouse Cave Survey Reports - 11SEP04
Posted: Aug 30, 2006 - 06:51 PM
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| Hello, Very interesting article here. I went in schoolhouse cave in the early 70s with Edward Coll. There was no gate at the top of the entrance. We had a group of about 10, no equipment, most of us novices and we went at midnight! We climbed a horizonal-like ledge, to another flat horizonal ledge, high over the entrance room. From there, we went thru a hole and into a passageway. Along the way, I spotted nests with shoestrings, flashbulbs etc in them. I thought these were "packrat" nests. We came to a larger room, with a hole in the ground, surrounded by sand. Ed was first and warned us around this drop. My cousin and I sat near a sloping wall, where i soon discovered bats, right next to our heads. They were very small brown bats. We dropped stones in the hole, and could hear it bounce off the sides, until the sound totally faded, never hitting the bottom. Has anyone ever gone in these holes? Thanks for letting me share my memories. P.S. Edward Coll was a caver. mountain climber, rescue teacher and much more for years until his death a few years ago, he was also my cousin. |
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