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January/February
1999
The
start of 1999 saw a productive effort of survey and exploration concentrated in
the Colorado Grotto and Historic Zones. There was 3,116.5 feet added to Wind Cave
bringing it to 82.95 miles long.
On the 1st of the year
Marc Ohms led Rene Rogers and Derek Nelson into the Colorado Grotto zone to check
for leads off of the EM and EMA surveys. They surveyed 154 feet and left low mud
floored passage going with airflow.
January 9th was Wind
Cave Weekend and several groups attended. However, due to the revolving door freezing
shut nobody was able to enter the cave. The groups went to Reed’s Cave instead.
On the 23rd of January Marc Ohms led Rene Rogers and Paul Burger
back into the Colorado Grotto Zone to continue exploration and survey of the passage
found on the 1st (HO survey). They surveyed 500.2 feet of mud-floored passage
and left going leads with air. The discoveries included flood debris consisting
of small pieces of wood and pine needles, a new lake (Phantom Lake), and a single
set of footprints in what was thought to be virgin cave. The lake is 250 feet
long, up to 10 feet wide, and up to 8 feet deep.
On the
28th of January Marc Ohms led Steve Baldwin and Steve Langendorf into the Historic
Zone to a lead Steve Baldwin had discovered years ago. No survey was done due
to poor route finding.
On the 6th of February Marc Ohms
led Rene Rogers, Steve and Sammi Langendorf into the Colorado Grotto Zone to check
for leads near the City Sewer. They surveyed 625.8 feet in four areas. They left
going cave in their newly designated PX survey.
The 11th
of January saw Marc Ohms and Rene Rogers visit the Lakes to record the water level.
Calcite Lake was at 16.90’ up from the last reading in September of 1998
when it was 15.42’. Also on the 11th John Scheltens led Steve and Sammi Langendorf,
and Steve Baldwin into the Historic Zone to the area of the Back Room. They surveyed
100.5 feet continuing the NB survey.
February 13th was
Wind Cave Weekend. Hazel Barton led Evan Anderson, Mike Clayton, and Emma Porter
into the Colorado Grotto Zone to an area along the eastern edge of the cave. They
surveyed 545 feet mostly in one large room that they named The School Room. Marc
Ohms led Rene Rogers, Shane and Mylie Cottingham, and Andy Long to the Muddle
Room to do some mop up survey. They surveyed 177 feet. Kathy Petty led Sandy Kramer,
and Steve and Sammi Langendorf into the Historic Area to inventory. They inventoried
17 stations along the OM survey.
On the 14th of February
Marc Ohms led Paul Burger, Rene Rogers, and Myk Coughlin into the Colorado Grotto
Zone to continue exploration near the newly discovered Phantom Lake. They surveyed
566 feet and are underneath known cave near the tour route. A passage ended in
a rubble fill that appears to be filled from above. The rubble contained hunks
of wood with nails and candle stubs. They left one good going lead that had airflow.
On the 18th of February Steve Baldwin led Steve and Sammi Langendorf
into the Historic Zone to continue surveying the NB survey. They surveyed 154
feet.
On the 28th of February Marc Ohms led Rene Rogers,
and Steve Langendorf into the Colorado Grotto Zone to finish up the PX survey
started on the 6th. They survey 230 feet and returned to the Tour Path. In the
Eastern Star Room they surveyed down into the breakdown to see if this is the
location off the blocked passage leading to Phantom Lake. They surveyed a little
over 60 feet. March/April
1999 March
and April saw a flurry of activity in Wind Cave with 3,389 feet of new survey,
bringing the length of Wind Cave to 83.55 miles. The efforts were concentrated
in the Colorado Grotto and Historic Sections of the cave.
3/13/1999
(Wind Cave Weekend)
Marc
Ohms, Rene Rogers, Erik Sikora & Todd Seliga
This crew surveyed 200 feet
south of the Cheese Whiz Room in the Colorado Grotto Section. The passage was
in the middle level and contained some nice frostwork, corrosion residue, and
bat scratches. As time was running out they discovered a parallel canyon but did
not have time to survey it. Jim
Wilson, Dan Sadler, Kenny Bagby & Paul O’Brien
This crew headed out
to the Club Room area and surveyed 315 feet in 24 station off of the AS survey.
They survey some gnarly cave and left a few leads for next time.
3/21/1999
Marc
Ohms, Steve & Sammi Langendorf
Returning to the lead left on the 13th,
201 feet were surveyed off of the CC’ survey in the Colorado Grotto Section.
It started as a hard-floored crawl and progressed into a nice canyon that soon
ended. A small squeeze was found to connect to the CE survey but not surveyed
due to its small size.
3/26/1999
Marc
Ohms, Rene Rogers, Todd Seliga & Rod Horrocks
This team of four ventured
into the Colorado Grotto Section to the west end of Independence Hall. They surveyed
713 feet of mazy parallel passages, all in the middle level and consisting of
hard-floored crawls and stoopways. A few leads were left unchecked. 4/3/1999 Marc
Ohms, Rene Rogers & Mike Wiles
Returning to leads left from 12/5/98 along
the east boundary in the Colorado Grotto Section, the team pushed into numerous
miserable leads in an attempt to follow the airflow. This area held promise to
break through the eastern boundary but once again slammed shut. The only lead
surveyed was one found on the previous trip for total of 240 feet. This passage
headed south out of Pizza Hut and opened up briefly before ending in a 20-foot
deep pit named the Deep Dish. 4/10/1999
(Wind Cave Weekend) Jim
Wilson, Eric Dutton, Sherry McClure & Dan Benner
This team went out to
an area between the Club Room and Half Mile Hall and corrected a mislabeled survey,
found a few survey errors, and found leads to survey on a future trip. Bruce
Albright, Pat Malone & Carl Bern
This crew went into the North Section
of the cave and surveyed 399 feet off of the WT survey. They started a WI survey
and ran it for 17 stations. They felt air and left a few leads going. 4/17/1999 Marc
Ohms, Rene Rogers, Mike Wiles & Paul Burger
Returning to the lead left
on 1/23/1999 in the Phantom Lake area in the Colorado Grotto Section, the foursome
ran the HO survey north in a muddy canyon. Mud and dripping water abound. The
passage degenerated into a tight fissure that only Rogers could fit. She reports
the passage continues and has air. They backtracked to a high lead and continued
the survey up into the upper passage, which emerged in the Assembly Room! They
surveyed a total of 658 feet and left many leads. Rod
Horrocks & Todd Seliga
This duo entered the Historic Zone to mop-up leads
along the Historic Tour route. They surveyed 367 feet along the C survey. One
of the many passages they surveyed contained nice white stalactites and flowstone. 4/21/1999 Marc
Ohms, Rod Horrocks & Jim Pisarowicz
The trio entered the Historic Section
to continue to mop-up leads along the tour route. They surveyed 251 feet in three
leads along the C survey and left a few leads. 4/22/1999 Marc
Ohms & Rod Horrocks
The Cave Management Staff entered the cave along the
Wild Cave Tour route to place route flagging. The entire route is now flagged
with black and yellow striped flagging. Flagging the route seemed long overdue
as this route sees the most traffic and of the least experienced cavers. 4/25/1999 Marc
Ohms & Kelly Mathis
The team of two ventured into the Colorado Grotto
Section to mop-up a few remaining leads in the Flood Plains (early HO survey)
and to retrieve a webbing handline no longer needed. They surveyed 130 feet of
low mud-floored crawls in the HO survey. Then surveyed another 87 feet off of
the AD survey in some hard-floored crawls. One rather nasty lead was left and
a total of 217 feet of new survey was accumulated. May/June
1999 During
May and June of 1999, 13 survey and inventory trips netted 2,860.14 feet or 0.54
miles of survey in Wind Cave, raising the surveyed length from 83.55 to 84.08
miles. Two survey trips into Coyote Cave increased the surveyed length of that
cave from 1,114 feet to 3,195 feet, or 0.6 miles of survey, with 43 leads and
good air remaining for future trips. 5/4/1999 Rod
Horrocks, Kyle Voyles, Erik Freeman & Chris Hogan
Rod led three Color
Country Grotto cavers from Utah on a 4-hour survey training trip to the Post Office
area, where they surveyed 121.15 feet in 13 stations (avg. shot 9.3 feet) in a
difficult bellycrawl loop. They found Alvin McDonald era twine, candle wax drippings
and newspaper in the area. They didn’t have time to survey into a wide, low-ceiling
lead that was heading north. 5/8/1999 Rod
Horrocks, Kyle Voyles, Heidi Melville & Erik Freeman
Rod led a 3-hour
survey training trip to the Church, along the Natural Entrance Tour. They surveyed
145.19 feet in 12 stations (avg. shot 12 feet). They found a 30-foot deep pit,
five-feet in diameter, that they named Double D Pit, after two double D batteries
found at the bottom of the pit. They left several going leads at the top and bottom
of this pit. 5/22/1999 Rod
Horrocks, Kevin & Carol Schooler
Rod led two Salt Lake Grotto cavers on
a 7-hour survey training trip into side passages along the Natural Entrance Tour,
surveying 227 feet in 24 stations (avg. shot 9.4 feet). Marc
Ohms, Joel Despain, Marrilee Proffitt & Rene Rogers
Marc led a 6-hour
trip to the Dog Pound area in the Colorado Grotto section, to push a lead partially
scooped by Myk Coughlin on 10/31/98. After doing an exposed climb into the ceiling,
they squooze through a miserably tight slot and scooped the side leads off the
passage Myk previously explored, estimating between 200-300 feet of potential
survey for a future trip. Feeling guilty on the way out of the cave, they surveyed
103.5 feet of mop-up in the Bunkhouse area. 5/23/1999 Marc
Ohms, Joel Despain, Marrilee Proffitt & Rene Rogers
Joel led Marrilee
and Rene on a return trip to Coyote Cave to survey the passage that he, Marrilee
and Greg Stock had discovered in November of 1997, by squeezing through the sub
seven-inch high Hell Hole. During their 9 ½-hour trip past the six-foot long Hell
Hole squeeze, they surveyed 895 feet of passage. Beyond the squeeze, they surveyed
a 500-foot long strike-oriented bellycrawl before arriving at the Bison Bone Borehole,
the only walking passage found thus far in the cave. At the end of the borehole,
they surveyed into a 130-foot long crawl that ended with a sand dig and good air.
They found lots of organic debris, indicating the cave occasionally floods. They
left 17 unchecked leads along this newly surveyed route. 5/24/1999 Rod
Horrocks, Joel Despain & Marrilee Proffitt
Rod led Joel and Marrilee on
a 4.5-hour trip to survey side passages off the Cathedral, along the Natural Entrance
Tour in Wind Cave. They surveyed 376.4 feet in 27 stations (avg. shot 13.9’).
They located a flowstone area with heavily dripping water and some mid-level leads
located between the Cathedral and the Bishop Fowler Loop. 5/25/1999
Joel Despain & Marrilee Proffitt
Joel and Marrilee returned to systematically
survey the 17 side leads off the Bison Bone Borehole in Coyote Cave. Starting
at the first NE trending lead, they surveyed 1,187 feet of up-dip trending crawlway,
without reaching an end. They stopped their survey in an upper level passage that
was trending back SE, over the passage they had started in. The 4 x 6-foot passage
continued down cave with a strong breeze blowing through it. Along the survey
they discovered an additional 21 unchecked leads and didn’t check any of
the other 16 leads found on 5/23. 5/27/1999 Joel
Despain & Marrilee Proffitt
Joel and Marrilee returned to the leads below
the Bishop Fowler Loop in Wind Cave and surveyed 135.4 feet in 8 stations (avg.
shot 16.9’) on a two-hour trip. They found a virgin room with sodastraws
and flowstone and lots of dripping water. They left several going leads. 6/11/1999 Rod
Horrocks, Quincy & Rosie Bahr
Rod led two employees from Timpanogos Cave
National Monument on a 4-hour survey training trip to the Cathedral area, where
they surveyed 172.15 feet in 11 stations (avg. shot 15.6’). They surveyed
a 30 x 50-foot diameter room they named the New Beginnings Room. From there, the
cave continued in upper middle level passage with lots of unstable paleofill.
They found lots of candle wax drippings, twine and newspaper from the Alvin McDonald
era. It was later learned that Bob Richardson explored the area on August 11,
1957 and Alan Howard ran two short surveys in 1962, the K’ and L’ surveys,
down the two main passages in the area. Rod’s group was the first to survey
in this part of the cave since 1962. They left five going leads in a promising
new area. 6/12/1999 Evan
Anderson, Carl Bern & Amy Johnson
Evan led a 14-hour trip to the KA and
VJ surveys in the Half Mile Hall Section, where they surveyed 530 feet in 35 stations
(avg. shot 15.1’). After mapping a connection between the VJ and KA surveys,
they found a virgin, lower middle level passage trending southwest. They surveyed
almost everything in the area, leaving only two leads, both of which were too
tight, but opened up beyond the initial constrictions.
Jim Wilson, Greg Glazner, Eric Dutton & Dennis Laird
Jim led a 11-hour
trip to the FM and KX survey areas in the Half Mile Hall Section, where they surveyed
456 feet in 17 stations (avg. shot 26’). They found a virgin, lower level
passage that they named Pauls Place, after Paul O’Brian, a caver that recently
died. They found some birdbath conulites and the first selenite blades found outside
of the Gypsy Road area in Southern Comfort. 6/14/1999 Rod
Horrocks, Ken Bowermaster & Beth Sturiano
Rod led a 3.5-hour survey training
trip to the New Beginnings Room area, where they surveyed 160.4 feet in 16 stations
(avg. shot 10’). They started the CQ survey, surveying a low loop that connected
the K’ and L’ surveys. They left five small leads and one good lead
for future survey trips. 6/16/1999 Rod
Horrocks, Dawn Cardace, Jess Lang & Billie O’Doan
Rod led a 4-hour
survey training trip to the New Beginnings Room area, where they surveyed 190
feet in 15 stations (avg. shot 12.6’). They surveyed a walking-sized connection
between the C36 survey and the L’ survey. Starting at another side lead in
the L’ survey, they surveyed up into upper middle level passage. They left
six small leads and one good lead for a future trip. 6/18/1999 Rod
Horrocks, Joanne Vokoum & Deanna Harrell
Rod led a 3.5-hour survey training
trip to the New Beginnings Room area, where they surveyed 96 feet in 10 stations
(avg. shot 9.6’). They surveyed three crawls located underneath the New Beginnings
Room. They left seven small leads. 6/25/1999
Rod
Horrocks, Derek Nelson & Bina Vanmali
Rod led a 3.5-hour survey training
trip to the New Beginnings Room area, where they surveyed 146.95 feet in 11 stations
(avg. shot 13.3’). Returning to the lead found on 6/16, they continued the
CQ survey up into upper level cave, where they found a room they named the New
Throne Room. They left three small leads and one good lead heading towards upper
level cave off the Lackagluten Chamber. July/August
1999 July
and August saw a large number of trips concentrated in the Historic Section of
the cave. A total of 2,998 feet was surveyed on 14 trips. At the end of August
Wind Cave stands at 84.84 miles long. 7/3/1999 Trip
1-Myk Coughlin, Bonny True, Andy Armstrong, Ben Tompkins & Yumike Tompkins
Trip 2- Hazel Barton, Doug Noel, Neal Hines, Bryan Ferrer & Shannon Caldwell
Two trips went on the Club Room Loop for the Black Hills Caver Classic. A carbide
caver managed to set off the fire alarm in the elevator. 7/4/1999 Hazel
Barton, Art & Peggy Palmer
Hazel led the Palmers out to Navidad north
of Half Mile Hall to investigate the area where romanchite was found. They determined
its origin is from an isolated pocket in paleofill and not related to the caves
origin. 7/7/1999 Marc
Ohms, Jess Lang, Bina Valmali, and Art & Peggy Palmer
The group headed
south down to the Lakes to obtain water samples and to conduct the by-monthly
level recording. What the Hell was up another 2 inches making the squeeze quite
wet. The Lake was up another 1.5 feet, and has taken over City Hall. The total
rise since 1993 is 20 feet! Due to the rise of What the Hell, this could be the
last trip to visit the Lake. 7/19/1999 Marc
Ohms, Rene Rogers, Courtney Harlan & Erik Sikora
Returning to the HO survey,
this crew mopped up four leads off the main passage totaling 275 feet. A lead
heading off to the southwest had airflow but pinched to four inches high, not
big enough even for Rene. In a parallel canyon to the main passage, the crew discovered
a pool of water in the bottom that had not been present when the passage was discovered
a few months prior. 7/22/1999 Dawn
Cardace, Sarah Wedge & Steph Cleaves
This trio traveled off of the Post
Office into the Historic Section to push leads off of the UQ and GBC surveys.
They surveyed a total of 121 feet off of the GBC survey in two leads. 7/25/1999 Marc
Ohms, Rene Rogers & Joanne Vokoun
The threesome went out to an area north
of the Club Room to survey leads off of Christmas Tree Park. They surveyed 458
feet and left plenty of leads for a return trip. They saw lots of bat scratches
and corrosion residue. 7/27/1999 Marc
Ohms, Rene Rogers & Courtney Harlan
This team of three headed to Rome
in the Historic Section to survey two leads Marc had found earlier this year.
The first one headed west out of Rome and they finished the lead with 140 feet
of walking cave. The next lead was off of the BF survey and it looped back over
Rome with many pits in the floor looking down into Rome. They left several leads
and found a few Alvin McDonald signatures. They surveyed a total of 337 feet. 7/28/1999 Steph
Cleaves, Sarah Wedge, Courtney Harlan & Dawn Cardace
Steph led the others
along the Club Room Loop to familiarize everybody so they could lead future trips. 8/1/1999 Dawn
Cardace, Polly Hundley & Jess Lang
This crew returned to the area off
of the Post Office where Dawn had done some work on the 22nd of July. They surveyed
94 feet off of the UQ survey. 8/3/1999 Rod
Horrocks, Graham Hogg, John Paul Sicotle, Rainer Engler, Dan Kuslak & Terry
Wachnick
Rod lead two trips back to back to accommodate visiting Canadian
cavers. Both parties worked in an area below Rome in the Historic Section known
as the Catacombs. They surveyed a total of 565 feet of mazy passageways and left
plenty of leads. They also surveyed a passage between the Newspaper Room and the
RO survey. 8/4/1999 Rod
Horrocks, Graham Hogg, John Paul Sicotle, Terry Wachnick & Dan Kulak
Rod
led the party of five out to the Chamber of Lost Souls in the Historic Section
to survey the paleontological site. They surveyed a total of 222 feet off of the
UG survey. Marc
Ohms, Rene Rogers & Courtney Harlan
The group returned to the area above
Rome that they surveyed in on the 27th of July. They continued their survey where
they left off and obtained another 129 feet and left more to do. They discovered
a 1890’s drawing that Alvin McDonald had done which consisted of a large
tree and landscape scene. They also discovered numerous newspapers scattered throughout
the area, much more and better quality than in the Newspaper Room. 8/6/1999 Dawn
Cardace, Zach Guido & Steve Rose
Dawn returned to the area she had been
working off of the Post Office in the Historic Section to continue her survey
efforts. They started the survey only to discover the passage had previously been
surveyed. They stopped and decided it best to head out. 8/8/1999 Trip
1- Mary Laycock, Jena Hood, Zach Guido, Bina Vanmali, Ken Bowermaster, Beth Sturiano,
Barb Kippen, Sarah Petite, Deanna Harrell, Joanne Vokoun & Tom Brockman
Trip 2- Steph Cleaves, Sarah Wedge, Kelly Henderson & Billie O’Doan
Mary and Steph each lead a trip around the Bishop Fowlers Loop. Mary found and
removed 4 D-cell batteries. 8/12/1999 Rod
Horrocks, Bina Vanmali & Ken Bowermaster
Rod led the party of three out
to an area he has been working named the New Beginnings, in the Historic Section.
They continued the CQ survey off of the New Throne Room. A total of 178 feet and
a new room was surveyed. They discovered flowstone deposits and sodastraws. 8/13/1999 John
Scheltens, Myk Couglhin & Sandra Canning
This trio went out to the Half
Mile Hall area and surveyed 129 feet. They left several leads for next time. 8/19/1999 Dawn
Cardace, Jason Kolbe & Ken Bowermaster
Dawn lead two others on a Club
Room Loop. They saw a live bat in Omnibus Hall. 8/24/1999 Sarah
Wedge, Steph Cleaves, Kelly Henderson & Billie O’Doan
Sarah led three
others on a Club Room Loop. In the Nudist Colony they noticed some beautiful fossils
not noticed before. 8/26/1999 Rod
Horrocks, Daniel Linnartz, & Anion Leistner
Rod led two visiting German
cavers into the Historic Section to continue survey in the Catacombs. They also
surveyed a walking passage connecting the Appion Way with Rome. They added another
344 feet to this area and closed a couple of loops. 8/29/1999
Marc
Ohms & Kelly Mathis
This duo headed out to the area of Blue Bayou in the
Historic Section to check leads. They surveyed 145 feet off of the AY survey in
the Floordum area. The whole area has false floors. September/October
1999 September
and October saw a productive time of surveying in the Historic, Club Room, and
Lakes sections of the cave. A total of 4,654 feet was surveyed bringing
the cave to 85.68 miles long. 9/4/1999
Marc
Ohms, Rene Rogers & Kelly Mathis
The team headed into the Club Room zone
to survey leads near Christmas Tree Park not checked on 7/25/1999. They started
by mopping up a few short passages and then discovered a passage leading down
into a popcorn and frostwork covered room. They surveyed two leads off of
this room. One contained small pools of water, flowstone and stalactites. The
other ended at a 40-foot long pool of water up to 4 feet deep. They surveyed a
total of 565 feet. 9/9/1999
Rod
Horrocks, Matt Tucker & Zach Guido
The trio headed into the Historic zone
to survey leads off of upper Rome. They surveyed 374 feet and left plenty of leads
for a return trip. They noted dripping water, candle wax drippings and lots
of string. They named a moderately large room the Roman Candle Room. 9/11/1999
Wind Cave Weekend Rich
Wolfert, Pat Malone, Cyndi Mosch & Mike Goar
This foursome went into the
Colorado Grotto zone to an area known as the Side Roads. Their main objective
was to investigate a strange pattern or deposit that Rich had noted on a previous
trip. Cyndi believes that this feature represents invertebrate tracks and is related
to the organic debris found in the immediate area. They also surveyed 55
feet and noted several leads. Evan
Anderson, Amy Johnson, Carl Bern & Tom Dotter
This group entered the Club
Room zone and surveyed leads south of Buffalo Gap. They surveyed 417 feet and
left several leads for next time. Rod
Horrocks, Michelle Martz, Steve & Sammi Langendorf
Rod lead the group
into the Historic zone to continue surveying in the area off of upper Rome started
on 9/9/1999. They surveyed 640 feet. They noted newspapers, string and
candle wax. Many leads were left for future trips into this area. Marc
Ohms & Rene Rogers
This duo stayed within shouting distance of the Assembly
Room but managed to rack up 350 feet of new survey. They tied in the HO
survey from Phantom Lake to a survey in the Assembly Room 9/17/1999
Rod
Horrocks & Larry Spangler
Rod led Larry into the Historic zone to an upper
level lead off of Omnibus Hall. They surveyed 247 feet and left going passage.
9/27/1999
Marc
Ohms, Cori & Ben Schwartz
The trip arrived at What the Hell Pool to obtain
water samples, record the bi-monthly water level, and to determine if it is still
possible to get across this new lake to continue down to the Lakes region.
They discovered that the water level had risen 4 feet since the last trip on 7/7/1999,
totally blocking the passage beyond. 9/30/1999
Rod
Horrocks, Marc Ohms & Steve Langendorf
This group traveled to the Roman
Candle Room area to continue survey work there. They mapped 243 feet and
left a few leads. A pit, that only Marc could fit down, led into a 30'x40'
room with a few remaining leads. 10/9/1999
Wind Cave Weekend Tom
and Linda Dotter & Evan Anderson
This team headed into the Club Room zone
to the area around Railroad Junction. They surveyed several leads for a
total of 247 feet. Carl
Bern, Amy Johnson & Mike Mirro
The three cavers headed back into the Club
Room zone to survey leads left on the 9/11/1999 trip. They surveyed a total
of 266 feet. They noted that the passages contained large amounts of paleofill.
Marc
Ohms, Rene Rogers & Joann Vokoun
This group went to the Lakes zone and
surveyed 560 feet of new cave. They discovered a large (60'x100') room wich
they named Seismic Hall. While in the cave they heard an earthquake.
They left a few leads off of Seismic Hall. Jim
Wilson & Eric Dutton
The two cavers traveled into the Historic zone to
check leads in the Rome/Spillway area. They made notes of several going
leads to survey in the future. They also heard the earthquake. Mike
Hanson, Ryan Martinez, Todd Hitch, Larry Brooks & Daniel Wray
This crew
worked in the Historic zone along the tour routes recreating old stereo photo
picture cards. They were able to locate and re-photograph several of the
old sites. 10/15/1999
Rod
Horrocks, Belinda Fox & Joanne Vokoun
The trio went into the Historic
Section to survey in the New Beginnings Room area. They mopped up several
dead-end leads for a total of 150 feet. 10/16/1999
Marc
Ohms, Rene Rogers, Andy Long, Shane & Mylie Cottingham
This group returned
to the Lakes zone to the leads left in Seismic Hall on the 9th. They surveyed
two leads which both dead-ended after 100 feet each. They traveled further
south into the lakes zone and surveyed a lead off to the west. This ended
up rejoining the main survey after 110 feet. They discovered a dozen or
so helictite bushes up to 3 feet high. Some of these appear to be in an
upper level above another passage. A total of 373 feet were surveyed. 10/30/1999
Marc
Ohms & Rene Rogers
The pair ventured to the far east side of the Historic
zone, near the Red Clay Room, to push and survey leads. They mapped two
leads totaling 167 feet. They recorded finding profuse popcorn and frostwork.
November/December 1999 During
November and December of 1999, fourteen survey trips were taken to the Historic,
Club Room, North, and Southern Comfort sections of Wind Cave.
Cavers surveyed and inventoried a total of 4,536 feet, or 0.85 miles of
passage, with an average survey length of 324 feet. The new survey raised the official length of Wind Cave from
85.68 miles to 86.53 miles, maintaining the cave’s position as the eighth-longest
cave in the world and the fifth longest in the US. 11/12/1999 John
Scheltens, Andy Flurkey, Ed LaRock & Mike Rehu
John led a 6½-hour trip
to the Snowdrift Avenue area of the Historic Zone to check leads.
They checked the CO, CM, USA, B, and C surveys but did not find anything
to survey. Marc
Ohms Rod Horrocks & Rene Rogers
Marc led a half-day survey and inventory
trip to a wild cave in the park named Salamander Cave.
Known for its 252,000 year-old horse and camel bones, the cave has a 20-foot
entrance drop through the ceiling of its entrance room.
The group surveyed 224 feet of passage while adding detail to the survey,
the first profile view, and a surface survey, which tied into the nearby mine
prospect (from ~1916). 11/13/1999 Jim
Wilson & Eric Dutton
Jim led a 10½-hour trip to check leads near the Spillway
in the Historic Zone. They surveyed
375 feet in some gnarly virgin cave off the AI survey that headed south underneath
Omnibus Hall. They left a half dozen
leads for the next trip. Their average
shot length was 11.7 feet. Cyndi
Mosch, Mike Goar & Rich Wolfert
Cyndi led a 10-hour trip to the Christmas
Tree Park area in the Club Room Zone, where they surveyed 192 feet of passage
off the SC survey. They found a side passage with rims that exited from one room
and led into a bone-yard type of maze with airflow.
They anticipate this will lead to lots of additional survey on the next
trip. Their average shot was 13.7
feet in length. Mike
Hanson, Jamie Sherer, Randy Macan & Pete Graham
Mike led a 7½-hour trip
to the Back Room area of the Historic Zone to push a lead at NB43C.
They found a couple of unstable chimneys while surveying 126 feet of passage,
with an average shot length of 14 feet.
They left ~120 feet of upper level cave to survey on another trip. Clarence
Williams, Greg Glasner & Dan Wray
Clarence led an 8-hour trip to the UU
survey in the Historic Zone to continue inventorying that survey.
They inventoried nine stations. 11/20/1999 Marc
Ohms, Mike Wiles & Rene Rogers
Marc led a 15½-hour trip to the New Realities
area in the Southern Comfort Section to push leads remembered by Mike from previous
trips. They mapped 655 feet, including
200 feet of virgin, upper-level cave. Their
average shot was 22 feet in length. 11/27/1999 Rod
Horrocks, Marc Ohms & Brad Oen
Rod led an 8-hour trip to a bellycrawl
lead he had discovered near Omnibus Hall in the Historic Zone.
He had found the lead on 9/21/1999, during an evening survey trip with Larry
Spangler, a Utah caver. Surveying
through the virgin, sixty-foot long bellycrawl, they broke out into big upper-level
cave that had been partially explored (from another route) by either Herb or Jan
Conn on a single trip in the mid 1960’s.
However, that person had only checked the initial 220 feet of passage,
leaving the rest virgin. Rod’s group
mapped a total of 900 feet in the area.
This included a 200-foot long, mostly walking passage, they named the Mind
Boggler. This passage was partially
floored with mud cracks and calcified mud cracks.
Since the cave survey arrived at the 86-mile mark as they surveyed into
a 22-foot high dome, they named that dome, 86 Mile Dome.
They then surveyed into a beautiful gypsum passage they named the Triple
Crisp Passage, after three silver-dollar sized loose gypsum snowflakes on the
floor of a room in the middle of that passage.
They found a total of three rooms and left numerous good leads for a return
trip. Their average shot was 15.1
feet in length. 12/3/1999 Marc
Ohms, Rene Rogers & Brad Oen
Marc led an 8-hour survey and inventory trip
to the Mammoth Canyon area in the Colorado Grotto Zone of Wind Cave.
They mapped 189 feet of high and very narrow canyons that ripped them and
their clothes to pieces. Their average
shot was 11.8 feet in length. 12/11/1999 Jim
Wilson, Eric Dutton, Skip Withrow & Dennis Laird
Jim led a 10-hour trip
to continue pushing the leads he found on 11/13/1999 off of the Spillway in the
Historic Zone. They surveyed 402
feet of tight, gnarly cave, with most of it in virgin passage.
Their average shot was 10.5 feet in length. Cyndi
Mosch, Mike Goar, Rich Wolfert & Dan Hansen
Mike led an 11-hour trip to
the Christmas Tree Park area in the Club Room Zone, to push the leads they found
on 11/13/1999 off the SV survey. Although,
they found air, they were only able to map 80 feet of small boneyard.
Turning to a passage overlaying the SC survey, they mapped 159 feet of
passage that had lots of bat scratches in it.
Their average shot was 15.8 feet in length. Carl
Bern, Bruce Albright & Amy Johnson
Carl led a 13½-hour trip to the Chimera
Room area in the North Zone. They
surveyed 182 feet, connecting three levels of the WT survey.
The area was unusually wet, with dripping water everywhere. They left numerous
leads for a return trip. Their average
shot was 15.1 feet in length. Clarence
Williams, Bob Stucklen & Robert Epps
Clarence led an 8-hour trip to the
Historic Zone to continue inventorying the UU survey above Rome.
Because he had trouble locating the area and then trouble finding the stations,
he wasn’t able to do any inventory. Rod
Horrocks, Marc Ohms & Rene Rogers
Rod led a 6½-hour trip to continue pushing
the leads they had found on 11/27 off of the Mind Boggler in the Historic Section.
Starting with the last lead at the end of the Mind Boggler passage, they
worked their way back towards the Omnibus Hall connection pit, surveying 600 feet
of virgin cave. They found several
upper-level domes that were impressive, but quickly ended.
They also found some spectacular spitzkarren and slickenside boxwork.
This trip brought the total Mind Boggler discovery to 1,736 feet of survey,
with a handful of unpushed leads left. Their
average shot was 13.3 feet in length. 12/12/1999 Steve
Baldwin, Steve & Sami Langendorf
Steve led a 6 ½-hour trip to a lead they
had found last winter north of the Back Room in the Historic Zone.
Unfortunately, the virgin lead quickly connected into Snowdrift Avenue.
Their second lead connected into the north end of the Bubble for a total
of 139 feet of survey, with an average shot length of 10.6 feet. 12/21/1999 Hazel
Barton & Dan Lins
Hazel led an 8 ½-hour survey and inventory trip to the
Raceway in the Historic Zone. After
resurveying three stations of the P survey for 51 feet, they surveyed into numerous
unsurveyed side leads, finding two large rooms for a return survey trip. They
surveyed 147.25 feet of new survey, averaging 15.3 feet a shot. 12/22/1999
Hazel
Barton & Dan Lins
Hazel led a 9-hour survey and inventory trip back to
the Raceway in the Historic Zone. They remapped 132.5 feet of the P survey and
then into the two large rooms found the day before, where they also found a narrow
boxwork canyon that was virgin and some other passages that had obviously been
pushed by Alvin McDonald. They mapped
an additional 470 feet on new survey, with an average shot length of 15.4 feet
for both surveys. | 
