Caving Narrative 1986 - November 3

Bob Kobza (left) and Jim Pisarowicz (right) suiting up in wet suits to cross Windy City Lake

NPS Photo by Karen Rosga

Participants:
Bob Kobza, Jim Pisarowicz

Duration of Trip:
12 hours

New Cave Surveyed:
1032 feet

We had a very fast trip down to Windy City Lake. Before we knew it we were again in our wetsuits swimming across Windy City Lake. Half an hour later we began surveying into Atlantis.

The largest passages trended south and we took those passages first. They were high fissure passages with false floors broken through about 4 feet above the real floor. Bob would toss the measuring tape above the false floor and proceed below the false floor. We called this the Split Level Fissure.

The Split Level Fissure eventually tightened to a small hole that had a strong wind blowing through it. Even taking off my clothes, I could not get through. Our frustration is evident in the name of the hole - El Poop-O.

We started looking at side passages. One led to a high fissure (30 feet high) which we chimneyed along surveying. It eventually led to a hole in the ceiling that connected to the Great North Passage. The high fissure was dubbed the King Fissure.

North of Atlantis was a small room with several, small confusing leads. Bob accidentally smeared some red clay from the room on his face and that, along with the confusing nature of the room led us to call it the Ruse Rock Room

On the way out for the day I checked some of the wet leads. In one of these leads I swam about 100 feet down a tunnel passage in crystal blue water. Below me I could see boxwork in the water filled passage. It kept on going as far as I could see. The next trip will be a wet lead pushing trip.

Report by: Jim Pisarowicz