Participants:
Mike Laycock, Terri Marceron, Jim Pisarowicz

Duration of Trip:
7 hours

New Cave Surveyed:
581 feet

Began the survey in upper level cave just off the tour trail at the Coliseum. The passages here were very smooth and flaky. We could almost walk upright in these passages.

After about 10 stations, the passage changed as we began climbing higher into upper levels of the cave. Looking down this passage was like peering down a hallway filled with millions of small mirrors. The walls sparkled because they were covered with macro-crystalline calcite. Incredible!!

Next we came to a pit that descended about 20 feet, but the walls were too far apart to climb down. Terri poked her head through a small hole and discovered a crawl which allowed us to climb to the bottom of the pit.

We continued to descend into a small room. Terri was leading and carrying the survey tape. As she went to set a point she got poked in the rear by a rock sticking out of the floor-she let out a loud yell. We called that room Terri's Poke Pit.

From Terri's Poke Pit, we went under a chert bed and moved into middle level cave (boxwork on the walls and ceilings). Two hundred feet later we saw a light shinning up through a hole. We wondered where we were.

Looking down the hole we discovered we were about 40 feet above a trail, but which trail? After searching quite a while for a way down to the light, Terri finally found a way to climb down. We were above the Chamber of Bells, just off the Elk's Room.

Seeing where we came out it all made sense, but boy were we confused before then.

Report by: Jim Pisarowicz