TR: Deep Creek Area Pt.5

[forum8fox]

This area is awesome! We took off Friday evening as usual for our weekly caving fix. We had planned to go to Premonition, and we meet MC a little bit up the road from Dotsero. We drive like bats out of hell untill we reach the turn off for FR618. We start driving down the road to premonition and it turns out it's pretty damn slick from the rain earlier. So slick infact I decide we shouldn't go any further. Mainly because when I hit my brakes I would slide like I was on ice and that was on nearly flat ground!Getting turned around was a little tricky, I failed on my first attempts then I backed up a ways till I could make it happen. We decided to head for the Fixin' block with our tail between our legs.

We woke up and started pondering what we were going to do instead. Nate, Steve, and I hadn't seen Thursday Morning and MC had only seen a little bit of it so we decided that would be a good option.

Off we went hiking along the base of the cliff untill we came to the hole that was camo-flauged by a bunch of tall weeds/bushes. I was amped and crawled through first. I realized it was not going to be easy so I went head first on my back. As I slid in I watched the ceiling get closer and closer to my face. I came to the tightest constriction and paused for a moment to take it in, the ceiling was a mere inch or 2 from my face!

I pushed on through to a slightly larger passage with a register and caught a shot of Steve having a good time with the entrance squeeze!



We slid down a little chute and came out to a nice wide hallway with tall ceilings:


We stopped for a short break and someone noticed some interesting fungus growing on a rat turd Excuse me I find it kinda funny.
Anyway it made for some fun picture taking, I think I need a new camera and a mini tripod!



We continued along what mostly seemed like a single passage that was some what canyon like most of the time. We saw some cool things along the way but I can't really place exactly where most of these pictures were shot. I'm pretty sure these first few came from before the up climb over the first dead end of the canyon.










I think these were shot after climbing over the dead end section:
































Moving through all of the passage to this point had been no walk in the park, it was physically exerting and down right painful at times. Alot of crawling and and sideways slithering, often over mites or other sharp rocks. Sometimes squeezing between features, and contorting to get through certain spots. I remember having to do alot of awkaward movment to get to the squeeze pictured in the following sequence. Specifically shimmeying up then poping through an opening in a squeeze slot canyon head first and dropping to the floor head first in a controlled slide then lowering myself with my arms and doing a forward roll out of it!

Only to be rewarded by this at the end of the fun!





Shortly after this fun squeeze MC had to take off so Steve escorted him out as Nate and I pushed deeper!
I'm pretty sure we went into another tight crawl shortly after and when we popped out there were multiple splits (BTW we had mostly been on the A survey taking a quick look at an AB survey and a B survey prior to this junction). The cave was starting to take on the form of Fixin' at this point in time it seemed as the passages changed in nature to less features and more mineral rich tunnels. We worked down a bore hole for a little ways (>40').

Untill we came to a pit that was about 30' with a couple passages running the off to either side before the pit. We had no rope so we figured this would be it but we poked our head in a passage trending to our right. Nate found a way that lead down through a hollow sounding breakdown tube, which bypassed the overhanging pit!

So we kept going, out the other side through another breakdown climb/ tube crawl. We came to another split and ended up at a dead end room, It was a messed up crawl into it. Nate somehow talked me into comming in so I did to snap a few shots:

Nate shot these and I crawled my way back out with no way to turn around so I just went out backwards!




There were still multiple leads to chase still but we both had to pee and we had left our packs a ways back so we were back on our way out.

On the way back out we shot some photos of things we had missed or wanted to shoot again:













Nate and I arrived back at camp an hour after the other 2 and only 15 min. after MC had left. We ate and ate and ate some more as we didn't expect to spend so long in there and didn't bring lunch! After a few meals we relaxed around the fire and then went to bed early at about 9ish. More to come, Intermission!

[vader]

VERY NICE.

I was in Thursday with MC when we only went in a little bit. I guess I will have to get back up there as alot of that stuff looks pretty cool. Can't wait for part two.

Your description of the cave sounds different than the map that I have. No dought the map is out of date, but I will have to pull it back out and see if I can figure out where you were

[forum8fox]

Nate and I got to the G survey. Pt.2 will be Wednesday Afternoon which I wasn't as psyched about, but it was still cool.

[forum8fox]

We awoke Sunday to nice clear skies and Steven's brother and his girlfriend were to join us. We liezurely woke us and we all felt like we had our a$$es kicked royally. There was mention of returning to Thursday but that was soon put to rest. Not that I didn't want to see it but I didn't think we would see anything different this time or even get as far as last time considering the amount of fatigue we were experiencing from the day prior. We decided on Wednesday Afternoon for our objective on Sunday.
I'm not sure why really to be honest as it was pretty much all crawling also. Not too much to say about this one except there is mostly crawling passages inside. Also expect alot of small stalagtites and straws, mites, and some collums aswell. Nate ventured back into a wet crawl he had wanted to do for some time now. I'm pretty sure we checked every lead except 1 up lead I think so I'm pretty sure we've seen the whole cave now which I practically saw the first time. We ended up poping out of another entrance. I don't remember anything that spectacular compared to TM, but I think we got a few decent pictures of the medioceraty. Enjoy!

[Don]

Couldn't quite figure out what I was looking at in that second to last shot. Then I saw the last shot and it made sense.

Great TR and photos. Thanks!