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NEST TRIP REPORT
Project Z Trip Report 30 Nov 98
The Northeast Sump Exploration Team, NEST, returned and continued its
exploratory work at Project Z on 30 Nov 98. NEST is a formally recognized
Project of the NSS and consists of a team of sump divers and dedicated
support personnel who are pursuing original exploration efforts at several
caves in the PA, Virginia and West Virginia areas. The team surveys and
further documents these sites through the use of still and video techniques
as well as engaging in biological surveys and water sampling at these
locations. NEST is also available to support the NCRC in situations
involving flooded passage and beyond sump rescues. Below is an account of
the Teams most recent explorations.
I placed the Disler Spike in the bank of soft sediment on my left, took up
tension on the fiberglass tape and locked the reel. The bottom of the reel
fit perfectly in the top of the PVC pipe and I placed it there while I
recorded the length of the shot. Then holding the slate against the taught
tape I captured the magnetic azimuth and recorded this as well. It was a
rough survey which one day we would have to do with proper instruments but
for now it would give us a good idea of where the cave was headed. With
this last shot recorded I set about preparing for our primary objective,
pushing sump 3. I reeled in the tape and stowed the survey gear on a
convenient mud shelf, removed my fins from their pack and slipped them on.
By the time Laura had crawled to my location from the last survey station I
was ready to go.
After we discussed the dive plan I turned and freed myself from the
sucking clay bottom, crawling forward until I could launch myself into the
pool of crystal clear water at the opening to the third sump. As I floated
on the surface and did a final gear check the view took my breath away. The
gravel bank below me seemed to shimmer in the light of my meteor four, the
water was air clear. With every thing in order I raised the left shoulder
of my CF 200 dumping air until I slowly drifted toward the bottom of the
pool and the opening to the sump. I finned forward through the two tight
sections and seemingly spacious rooms in between and soon found my self at
the low point and the first major restriction. Pulling the unused spike
from the sediment pile to my right I made the sharp left turn passing the
restriction. I gently finned through the next snug section until I reached
the reel that I had left on my last push. Gathering it up off of the bottom
I carefully studied the passage to my front. It was at least ten feet wide
but very low. A bit to my right the ceiling rose a couple of inches and I
selected this as my route of travel. I moved forward a few feet and placed
the spike I was carrying and did a wrap around it. As I continued things
began to get really tight and I found myself in firm contact with both the
ceiling and floor. It was now impossible to turn around. The passage
seemed to opened up in front of me but could I could not get a good view
because a mud bank rose immediately on the other side. It was crunch time
and with a bit of vigorous finning I popped through, over the bank and into
a large room.
This was by far the smallest section of sump that we had encountered so
far and it had really gotten my attention. I examined the opening that I
had emerged from with my primary and from this side it appeared to be
incredibly small. To make matters even more entertaining the spot I had
exited from appeared to be the only passable section with the rest of the
area on either side forming a classic line trap that extended several feet
in either direction. Under zero visibility conditions finding the right
spot would be almost impossible without the line being in exactly the
correct location. I wasted no time and taking advantage of the still
crystal clear visibility selected the optimum spot for the line and belayed
it with a spike to insure that the line would stay where it needed to be.
With this accomplished I took a quick look around and found the room
extended as far as I could see with no obvious end. It was now time to see
how much of a challenge exiting was going to be. To improve my odds and
reduce my profile I stripped the 5 remaining spikes from the sides of my
tanks placing them in the sediment next to the reel, where I could retrieve
them for future use. I then turned and firmly grasping the line moved
forward. For the first two feet I encountered a swirl of silt and clear
water. It was like flying through a thick layer of cumulus clouds. Then
the visibility went to zero as I hit the tight section. I slowly moved
forward feeling for the widest area. Removing the spikes seemed to have
made a big difference and the exit proved to be reasonably straight forward.
Although I could feel the ceiling and floor at the same time I was able to
pass this section without having to force myself through as I had on the
entrance. The restriction at the bend felt spacious and friendly by
comparison.
I surfaced on the other side and shared my experience with Laura. A
check of my gas and thermal states reflected insufficient reserves to make a
safe second attempt at this sump so we opted to exit. Our slog back down
the sediment lined passage seemed shorter than it had on the last trip. We
were either establishing a trail through the muck or getting better at
traversing this section. The second sump was once again a chocolate soup
with almost absolutely zero visibility. Laura exited first and I followed
three minutes behind her. As I proceeded through the sump I concentrated on
counting the knots to verify the distance between spikes. Unable to see my
slate I memorized the numbers as I went. I repeated them over and over
again in my mind as I gently finned forward adding them up as I followed the
line. At one point I must have strayed to the side of the passage and I ran
into a line trap. A small ceiling pendant detached itself and I felt the
rush of water as it fell past the front lens of my mask to land on my right
arm. I backed up and moved to the left and proceeded still concentrating on
my count. When I surfaced in the small air filled passage segment between
sump 2 and 1 I tried to record my numbers on the slate but found the pencil
point was broken. Not wasting any time I crawled forward, dropped over the
lip and in a head down position and drifted to the bottom of the 24 foot
deep dome. I passed the tight section which now felt quite roomy and the
remainder of the first sump. As I exited Don greeted me and I repeated my
numerical chant out loud and added pencil to it. For a moment Don looked at
me like I had lost my mind and than he realized what was going on. I
continued to repeat this chant as I walked out of the cave while Eric and
Don frantically looked for a writing implement. With none to be found on
this side of the river Don finally resorted to the primitive technique of
scratching the numbers on a rock outside of the entrance of the cave while
Eric retrieved another slate from the vehicle. With the data saved I
breathed a sight of relief and finally was able to carry on a normal
conversation.
It had been another highly productive weekend for the team. Eric once
again had done the first dive completing an accurate measurement of the line
in the first sump using a new technique that he had developed. After
surfacing between sump 1 and 2 he had turned and exited. Laura had entered
next with the survey slate to capture the distances in sump 2 and I had
followed 8 minutes later. After joining her we surveyed the air filled
passage between the two sumps. Combining the survey to date and an
estimate of the line laid in the third sump put Z at over 650 feet in length
and still going with at least 400 feet of this being underwater. Once again
Eric had collected water samples for future analysis. With all of our
objectives for the day achieved we headed back to Don�s place for an
incredible meal and a relaxing evening.
Once again we would like to recognize our sponsors and all of the
supporting cavers who helped make our efforts possible. A special thanks to
Arnold Jackson Of American Underwater Lighting who supplied our exceptional
primary lights, meteor 4�s, and Jon Breazile of the Fifth Dimension Dive
Center who has provided us with other vital support. We would also like to
thank Terry Brady, of the Brass Anchor who has provided us with generous
audio visual support. Additional sponsors include Lamar Hires of Dive Rite,
Gene Weisheit of East Coast Divers, Alex Sproul of Inner Mountain
Outfitters, Brad Bason, of Bason Rescue Equipment, Adrew Kipe of Maryland
Reproductions, and Robert Carmichael of Brownies, The Doing It Right
Equipment Company, Tim Walker, Hank and Jane Anderson, and the Sovik and
Mothes families without whose support none of our efforts would have been
possible. A special thanks Don Anderson and his wife for hosting us this
weekend and Paul Montgomery, and the landowners who permitted us to explore
this unique site. I would also like to thank Robert Laird who put Paul in
contact with me when he called looking for sump divers to look at this
incredible spring.
Diver Explorers
Joseph Kaffl
Eric Tesnau
Laura Kraus
Support Team Members
Don Anderson
JOSEPH
KAFFL
SUMPDIVER@MS*.CO*
NEST
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