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NEST TRIP REPORT
Buchanan Cave 4 Nov 2000
The Northeast Sump Exploration Team, NEST, conducted exploration efforts
In Buchanan Cave Resurgence in Virginia on 4 Nov 2000. 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 pulled up to the spring after a 7 hour ride and stretched out the
kinks. It had turned into another beautiful day with the low clear flow
emanating from the head pool promising good visibility. I had my gear
preparations down to a well choreographed process and despite having to
maneuver around some curious cows 40 minutes later I finned into the first
sump wearing my OMS 45 side mounts. I also carried a stage cluster
consisting of another OMS 45 and an alum 30 clipped together. Both stages
were equipped with flotation cells to reduce their negative buoyancy and
improve their trim characteristics. For the first 300 feet the first sump
was a nippy 48 degrees with its normal 6 inches of visibility. After making
a 90 degree turn to the left at a depth of 32 feet I followed the line up
slope and above the thermal cline. At this point the water warmed up to a
balmy 52 degrees and vis opened up to 20 feet. Once again I was in sump
diving nirvana.
At a penetration of 600 feet, about 100 feet into the beginning of the
second sump, I parked on the ceiling and dropped my Alum 30 stage, switched
over to the 45 and continued through sumps 2, 3 and 4. I surfaced at the
beginning of the dry cave 1100 feet in and 23 minutes after I had left the
entrance pool. On my first push to this point I had felt like I was at the
end of the world, today I felt right at home.
Before me lay 150 feet of relatively flat if somewhat slippery walking
trunk passage. I negotiated it in one trip, donned my fins and was on my
way into the 5 th sump within 6 minutes. The walk through the dry cave had
warmed me up nicely and the 52 degree water once again felt comfortable. I
finned into a broad 15 foot wide passage that averaged a little over 3 feet
high and which gradual increased in height as I continued forward following
the line that I had laid on my last push. About 100 feet in I retrieved my
large exploration reel from the silt and continued laying line belaying it
with Disler Spikes every 20 to 40 feet. The passage maintained it
dimensions as it gradually meandered back and forth gradually heading
deeper. The line spun off my reel at a pleasant clip and 200 feet in I had
reached a depth of 51 feet. I had been hoping this would not be another
deep sump but this was not going to be the case. As I finned forward it
finally appeared to bottom out and began a gradual upward climb. I turned
the dive at a depth of 48 feet with a total penetration of approx 320 feet
and headed back out verifying my line placement as I went.
After surfacing in the head pool I pulled my fins off, walked ashore and
lowered my tanks. It was time for a surface interval before I continued
and a closer look at the dry side lead that headed off on the left side of
the passage next to the sump 4 head pool. This lead was also walking size
and climbed at a steep angle over a mixed sand and flowstone slope. I had
to use a lone piece of break down as a climbing aid to negotiate one of the
steeper parts of this passage. The sand showed no signs of foot prints even
above the flood zone so once again it appeared I was the first person to
ever pass through this section. As I moved forward I notice several small
dry rimstone pools one of which contained an incredibly beautiful pure white
crystal formation that hugged the edge below the rim. I paused to admire
this for a few minutes before continuing my climb up the steep slope. The
nature of the passage again changed and I soon found myself standing at the
bottom of a 10 foot high dome with a second low oval passage heading off
from this back down to the river level toward the head pool of the fifth
sump. I opted to follow the continuation of the passage that continued up
slope and soon found my self in what appeared to be a mud lined dry stream
run. It turned out to be rather moist a few feet further and I was soon
wallowing in thick gooey mud up to my knees. I was able to use a spike
that I brought along as a climbing aid and pulled my self out on to a sandy
slope on the left. The passage had now become crawlway size and appeared to
make a hard turn to the right.
By now I was breathing rather heavily from my exertion and decided that
this was not the best option during a surface interval. Leaving the
crawlway for another day I backed up and returned to explore the second
downward sloping passage which in fact did connect with the main trunk.
Concerned that I might damage the cave or my dry suit I opted not to slide
down the final steep section and retraced my steps to the rim stone pools,
pulled up a flat section of cave, shut my light down and relaxed while my
body temperature returned to normal. After an hour I headed back to the
upstream pool and washed of the worst of the mud from my DUI, then collected
my gear and began my exit. After a pleasant but some what chilly dive I
emerged back on the surface.
All in all another highly productive day at the site with the line pushed
to well over 1600 feet from the entrance, not bad for a Virginia sump. Once
again I could not wait to return to see where sump 5 would lead me.
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 HIDs , as well as other critical gear and Tom
and Jon 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, Alex Sproul of Inner Mountain Outfitters,
Adrew Kipe of Maryland Reproductions, and Robert Carmichael of Brownies
Third Lung and HALCYON, The Doing It Right Equipment Company, and our most
recent sponsor, DUI for our outstanding CF 200 series Dry Suits, Tim
Walker, Hank and Jane Anderson, and the Sovik and Mothes families without
whose support none of our efforts would have been possible.
Diver Explorer
Joseph Kaffl
Stand By on call Divers and Support Team
Paul Montgomery Virginia Area Coordinator
Eric Tesnau
Jeff Mott
Dave Nicholas
..
JOSEPH
KAFFL
SUMPDIVER@MS*.CO*
NEST
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