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-----NEST TRIP REPORT
Buchanan Cave 5 May , 2001
The Northeast Sump Exploration Team, NEST, conducted exploration =
efforts
In Buchanan Cave Resurgence in Virginia on 5 May 2001. 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.
Jeff collected me at my place early on Saturday mourning and an =
hour
later we rescued Eric from the suburbs of DC. He was more than ready =
to go
sump diving and get away from the rat race. After an uneventful 6 hour =
ride
we pulled up to the spring and began the process of setting up our gear.
Jeff entered first on his second site orientation dive, while I stood by =
as
a support diver. He emerged 25 minutes later with a big grin on his =
face.
Eric and I then set out as a team with Eric in the lead. For =
this
dive Eric utilized a system consisting of NESTED stages consisting of a
buoyancy compensated Alum 30 and OMS 45. He breathed from the 30 till =
he
passed sump 1 placing the 30 at this point and then continued on through
sumps 2,3 and 4 on the 45 arriving at the end of sump 4 with full
sidemounts. For this dive I used a newly developed buoyancy =
compensated
Alum 80. Unlike the 45 which used sealed 3 inch PVC tubes on each =
side
the 80 was a much more sophisticated design. The end caps incorporated =
O
ring seals which were held in place with Nielsen latches. Not only did
this design allow for fine tuning the buoyancy of the cylinder it also =
made
it possible to used the air chambers as dry transport tubes to move
equipment through the sumps. An excellent example of a piece of =
equipment
serving two functions.
After Eric and I surfaced we moved through the dry cave separating =
us
from sump 5 and proceeded on through this 51 foot deep sump on our
sidemounts. This was Eric's first look at this sump and he handled this
dive in excellent form. We surfaced and after removing our fins =
floated
and walked our gear two hundred feet to a mud bank where Eric dropped =
his
tanks. The original plan had been to move some extra weights and the =
reel
to sump 6 and set them up for a future dive effort at this location. I =
was
feeling excellent and not knowing when we could return opted to modify =
the
plan and push on with my gear to sump six. Instead of dropping my =
tanks I
began removing my argon bottle, weights, AUL light canister and handed =
them
to Eric who although surprised at first quickly realized what I had in =
mind.
We navigated the 1200 feet of passage as well as Montgomery falls with =
out
any major problems and after a 40 minute push arrived at sump 6.
I dropped my tanks at this point and reattached the weights, reels =
and
other material that Eric had carried to help make my load more =
manageable
and set out into sump 6. It resembled sump 5 being about 10 to 15 feet =
wide
with a 3 to 5 foot high ceiling and a bottom that readily accepted my =
spikes
which I placed ever 20 feet. The passage meandered gently back and =
forth
slowly heading deeper and at a depth of 21 feet 120 feet in it made a =
hard
turn to the left. Just at this point I ran out of spikes so I opted to =
turn
the dive. I planted the push reel in the sediment on the bottom and =
slowly
exited from the sump verifying my line placement and making some small
tension adjustments to the line. The system we use for line belays in =
soft
sediment consists of 1 inch PVC pipe cut to 21 inch lengths with a =
square
notch cut in it with a grinding wheel about an inch from the top. I got =
the
idea from Jeff Disler. The spikes are carried under inner tubes on the
sidemounts, weight very little and work quite well in soft sediment. =
After
the spike is place the line is normally wrapped around the slot twice.
Additional wraps can be made on the way out to adjust line tension.
I rejoined Eric and after dropping my gear we climbed a mud bank =
above
the sump till we reached a handy shelf that formed a natural set of =
chairs.
Using the pieces of reflex insulation, which we had used as buoyancy
material for the extra weights we had brought in to stash at sump 6, =
as
seats we sat down and had a lunch of Gatorade and granola bars. The =
reflex
insulation is an excellent product and can be found at many hardware =
stores.
It consists of two layers of bubble wrap sandwiched between three =
layers of
space blanket like material. It provides an incredible R value, is =
tough
as nails, light weight and will not delaminate like a space blanket.
Once we were rested I walked my gear back while Eric carried my fins =
and
reels and we returned through sump 5. I took this opportunity to swim =
out
my empty push reel that I had left in place after cracking sump 5. =
During
our surface interval between sump 4 and 5 we opted to look at the side =
lead
that Eric had discovered. At first we though it might be a parallel
passage to the side loop that connected back at sump 5 but after a few =
feet
it turned away from the known cave. Surveying as we went we passed =
through
some stoopway, crawls and even short sections of walking passage lined =
with
some beautiful white crystal formations . After 100 feet we reached a =
low
crawl that Eric pushed to a small room. I followed and in the process
thoroughly slimed the inflation as well as the relief valve on my suit.
Fortunately the stainless steel urinator valve from Dive Rite could =
stand
the abuse unlike some other cheap plastic versions I have used in the =
past
which would have sheared off. Beyond this room the passage continued =
until
we reached a tight canyon like restriction. It looked pretty ugly so =
with
over 200 feet of survey in the bag we opted to turn and exit and dug out =
the
belly crawl to more reasonable dimensions on our outward journey.
With the 80 repacked with cave water replacing the Gatorade and food =
that
was consumed we exited through the first 4 sumps. On my way out of sump =
1 I
noticed the granddaddy of all Cray fish, he must have been as big as my
hand.
It had been an other incredible push for the team, with sump 6 =
started
and another 200 feet of virgin dry cave pushed and surveyed in the area
between sumps 4 and 5. We had also placed a set of weights at the head =
pool
of sump 6 which would mean less weight to haul in the future. Even as we
policed up and packed our gear I could not resist thinking about our =
next
push in sump 6.
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
Eric Tesnau
Jeff Mott
Stand By on call Divers and Support Team
Paul Montgomery Virginia Area Coordinator
Dave Nicholas
Laura Kraus
JOSEPH KAFFL
SUMPDIVER@MS*.CO*
NEST
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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><STRONG>-----NEST TRIP=20
REPORT<BR><BR> =
;=20
Buchanan Cave 5 May , 2001<BR><BR><BR> The Northeast
Sump=20
Exploration Team, NEST, conducted exploration efforts<BR>In Buchanan =
Cave=20
Resurgence in Virginia on 5 May 2001. NEST is a=20
formally<BR>recognized Project of the NSS and consists of a team of sump =
divers=20
and<BR>dedicated support personnel who are pursuing original exploration =
efforts=20
at<BR>several caves in the PA, Virginia and West Virginia areas. =
The team=20
surveys<BR>and further documents these sites through the use of still =
and=20
video<BR>techniques as well as engaging in biological surveys and water =
sampling=20
at<BR>these locations. NEST is also available to support the NCRC =
in=20
situations<BR>involving flooded passage and beyond sump rescues. =
Below is=20
an account of<BR>the Teams most recent=20
explorations.<BR> Jeff =
collected me at=20
my place early on Saturday mourning and an hour<BR>later we rescued Eric =
from=20
the suburbs of DC. He was more than ready to go<BR>sump =
diving and=20
get away from the rat race. After an uneventful 6 hour ride<BR>we =
pulled=20
up to the spring and began the process of setting up our gear.<BR>Jeff =
entered=20
first on his second site orientation dive, while I stood by as<BR>a =
support=20
diver. He emerged 25 minutes later with a big grin on his=20
face.<BR> Eric and I then set out as =
a team=20
with Eric in the lead. For this<BR>dive Eric utilized a system =
consisting=20
of NESTED stages consisting of a<BR>buoyancy compensated Alum 30 and =
OMS =20
45. He breathed from the 30 till he<BR>passed sump 1 placing =
the 30=20
at this point and then continued on through<BR>sumps 2,3 and 4 on the 45 =
arriving at the end of sump 4 with full<BR>sidemounts. For this =
dive I=20
used a newly developed buoyancy compensated<BR>Alum =
80. Unlike=20
the 45 which used sealed 3 inch PVC tubes on each side<BR>the 80 =
was a=20
much more sophisticated design. The end caps incorporated =
O<BR>ring seals=20
which were held in place with Nielsen latches. Not only =
did<BR>this=20
design allow for fine tuning the buoyancy of the cylinder it also =
made<BR>it=20
possible to used the air chambers as dry transport tubes to =
move<BR>equipment=20
through the sumps. An excellent example of a piece of =
equipment<BR>serving=20
two functions.<BR> After Eric and I surfaced we =
moved=20
through the dry cave separating us<BR>from sump 5 and proceeded on =
through this=20
51 foot deep sump on our<BR>sidemounts. This was Eric’s =
first look at this=20
sump and he handled this<BR>dive in excellent form. We =
surfaced and=20
after removing our fins floated<BR>and walked our gear two hundred feet =
to a mud=20
bank where Eric dropped his<BR>tanks. The original plan had =
been to=20
move some extra weights and the reel<BR>to sump 6 and set them up for a =
future=20
dive effort at this location. I was<BR>feeling excellent and not =
knowing=20
when we could return opted to modify the<BR>plan and push on with my =
gear to=20
sump six. Instead of dropping my tanks I<BR>began removing =
my argon=20
bottle, weights, AUL light canister and handed them<BR>to Eric who =
although=20
surprised at first quickly realized what I had in mind.<BR>We navigated =
the 1200=20
feet of passage as well as Montgomery falls with out<BR>any major =
problems and=20
after a 40 minute push arrived at sump 6.<BR> I dropped my =
tanks at=20
this point and reattached the weights, reels and<BR>other material that =
Eric had=20
carried to help make my load more manageable<BR>and set out into sump =
6. =20
It resembled sump 5 being about 10 to 15 feet wide<BR>with a 3 to 5 foot =
high=20
ceiling and a bottom that readily accepted my spikes<BR>which I placed =
ever 20=20
feet. The passage meandered gently back and forth<BR>slowly =
heading deeper=20
and at a depth of 21 feet 120 feet in it made a hard<BR>turn to the =
left. =20
Just at this point I ran out of spikes so I opted to turn<BR>the =
dive. I=20
planted the push reel in the sediment on the bottom and slowly<BR>exited =
from=20
the sump verifying my line placement and making some small<BR>tension=20
adjustments to the line. The system we use for line belays in=20
soft<BR>sediment consists of 1 inch PVC pipe cut to 21 inch =
lengths with a=20
square<BR>notch cut in it with a grinding wheel about an inch from the=20
top. I got the<BR>idea from Jeff Disler. The spikes =
are=20
carried under inner tubes on the<BR>sidemounts, weight very little and =
work=20
quite well in soft sediment. After<BR>the spike is place the line =
is=20
normally wrapped around the slot twice.<BR>Additional wraps can be made =
on the=20
way out to adjust line tension.<BR> I rejoined Eric and =
after=20
dropping my gear we climbed a mud bank above<BR>the sump till we reached =
a handy=20
shelf that formed a natural set of chairs.<BR>Using the pieces of reflex =
insulation, which we had used as buoyancy<BR>material for the =
extra=20
weights we had brought in to stash at sump 6, as<BR>seats we =
sat=20
down and had a lunch of Gatorade and granola bars. The=20
reflex<BR>insulation is an excellent product and can be found at many =
hardware=20
stores.<BR>It consists of two layers of bubble wrap sandwiched =
between=20
three layers of<BR>space blanket like material. It provides =
an=20
incredible R value, is tough<BR>as nails, light weight and will =
not=20
delaminate like a space blanket.<BR> Once we were rested I =
walked my=20
gear back while Eric carried my fins and<BR>reels and we returned =
through sump=20
5. I took this opportunity to swim out<BR>my empty push reel that =
I had=20
left in place after cracking sump 5. During<BR>our surface =
interval=20
between sump 4 and 5 we opted to look at the side lead<BR>that Eric had=20
discovered. At first we though it might be a =
parallel<BR>passage to=20
the side loop that connected back at sump 5 but after a few feet<BR>it =
turned=20
away from the known cave. Surveying as we went we passed =
through<BR>some=20
stoopway, crawls and even short sections of walking passage lined =
with<BR>some=20
beautiful white crystal formations . After 100 feet we reached a=20
low<BR>crawl that Eric pushed to a small room. I followed and in =
the=20
process<BR>thoroughly slimed the inflation as well as the relief valve =
on my=20
suit.<BR>Fortunately the stainless steel urinator valve from Dive Rite =
could=20
stand<BR>the abuse unlike some other cheap plastic versions I have used =
in the=20
past<BR>which would have sheared off. Beyond this room the passage =
continued until<BR>we reached a tight canyon like restriction. It =
looked=20
pretty ugly so with<BR>over 200 feet of survey in the bag we opted to =
turn and=20
exit and dug out the<BR>belly crawl to more reasonable dimensions on our =
outward=20
journey.<BR> With the 80 repacked with cave water replacing =
the=20
Gatorade and food that<BR>was consumed we exited through the first 4=20
sumps. On my way out of sump 1 I<BR>noticed the granddaddy of all =
Cray=20
fish, he must have been as big as =
my<BR>hand.<BR> It had=20
been an other incredible push for the team, with sump 6 started<BR>and =
another=20
200 feet of virgin dry cave pushed and surveyed in the area<BR>between =
sumps 4=20
and 5. We had also placed a set of weights at the head pool<BR>of =
sump 6=20
which would mean less weight to haul in the future. Even as =
we<BR>policed up and=20
packed our gear I could not resist thinking about our next<BR>push in =
sump=20
6.<BR> We would like to recognize our sponsors and all of =
the=20
supporting cavers<BR>who helped make our efforts possible. A =
special=20
thanks to Arnold Jackson Of<BR>American Underwater Lighting who =
supplied=20
our exceptional primary lights,<BR>Meteor 4’s and HIDs , as well =
as other=20
critical gear and Tom and Jon of the<BR>Fifth Dimension Dive Center who =
has=20
provided us with other vital support.<BR>We would also like to thank =
Terry=20
Brady, of the Brass Anchor who has<BR>provided us with generous =
audio=20
visual support. Additional sponsors include<BR>Lamar Hires of Dive =
Rite, Alex Sproul of Inner Mountain Outfitters, =
Adrew<BR>Kipe of=20
Maryland Reproductions, and Robert Carmichael of Brownies Third =
Lung<BR>and=20
HALCYON, The Doing It Right Equipment Company, and our most=20
recent<BR>sponsor, DUI for our outstanding CF 200 series Dry =
Suits, =20
Tim Walker,<BR>Hank and Jane Anderson, and the Sovik and Mothes =
families=20
without whose<BR>support none of our efforts would have been=20
possible.<BR><BR>Diver Explorer<BR>Joseph Kaffl<BR>Eric
Tesnau<BR>Jeff=20
Mott<BR><BR>Stand By on call Divers and Support Team<BR><BR>Paul=20
Montgomery Virginia Area Coordinator<BR>Dave =
Nicholas<BR>Laura=20
Kraus<BR><BR><BR>JOSEPH KAFFL<BR><BR></STRONG><A=20
href=3D"mailto:SUMPDIVER@MS*.CO*"><STRONG>SUMPDIVER@MSN.COM</STRONG></A
><=
BR><BR><STRONG>NEST</STRONG><BR><BR></FONT></DIV></BODY>
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