Holly Cook peers into the entrance where moisture-laden cave air forms frost on nearby trees.

Seventeen Years Pass

On Oct. 26, 1986, Ted showed Danny Dible and me this lower-level passage within the depths of Easter Pit.

After negotiating the tight canyons, pits and crawls that led lower into the earth, we came to a small slot in the floor.

It appeared to drop into a larger passage below and seemed impassable without some aid. A strong air current billowing from the crack beckoned us to return. The three of us, with the addition of fellow caver Joe Oliphant, did return. With the aid of a rope, we were able to drop through the tight slot. It was the beginning of many return trips to the cave.

Below the slot was a passage that led to the top of a big room.

A steep slope of breakdown boulders led down to a passage beckoning us into a void of blackness. It was a large passage, reminiscent of those in Wyandotte Cave and often referred to as "borehole" by cavers.

It continued as a flat-floored sandy walkway intermittently broken by rooms strewn with breakdown slopes. These rock mountains required us to climb to the summit and then down the other side. Gypsum selenite crystals hid indiscriminately in places where their alabaster beauty had never been seen by the eyes of mankind. A few bats hid in crevices and clung to the ceiling. Cave salamanders and crickets, although scarce, were occasionally seen.

There was no evidence of previous exploration in this passage. There were no human footprints or animal tracks and no evidence of ancient man.

At one point inward in this corridor an upper level side passage led from a high ledge we called the "Overlook." The passage leading from it was explored, surveyed and christened the "Bowling Alley." This name came from the many exposed areas of chert embedded within the limestone walls. This black rock occasionally forms as smooth and round as a bowling ball and is referred to as le chert.

Continuing inward in the main corridor and just past the Overlook, an intersection occurred with "Fritsch Hall". This large passage, named after the late Tom Fritsch, ended in sediment fill.

Farther in, the main corridor met with another intersection. The obvious route turned low and required crawling on a sandy floor. The obscure route required negotiating through breakdown to open into a walking passage. This nice passage was christened "Indiana Avenue".

Below the slot, a caver descends a slope of breakdown boulders leading to a large borehole passage below.

Next Page