Fricks Cave Open House

[Kelly]

Did anyone else here go to the Fricks Open House? I think I saw Sharon's truck there, but did not see her.

I took a crew of novice cavers from work mixed with some more experienced caver friends. We met up with Eric Schoonover's group (also novices from his work), and went up to see the upper entrance and then up into the bat room, where during the summer a maternaty colony of Endangered Gray bats live (they hybernate in a different cave during the winter). Everyone really enjoyed the warm of the bat room, and there was actually a small cluster of the Gray bats that had moved back into the cave and were very chattery.

In the rest of the cave, we had a really great time freezing our feet in the icy water of the cave. We even darted down the crawlway a little bit. My hands really stung after putting them in that water! There are some really neat coral clusters and other fossils hanging from the ceiling in the crawlway there.

Luckily, they had a nice camp fire going outside the cave so we were able to warm up once we got out of the cave. There were sooooo many cavers there, I didn't even see some of the people that we were supposed to meet up with. It was like going to the TAG Fall Cave In, where you can't walk 10 feet without seeing someone you know and haven't seen for a while.

-Kelly

[L Roebuck]

Sounds like you had a good time Kelly!

We missed the Frick's Cave Open House this year. I stayed home recovering from a head cold and watching a couple cars slide off our icy road.

[Sharon Faulkner]

No, wasn't my truck Kelly, wish it had been tho! I like the Fricks Open house, but had to finish up something else before I could go out to play.

Glad you had a good time, sounds like it was a large turn out.

[scoon1]

This was my first visit to Frick's and I had a great trip. Thanks to Kelly and her wonderful directions I was able to see all the good stuff. There was plenty more to see but the water was terribly cold and there wasn't a person in the group that was interested in pushing the watery belly crawl. After our huge combined group exited we dried off and warmed ourselves by the fire. Someone led a group of us up the hillside to the vertical entrance and later Brent A. showed me the Little Frick's entrance. It was a wonderful day spent with the best group of people you could ever spend time with.

[Tim White]

Kelly passed Berta and I on I285 hading out of Atlanta, then we passed her on I75...then met her and a bunch more cavers heading away from Fricks as we were heading in to the cook-out but never really saw her.

Berta and I (along with help from Chris Hall, helped some Dogwood City Grotto folks with a little cave rescue practice in Pettijohns before heading to Fricks. What a cool cook-out it was! and when I say "cool" I mean it! Just as Steve Hudson started serving up the hamburgers it started to snow. Berta says that cavers have a different view of "normal" than most folks. Who else would have a cook-out in February and enjoy it

[Brian Roebuck]

It sounds like we missed a good time. Our road was clear of falling snow and we could have started the trip from here. But there are two mountains we would have had to cross to get there and I figured it would snow and stick on them at least. Lynn was also not feeling well so we simply stoked up the fire and stayed in the warm all day. Maybe next year we can get there and see the work SCCi has done as well as more of the cave. I always enjoy that cave every time I get to visit it.

[caverat46542]

After caving for 9 years, I, at last, made it to a Fricks Cave Open House and saw the cave. I was impressed with the cave.

We all got snowed on while standing around the fire. Was the first time I ate a Hamburger in a snow shower. The chief did a great job on the grub.

To the caver that had a Birthday party up there, Happy Birthday!

Had a great time, but did not get to bounce the pit entrance. Well, always next year.