Post by L Roebuck on Aug 13, 2006 8:23:35 GMT -5
Nutty Putty Cave houses popular spelunking routes for explorers
Gated entrance: After tough rescues, officials now require applications
By Todd Hollingshead
The Salt Lake Tribune
PROVO - You could call it Beginner's Burrow, Novice's Nook, Greenhorn's Grotto or Tenderfoot's Tunnel.
But cavers call it Nutty Putty - a hole atop a desert hill west of Utah Lake that has become arguably the most popular spot for rookies to get their spelunking hands dirty, whether they be Tom Sawyer-ish Scouts or college-age adventurers.
The attraction is easy to understand: Nutty Putty is close to the Wasatch Front and gives cavers a taste of the underground thrill without getting in over their heads.
It's just that exploration aspect," says Utah caver Brandon Kowallis. "Going somewhere you haven't been before and kind of pushing your limits a little bit."
The 1,355-foot long cave offers a diverse network of narrow passages and open areas that cater to every risk level.
To get in, cavers climb down an open, funnel-like hole roughly 15 feet deep to the entrance, where they soon must squirm through a tight opening on their bellies.
After a few feet of stomach slithering, the cave opens up. From there, explorers can venture to their left (roughly north) into what is dubbed "The Maze" or continue forward (more easterly), where they drop down a large, descending passageway using a rope.
At the base of the drop, several side passages await.
"It's unique because it's a bigger cave," says Nutty Putty regular Jesse Vincent. "I've spent up to four hours in the cave exploring all the side tunnels and the cracks. It's really fun to take new people there; not a lot of people have gone in caves that deep."
In years past, cavers said you could encounter as many as 50 people inside the underground passages. But with the high number of visitors came vandalism, accidents and occasional rescue calls.
Two particularly challenging rescues around Labor Day 2004 prompted talks of permanently sealing parts of Nutty Putty.
"The main concern was brought by the Utah County Sheriff's Office," says Jon Jasper, chairman of Timpanogos Grotto. "They told me they were out there almost once a week."
In April, the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration, which owns the land, turned over management of Nutty Putty to Timpanogos Grotto. In May, crews erected a gate at the entrance. Now, only groups that apply on Timp Grotto's Web site and pledge to follow a list of guidelines can gain access.
Although Nutty Putty now is regulated, its passages remain 100 percent accessible.
Want to go?
To explore Nutty Putty, groups must apply online with Timpanogos Grotto, Utah County's chapter of the National Speleological Society, at www.caves.org/grotto/timpgrotto
Full Article and Cave Graphic:
www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_4176563
Gated entrance: After tough rescues, officials now require applications
By Todd Hollingshead
The Salt Lake Tribune
PROVO - You could call it Beginner's Burrow, Novice's Nook, Greenhorn's Grotto or Tenderfoot's Tunnel.
But cavers call it Nutty Putty - a hole atop a desert hill west of Utah Lake that has become arguably the most popular spot for rookies to get their spelunking hands dirty, whether they be Tom Sawyer-ish Scouts or college-age adventurers.
The attraction is easy to understand: Nutty Putty is close to the Wasatch Front and gives cavers a taste of the underground thrill without getting in over their heads.
It's just that exploration aspect," says Utah caver Brandon Kowallis. "Going somewhere you haven't been before and kind of pushing your limits a little bit."
The 1,355-foot long cave offers a diverse network of narrow passages and open areas that cater to every risk level.
To get in, cavers climb down an open, funnel-like hole roughly 15 feet deep to the entrance, where they soon must squirm through a tight opening on their bellies.
After a few feet of stomach slithering, the cave opens up. From there, explorers can venture to their left (roughly north) into what is dubbed "The Maze" or continue forward (more easterly), where they drop down a large, descending passageway using a rope.
At the base of the drop, several side passages await.
"It's unique because it's a bigger cave," says Nutty Putty regular Jesse Vincent. "I've spent up to four hours in the cave exploring all the side tunnels and the cracks. It's really fun to take new people there; not a lot of people have gone in caves that deep."
In years past, cavers said you could encounter as many as 50 people inside the underground passages. But with the high number of visitors came vandalism, accidents and occasional rescue calls.
Two particularly challenging rescues around Labor Day 2004 prompted talks of permanently sealing parts of Nutty Putty.
"The main concern was brought by the Utah County Sheriff's Office," says Jon Jasper, chairman of Timpanogos Grotto. "They told me they were out there almost once a week."
In April, the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration, which owns the land, turned over management of Nutty Putty to Timpanogos Grotto. In May, crews erected a gate at the entrance. Now, only groups that apply on Timp Grotto's Web site and pledge to follow a list of guidelines can gain access.
Although Nutty Putty now is regulated, its passages remain 100 percent accessible.
Want to go?
To explore Nutty Putty, groups must apply online with Timpanogos Grotto, Utah County's chapter of the National Speleological Society, at www.caves.org/grotto/timpgrotto
Full Article and Cave Graphic:
www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_4176563