Post by Tony Anders on Oct 5, 2007 16:23:56 GMT -5
5 October 2007
Wells Cave Trip Report
Ever since hearing about the eleven plus miles of caves in the Wells cave system we could hardly wait to get in there and see it. My brother came up this morning and picked myself and other brother up and we drove to the cave entrance in Pulaski County.
After parking and getting dressed for the adventure we headed down the rock break down into the entrance. We walked just beyond the twilight zone of the entrance when we came to our first decision; Left or right. Choosing the left fork, so to speak, and made our way deeper into the darkness of the new, unexplored abyss.
This cave system is full of junctions. Left and right junctions, up and down junctions; it seemed that ever time we came around a bend there was something new to look at.
The photographic potential in this cave system is endless. Soda straw formations, rock water falls and columns fill this dark treasure chest. From what we have seen so far there is very little graffiti in this cave. It was awesome to see all the different passages. Ever turn we made seemed to open up a new cavern or formation.
I hope the pictures I took will turn out so I can share this adventure with everyone that reads this.
We made our way deeper and deeper into the unexplored (by us anyway) caverns. Going on around the bend, we found some light; twilight to the other entrance on NSS property. My brother went out to see where for sure the entrance went too. There was he truck right where we had left it about a hundred yards away.
Proceeding on past the second entrance we come to yet another junction. Like I said this cave is full of junctions and splits. We decided to take the right hand turn this time and proceeded on through several more turns and forks. We stopped here for a snack and some water before going on. We went a bit further coming to a small passage with a level below us. The passage had some rock ledges which we straddled along looking about five feet below us, as far as we could go. Then we had to drop down to the passage to which we just walked on top of. Moving on further to yet more drops, splits and formations before coming to some break down to which we thought was as far as we could go on this section of the cavern. Looking around we seen a small crawl up the breakdown to what appeared to be another section going on further. My little brother went on up to scout that section and hollered back that we might want to check it out. We dropped our packs long enough to shimmy up the break down to the small room on top of where we just left. There was a small passage in the rear of this room but we didn’t think any of us would be able to make since my middle brother got wedged trying. So we back tracked our way back to our packs.
We came back out one of the junction rooms just before we got back to the second entrance. Looking around we found what looked like a section going down from the second entrance. I am guessing this area here might normally have some water running through it coming in from the creek bed in the field outside. With the drought in the area it was dry as powder. We walked down into yet another area of complete and serene darkness. The deeper we dropped the cooler the climate became.
After about ten minutes or so we came to an area with some small pits. Above the pits was some rim pools. We carefully maneuvered our way around the pits and made our way through the rim pools to yet another level of this wonder. Dropping down yet again and finding a low passage we crawled our way even further and further, opening up from time to time to a small crouched walk. The years of water cutting through these passages have made the cave walls appear to have a tunnel like characteristics, much like those found in the Dykes cave. One my think how could water make such a rounded cut such as this. I guess God really knows how to work the ole hammer and pick when he is making all these caves for us to explore.
We kept going for a ways seeing a few side cuts and now walking on a nice soft sandy floor. We had to drop down for a crawl and continue crawling until we came to a T intersection. Here we found a lot of river rock and figured we could be very close the Buck Creek entrance to this cave. Unfortunately we was running short on time and had to turn around here and begin our traverse back up and out of this cave system.
Making it back outside where is had began to rain we dressed down from our mud cakes cave clothes and returned to our homes.
Man what cave, I can’t wait to get back in there and go further and further.
Thanks for reading.
Tony Anders
SKSC
Wells Cave Trip Report
Ever since hearing about the eleven plus miles of caves in the Wells cave system we could hardly wait to get in there and see it. My brother came up this morning and picked myself and other brother up and we drove to the cave entrance in Pulaski County.
After parking and getting dressed for the adventure we headed down the rock break down into the entrance. We walked just beyond the twilight zone of the entrance when we came to our first decision; Left or right. Choosing the left fork, so to speak, and made our way deeper into the darkness of the new, unexplored abyss.
This cave system is full of junctions. Left and right junctions, up and down junctions; it seemed that ever time we came around a bend there was something new to look at.
The photographic potential in this cave system is endless. Soda straw formations, rock water falls and columns fill this dark treasure chest. From what we have seen so far there is very little graffiti in this cave. It was awesome to see all the different passages. Ever turn we made seemed to open up a new cavern or formation.
I hope the pictures I took will turn out so I can share this adventure with everyone that reads this.
We made our way deeper and deeper into the unexplored (by us anyway) caverns. Going on around the bend, we found some light; twilight to the other entrance on NSS property. My brother went out to see where for sure the entrance went too. There was he truck right where we had left it about a hundred yards away.
Proceeding on past the second entrance we come to yet another junction. Like I said this cave is full of junctions and splits. We decided to take the right hand turn this time and proceeded on through several more turns and forks. We stopped here for a snack and some water before going on. We went a bit further coming to a small passage with a level below us. The passage had some rock ledges which we straddled along looking about five feet below us, as far as we could go. Then we had to drop down to the passage to which we just walked on top of. Moving on further to yet more drops, splits and formations before coming to some break down to which we thought was as far as we could go on this section of the cavern. Looking around we seen a small crawl up the breakdown to what appeared to be another section going on further. My little brother went on up to scout that section and hollered back that we might want to check it out. We dropped our packs long enough to shimmy up the break down to the small room on top of where we just left. There was a small passage in the rear of this room but we didn’t think any of us would be able to make since my middle brother got wedged trying. So we back tracked our way back to our packs.
We came back out one of the junction rooms just before we got back to the second entrance. Looking around we found what looked like a section going down from the second entrance. I am guessing this area here might normally have some water running through it coming in from the creek bed in the field outside. With the drought in the area it was dry as powder. We walked down into yet another area of complete and serene darkness. The deeper we dropped the cooler the climate became.
After about ten minutes or so we came to an area with some small pits. Above the pits was some rim pools. We carefully maneuvered our way around the pits and made our way through the rim pools to yet another level of this wonder. Dropping down yet again and finding a low passage we crawled our way even further and further, opening up from time to time to a small crouched walk. The years of water cutting through these passages have made the cave walls appear to have a tunnel like characteristics, much like those found in the Dykes cave. One my think how could water make such a rounded cut such as this. I guess God really knows how to work the ole hammer and pick when he is making all these caves for us to explore.
We kept going for a ways seeing a few side cuts and now walking on a nice soft sandy floor. We had to drop down for a crawl and continue crawling until we came to a T intersection. Here we found a lot of river rock and figured we could be very close the Buck Creek entrance to this cave. Unfortunately we was running short on time and had to turn around here and begin our traverse back up and out of this cave system.
Making it back outside where is had began to rain we dressed down from our mud cakes cave clothes and returned to our homes.
Man what cave, I can’t wait to get back in there and go further and further.
Thanks for reading.
Tony Anders
SKSC
