Gear Stolen From Byers Cave

[Sharon Faulkner]

I wanted other cavers to be aware of this instance of stolen cave gear so they might take extra precautions when caving in the area. This is a repost from Tag-Net, with permission of original author.
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7) Gear Stolen From Byers
By: Mark Whitmer (Marietta, Georgia)
[e-mail]

Greetings!

I took a group of 7 GaTech students to Byers Cave this past Saturday. Before going into the cave, we hid a couple of backpacks, extra clothes, etc. about 6' inside the entrance to Dean Cave (about 20' to the left of the main entrance to Byers). None of the gear was visible from outside the cave.

We spent about five hours in the cave and emerged after dark. When we went to retrieve our stashed gear, we found that one (empty) backpack had been stolen and items had been removed from another pack.

I mention this primarily to keep any other cavers from unwittingly
donating their gear to whoever stole ours, but if anyone happens to
see a black backpack with ORGT written on it, a Garmin III+ GPS, and a Black Diamond Moonlight headlamp where they don't belong, please let me know.

--
See ya'
Mark Whitmer

[Tony Anders]

This is so pitiful.

I would hate to think that a fellow caver would take something from someone else, but I guess we are living in the new ages.

I mean I remember when I could leave my vehicle sitting in my drive way, keys in the ignition, and the window down and not have to worry about anything. We also used to leave our doors unlocked at night.

Now days , you better not only lock your door and arm the alarm, but sleep with a pistol in the night stand.


Times have definitely changed...

I sure hope they find the stuff the little rogues stole...

[guanonoggin]

Dude,
That totally Sux man! The perps had to be watchin and waitin for the cavers to go deep into the cave before they struck. Nobody pokes around in a rock face for no reason when a cave entrance is so close. They were stalkin those cavers man. That's cold

I hope they get busted and tossed under the jail. Caves eat enough gear without help from theives! Talk about bad Karma!

Chuckie