A weekend of caving with the RAT crew

Discussion in 'Randall's Adventure & Training®' started by Jeff Randall, Aug 15, 2017.

  1. Jeff Randall

    Jeff Randall ESEE Knives / Randall's Adventure & Training Staff Member

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  2. Jeff Randall

    Jeff Randall ESEE Knives / Randall's Adventure & Training Staff Member

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  3. Jeff Randall

    Jeff Randall ESEE Knives / Randall's Adventure & Training Staff Member

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  4. Strigidae

    Strigidae Administrator Staff Member

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    Do you all ever push into the caverns or just drop in and pop out?
     
  5. Jeff Randall

    Jeff Randall ESEE Knives / Randall's Adventure & Training Staff Member

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    The last one we did this weekend was a hike up a mountain, then go underground in under a waterfall, hike in a creek, belly crawl in mud for a good ways pushing your pack in front of you, then finally to the drop. It was miserable. We got out after dark and then had to find our way back down the hill to the car. Every piece of gear and our packs were covered completely in mud. Miserable.
     
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  6. Jeff Randall

    Jeff Randall ESEE Knives / Randall's Adventure & Training Staff Member

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    This is what my new Mystery Ranch pack looked like after I cleaned it up a bit after coming out:

    DSC_1721.JPG
     
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  7. Strigidae

    Strigidae Administrator Staff Member

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    Sounds like an absolute blast! The good old caving days are flooding back.
     
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  8. Jeff Randall

    Jeff Randall ESEE Knives / Randall's Adventure & Training Staff Member

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    The pic of Mike holding the rope in front of the waterfall was before we went underground through an entrance under the waterfall. 600' of rope that weighed 36 pounds. It was new rope on a spool that someone loaned us. So we had to unspool it and caver coil it before going up the mountain. The drop was 404' after the crawl through the mud. That rope is not white anymore.
     
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  9. Jeff Randall

    Jeff Randall ESEE Knives / Randall's Adventure & Training Staff Member

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    I didn't make the drop on this one. Patrick and I stayed topside while, Mike, Jason and Kevin bounced it. All of them said it was a miserable experience. They started dropping in about 3:30 and didn't finish coming back over the edge until about 6:00. Patrick and I headed out to get cell service to let everyone know not to call the cavalry due to running late and they finally got de-rigged and rope coiled and back out at the base of the waterfall at 7:30.
     
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  10. DYSPHORIC JOY

    DYSPHORIC JOY Administrator Staff Member

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    Good work guys.
     
  11. Strigidae

    Strigidae Administrator Staff Member

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    36# of rope sucks.
     
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  12. Jeff Randall

    Jeff Randall ESEE Knives / Randall's Adventure & Training Staff Member

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    I wouldn't know. Made Mike haul it up the mountain. I believe in working smarter, not harder so having someone else haul it was the smart move.
     
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  13. Strigidae

    Strigidae Administrator Staff Member

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    Well done sir. Well done.
     
  14. Guyon

    Guyon Member

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    The big pit sucked.

    This suck included the meandering hike in (compliments of BS Guide Service), the creek-filled cave hike, the sketchy crawl along a body-width ledge with 400' of death within puking distance, the clay/mud that stuck to everything, the dark rappel into nothing, the cold bottom filled with jagged rock fall and gusts of waterfall, the edge transition from hell, and the chiggers and ticks.

    Fun times.
     
  15. Stone

    Stone Member

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    This guy is a total slacker. You can't trust slackers ...

    ... except at break time in beautiful places with water and ferns.

    Then ... and only then ... listen to them

    and just relax. Dinner will come, and the fire.
    _________

    Fire. Anybody bring an ESEE knife to build a fire? :confused:

    Surely, there's one here somewhere ... :oops:

    [​IMG]
     
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  16. Jeff Randall

    Jeff Randall ESEE Knives / Randall's Adventure & Training Staff Member

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    No truer words have ever been spoken. Being a slacker takes careful planning. You'd been impressed with how I managed to find something that "needed to be done" when it came time for someone to grab that 600' of rope to carry up the mountain.
     
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  17. kreeves

    kreeves Moderator Staff Member

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    Hey, I got us there with my Est-a-bearing skill from the parking lot to the sink. The rumor is there is an established trail, but I don't believe it. No one died so it was a good day!!!
     
    Last edited: Aug 16, 2017
  18. Jeff Randall

    Jeff Randall ESEE Knives / Randall's Adventure & Training Staff Member

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    No matter how much we tried, every azimuth we took went uphill!
     
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  19. kreeves

    kreeves Moderator Staff Member

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    That is a picture of Jeff soaking up all the chiggers.... Lil bastards...
     
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  20. Strigidae

    Strigidae Administrator Staff Member

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    Both ways? Yall did it wrong.
     
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