On Sunday, August 20, 2022, a group of volunteers quietly gathered beneath a shady maple tree at 10:30am, discussing the days agenda. Preparations were complete, and now it was time for a full-on assault to collect data from no less than four concentrated locations on a single parcel of Tri-County farmland!
2022AUG21 - Goal: Collect Pit Data for recently discovered "Mushroom Cap".
10:30am - Staging Area, Landowner and I describe the upcoming 27-30ft depth double silo pit.
Release Forms signed, transferred to Landowner's possession.
11:00am - On-Site Preliminary Visual Inspection
11:30am - Commence Rigging and final Check of Caving Gear in prep for 1-person, On-Rope descent.
PARTICIPANTS on Day 1 at "Mushroom Cap CAVE"
Vertical Team: Adam Hjermenrud, Chris Toney, Ken Bailey
GoPro Helmet-mounted Video: by Adam H.
Still Photography: Charles Wright, Jeff Hamilton, Donna Gyukery
Local Media Coverage: Chad Hobbs, Editor of Meade County Messenger
Landowner: TriCountyCaving does NOT release GPS coordinates, nor share any information (including Photos, Video, Metadata, Notes) To ensure this fact, ALL participants must adhere to the Confidentiality portion of Release Form before leaving Staging Area and proceeding to On-Site!
VertTeam assists TriCountyCaving at Landowner's Request
MUSHROOM CAP CAVE, "Pit of Twin Silos"
A first descent reveals a breath-taking, multi-level network of passages beneath one of the Tri-County regions' many hills!
The nature of this outing would never have been realized without the landowner, who was able to identify a trove of unique karst features located in a heavily wooded area, far away from prying eyes. On-Site participants offered an amalgamation of disciplines, as varied as farming is to journalism, botany is to acoustics, and hydrology is to entomology.
Even so, this eclectic group was thoroughly prepared, sharing an enthusiasm as they collected data from previously unreported karst features located very close to one another.
Beginning with a deep pit referred to as "Deeper", this open-pit's vertical shafts were explored to an initial depth of 55 feet. The team them advanced to a second vertical pit, Mushroom Cap Cave. Once descended, the Lead Climber, Adam Hjermendun, used his helmet-mounted GoPro to capture video footage that would immediately know that this day was going to memorable.
Alongside the positves, then were some disappointing discoveries, causing joy to give way to grave concern for the human impact that was negatively affective these hidden worlds. While volunteers noted these pristine, untouched underworlds, that excitement would be tempered by the fact that the team also identified sinkholes serving as the farm's dump.
The members of this one-day gathering included Vertical climbers, adjacent landowners, one excited Entomologist who arrived from Frankfort.
Special thanks to the participation of Chad Hobbs, Editor of The Messenger, Brandenburg, KY.
Even so, this eclectic group was thoroughly prepared, sharing an enthusiasm as they collected data from previously unreported karst features located very close to one another.
Beginning with a deep pit referred to as "Deeper", this open-pit's vertical shafts were explored to an initial depth of 55 feet. The team them advanced to a second vertical pit, Mushroom Cap Cave. Once descended, the Lead Climber, Adam Hjermendun, used his helmet-mounted GoPro to capture video footage that would immediately know that this day was going to memorable.
Alongside the positves, then were some disappointing discoveries, causing joy to give way to grave concern for the human impact that was negatively affective these hidden worlds. While volunteers noted these pristine, untouched underworlds, that excitement would be tempered by the fact that the team also identified sinkholes serving as the farm's dump.
The members of this one-day gathering included Vertical climbers, adjacent landowners, one excited Entomologist who arrived from Frankfort.
Special thanks to the participation of Chad Hobbs, Editor of The Messenger, Brandenburg, KY.
The Work Continues...
Work continues on a comprehensive study of the hydrology of Big Spring Valley, which begins by painstaking examination of GIS layers, and noting anomalies in the landscape. This main focus of this exercise is to better understand how the surrounding farmlands remove excess groundwater.
Additional projects are beginning to look at how certain sinkholes assist in draining the Tri-Counties. areas selected for further study include the Big Spring, the High Plains sinks, the karst windows within the Guston-Bewleyville region.
Preliminary GIS study of SandRidge, BeeKnob, Scott Hill, Stith Valley, and the Westernmost edge of Hardin County are also taking place.
Additional projects are beginning to look at how certain sinkholes assist in draining the Tri-Counties. areas selected for further study include the Big Spring, the High Plains sinks, the karst windows within the Guston-Bewleyville region.
Preliminary GIS study of SandRidge, BeeKnob, Scott Hill, Stith Valley, and the Westernmost edge of Hardin County are also taking place.