Sean Lewis, Thomas Duselis, Brandon Stephens, Mike Murphy, Terry Mcclanathan
The drive to Depauw was uneventful though we did notice quite a commotion arround a semi that had driven off the road. Terry and Mike had already arrived at the post office. Terry had miscalculated Indiana time and arrived an hour early. When Brandon arrived we caravanned to Heisers and packed at the barn. Terry almost immediately took off to rig the entrance pit while the rest of us changed.
The owners had unlocked the fence gate as planned. Once prepared, Terry descended followed by Sean and myself. I was surprised at the size of the well shaft. I had expected tight walls but found a large 3.5' diameter shaft neatly bored 40 feet down into cave passage.
I got off rope and descended a short slope into a small room. Terry didn't remember which way to go so I checked right and Sean went left. We ended up going left, sliding behind some breakdown down a climb down. Sean noted some slime mold on the wall as we climbed into the hole. The climb down spiraled around and dropped us into a crawlway which soon became a belly crawl for about 10'. I was able to belly along with the rope draped over my shoulder and around my chest.
Ahead, the crawlway enlarged and we encountered our first pit. Not far ahead, Sean rigged the 125' pit and I took some pictures while Terry charmed the "snakes" into biting down on the traverse line. We followed the line around over climb downs and pits to a small room just past the nuisance drop leading to the 138 footer. Terry rigged in to a boulder and Brandon, Tom, and I descended over a breakdown boulder into a 24' L x 10' W room. On the right side, I found a small hole which opened into the big drop.
I rigged to a natural and descended the pit. I was along the wall most of the time and at the side of a large dome. About midway down, I landed on muddy, floating breakdown. Icontinued my descent to the side of it, and soon landed on a slimy mud floor. I walked across a mud lope crossing the bottom of the dome room and sat my gear down at the top of a steep and slipper slope which dropped further below. I took some pictures as the others rappelled down and was soon in the company of Brandon, Tom, Mike, and Sean. As planned, Mike and Sean had already bounced the 125 footer.
While photographing, I let go of my camera thinking I'd attached the lanyard to my wrist. I exclaimed as it fell and landed on the soft mud. Luckily, it remained unharmed. I had soon shouldered Sean's pack and began my ascent. I had to hold the rope between my slimy boots for many feet so that it would feed through my croll. At the ledge, I realized I hadn't properly fastened Sean's pack and all of its contents had unknowingly spilled out. I climbed against the wall up through the hole into the the nuisance drop room.
Brandon came up next. We soon rejoined Terry at the top of the nuisance drop. He'd scouted ahead to the 103 footer and reported it was 500 - 700' back into the cave but not difficult to reach. I went back and dropped the 125 footer and waited a few minutes at the bottom for Brandon before ascending back up. I liked this pit more than the first. It began as a crevice and enlarged into a 17' diameter room with walls clean washed by the currently dripping waterfall.
I photographed Brandon entering the drop and left Tom waiting his turn. I traversed back to the nuisance drop in time to photograph Sean and Mike de-rigging the big drop below and captured their ascent over the breakdown rock atop the pit. We de-rigged the nuisance drop and Terry, Sean, Mike, and I headed back to the 103' pit which required a great deal of crawling. On our way, we passed through a rather tight belly crawl and some decorated areas. We detoured through a crawlway around a climb down and arrived at the pit.
Sean and Terry crossed around it to the left where Sean watched Terry uncoil the rope. Mike positioned himself on the right side of the pit next to the bolt ready to rig. While waiting, Sean noticed someone had written "EMG Sucks" in mud balloon letters accompanied by a gremlin flipping the bird. We all expected a rather difficult bounce given the slimy condition of the rope. Sean reported that he'd had difficult ascending the 138' pit because his ascenders wouldn't grab the rope.
Once rigged, Mike descended first followed by myself, Terry, and Sean. I really liked this pit. I attached in on a muddy, narrow ledge, rappelled down beside a natural bridge, and enjoyed the freefall as the pit belled out to at least 20' in diameter. At the bottom, I photographed Terry and Sean's descent. Mike kindly paused a coupe times as the ascended so I could focus the camera. I followed Mike up. I only had to manually lock my cams as I reached the top. While I waited, I set up a duo flash shot and photographed Sean posing at the lip and getting off rope. Tom showed up so Terry and I waited on him to bounce the pit before derigging the 125 fter. Brandon had left the cave early to contact another caver.
We quickly exited the cave. I shared some of my water with Tom after the belly crawl where I'd left it. I traversed past the nuisance drop, picked up Terry's rope, and passed the 125 footer and other pits on my way back to the entrance crawl which I bellied through. I heard Sean and Mike above and waited to help Tom with the rope because I knew how big a pain it would be.
From here, I battled the ropes back up the spiral climb up into the entrance room and hooked my gear and ropes to the tether after trying to get a shot up the well entrance. The ascent was pretty easy and I soon felt warm sun on my face. I crossed the field and saw Sean was cleaning off in a pond. I was glad it was there because i was completely slimed.
I spent the next half and hour cleaning my gear, changing, and repacking the car. After some scrubbing, I found a rack beneath what I was sure was a mudcycle. Tom, Sean, Terry and I decided to continue to Gary pit. Mike headed off to join Brandon.
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Sean descends down the well shaft into Heisers.
Sean pauses above the crevice leading to the first pit.
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Sean rigs the 125' pit inside Heisers.
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Terry rigs the 30' nuisance drop leading to the 138' pit.
Tom sits around waiting to descend the drop.
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Brandon maneuvers over a large chunk of breakdown to descend the 30' nuisance drop.
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Brandon descends the 30' nuisance drop to get the the 138' drop.
Looking up the 138' pit.
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Brandon lounges on the muddy floor at the bottom of the 138' drop.
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Tom nears the base of the 138' drop.
That tiny dot of light is Sean peering down from the top of the 138' drop.
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Everyone socializes at the bottom of the 138' drop.
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I rappelled down the 125' drop and waited for Brandon but he didn't show up but luckily Sean dropped in :)
Brandon prepares to descend the 125' drop.
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Looking down the nuisance drop where Mike and Sean are busy derigging the 138' pit.
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Mike nears the top of the 30' nuisance drop.
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Mike pulls himself over the breakdown protrusion atop the 30' nuisance drop.
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Sean works his way to the top of the 30' drop.
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Sean pulls himself up into the passage.
Sean waits for Mike's feet to disappear through the belly crawl on his way to the 103' drop.
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Mike waits next to the bolt for the rope to rig the 103' drop.
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Sean watches as Terry untangles the sloppy rope for the 103' drop.
Mike ascends the nicest pit in Heisers, the 103' drop.
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Tom, pauses to get his picture taken as he ascends the 103' drop.
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Sean poses on rope atop the 103' drop.
Sean gets off rope.
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Sean maneuvers around the lip of the 103' pit.
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