We pulled into the parking spot off Cold Friday Hollow Road. Tom wanted to walk over to the entrance of Two Bit to see if I’d change my mind. After seeing the entrance once again, I was still psyched and ready to go. We came back to the car and geared up. We decided that we’d go past the terminator and exterminator in the canyon and come back out. I wanted to photo document the climbs, squeezes, and awkwardness of Two Bit so I brought my large dry box in with me which held my camera and two slaved Vivitar 285s.
I first photographed Tom’s descent down the somewhat tight and awkward entrance pit. Tom said that this pit could actually be free climbed. I soon followed and emerged into a small room. We crossed the room and rigged the rope over a rock ledge and into the second pit. Tom climbed up the short rock ledge and crawled into position to get on rope. He slid down a small hole into the second pit and descended 30 feet into a tall 10 – 14 ft wide canyon passage. The ceiling of the canyon passage lowered at the far side of the room and we soon encountered a 4’ diameter hole in the floor. Tom said that we went up from here. I squeezed up a narrow crevice into another wider canyon passage and followed it to a narrow crevice in the floor that dropped at least 20 feet.
I rigged some webbing around a boulder protrusion and diverted it around a small limestone nub. I photographed Tom as he descended and then I climbed down into another tall section of canyon about 6’ wide. Ahead, we climbed up onto a rock ledge and bellied across that through a squeeze into another room. I believe from the room, we went right in a passage that began as walking, but soon we were crawling above a tight canyon that had developed in the floor.
Eventually, Tom said that it was time to descend into the canyon and I photographed him squeezing in. He then decided it would be better to go head first and I followed him through the canyon. I S’d back and forth moving my body with the bends and profiles of the passage. Not far into the canyon Tom decided that having had only 4 hrs of sleep that he’d wait on me. I continued ahead through the canyon. It really wasn’t that difficult. It was a little awkward in spots. You just had to feel, contort, and move your body to the different shapes of the canyon. Some spots were a little more awkward and tighter than others but nothing was notably tight or difficult until I reached the terminator. However, I certainly wouldn’t say that the canyon is easy; it’s sporting. I didn’t have any trouble lugging my Pelican 1200 case along with me but carrying much more than that would have certainly been a major pain.
Soon, I reached the terminator. I saw where most people would squeeze around to the left but I thought it looked easier to squeeze above to the right where I knew Nate and Sean had gone and Brandon had gotten stuck. The terminator was pretty tight but not difficult for someone my size to get through. I reached the exterminator and decided that going through that was nuts especially since I knew that you could easily crawl below it bypassing the exterminator completely. I stopped and took a picture of myself after the exterminator and then thought I’d try it on for size. I got about halfway in and decided I didn’t want to squeeze through something that tight solo. It was very tight on me. I can’t imagine what it’d be like for someone larger than myself going through. I wiggled back out of the exterminator. Took a picture of my helmet in the exterminator and then crawled below it and back up into the canyon on the other side.
I came back to the terminator and slid halfway across the limestone slab squeezing in between it, the right wall, and the ceiling once again sopping up the water in a small pool with my shirt. Once my arms were through, I opened my dry box with my right hand, grabbed the strobe and swiveled it flat by pressing it against my face. I set it to the right of me and then grabbed my camera out, adjusted the settings with one hand, and set it on my dry box. I took a few pictures and then packed up and slid the rest of the way through the terminator. I soon rejoined Tom and we maneuvered out of the canyon and back out of the cave. I took pictures of Tom ascending the pits and climbs and also took a backlit shot in the room below the second pit. Eventually, I climbed out the entrance and I snapped a couple pictures of what you might see as soon as your head pops out the entrance. I’m sure many people have been very happy to see this site. To Langdon's and Mauck's Cave
Two Bit Pit
Tom smiles as he prepares to descend into Two Bit Pit.
His smile begins to diminish as he realizes what lies ahead.
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Tom gets into position to descend the second pit.
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Tom poses above the second pit.
Tom realized that he had to contort a different way to maneuver into the pit.
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Tom disappears down the second pit.
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Since we were only going just past the exterminator, we wouldn't need vertical gear from here in.
Tom climbs up out of the second pit room.
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After a bit of crawling, Tom squeezes up into another walking room.
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We encounter much tightness and awkwardness on our way to the canyon.
Another standing room.
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Tom descends the third drop which is a somewhat exposed climb.
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The tightness of the canyon briefly subsides.
Tom reconsiders whether he really wants to complete the canyon just for the fun of it.
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Tom turned back but I soloed ahead past the terminator and bypassed the exterminator.
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I managed a couple interesting facial expressions.
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The exterminator. Tom discovered that this can be easily bypassed below.
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Me in the tight squeeze above the terminator. Most people don't fit through this.
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It's pretty tight on me but not as bad as the exterminator. This is where Brandon got stuck.
No I'm not stuck. I didn't think a smile was fitting for these shots and to be honest this was a somewhat difficult self portrait.
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Tom squeezing through a crawlway on our way back out.
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Tom squeezing through a crawlway on our way back out.
Tom climbing up the third "pit".
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Tom climbing up the third "pit".
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Tom posing in the room below the second pit.
Tom preparing to ascend the second pit.
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Tom preparing to ascend the second pit.
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Tom midway up the second pit.
Tom has nearly reached the awkward section of the second pit.
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Tom ascending out of the first pit. He's almost free.
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To many, I expect this has been a very welcome sight.