Waldron Mine
Jeff Moore, Alan Cressler, Doug Strait, Paul Aughey, Manuel Beers
This morning we got up, ate, and walked over to the Waldron Mine. The entrance is a man-made, open-air crack 5-6 wide. After 100, you reach a gate on the left wall. Blair thumbed the combination and everyone followed him inside. We walked 150 down a 6 H x 5-6 W, flat-floored tunnel to a split ahead and to the left. Ahead, we saw wine containers and Blair pointed out a vein of cinnabar in the ceiling. We turned left. 100 further the passage forks again and we entered a large natural cavern 40 W, 22 tall, and about 300 long. This is the largest underground room in Brewster county. The room contained many side alcoves from cinnabar mining.
A trail wound up the dirt slope to the right from the center of the room. We passed a 30 hole in the floor called dead dog pit on our right and the ceiling lowered as we ascended steps into passage 24 W x 10 H. We Sed around a pit in the floor and began to see dogtooth spar on the ceiling. 80 ahead, the ceiling raises 20 tall to an old entrance. We then passed to the right of two columns into a large room 32 W x 15 H. When it rains, the floor of the room becomes a lake. The passage ahead decreases to 6 H x 18 W. Sparkly, dogtooth spar covers the ceiling. Dogtooth spar could be found in other sections of the cave as well. The passage dead-ends near a ladder because they ran out of cinnabar.
I had trouble taking pictures here but without a synced strobe found taking pictures increasingly difficult. I also tried to take some flash bulb pictures in the big room but didnt really have enough light. I then decided not to take any more cave pictures until I purchased some new gear.
Waldron Mine Gallery
Waldron Mine
Waldron Mine
Waldron Mine