Alan Cressler, Tom Duselis, Doug Strait, Tamara Hughes, Michael Greene, Julie Fee, Scott Fee
We woke up on Sunday and eventually made our way to Jess Elliot Cave. Alan had secured a key and permission the day before. We parked at a gate key a little ways from the cave entrance and hiked to the Iron Hoop entrance of Jess Elliot Cave. During the hike there, we passed a large Blue Hole which we photographed. Just above the Blue hole was a section of road that reminded me of the dragon's teeth we'd encountered out west in New Mexico. Not far ahead, we veered off the trail into a depression on the right and were soon standing above the cave entrance. I liked the entrance. We descended through a somewhat tight limestone crack and climbed 12 feet down into a small room. Not far ahead we continued through a somewhat tight breakdown squeeze. My Nalgene surprisingly popped off its carabiner both on the way in and out of this spot. Somewhere around here Marion had missed the connection long ago. Alan told me I should jokingly ask Marion how he could be so incompetent next time I saw him.
From here we followed the 1000 feet of crawlway and occasional stoopway encountering some very nicely sculpted limestone walls which were met with oohs and ahs from the group. This area reminded me of the lost river chert bed in Wesley Chapel Gulf Cave. I wondered if I should photograph it sometime. Further ahead, we stooped through some ankle deep water and crawled along wet cobbles before emerging in large borehole. I soon realized that I should have replaced the batteries in my main light because the large borehole quickly dissipated the light it was producing. Luckily, I now cave with a spare headlamp attached to my helmet so I turned it on. We first began touring downstream. Soon, we encountered a tall steep slope ascending to an upper level on the right. We could see a small waterfall raining down and flowing down the flowstone near the top of the slope. Doug, Tamara, and Michael continued downstream while the rest of us climbed up the somewhat difficult, steep, slick mud slope. Alan climbed right up it without delay. I started the way he went and determined there was an easier way and soon joined him at the top. We were still in large walking passage. To the left water rained down from a hole in the ceiling. The passage floor was very flat to the right. We soon encountered many totem poles and other formations. One neat formation was a cluster of stalactites that had fallen from the ceiling and landed perfectly upside down on the floor where the mud filled in around it making it look like a natural part of the floor.
We took some pictures of the formation area and continued down the passage enjoying the formations until its terminus. We came back to the waterfall and took some pictures here. I climbed down the mud slope and took a picture looking up towards Tom who I lit from below with a slaved Vivitar 285 and Alan backlit from above with a slaved flash gun. For some reason my flash gun or more likely the firefly slave unit stopped working after that and continued to fire the bulbs as soon as they were inserted. Both Alan had the bright image of a flash bulb temporarily burned in our retinas for awhile. I've got to stop looking at flashbulbs when I insert them!
We descended the mud slope and continued downstream. I made a futile attempt to take another flash gun photo from the top of another slope as the group continued ahead but each bulb fired as soon as I put it in the gun. We met Doug, Tamara, and Michael here. They had already toured the rest of the downstream borehole and were heading back out. I caught back up with Alan, Scott, and Julie and Alan and I soon turned off into a side passage. I noticed that Tom had disappeared and hoped we hadn't lost him. I thought everyone was ahead of me since I had waited behind trying to take a picture. Alan and I photographed some calcite ice and other formations at the back of the side passage and met Tom as we headed back out.
We took some pictures of Scott posing next to some gray totem poles near the junction of the two passages and then continued downstream. The totem poles and interestingly sculpted limestone became more abundant as we progressed. We reached an area with wildly sculpted, protruding limestone walls and floor. The water had carved a somewhat deep channel in the floor so we had to traverse along the left wall of the channel and cross over the water to the right side of the passage. I took a couple pictures of Tom and Scott crossing here. Further ahead, Alan and I took some pictures of Julie modeling above the Green Pool. I'd previously seen a picture Alan took here and was surprised how much the picture deceived me. I thought the subject was high up a 30 - 40 foot climb-up above the pool and the area below here was a large 60' diameter room from looking at the picture. I was surprised that she would have really only been about 8 feet above the water and the pool was only about 9 feet long and 6 feet wide. Further downstream I photographed Alan, Scott, and Julie traversing along the edge of the passage and we entered a rather large room with a climb down to a blind fish pool below however no blind fish were seen that day. Scott pointed out a rather neat climb down where the water rippled along the rock before falling below and Tom posed there as Alan and I took pictures. Alan said the passage wasn't as nice downstream.
From here, we routed back upstream. I was able to carry my camera in hand much of the way so I caught a few pictures here and there. We passed the crawlway where we entered the cave and continued ahead through large borehole passage until we got to an area where shallow rimstone dams had completely covered the passage floor. We took some pictures here as well. I think Alan managed to get a neat shot with good lighting of the rimstone. I wasn't exactly sure how to best light the rimstone and fell back on a wider passage shot of the entire area.
Scott and Julie headed out and we continued ahead to a large breakdown room with some massive stalactite and flowstone formations lining the right wall. I took a couple big passage shots here and we routed back towards the entrance crawl pausing twice to photo Tom posed under a flowstone and stalactite curtain across a clear pool another picture of him posing next to dry rimstone dams. We quickly and easily crawled and stoop walked back to the entrance. I was surprised that my Nalgene came unclipped from my carabiner in the same spot it had on the way in. We were soon back at the entrance where Alan and I took some pictures of Tom exiting. The lighting was much better now. There had been way too much contrast when we'd entered the cave. It was still beautiful outside. We quickly routed back to the vehicles. The 5 of us ate at Subway in Stevenson for dinner.
Tom and I left between 6:30 and 7:00 PM. The ride home wasn't real eventful. I dozed off and on. Tom proclaimed that we were getting an amazing 45 mpg as we drove home. We'd only gotten 40 mpg on the way down because one of the tires was low. I arrived back home around 2:30 PM but it didn't seem like I fell asleep until 3:30 or 4:00 AM which I later found out was about the time Nate got up to prepare for his Breathing Hole Trip. I must have gotten some sleep on the drive back because I wasn't overly tired the next day.
Jess Elliot Cave
Alan and Tom sit on the back of Blackie tieing their boots in preparation for the hike to the Iron Hoop entrance.
Tom stands next to a large Blue Hole not far from the Iron Hoop entrance.
Jess Elliot Cave
The group prepares for their trip into the Iron Hoop entrance. I wonder if Doug is pissing.
Jess Elliot Cave
Julie Fee stands within a cluster of pretties in an upper level climbup within Jess Elliot Cave.
Scott, Julie, and Alan hike along the heavily decorated upper level.
Jess Elliot Cave
Tom poses next to a waterfall just above the steep climb up to the upper level.
Jess Elliot Cave
Alan photographs some formations at the back of a nicely decorated side passage.
Alan hunches over a shallow pool to capture a photograph.
Jess Elliot Cave
Alan and my cameras waged war across a pool of calcite ice.
Jess Elliot Cave
Scott Fee blinks next to some rather impressive totem poles.
The limestone becomes more ornately sculped and the totem poles more abundant as we progress downstream.
Jess Elliot Cave
I wonder how many pictures I have of Alan taking a picture. Over a dozen I'm sure :)
Jess Elliot Cave
Tom crosses the water cut channel while Scott maneuvers along the irregular, sculped, limestone wall.
Scott Fee carefully traverses above the green pool.
Jess Elliot Cave
Scott Fee sits atop an irregularly sculped limestone slope.
Jess Elliot Cave
Welcome to Alan Cresslers Photography Studio. Today's model is Julie Fee.
Julie models above the green pool in a heavily sculped section of Jess Elliot.
Jess Elliot Cave
Scott Fee carefully steps across the deep channel.
Jess Elliot Cave
Alan, Julie, and Scott traverse downstream Iron Hoop.
Julie and Scott climb along the edge of the passage.
Jess Elliot Cave
I just had to take a picture of this rock, mud, and chert colloge.
Jess Elliot Cave
Tom poses within a short, stream climbdown as Alan and I snap pictures. My strobe was positioned between Alan legs.
I hiked back upstream with my camera in hand occasionally catching a good picture.
Jess Elliot Cave
Scott, Julie, Alan, and Tom trudge through the shallow water.
Jess Elliot Cave
Tom looks like a giant striding above the small travertine dams.
Alan leads the way as we travel through a nicely profiled section of Iron Hoop.
Jess Elliot Cave
I wasn't really sure how to provide lighting to accentuate the rimstone so I fell back upon a wide passage shot.
Jess Elliot Cave
Alan and Tom traverse atop breakdown in a large, upstream room.
Alan and Tom stare across at a massive, cone stalagmite.
Jess Elliot Cave
Alan is dwarfed by the enormous flowstone mass in a large room, upstream.
Jess Elliot Cave
Alan and Tom hike back towards the entrance crawl.
Tom kneels next to an interesting rimstone display.
Jess Elliot Cave
Tom volunteered to pose in the water below a curtain of flowstone. He was careful not to disturb the clear pool on his way over.
Jess Elliot Cave
Tom works his way out of the Iron Hoop entrance.
I'm not sure what Tom's thinking but it makes for an interesting expression.