Nate Newkirk, Jason Richards, Matt Johns
The next morning I started to pack my stuff up when I saw Alan rise. Once I stowed my sleeping gear , I woke Nate and we soon caravanned to Sauta Cave. Unfortunately, the gate opener decided to change the schedule on us so after waiting for half and hour Nate, Jason Richards, Matt Johns, and I decided to go visit Pretty Well. I’d once before tried to tour Pretty Well but had been prevented by a very wet, unmotivating rain. I began to recognize the landscape as we neared the parking area. We parked next to the kiosk for Limrock Blowing Cave, hiked up a large ravine, and continued further uphill from there. After an easy 400’ ascent we arrived where the cave should be according to the Alabama Cave Survey’s GPS point. Of course, the cave was nowhere to be found. All of us have had experience with bad survey points before. The four of us hiked around the GPS point for a little while. Jason found a small entrance that appeared to be a 30’ pit. When I shone my light down it I could see floor and walls. Then we split up. I contoured along the hillside to the right eventually finding a very nice looking sink with two holes at the bottom. The hole on the right, facing uphill, was definitely big enough to enter. I got out my helmet, pulled up my knee pads, and slid through the tight slot between boulders with my bright light in hand. Immediately to the left I saw a small narrow room leading to the other hole. I continued down a couple climb downs until I reached a 4’ diameter room with a flat dirt and gravel floor about 20’ below the entrance. I climbed back out and found Nate standing above me. I reassured him that this nice looking entrance surprisingly went nowhere and after packing my gear back into the backpack we set off.
I trended further uphill while Nate contoured along at the same level. Eventually, Nate bo’d me in to a really nice looking large sink hole with 3 separate holes. Nate was ridge walking with his polypro draped over his back like a cape. I’d already kidded him a couple times about this and asked him “haven’t you watched the Incredibles; don’t you know what happens to super heros with capes?” He shed his cape to explore the first of 3 karst features. He told me that a belly crawl took off at the bottom but that he didn’t’ want to do it without a shirt on. While he explored the first hole, I descended into a wet crevice on the right and peered around a limestone corner to see the passage tighten ahead. Nate checked out the third and middle lead and asked me if the water came back out further downhill. I descended to a steep rock-walled, V-shaped ravine and decided the water must certainly exit somewhere nearby.
Back at the impressive karst feature, I packed my things and started to leave but Nate showed signs of hesitation telling me that he had not satisfied himself that the first lead didn’t go. I replied that I’d be glad to wait while he checked it out to which he countered that he believed I should check it out. I really do miss ridge walking with Nate. I really enjoyed hiking around the beautiful Karst hillside checking leads with him. Without too much prodding, I descended 8 feet into the hole to a crack. Ahead, my bright light did indicate passage but too-tight rock walls prohibited entry. I reported my observation back up top and he told me I needed to remove the debris first to get to the belly crawl. I didn’t think this the case but dropped back down to verify my initial observation. After satisfying myself, we continued a little farther along the hillside before turning back to rejoining Jason and Matt. As we hiked back, I spotted another karst feature below a rock shelf with a nice looking 2’ wide slot entrance. Further exploration provided a 20’ long narrow crack with many formations before the passage pinched close. I exited and Nate and I continued back and found Jason about to check out the karst feature climb down I’d explored earlier. I told him such and we decided to swing back along the hillside below the GPS point until we reached the large ravine. Then we’d head back down.
Back at the edge of the ravine I bo’d for Nate and Matt, Jason , and I heard something strange. My bo appeared to echo 3 times in the valley. It didn’t take long for us to realize we really heard a distant Nate. Nate found something! However, it sounded like Nate was further uphill. Jason and I climbed up but another 3 bo’s from Nate indicated that he crossed the ravine and now bo’d to us from downhill. When I finally caught up with him I asked if he thought he’d found it to which he replied that he knew he’d found it. Nate stated that the problem was that it was way over there as he pointed up hill. I followed him and soon took the lead as he pointed out a very obvious pit entrance just downhill from our current location. Nate certainly found it. Standing above the pit, Nate looked over to me and laughed as he stated “and you guys made fun of my cape.” I laughed as I pulled gear from my backpack.
Jason rigged the pit and descended first. I followed. After pushing off a small ledge below the lip I descended further down a nice size shaft over a formation and flowstone ledge into a large room. I got off rope on a ledge about 20’ from the pit floor and set up some strobes trying to determine how to get a good picture. I didn’t like the results and after Nate rappelled down I began looking around for a better photo spot. I descended 20 feet to a lower room which I quickly crossed and ducked under a rock to see what Nate was looking at. To the right a tall dome erupted through the ceiling above a rimstone pool. I didn’t see a picture here so I climbed and descended a different route back to the lower room and spotted my shot. Looking up, the jagged and formation profiled passage walls created the perfect framing for a shot into the large room gazing towards the big formation atop the high slope. I danced around the breakdown and flowstone slope setting strobes and showed Nate where I wanted him to stand. I first lit Nate with a strobe placed nearby his feet and fired the big room strobes with a synced camera flash. This did not provide the desired effect. I decided I'd rather have a silhouette of Nate and no foreground light. TO do this I set the shutter speed to a second and gave Nate the previously synced strobe to fire on my signal. This worked nicely providing an evenly lit big room. After a few shots, I got the framing I liked and we finished.
I tried to shoot Nate ascending back up the flowstone and formation wall but my lens mysteriously fogged on the inside making the picture hazy. I didn’t really like the effect I got anyway so I told Nate to keep climbing. From high above he called out that he’d like me to try a shot from the first ledge. I got on rope and soon joined him. The fogging spot had disappeared but I didn’t see a good picture from the ledge so I climbed higher and took a couple shots of Nate which turned out OK. Nate’s hybrid was acting up. I told him a hybrid wasn’t really necessary for a 220’ pit anyway. He commented that it is more efficient to which I slyly countered “who’s climbing faster” as I nipped his heels. When we crossed the lip, I commented to Nate and Jason that I didn’t believe the drop to truly be 220’ tall. We’d certainly climbed slow but it was still way too easy for a 220 foot pit.
Jason looked at his watch and reported the time already 4:00 PM so there would be no pitting with Marion this afternoon. While Matt climbed, I found a nice throne in the woods and took care of something I should have done much earlier that day. Then Nate and I descended back to the cars beating Matt by about 3 minutes. Matt and Jason intended to visit Limrock Blowing Cave. Nate and I decided to head back to Sauta Cave. To Sauta Cave
Pretty Well
Nate checks out a karst feature.
Nate descends into the large room at the bottom of Pretty Well.
Pretty Well
Nate gets off rope.
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Pretty Well
I fire a foreground flash triggering the slaved flashes.
Nate fires a flash triggering the slaved flashes.
Pretty Well
Nate fires a flash triggering the slaved flashes.
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Pretty Well
I realized that a silhouette would look pretty cool.
I had Nate change his pose and position slightly.
Pretty Well
Nate wanted me to take some pictures of him climbing up.
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Pretty Well
So I tandemed up to him and did my best to get a few shots.
The picture makes the entrance look small but it really isn't.
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