Re: [Texascavers] Solo Caving

2013-09-21 Thread Mike Flannigan
I say there is no mention of a Christmas Cave in Harlan Bretz' Caves of Missouri. If I am wrong please point out my mistake. I am looking at Vol. XXXIX, Second Series published in 1956. Mike On 9/16/2013 5:17 PM, texascavers-digest-h...@texascavers.com wrote: Subject: Re: [Texasc

Re: [Texascavers] Solo Caving

2013-09-17 Thread James Jasek
Yup! Agree. Solo requires planning and caution. It is unsafe but so is caving with a group. Jim Sent from my iPhone On Sep 17, 2013, at 5:52 PM, wrote: > Just a couple of quotes that come to mind. > > > " Carelessness and overconfidence are usually more dangerous than > deliberately acce

Re: [Texascavers] Solo Caving

2013-09-17 Thread BBURNETT1
Just a couple of quotes that come to mind. " Carelessness and overconfidence are usually more dangerous than deliberately accepting risks " Wilber Wright 1901 "There have been joys too great to be described in words, and there have been griefs upon which I have not dared to dwell, and wi

Re: [Texascavers] Solo Caving

2013-09-17 Thread dirtdoc
I think, James, that it is time to wind this down.   Your justifications are approaching "encouraging others".   >> It really goes without say (ing) anyone doing a solo trip make the >> necessary surface precautions   Some folks who go caving alone do not want

Re: [Texascavers] Solo Caving

2013-09-17 Thread James Jasek
.net >> > From: pw...@dca.net >> > CC: texascavers@texascavers.com >> > Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Solo Caving >> >> > >> > Many, many years ago (1973?) I was in Waynesville MO over the >> > Christmas holiday on leave from the Army. I didn't

Re: [Texascavers] Solo Caving

2013-09-17 Thread Steve Keselik
t > > From: pw...@dca.net > > CC: texascavers@texascavers.com > > Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Solo Caving > > > > > Many, many years ago (1973?) I was in Waynesville MO over the > > Christmas holiday on leave from the Army. I didn't know any cavers > > th

RE: [Texascavers] Solo Caving

2013-09-17 Thread Louise Power
Sep 2013 14:25:32 -0400 > To: diana.tomch...@utsouthwestern.edu; ca...@caver.net > From: pw...@dca.net > CC: texascavers@texascavers.com > Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Solo Caving > > Many, many years ago (1973?) I was in Waynesville MO over the > Christmas holiday on leave from

Re: [Texascavers] Solo Caving

2013-09-16 Thread Julia Germany
:))) - from julia's cell On Sep 16, 2013, at 15:04, James Jasek wrote: > Thank you. I raised you right. I was there when you crawled into this hell > hole of mud in tight breakdown in Kiwi. Your mom and me were helping with the > dig. When you came you told me not to go in there. You were cov

Re: [Texascavers] Solo Caving

2013-09-16 Thread James Jasek
Thank you. I raised you right. I was there when you crawled into this hell hole of mud in tight breakdown in Kiwi. Your mom and me were helping with the dig. When you came you told me not to go in there. You were covered in wet mud Your father :) Sent from my iPhone On Sep 16, 2013, at 2:24 PM

Re: [Texascavers] Solo Caving

2013-09-16 Thread Amy Jasek
It isn't *really* solo, but the only time I have been in the cave at Kiwi I explored a little by myself. One of the diggers working inside was kind enough to tell me what to expect. I headed for an upper room and ended up belly crawling in wet muck - I was so hungover I felt like I was going to

Re: [Texascavers] Solo Caving

2013-09-16 Thread James Jasek
Thanks. Cool account if the solo trip. Made me feel as if I was there. This is more or less the type if cave I was asking about as to a easy cave to do a solo trip. Others have contributed solo trips I feel are well beyond what I was asking about. Being alone in the water crawl is an easy pla

Re: [Texascavers] Solo Caving

2013-09-16 Thread Phil Winkler
Many, many years ago (1973?) I was in Waynesville MO over the Christmas holiday on leave from the Army. I didn't know any cavers there anymore, but did want to visit Christmas Cave which is listed in J. Harlan Bretz' Caves of Missouri. Since it was a horizontal cave I figured I could at least c

Re: [Texascavers] Solo Caving

2013-09-16 Thread James Jasek
Thank you for the interesting history of you past and early caving years. Jim Sent from my iPhone On Sep 16, 2013, at 1:08 PM, Diana Tomchick wrote: > I don't get much time to discuss caving with people where I work, but last > week I had someone in my office that was admiring the Speleopro

Re: [Texascavers] Solo Caving

2013-09-16 Thread Diana Tomchick
I don't get much time to discuss caving with people where I work, but last week I had someone in my office that was admiring the Speleoprojects postcards I had posted on my outer door (I save these from their calendar every year, and post them in rotation as my mood changes). It turned out that

RE: [Texascavers] Solo caving in Castleguard: Mike Boon's epic trip

2013-09-13 Thread Marvin and Lisa
I have nothing but respect for someone who has the mental and physical fortitude to do something like that. Marvin _ From: Logan McNatt [mailto:lmcn...@austin.rr.com] Sent: Friday, September 13, 2013 5:42 PM To: Frank Binney Cc: Texas Cavers Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Solo caving in

Re: [Texascavers] Solo caving in Castleguard: Mike Boon's epic trip

2013-09-13 Thread Frank Binney
The truth is that ³Cave Carson² had to flee to California to escape the thousands of dollars in parking tickets he racked up at the UT campus by parking daily in a red zone outside the School of Communications ³Big Rusty Building² on Guadelupe. At that time there was no extradition treaty for parki

Re: [Texascavers] Solo caving in Castleguard: Mike Boon's epic trip

2013-09-13 Thread Logan McNatt
Mike Boon's epic 10 day solo trip is a must read. It included 2 days traversing a glacier with deep crevasses, and 8 days in a very challenging, cold cave with about 1,000 ft of vertical extent. He went almost 6 miles to the back of the cave and bolted/free-climbed up a 30 ft lead to explore vir

Re: [Texascavers] Solo caving is stupid. Plain and simple.

2013-09-13 Thread Jacqueline Thomas
Diana, Thanks for that link--what interesting research and conclusion! I was living in the Pacific NW at the time of McCandless' demise, and wasn't too long out of Alaska, and I remember thinking he was pretty stupid and somewhat arrogant to do what he did. I also had good knowledge of wild plan

Re: [Texascavers] Solo caving is stupid. Plain and simple.

2013-09-13 Thread Tim Stich
"There's only word to describe silo caving: Dead." Or perhaps corny...wheat-filled? Although rice is sometimes involved. On Fri, Sep 13, 2013 at 1:02 PM, texascav...@yahoo.com < texascav...@yahoo.com> wrote: > There's only word to describe silo caving: > > Dead. > > Has everyone forgotten that

Re: [Texascavers] Solo caving is stupid. Plain and simple.

2013-09-13 Thread Diana Tomchick
While we're on the topic of going solo in the wilderness and the relative risks involved, here's an interesting new take on how Christopher McCandless ("Into The Wild") died by Jon Krakeur. http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2013/09/how-chris-mccandless-died.html I especially enjoyed t

Re: [Texascavers] Solo caving

2013-09-13 Thread dirtdoc
Yes, Pete, I certainly do remember the Turtle Hurdles!     I figured Max must have come down out of a crack in the ceiling somewhere, and finally gave up searching.   I was doubting that even if I found a traveled route, I still would not know how to get to a main tourist trail and onto

Re: [Texascavers] Solo caving

2013-09-13 Thread Diana Tomchick
I don't qualify that as strictly solo caving as you are in the same cave with a group of people that hopefully know that you went ahead to check things out and will come and get you rather quickly if you are scooping virgin cave without them. Far different from no one else knowing where in the h

Re: [Texascavers] Solo caving

2013-09-13 Thread Pete Lindsley
Dwight, remember the Turtle Hurdles? You, Karen and myself were off in the boonies at the edge of known cave, just past Kaemper's map of Mammoth Cave. We went just past long ago footsteps, through an apparent virgin area, and into an area where we starting to see signs of human scuffs again. We

Re: [Texascavers] Solo caving is stupid. Plain and simple.

2013-09-13 Thread texascav...@yahoo.com
There's only word to describe silo caving: Dead. Has everyone forgotten that "world's greatest caver" Floyd Collins?? Stupidest caver IMHO. He broke so many common sense rules associated with caving that when I give a cave talk to various groups, I use him as an example on what NOT to do. Und

Re: [Texascavers] Solo caving

2013-09-13 Thread Fofo
I guess that the official response has to be "no, never, solo caving is too risky. What if anything happens?" But also, I can imagine that most cavers who have been involved in exploration have been solo caving: - Checking a couple of passages quickly to find out which one is more promising

Re: [Texascavers] Solo caving in Castleguard: Mike Boon's epic trip

2013-09-13 Thread dirtdoc
Thanks, Frank.   I remember that article well!   A classic story in a classic publication.   (And Jewel Cave had finally reached 50 miles to become the World's fifth longest cave --)   By the way - - in cleaning up the basement in the aftermath of too much flooding, I ran acros

Re: [Texascavers] Solo caving in Castleguard: Mike Boon's epic trip

2013-09-13 Thread Nico Escamilla
Everyone knows solo caving is way too dangerous. I always bring a buddy, usually one I can easily outrun when chupacabras start chasing you out of the cave El viernes, 13 de septiembre de 2013, Frank Binney escribió: > I’ve always believed that those who regularly pursue solo caving either > h

Re: [Texascavers] Solo caving

2013-09-13 Thread Diana Tomchick
OK, so it's a slow morning at work, so I'll bite on this subject. I don't go solo caving. But I do like to cave "solo" on occasion. What do I mean by that? For example, when you're caving with a large group of people that move at different rates through a cave, sometimes it's nice to break away

RE: [Texascavers] Solo caving

2013-09-13 Thread Tom Rogers
Jim, I have gone solo caving probably four times. Usually it was unplanned grab my helmet from the back seat and get sucked into a hole in the ground. The feeling you get when nobody knows where you are it's quiet all you can hear is your heart beat. A small cave with little or no exposures or

RE: [Texascavers] Solo caving

2013-09-13 Thread Stefan Creaser
No friends? ;-) (Sorry, it's Friday...) -Original Message- From: Diana Tomchick [mailto:diana.tomch...@utsouthwestern.edu] Sent: Friday, September 13, 2013 11:01 AM To: James Jasek Cc: TexasCavers Tex Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Solo caving Why go solo caving when there are so

Re: [Texascavers] Solo caving

2013-09-13 Thread dirtdoc
There is a certain peacefulness.   And quiet satisfaction.   DirtDoc

RE: [Texascavers] Solo caving

2013-09-13 Thread Louise Power
When I was living in Ely, NV, in the next valley over there was a cave with a big open entrance visible from the highway. It purportedly had a small population of taderida brasiliensis. One summer I went over to take a look with only a flashlight. Never saw or heard bats on the ceiling or walls,

Re: [Texascavers] Solo caving

2013-09-13 Thread Diana Tomchick
Why go solo caving when there are so many cavers in Texas that want to go but don't get enough chances to go caving? Diana * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Diana R. Tomchick Professor University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Department of Biophysics 5323 Harry Hines

RE: [Texascavers] Solo Caving

2013-09-13 Thread Louise Power
With all the safeguards you try to take, there's always that rock that immediately becomes round as soon as your foot hits it. It always sends you skidding down the passageway breaking your ankle or arm or wrist, etc. Then what do you do? > From: caver...@hot.rr.com > Date: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 2

Re: [Texascavers] Solo Caving

2013-09-13 Thread zachattackoorah
Always bring someone else to blame. Z Sent from my iPad On Sep 12, 2013, at 11:20 PM, James Jasek wrote: > What is the general feeling regarding solo caving? I am not talking about > solo climbing for exiting deep vertical cave. This is abut going in 500 to > 1000 feet crawling walking with

Re: [Texascavers] Solo Caving

2013-09-13 Thread Don Cooper
Watch that movie where the solo climber dude had to cut his arm off to save himself. ALL OF IT. That'll make you think.. On Thu, Sep 12, 2013 at 11:56 PM, Julia Germany wrote: > Breadcrumb trail. > > - from julia's cell > > On Sep 12, 2013, at 23:40, Stefan Creaser wrote: > > > Tie a l

Re: [Texascavers] Solo Caving

2013-09-12 Thread Julia Germany
Breadcrumb trail. - from julia's cell On Sep 12, 2013, at 23:40, Stefan Creaser wrote: > Tie a long elastic band to yourself and a tree near the entrance. > > From: James Jasek [caver...@hot.rr.com] > Sent: 12 September 2013 23:20 > To: TexasCavers T

RE: [Texascavers] Solo Caving

2013-09-12 Thread Stefan Creaser
Tie a long elastic band to yourself and a tree near the entrance. From: James Jasek [caver...@hot.rr.com] Sent: 12 September 2013 23:20 To: TexasCavers Tex Subject: [Texascavers] Solo Caving What is the general feeling regarding solo caving? I am not talkin