This guy was described as an experienced caver, but he must
not have been very experienced with vertical work. I'm sure most of
us have been in very muddy vertical caves, and it's amazing to me
that vertical gear functions pretty well even when it is essentially
unrecognizably dirty. The trick is that you sometimes have to thumb
the cams, (push them closed) in order for them to bite on ascent when
mud overwhelms the spring. I have seen cams temporarily fail when a
chip of rock gets caught between the cam and the frame of the
ascender. Depending upon where it is lodged, the rock can either
prevent the cam from closing all the way, in which case the ascender
will slip, or it can prevent the cam from opening so that it might
not slid up properly. Both of these are fairly easily diagnosed and
corrected, especially if you have a knife or other small tool to
remove the rock chip.
I, too, was amused by the assertion that they had to use
headlamps because it was night...
Mark
At 10:58 AM 7/10/2013, Karen Perry wrote:
What cracked me up laughing when I first got a copy of the report
(via CCNP) was that they had to use headlights because it was at night & dark.
Guess the cave wasn't in the dark otherwise??? LOL!!!!
Karen
From: Logan McNatt <lmcn...@austin.rr.com>
To: Geary Schindel <gschin...@edwardsaquifer.org>
Cc: Texas Cavers <texascavers@texascavers.com>
Sent: Tuesday, July 9, 2013 11:09 PM
Subject: Re: [Texascavers] cave rescue in Arkansas
"a fused wad of metal, nylon, and mud that had at one point been the
victim's original ascending system."
Hope they took some photos, and preserved it for a museum piece.
On 7/9/2013 11:01 PM, Geary Schindel wrote:
National Park Morning Report
June 27.
Buffalo National Scenic River (AR)
Rangers Conduct Technical Rescue Of Trapped Caver
Late on the night of June 22nd, the Searcy County Sheriff's Office
called the park and asked for assistance with the rescue of a man
trapped at the bottom of a 30-foot pit a quarter-mile inside of
Kristin's Cave, not far from the park boundary near Cozahome.
Rangers/technical rescue technicians Dale Johannsen, Mark Miller,
Melissa Moses and Kevin Moses joined a Marshall Police Department
officer and a Searcy County deputy and worked their way to the
man's location to assess the situation, an effort that required
negotiating several vertical obstacles along the way and conducting
a severity probability exposure (SPE) risk analysis to help mitigate hazards.
After locating and making voice contact with the man, who was an
experienced caver and a member of a caving club out of Little Rock,
they determined that he was thirsty, hungry and cold but otherwise
okay and capable of ascending under his own power. The cause of
his becoming stranded was that his equipment, including his rope,
had been rendered useless by a heavy accumulation of thick, sticky,
stubborn cave mud.
Miller rappelled into the pit and provided the caver with water,
food, a thermal layer and clean ascending equipment. Belayed from
above, the caver was then able to ascend most of the pit on a new
rope under his own power, though rescuers used a raising system to
assist him with the last ten feet or so. Miller then followed,
bringing with him a fused wad of metal, nylon, and mud that had at
one point been the victim's original ascending system.
The rescue party emerged from the cave four-and-a-half hours after
they entered; because this particular mission occurred during
nighttime hours, the rescuers were forced to conduct the entire
operation by headlamp. By the time they emerged, the victim had
been underground for 17 hours. Kevin Moses served as incident commander.
[Submitted by Jason Flood, Lower Buffalo District Ranger]
Please reply to mmin...@caver.net
Permanent email address is mmin...@illinoisalumni.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Visit our website: http://texascavers.com
To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com
For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
