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| The mud here had gotten bad in the wet part of this trail... | And Algae was growing on some of the formations... | so after fixing the net we cleared the trail of mud and scrubbed the formations free of algae. |
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| RIght where Shawn and Dale are is a slight down slope that was muddy and slippery... if you slid you might grab the nearest thing (Which would snap off and you'd be in BIG TROUBLE!!) :) | So scrub we did.. and got it all back to normal rock. | The picture you saw with algae before... |
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| After scrubbing... good work Jon! | Meanwhile back in Lower Cave... Kelly, Steve, and Carol are getting mud off of the trail that is oozing toward some delecate formations below.. | This is what it looks like while you are working... just your helmet lights. |
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| Just past this part of the trail is some very delecate stuff, Cave pearls, ponds, etc... don't need to bring the mud to them! | So you scrub, wet it down with a spray bottle, then get a sponge and suck up the mud and water you put down. | Final product... you are back on clean rock floor! |
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| Some cave pearls in the delicate area just up-a-ways from where the scrubbing took place. | Look closely at this rock... it is the base of a stalagtite they they are using to hold a cable down... look at the formation rings - just like a tree trunk. | Then we moved to the big room of Lower Cave (right near the overlook from the Big Room above) for lunch. |
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| We brought our lunch with us... but no crumbs are left behind... they'll make fungus grow! | Guess the night at KOA last night was rough on Steve... at lunch he just laid down on the trail and passed out... we gave last rites and went on for a photo shoot... | What it looked like right above Steve's head... |
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| Same view with lots of light! Just don't fall and impale me!! | The overlook from the Big Room above (80 feet up) When we walk on the trails down here... we are visiable to the public above...flash bulbs are going off all the time! <grin> | I used this backdrop with Jon back in 2007 to use as a cover photo for our web photo gallery. Now he get's to add an addition to this one! :) |
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| Duane with his light saber flashlight! | Carlsbad Lower Cave Monster!! | Dale A on the trail... |
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| We talked him into a photo shot too! | The Towns... Carol and Dale | Finally the Geo pit fixed, trail cleaned, and some new flagging laid down... time to come back up to the Big Room. |
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| The guide rope is really useful...expecially coming back out!!! | Shawn promised us a trip down Left Hand Tunnel at the end of the day so we had an hour to tour the big room before he came back to us. | Always nice to walk the trail here again... we have been down in Lower Cave so often that I haven't seen the Big Room formations in a decade! |
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| Sure is a lot different from our gypsum caves!!! | Although... I don't think I'd like mapping a cave this big either!!! | The trails were pretty full with visitors as it was just starting Spring Break. |
