BRIAR HOLE TRIP REPORT
Webster Cave System Complex,
Breckinridge County, Kentucky
June 25, 2006

"I come back crazier, but feel much better..."

Today, Curtis “What Was I Thinking” Beasley, Pat “MuddMan” Mudd, and I, returned to Briar Hole Cave. Our goal today was to continue the survey commenced in May. Specifically, I hoped to pick up the survey below PeeBee’s Dismay and extend into Impending Death. Back in May, we began the survey of Briar Hole Cave and its sister cave, Vanlahr Sink. Vanlahr Sink Cave “ends” at an impenetrable squeeze at the end of 'Certain Death'. See https://pbase.com/darklightimagery/briar_hole_and_vanlahrs_cave. That day, under a threat of thunderstorms, we managed to survey this low wet crawl to its human terminus. Over 20 years ago, during initial exploration into Briar Hole, we discovered the other end of Certain Death from within Briar Hole. Today, during our explorations, I hoped to recreate this ingress.

Curtis and I met Pat at the Field House around 0900EST. We picked up survey gear and headed over to the Vanlahr farm one ridge over. After speaking with Jonathan Vanlahr, we parked and trekked down into the valley towards Vanlahr Sink. Two caves lay here, but Briar was our goal. About three weeks back the area received about five inches of rain in one day. This flooded the sink to a depth of about 20 feet. Flood debris were everywhere, and todays 20% chance of isolated thunderstorms had us all a bit uneasy. We were worried about the threat, considering the entire cave lay well below the sink level, and it wouldn’t take but a brief heavy downpour to throw the cave into flood. And the passages of Briar Hole are not very forgiving to such an event. Still, there was nothing showing on radar upon our arrival, so we decided to go ahead.



Briar Hole is a horrible little cave. The worst part is the wetsuit it requires. The water crawls demand one, but the 200 feet of dry and excruciatingly tight canyon squeezes and crawls saps ones energy well before it is needed. By the time we got to the area known as PeeBee’s Dismay, we were nearly exhausted from the heat and sweat. We sent Pat through first. He was arguably the biggest caver among us. If he could not fit, no sense in the rest of us going. After several tries (Peebee’s Dismay requires just the right body positioning and technique to fit through) Pat gave up. Curtis then tried, and passed through. With his help, Pat then made it through. Once below the two constrictions that make up PeeBee’s, we collected ourselves at the beginning to Impending Death.



This passage, like Certain Death in Vanlahr Sink, is horribly low and wet. I had the thought of floodwater crashing through the back of my head like the rest I am sure. I almost recall feeling a tad claustrophobic simply because I just could not stand up, and for the oppressive heat overwhelming me. I savored the thought of being able to lay in the water. But we could not fit! In the past 20 years, gravel and large pieces of chert had blocked the entry to Impending Death. While Curtis persevered to dig the crawl open, Pat and I sat back and tried to cool down some more. Soon, Curtis made entry, followed by Pat. I brought up the rear photographing the event.



Soon we were all trudging down Impending Death. I had wrote about it two decades before and remembered it being an ear-dip for several hundred feet. The water wasn’t quite that high. Over its length, I’d say the water depth was about a foot, with one foot or air. In places it was a bit less. The width was a Spartan three feet or so. After about 20 minutes, Curtis reported an intersection. This would be the trunk passage discovered 20 years earlier. Expecting a “dry” passage 15 or 20 feet wide, we were met with a passage barely stooping height and half that width. Funny how caves get smaller over time…or was it my memory playing tricks?

Later dubbed “Horrific Death” by Curtis, this passage is very significant in the Webster Complex. Several weeks ago, a survey trip to Marathon Crawl in the Webster System extended to within 300 feet of known passage in Briar. This trunk, Horrific Death, was undoubtedly the upstream end of Marathon Crawl. Only additional mapping, and perhaps some digging, lay between it and a connection in Webster Cave.

After gathering ourselves at the junction, we took off upstream for some quick exploration. I was interested in seeing what I was convinced is the lower end of Certain Death in Vanlahr Cave. That passage ends in an impenetrable down-sloping passage that carries water out of the cave. Upstream from the Impending Death junction we found the point where Certain Death drains in. Curtis attempted to crawl up into it, but it was just too tight. Hammers and chisels would be required to make a connection. Still, we were close enough for at least a voice/light connection I am sure. Pat continued on upstream in Horrific Death, Curtis followed, and I ran downstream towards Webster.

Horrific Death downstream is remarkably similar to North bore preceding the sump. About 15 feet wide, two feet high, and half full of water, it twisted and turned. I pushed along about 300 or so feet before tuning back. I still had thoughts of the passage living up to its name in the back of my head. Returning to the junction, I met up with Pat and Curtis. Pat reported that upper Horrific continued on. Curtis reported he was dying. So, we decided that Curtis would return to the surface while Pat and I surveyed out of Impending Death and linked up with the original survey.



Pat and I started mapping out of Horrific and soon realized it was going to be a slow process. We both had instruments, so front and backsites were assured. To accomplish this, however, I had to crawl out backwards! Flailing my feet behind to “feel” the way on, I managed to set stations, read compass, while Pat followed behind me. After what seemed like an eternity, we made it back to the base of PeeBee’s Dismay.

In all, we mapped only about 250 feet of cave. And that 250 feet took us further away from known passage in Webster due to trend. Nevertheless, it is apparent that Horrific Death is headed directly towards Marathon Crawl. Only high water levels or some other blockage will prevent a Briar Hole connection.

After making the entrance, we found our alert weather monitor, Curtis, sleeping! That was a false sense of security I’d say!

Several video clips of the Impending Death passage can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaUazdFH0h8
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nk0kJd7hwgk

and higher quality versions at http://www.darklightimagery.net/impending%20death%20survey%20H264.mov
and
http://www.darklightimagery.net/MuddMan%20in%20Impending%20Death%20H264.mov