Photo Trip to the P-Cave Area

Although the intended goal was to photograph a cave, a group of grotto members dug open a cave instead. Ted Sargent, Craig Anderson, Andy Leh, George Hoch and I went to the P-Caves in Franklin County and spent many hours digging in a spot where we thought a cave might exist. It took much longer to open than any of us expected. So long in fact, that a few of the participants left before a cave was actually opened. It turned out to be about 30 feet of cave and barely passable. It will be a challenge to survey but probably should be done. There are some small decorations with the largest being a 6 inch stalactite and a 2.5 foot flow/ribbon. It is a tight cave that gave me some scrapes on my back and front but is also worthy of attempting a voice connection with the other “mud” hole where we were also digging, which blew some cold air from a rabbit-sized hole leading in the direction of the “rock” hole which was deemed “Pisser Cave” by Andy. Within about 5 feet into the cave, there is a round ceiling channel which goes about 7 feet at a downward slope of about 25 degrees. The passage is about 2 feet high including the channel and about 2 feet wide below the channel while the base opening of the channel is only about 10 inches wide. The channel must be used to traverse this section and get farther into the cave. The channel tapers off and the passage then bears to the right at about a 40 degree angle for about 8 feet where it comes to a T intersection. The passage is about shoulder width here and about 3 feet high. Around the right corner a few inches is the largest formation you ever did see (in this cave). It starts as flowstone and turns into what could almost be described as a ribbon but shows not quite enough width to qualify. It is about 2.5 feet from top to bottom. The ceiling here bears a 6 inch stalactite and there are a few 4 inch and smaller soda straws under a floor level opening. Taking the right at the T bears about 8 feet of passage which then turns a little but also gets too small to pass. Perhaps digging the clay floor out would make it passible but it also appears to go back toward an animal hole that is visible from the outside. Nail marks in the floor clay indicate that it was a home for some type of animal at some point. A voice connection to the outside hole, however, is not possible. A left turn at the T provides the first opportunity to actually get onto your feet in a squat position at the low point of the cave where the floor to ceiling height is about 4 feet. This passage is about 2 feet wide and progresses for about 15 feet. It too has a dirt floor which may be able to be dug at the end to attempt extension or tunneling under one of the side walls to go toward the small soda straws which appear in a crevice there, extending for many feet in a few spots. Removal of dirt from this passage would be quite challenging. The direction of the hole from which cold air blows out of the “mud” hole dig does not line up with this passage but may connect within 8 or 10 feet of the entrance area. On the other hand, it may not. The mud hole dig, however, does not have a solid ceiling.


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