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Darkside #31Darkside is the newsletter of the Northern Rocky Mountain Grotto

Northern Rocky Mountain Grotto (NRMG)

The NRMG is a chapter of the National Speleological Society, and is an organization based in the Northwest Rocky Mountain region of the United States; whose purpose is to promote the discovery, exploration, scientific study, and conservation of caves and karst. For more information, contact one of the organization’s officers.

email, and sometimes on NRMG.org. For additional information on the pub nights and locations, please contact a NRMG pub night facilitator nearest to your area.

Volunteers are always needed to organize local pub nights. Con­tact Ian Chechet at ianchechet@gmail.com for info on how to coordinate a pub night in your city.

President Ian Chechet505 N. Wilson Ave Bozeman, MT 59715 ianchechet@gmail.com

Vice-President EllenWhittle7622 Spear Drive Shepherd, MT 59801 whittlellen93@gmail.com

Secretary Carl Froslie1206 S. Grand Ave Bozeman, MT 59715 froslie.carl@gmail.com

Treasurer Michael McEachern711 S. 3rd St.Hamilton, MT 59840 cave3d@msn.com

Subscription and MembershipMembership in the Northern Rocky Mountain Grotto is $12 per year. To join the NRMG, please visit http://nrmg.cavesofmon- tana.org and make your payment online via PayPal. If you don't use PayPal you can mail a check to the Treasurer and wait till it clears. After that you will become an NRMG member.

Photo CreditsFront: Crysta And Jacob Pitcher Preparing To Drop Little Bitterroot Cave - Cliff Thorsen Photo, 2016

Back: Carl Froslie In The Entrance Of Chestnut Cave - Carl Froslie photo, 2016

Bozeman Area Ian Chechet505 N. Wilson Ave Bozeman, MT 59715 ianchechet@gmail.com

Flathead Valley Area Andrew Belski 733 Denver St.Whitefish, MT 59937 abelski@riverdesigngroup.net

Great Falls Area Zach Angstead1121 23rd Ave SW Great Falls, MT 59404 z_angstead@hotmail.com

Publishing InformationDarkside is attempted to be published quarterly by the NRMG of the National Speleological Society. Articles may be reproduced by any other NSS publication provided proper credit is given. Other reproductions are by permission of the editor only. All materials and inquiries should be sent to:

Ken Stahley krstahl@gmail.com 406 656 8434

Opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s) of the reports and articles and are not necessarily those of the editor, NRMG, or the NSS.

The editor reserves the right to edit all materials for publi­cation.

Story separator vignette photo by Ken Stahley, 2014

Regional Periodic GatheringsThe Cavers in the NRMG, gather monthly in different locations, to eat burgers, pizza, drink sodas or beer, tell stories, and plan future events. We call these informal gatherings “PUB” nights. Specifics to the pub nights are typically posted on our Facebook page http://www.Facebook.com/MontanaCaving, Google Group

©2016 NRMG Darkside, Issue No. 31, July 2016.

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In This Issue

Administrative InfoFrom The Secretary New Members2018 Nss Convention Update Open Letter To NRMG

Trip ReportsYak #2 In Winter With Young Kids Or How I Love My Homemade Dogsled Wild Tour

L&C Caverns Private Tour & Photo Shoot

Rose's 1St Nrmg Annual Meeting

The Unlucky Rabbit's Foot:Survey Of Checkerboard CaveLions And Snickers At Lick Creek

The Orchestra Inside Lick Creek Cave

Yakinikak Area Caves: The Liquid MagiciansFinding Chestnut Cave

Just Over That Hill Trip

Practice Pays Off

Warm Day/Cool Cave

Feature ArticleRediscovering The Devil's Watch Pocket

AGM Meeting Minutes

Maps & GraphicsNRMG Membership Map

Carl Froslie 4Carl Froslie 4Doug Warner 5Montana Fish, Wildlife, 6and Parks

Ann Brooks 7

Tim Snell 8Patrick Fawley 9Rose Moon 9Jordan Toles 9

Ellen Whittle 11J.B. Chandler 12Cliff Thorsen 14Carl Froslie 16Anthony Stratman 16Cliff Thorsen 17Cliff Thorsen 18

James Cummins 20

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26

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Administrative Information

From the Secretary:

NRMG Members,Thank you to everyone who helped out in the setup, preparation, and take down of this year’s AGM. I’d just like to recall a bit of what went on during the weekend for anyone who may have missed it. We had a great turn out and were able to make a big difference in a large part of Lewis and Clark Caverns during the clean up on Friday afternoon.

On Saturday we had a business meeting to discuss the future of the NRMG and what direction it is headed as well as our involvement with the community. If you are interested in a more in-depth look of the meeting I en­courage you to look at the attached minutes at the end of the newsletter.

To see the success at this year’s AGM I am happy to say that the NRMG’s first Cave Camp will be held this Oc­tober! Cave Camp will be at a Rotary Camp outside of Great Falls, MT and include workshops for cavers of all skills and interests. We will also have caving trips planned for caves around the local area.

Carl Froslie NRMG Secretary

n r m g New Members

The Northern Rocky Mountain Grotto wel­comes the following new members. We hope you all make new friends and caving partnerswithin the grotto. (If you find your name misspelled,

please let us (Carl Froslie) know)

The meeting was followed by presentations from the members of the NRMG on expeditions and trips that they were involved with during the past year. Lunch was provided graciously by the Lewis and Clark Cav­erns staff in the afternoon.

On Saturday evening we held the 2nd annual Spe- leo-Olympics, with all new events. These events con­sisted of a knot untying and rope packing contest, the perverse traverse, and of course, the squeeze box to fin­ish up the night.

On Sunday morning we viewed a caving film, just so ev­eryone could have an easy start to the morning, which was followed by a second round of presentations by NRMG members. This was follow by a trips into the Lewis and Clark Caverns in which basic, wild, and re­ally wild tours were offered. On the "really wild" tour the group ventured deep back into the caverns to clean up a pile of twine and old flash bulbs that had been left behind.

Thanks to again to everyone would made this possible, it really was a team effort and we appreciate everyone involved.

Adam Haydock 3/31/2016Tom Forwood Jr. 4/15/2016Brett Molyneauy 4/15/2016Eric Parsons 4/15/2016Nacey Gillespie 4/17/2016Ryan Stanberry 4/17/2016Anthony Stratman 4/19/2016Matt Danreuther 4/26/2016Will Urbanski 4/26/2016Clifford Thorsen 4/30/2016Kathy Wiegand 5/1/2016Whitney Marsh 5/14/2016Rock Bryan 5/16/2016Lily Henley 5/30/2016Kevin Smith 6/1/2016Jordan Sparr 6/7/2016Adria Strable 6/9/2016Lance Inman 6/17/2016Travis Keating 6/21/2016

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2018 NSS Convention Update

The convention volunteers are making headway on a number of fronts. We now have a video to show at this year's convention, but more exciting, Hans has done an excellent job of knocking out most of the content for the US portion of the Guidebook. Only formatting remains, and that is in process.

And here is the regular pitch for help (expect one with each update!). We still don't have anyone in charge of the fifteen following positions, and would love your help:

EventsCampground Party Fellowes Reception Howdy Party BanquetFAS (Fine Arts Salon) Reception

Advertising & Sponsorships Merchandise

MiscTransportationRentalsVertical SessionBOG (Board of Governors) Support Speleo Art

Publications LeadProgram, Schedule & Geology Guidebook Newsletter

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The following note was delivered by email to the NRMG Google Group on April 3, 2016. It's nice to be recognized for our efforts of cooperation with respect to bat conservation and efforts to prevent WNS. Thanks to all of you who made it happen. (KRS) ______________________________

Message to members of the Northern Rocky Mountain Grotto and recreational cavers from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Montana Natural Heritage Program, US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management. US Fish and Wildlife Service.

As most everyone knows by now, White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) was confirmed in a little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) found near North Bend, Washington on March 11. This is the first recorded occurrence of this devastating bat disease in western North America; about 1,300 miles from the previous westernmost detection. Presence of the disease caused by the fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destrctans (Pd), was verified by the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Health Center.

Montana agencies have been preparing for the western spread of this disease since 2010 when a meeting was held among Montana wildlife and land management agencies and members of the Montana caving community. Since that initial meet­ing a strong partnership has solidified among agencies and cavers, in particular members of the Northern Rocky Mountain Grotto.

This partnership has resulted in a significant increase in data on both bats and bat habitat and an increased understanding of recreational caving. Increased communication among partners has resulted in a better understanding of how the fun­gus Pd can be spread by humans and a commitment by all to do what is necessary to prevent any human spread of Pd into Montana.

Montana agencies believe we are already meeting the following objectives laid out in Recommendations for Managing Ac­cess to Subterranean Bat Roosts to Reduce the Impacts of White-Nose Syndrome in Bats that serve as a revision to the 2009 Cave Advisory issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and released March 18, 2016.

Objectives1. Minimize the risk of human-assisted spread of Pd to decrease the probability of long-distance transfer of the fungus to uncontaminated areas.2. Avoid disturbing bats in their roosts to the greatest extent possible.3. Carry out science-based best management practices for achieving conservation and recovery goals for bats.4. Foster cooperation and collaboration among government agencies, non-government organizations, and landowners.

Montana agencies believe we are meeting these objectives in large part because of the continued commitment of the Mon­tana caving community to clean and decontaminate caving gear between cave visits, collect and report information on bat presence and habitat, avoid concentrations of bats during sensitive periods, and work with management agencies to come up with solutions for conserving a critical wildlife resource while maintaining recreational opportunity.

Montana agencies ask that the caving community continue to diligently clean and decontaminate gear following the most recent decontamination protocols (wns.org.) We also ask that you continue to submit cave trip reports and document bat presence.

If dead or sick bats are detected please notify:Lauri Hanauska-Brown, MFWPNongame Wildlife Management Bureau ChiefPhone: 406-444-5209, Email: lhanauska-brown@mt.gov

Montana agency partners are grateful to the continued commitment and dedication of the caving community to protect our bats. We in turn are committed to maintaining open communication and cooperative efforts with the caving commu­nity as we move forward in the face of recent developments.

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Yak #2 In Winter With Young Kids Or How I Love My Homemade Dogsled

By Ann Brooks 01/30/2016Participants: Ann Brooks, Lee Brooks, David Ring, Becca John­son, Luke Johnson, Gracyne Johnson, Cadence Johnson

This past January, seven of us drove and then skied to the Yakinikak#2 cave. This trip report is a little late, (submitted June 18, 2016) but instead of dwelling on that, I would like to point out what a good example I’m being by writing up a trip report with a “better late than never” attitude. Also, note how refreshing the ici­cle formations and snow photos are, appearing as they do during the summer. Furthermore, with all the time you now have to plan ahead for your own trip next

winter, you'll be able to build your own dogless dogsled and give your family years (and miles) of entertain­ment.

Getting to the Yakinikak #2 cave trailhead involves driving fifty miles of dirt road which typically takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes (in our thirty year old car—your actual time may vary). However, the NorthFork Road in mid-winter is as nice as it gets... it isn'tdusty and the washboards are all evened out with nice white “pavement”. The winter residents in the area plow the USFS road to within about two miles of the cave entrance, even plowing out a parking spot at the end. From the plowed out parking area it is a fairly flat two mile ski to the cave.

Our party included two of my library coworkers, Becca and David. I had met Becca's daughters (8 and 12 years old) at a staff party and found out that Cadence, the oldest, really liked geology and we started talking about caving. Becca told me that her husband Luke

Gracyne And Cadence At The Entrance To Yakinikak #2 Cave - Ann Brooks photo, 2016

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would like to go caving too, plus he would enjoy the workout of pulling our homemade dog sled with his girls on it to help get our party to the cave. Luke likes keeping fit (they go trail running in the summers too). Their girls don't have skis, just snowshoes. So even though we drove our tiny 4WD Justy, we were moti­vated to also pack our “dog” sled as a way to bring the kids along the four miles of snowy roads. We got 5 pairs of adults' skis, a cargo sled, the dog sled (which folds down--love that PVC pipe construction) all packed in a car the size of a shopping cart along with Lee and me. We carried Becca, Luke, and David's skis and that way they could fit their two girls and David in their larger car.

We had an absolutely fantastic time. Sunshine! Real­ly?!? Who knew? The forecast was for 70% chance of snow. We were all scrambling to find sunglasses for the first time all winter. And the snow on the ground was perfect, about three inches of fresh fluff on the firm old base. Not too much for the dog sled to push through, but just right for the skiers to shush along on and steer with. The kids were warm and happy and our 17 year old homemade "dog sled" (Dad Sled? Ve­hicular Interactive Toy?) pulled by Luke, got the kids to the cave entrance easily. The cargo sled held our packs, helmets, and caving clothes. Lee and Luke did have to skate-ski back to the Justy for some screwdrivers when the glue gave out on one of the front blocks of wood that attach the PVC pipe to the dogsled's ski, but we were close to the car and the fix held for the rest of the trip. Lee and I made this PVC pipe dogsled for our daughter Ada when she was two years old. We used it on many winter trips and now Ada is in college. Half of any alpine caving adventure, I've heard it said, is the approach, so we had that covered.

The icicles at the entrance were SO cool, numer­ous, and strange. What a fantastic treat Yak #2 is in the winter. The girls were in the lead here, and they paused at the opening, peering into this strange new world. Then we all caught up, changed our gear from skiing to caving, and went in together. The whole group made it all the way to the back of Yak #2 through the ledge squeeze, with enthusiasm. Luke kept rounding a corner in the cave and declaring, “This is my favorite part of the cave!” Then the girls would go ahead and point out the next favorite part to him.

When we worked our way back out of the cave, we

stopped to explore the little tubes by the underground river. We waited until the end to do this because there is always water in the tubes and, while we all brought spare dry socks and wore coveralls, none of us had full changes of dry clothes for the ski out should we get really wet. I went first and I made an effort to soak up all the water I could before the 8 year old following me got into it. Kids just bring out the best in you, I think.

We saw recent evidence of packrats, but no bats. Also we saw a nice, fresh cave register dropped off by Hans' high school kids the week before. Our two young cavers were proud to sign their names. Looking good NRMG, for this generation and the next!

Wild Tour

By Tim Snell 04/10/2016Participants: NRMG members

Wow, WOW!! What a great AGM, hope everyone made it home safe. To those who missed out, you missed out on a really good time. Beautiful weather, great presentations, and some WILD caving ( I got to go on the wild tour, led by James Cummings) that led us through a part of the cave few people get to see these days. And the FOOD! Best chicken chili I've ever had, thanks Ann! The lunch, provided by L&C Caverns was topnotch, and all those cookies! Wow!! The Speleolympics were a lot of fun, some great caving skills got used in various ways whether it was doing the "Perverse Traverse" which entailed climbing under a table and back up the other side, untying knots with your body while racing an opponent at the other end of the rope and the clock, to the ever popular squeeze box. Seemed like everyone from Mary Alice Chester to Bryce Maxell got in on the action. Sorry I can't be­gin to name the names of all the great people who got involved, believe me, there are a lot of very special peo­ple in our Grotto who put a lot of time and effort into this project. Thanks to them, the folks who presented, and the fine people of the Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park who let a bunch of really cool people enjoy themselves. Just sayin'...

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L&C Caverns Private Tour & Photo Shoot Rose's 1st NRMG Annual Meeting

By Patrick Fawley 04/10/2016Participants: Ian Chechet, Rose Moon, Patrick Fawley, Brian Gimble (Gindling?), and more

A group of 10+ people got a tour (me included) from Tom, the senior ranger of the caverns. While there, we recorded three Townsend Big Eared Bats and recreated several old (circa 1920) stereo graphic images.

Formation - Lewis & Clark Caverns - Patrick Fawley photo, 2016

By Rose Moon 04/10/2016Participants: Rose Moon + NRMG Members on Standard Tour

Patrick F. saw a Bushy Tailed Woodrat at the entrance. I counted 3 bats in the first portion of the cave after the entrances. In the Cathedral Room Mike recreated one of his old 3D photos with the group. I grabbed two tiny bits of trash from a drip pool by the railing (I had gloves on). I also took some pictures with some added light from a flashlight. It was nice to not get the Disney narrative on the cave tour.

The Unlucky Rabbit's Foot: Survey Of Checkerboard Cave

By Jordan Toles 04/16/2016Participants: Hans Bodenhamer, Ellen Whittle, Carrie Voss, Jordan Toles

The party had agreed to convene in White Sulphur Springs at 20:00 on Friday evening. However, it was “one of those days” and 20:00 inevitably became 22:00. While en-route on highway 89, a jackrabbit bolted out into the middle of the road and unintentionally offered itself as a sacrifice to the cave gods. I interpreted this unceremonious incident as the official blessing of our trip. I arrived at the rendezvous point to find Hans, Carrie and Ellen blissfully soaking in the hot springs, either unaware or completely indifferent of the delay. We nonchalantly discussed camping options and a bit of cave geology before hitting the road again. It was at about this time that Ellen informed me that the driver side door on her truck would no longer shut, and that she would have to make perpetual use of a cable tied around the inside handle to keep the door from swing­ing open and ejecting her from the moving vehicle. At

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The party arrived at the cave entrance at approximately 10:00 after a short 1.3 mile hike. Shortly thereafter, it was realized that someone (I won’t say names, but it might have been Ellen) had forgotten the DistoX back

Hans Bodenhamer, Ellen Whittle, And Jordan Toles Hiking To Checker- at the vehicles. Determined to con-board Cave - Carrie Voss photo, 2016

this point I was beginning to suspect that the afore­mentioned incident with the jackrabbit might have been a bad omen.

We arrived at our camping destination at approximate­ly 23:00 whereby we all promptly vanished from the realm of consciousness. The younger members of the party awoke the next morning at 06:30 to the sight and smell of Hans brewing a black, tarry substance likened to crude oil which he referred to as “coffee”. With cold in our limbs and enough caffeine in our blood streams to fail a drug test, we packed up and began our short caravan to the cave.

tinue in a timely fashion and perhaps too lazy to hike back and retrieve the instrument, it was decided that the

survey would have to be completed in the dated man­ner in which it had begun. Armed with tape, compass, clinometers and mild sarcasm, the team said goodbye to Carrie’s dog on the surface and descended into the 40 foot entrance pit.

We were immediately greeted in the subsurface by the palpable aroma of a decomposing rabbit carcass. The biologists among us were eager to study the specimen, but refrained due to time constraints and perhaps odor

Carrie Voss At Checkerboard Cave - Jordan Toles photo, 2016

tires with chains and set about the arduous task of getting him unstuck. In this process, his van began to slide down the road directly towards the ditch adjacent to the road. I positioned my body in a horizontal fashion between the mountainside and his van and was able to somehow prevent the imminent disaster. We parked the van down past the snow- pack and preceded with the day’s activities.

Traveling into the mountains at a moderately rapid pace, it was not long before we reached roads of ques­tionable integrity. Hans initially expressed concern that his van might not be able to successfully navigate the snow blanketed thoroughfare, but soon succumbed to the enticement of a short hike after Ellen and I had successfully demonstrated our vehicle’s abilities to clamber up the snowy road. However, Ellen and I completely underestimated the severity of the previ­ously articulated lack of topography on his tires when we compelled him into this endeavor. Hans spun out just a short way up the road, narrowly avoiding plum­meting down the steep slope below. We adorned his

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Caver At Bottom Of Pit In Checkerboard Cave - Jordan Toles photo, 2016

tolerance. Once past the entrance room, Hans went about rigging the second rappel. The obviously credi­ble cave graffiti claimed this to be a 200 foot pit. Ellen and I tied into the last survey station and began tak­ing measurements. We surveyed down the pit, which much to our chagrin was discovered to be only a mere 70 feet. Once at the bottom, Ellen began a moderately perilous free climb into a large alcove. I spotted her for a while until I lost interest and resumed surveying with Carrie. Ellen eventually found her way back down (with a spotter, don’t worry). In the meantime, I found a perfectly miserable lead to push up through a muddy breakdown pile behind where Hans was situated com­pleting his sketch. Upon my surrender and subsequent retreat, I accidentally dislodged a large cobble which consequently turned into a rapidly moving projectile. Hans performed an evasive maneuver which can only be described as a hybrid between “the Matrix” and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and gracefully avoided the day’s second possible disaster. We finished the survey and ate a modest lunch before ascending out of the cave. All party members had exited the cave by ap­

proximately 16:00.Once on the surface, Carrie was immediately body slammed by her dog who was overjoyed not to have been abandoned and probably a bit jealous that it didn’t get to drop the pit. The snow that we had post- holed through on the approach was completely melted and we made the hike back to the vehicles in lavish sunshine. Once back at the vehicles, I noticed a pe­culiar furry object dangling from my front bumper. Upon closer inspection, I discovered the foot (and oth­er remains) of the rabbit which I had hit the previous night. The source of our bad luck had been discovered. Watching me meticulously pick rabbit parts from my bumper stimulated everyone’s appetites and the party agreed upon dinner in White Sulphur Springs. We ate at a pizza parlor/movie theater which we all agreed was an excellent idea for a business model. After profuse gluttony and my faux pas of using the insufficiently marked women's restroom, we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. Except for me. I ended up staying and having a beer at the new brewery (which I would highly recommend, by the way).

Lions And Snickers At Lick Creek

By Ellen Whittle 04/19/2016Participants: Ian Chechet, Ellen Whittle

Last fall, I set up a passive bat acoustic logger to mon­itor bat activity, and a trail camera to track the two­legged visitation at Lick Creek Cave. On April 19, Ian Chechet and I were in the Great Falls area and headed to Lick Creek to collect the roost logger and the trail camera photos.

The large, newly placed sign outside the entrance, which explains white-nose syndrome and the plight of bats, has already been defaced by TIM and BRI­AN scratched over the surface (if only Tim and Brian had also left their phone numbers...) We also found a Ziploc bag containing Snickers, a granola bar, and trail mix sitting untouched by the cave entrance; we care­fully disposed of the Snickers right away to remove the temptation for wildlife.

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Mountain Lion Near Lick Creek Cave - Bushnell trail camera photo, monitored by Ellen Whittle, 2016

During our trip to retrieve the roost logger, I noted that the cave itself was very clean compared to past trips; however, an NRMG group wrote in the cave register that they had removed a lot of trash during their trip just a few days earlier. Still, we removed two additional ropes that had been discarded in the cave.

When I went to retrieve the bat roost logger, it had been moved from its original location under a heavy rock in the balcony area. The small card originally placed with the black box, which explained that it was a bat monitoring device placed by the Montana Natural Heritage Program and the US Forest Service, had been tossed down a nearby hole. Despite the lock on the roost logger, a curious visitor had opened the latches of the case and then discarded the logger with the latches still open, allowing moisture inside. I was disappointed to discover the logger's condition, but not all that surprised.

Past cleanups by the UM Cave Club and other groups have made large-scale efforts to clear the garbage out of Lick Creek, but the garbage seems to renew itself on nearly a weekly basis. The trail camera recorded human visitation during every month of the winter, even at temperatures of 15 degrees F. A few trips were recorded in January and February, but visitation rose steeply beginning in March. The trail camera recorded visitors of all ages: teenagers, adults, even families with very small children.

Besides human visitors, the camera also captured

mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, raccoons, snowshoe hares, and mule deer. The ability to visit this spectacu­lar cave on a whim and share a path with the wildlife is a privilege that we could all lose.

Note: We did not count the bats since there have been multiple counts this winter already--we kept our lights off the bats and attempted to disturb as little as possi­ble.

The Orchestra Inside Lick Creek Cave

By J.B. Chandler 04/16/2016Participants: Zach Angstead, Cliff Thorsen, Andrew, Lee Brooks, Ann Brooks, and J.B. Chandler

Zach emailed us all Friday morning, the day after the massive April snowstorms in North Central Montana, and I feared the snowfall had forced the cancellation of our trip to Lick Creek Cave. Rather, he was concerned about us traveling on the snowy roads the next morn­ing. The paved roads were fine, but as the six of us rode in Zach’s vehicle toward the Little Belt Mountains, we found the country roads swept with white snow. At this higher elevation, the entire landscape lay under a thick crust of melting snow, including the trail and the gravel roads. I had to mention how well Zach’s truck was handling the snowy roads, when 20 seconds later the truck began to falter, so Zach stopped and shifted into four low.

We came closer to our destination riding along the higher road, and as we neared the snowy intersection with the climbing road from the Sluice Boxes, we could see a pickup truck slowly reversing away from us, back down the road. We can see from his tracks that he failed reaching the intersection by just a few feet. For­tunately for us all, Zach had chosen the best route to­day. Minutes after reaching our parking spot, the man who was reversing, met us on his snowmobile. Indeed it was a beautiful day for winter sports, like caving!

We trailblazed through the snow that sunny Saturday morning. Most of the trail was heavily wooded, so we were shielded from the hot sun. Plus the pine branch-

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J.b. Chandler, Ann Brooks, Lee Brooks, Andrew, Zach Angstead, And Cliff Thorsen After A Lick Creek Caving Experience - Cliff Thorsen photo, 2016

es dropped many drifts upon our sweaty heads, so we stayed cool. The cave entrance lay at one of the few spots clear of trees, and with the bright sun above re­flecting off the snow below, the cave was a welcome re­spite for my baby blue eyes. A short drop into the cave, and then another quick drop and we are in the registry room. Continuing deeper, Lick Creek Cave descends at an easy grade. There are a few points where we must crawl through tight spots, but the early going was easy enough to allow us to sight see. Much graffiti had been washed out of this cave by the NRMG last season, so we could focus on what matters in caves. Geodes and popcorn, bubbling formations and growing stalactites, and then lines of crystals, called boxwork, that streaks across the rock like varicose veins.

As we get deeper, the cave gets wider, and more dan­gerous. A rope along the wall, and some steps carved

into the limestone help us navigate a narrow path over­looking a deadfall. The pathways before the final room seem to split in every direction before coalescing into the Cathedral Room. One dead end overlooks a 90 foot drop, another path that leads up is labeled “Don’t Do It” in white. Another route wraps around and we can overlook the giant domed room, but we cannot go down from there. Backtracking a bit and then a final tunnel takes us to the ladder overlooking the Cathe­dral Room. The largest cave room in Montana, and it's named well. The choir and all the church members could sit or stand on the rocky incline leading up at a good angle, creating a near perfect theater-like seating looking back at the ladder. The rocky seating nearly rises to the top, a mountain within a mountain, and at the top the room levels out to the ends of the cave. Along the walls of this room was reported 50 bats.

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While my team members went ahead, I stayed back at the Cathedral Room entrance. A highlight of any cave trip is to spend a few moments in absolute darkness. The headlight goes out, and after a few blinks to adjust, I could see the reflecting and refracting light coming from the team somewhere up ahead. Slowly the mur­mur of their voices disappeared, the intensity of their light diminished, but still the white light seemed to jump around the large cavern. At one point I thought the team had moved down and around behind me, as somehow the light had jumped below me. Eventual­ly that mystery light disappeared completely, and the game of whistle tag couldn’t be heard any longer. With no light, we can only concentrate on what we hear: the sounds of drip-dropping water. At first it’s a few drops, but as we focus we can hear hundreds and now thousands of drops. An orchestra to join the church choir. I thought it interesting: With it melting outside, the snow had found its way inside the cave, just like we did.

Yakinikak Area Caves:The Liquid Magicians

By Cliff Thorsen 04/30/2016Participants: Cliff Thorsen, Zach Angstead, Corey McBain

The morning started clear and sunny; an excellent day to explore underground. Zach and I had spent many hours either underground in and around the Yakinikak area exploring known caves, or roaming above ground in search of other entrances. All previ­ous trips had been in fall or winter because water level plays a big role in this area. But this particular day found us heading up the long dirt road in the mid­dle of spring. Partially due to timing (baby shower weekend to celebrate Corey's expected daughter), and partially due to curiosity (we've never seen that area during spring runoff) we decided on April 30th to embark. The drive was scenic as ever with company and conversation second to none we passed Polebridge in no time. As we slowed near the Yakinikak Creek Caves parking area we decided to end our day there, and instead go see how Confluence Cave looks in the

spring. We were not disappointed! As seen in multiple pictures from other cavers, the entrance was not only flooded, but flowing into the usually dry Creek bed.My mind began racing and excitement peaked to think of how much passage we have explored in there, and how every bit of it is currently flooded with flowing frigid water. We had to see it up close, so we rolled up pant legs (Zach) and took off shoes (me) and waded across. Within 30 seconds my feet felt like they were on fire in that cold water, but lucky for me that feeling faded to numbness in no time. I couldn't help but just stand and stare at the entrance pumping out water, and

Corey Mcbain, Zach Angstead, And Cliff Thorsen In A Cave Entrance - Cliff Thorsen photo, 2016

imagining how the inside must look. During this time Corey found a fallen tree that became his bridge across and his key to staying dry. We gawked some more and then decided it was time to head to our main objective, Sluice Cave. Our trip was almost derailed by a section of road that had suffered falling rock; but with the 3 of us moving debris , and 10 ply tires on my 4Runner, we were able to push on. Upon parking we dressed out and geared up before heading down the quasi-trail towards the cave entrance. The upstream entrance to the cave had a portion of the stream flowing into it, but the downstream entrance was dry. With lights on and camera rolling we headed towards the upstream por­tion of the interior first. When we reached the flowing water within the cave Zach pushed forward to check that it was originating from the other entrance (it was). We then explored the middle passage which contained an elaborate pack rat nest (complete with large bones), a single log with a garden of mini mushrooms growing

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Zach Angstead In A "Jam" At The Cave Entrance - Cliff Thorsen photo, 2016

on it, and another look at the flowing water but from a new vantage. The right fork and Peanut Butter Mud room pretty well concluded our time in Sluice. We poked around the cliffs around and above the cave for a bit longer, but no additional human size entrances were found.

After a few deer pepper sticks and some water we were ready to load up and drive to the next stop. We were of course distracted by an overhanging cliff when we drove to turn around, so a quick climb and look was in order. A few openings were found, but most fairly small, and all congested with pack rat debris sticks and foliage.

Now, headed east again, we decided to hike down to where the main creek flow tends to disappear under­ground in the fall. Zach and I commented how the log jam has seemed to have grown in the years between today and our last trip up here. Zach quickly located a large opening where a fair bit of water was flowing out of the stream bed and into the limestone. Up­stream a bit I found another location where the water was pouring into the rock, but far too much for spring

exploration. Again, seeing this area full of water and so different that we are used to during our fall trips was exhilarating in it's own way. Seeing those spring runoff conditions certainly had us mentally planning our next trip during the "dry" season. We made our way back to the car, then poked along headed for the Yak- inikak caves parking area. Lunch was enjoyed when we parked so there wouldn't be a shortage of energy heading in to Yak 2. It didn't take long inside before we could hear the sound of the underground stream that lay before us. The closer we got, the rumbling sound of the water could almost be felt. I think Zach and I were both picturing a raging torrent that blocked the normal passage, but what we saw was the stream much like we are used to seeing it. The main differ­ence today vs. the fall is that today it flowed wall to wall water without a shore to follow downstream. We sat on the " bank" for a good chunk of time to watch and listen to the water. After a combination of visiting with the lights on and off, it was time to make our way out. Back in the daylight it was decided that we'd take a quick look at the gate to Yak 1 to make sure there had been no vandalism. With everything looking good, it was time to head home. Of course we made a pit stop

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Water-Filled Cave EntranceThorsen photo, 2016

Cliff

time we were back in Happy Valley to drop off my pas­sengers at the baby shower.It seemed unreal that our adventure had began 9 hours

earlier at this same location. We sorted gear and said our goodbyes. The solo drive back to Kalispell was spent reliving and replaying the events of the day. An enthusiastic greeting at my front door by my 4 year

old provided me another chance to relive my day as I shared pictures with first him, and then my wife and 7 year old son. Remembering that I had footage on my helmet camera provided another

opportunity to share how'd I'd spent the day, as I loaded the

video onto my hard drive. That finally brings us to now as I type this trip report as the only person still awake in the house. With the memories fresh, and ex­citement still coursing through my veins, I cannot help but wonder if my caving companions are also reliving the days events...

Mini Mushroom Garden Thorsen photo, 2016

Cliff By Anthony Stratman 05/12/2016Participants: Anthony Stratman, Jordan McGearty, Chris Camer­on, Mitch Blake, Ryne Tyler

We had a great trip in Bighorn Cavern this last week, went to the Black Forest and the Balcony Room. We were a little disappointed to find a significant amount of trash in Bighorn, but we picked all of it up along the routes that we took. Had a great night stay in Armpit cabin and donated some firewood for the next group.

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at the Pole- bridge Mer­cantile for a few delicious baked treats for ourselves and loved ones back home. The drive home was every bit as scenic as our drive up, and seemed to go by even faster. In no

Finding Chestnut Cave

By Carl Froslie 04/23/2016Participants: Carl Froslie, Ellen Whittle, Jordan Toles, Ian Chechet

Finally, after many failed trips and over a year since I started looking for it, I was finally taken to Chestnut Cave. This cave is located high in the limestone cliffs outside of Bozeman and is difficult to locate despite its trailhead that is located being only a 15 min drive away from Bozeman.

During this trip we surveyed the entire cave and ob­served 2 bats. The cave itself has the distinct smell of rat poop as you crawl through the first entrance facing a nice breeze caused by the second entrance located on a cliff nearby. There is not much to see in the cave be­sides some dog tooth spare and multicolored rat poop. The best part of the cave is the second entrance, which is located in the middle of a limestone cliff face over looking more limestone cliffs with trees growing on them, (See photo on back cover) reminding me of the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in China. This cave might continue on however all the squeezes are filled with either dry dusty rat poop or moist multicolored poop.

Just Over That Hill Trip

Had a couple new people in our group that had nev­er been caving and are very interested in joining the NRMG. Looking forward to the next trip!

After that first time Crysta was hooked. She convinced her husband to try it as well; which led to them order­ing rigs of their own. The next few weeks were spent practicing every chance they/we could.

Practice Pays Off

By Cliff Thorsen 5/18/2016Participants: Cliff Thorsen, Crysta and Jacob Pitcher

This couple and I have shared many outdoor adven­tures together in the past, but as I loaded the truck with Jacob and Crysta, we were about to share in an experience new to them. They had both spent time in caves at one time or another, and Jacob is knowledge­able with rope work through his job of fire and rescue; but this was us getting to put those skills and all our practice together for a vertical cave trip.

Jacob Pitcher, Crysta Pitcher, And Cliff Thorsen At Entrance To Little Bitterroot Cave - Cliff Thorsen photo, 2016

Unfortunately this is when we discovered that our second rope got hung up on some fallen logs and didn't make it all the way down. I like to rig the second drop from a topside tree as a back up, feed it down to the sec­ond drop, then tie off to one of the anchors placed above the lower drop. Doing it this way gives me peace of mind and allows for a secondary way out should the need arise. I went back to the surface to get our second rope where we needed it. But after a second failed

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Our trip to Little Bitterroot Canyon Ice Cave began weeks earlier in an elementary school gym. As a fourth grade teacher I have easy access to the gym and often take full advantage of that to stay sharp with my rope skills. It is not an uncommon after school sight to spot me up near the rafters, still in school clothes, but with my Frog Rig over the top.

Well, a few weeks back a co-worker stopped in for a visit and expressed an interest in trying it out. So the next day there was a second rope and a second teacher.

The drive from Kalispell went by quickly with fine scenery to be enjoyed. After parking we did a visu­al walk through and decided on our rigging points. Next came rigging our lines and laying out gear for inspection and to be double checked. With every­thing looking good we geared up and decided our rope order. I would go first to inspect our route and provide guidance from below, Crysta would go second so Jacob could double check her rig before rappelling, then Jacob would bring up the rear (or would it be bring down the rear?). Once down we poked around

in the middle portion of the cave for a bit beforedeciding to do the lower drop.

Jacob Pitcher In Little Bitterroot Cave - Cliff Thorsen photo, 2016

toss getting hung up I decided I'd descend that rope to get it right where I wanted it.

Once rigged the lower drop went great for everyone and we enjoyed poking around the lowest section. Our ascents out of the lowest section were text book. While Jacob was unrigging the lower we were given a farewell by a bat that decided to fly out and do a victory lap around the middle portion before disappearing into the darkness.

The sloped path to the lower drop was quite the ice slide, so we used our hand ascenders and the long line to assist. Once safely on level ground I prepped the long line for removal before Crysta began her final ascent up to sunlight and warmth. Jacob went second while I recorded our bat sighting in the sign in book. The container had been open and the sign in book was about 15 feet away and rather nibbled. So when I was done I made sure it was securely closed and snug to the

wall. I thoroughly enjoyed my ascent and was greeted at the top by the smiling faces of my caving compan­ions and by an ice cold "barley pop".

With ropes cleaned and gear stowed we enjoyed our final swigs while taking in the beauty of the nearby canyon and surrounding forest. Our rope practice had paid off indeed.

Warm Day/Cool CaveBy Cliff Thorsen 06/11/2016Andrew Golinsky, Jacob Pitcher, Cliff Thorsen

After a long night of celebrating the end of the school year with friends and fellow educators my alarm clock told me it was time to go caving. The day was warm and bright and I was looking forward to going some­place dark and cool. Little Bitterroot Canyon Ice Cave was our destination, but we took a slight detour to guide my Mom and Aunt Deb to the nearby waterfall.

When we parked near the cave a quick peek down served to get us excited. We hauled our gear to the fence line and rigged our ropes before getting ourselves suited and geared up. I went down 1st to be sure the rope fell as it should and to provide verbal guidance from below. Andrew went 2nd so that Jacob could double check his gear before the descent. Andrew found that he does not like the feeling of gloves during a rappel (so he ditched them for the 2nd drop). Jacob came down last and did so smoothly. He brought a 2nd coil of rope down for the 2nd drop, while I redi­rected my 200 feet over to it to rig a secondary line.We took some time to sight see the "main floor" before getting on rope to head into the basement.

The same rappelling order was used for the second drop. We spent a good chunk of time below taking pictures and visiting. Of course we had to turn out off our lights and sit for a bit to experience the true dark­ness.I thought I spotted a few bats (3) sleeping way up in the ceiling, but it was hard to tell from the distance

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Cliff Thorsen And Andrew Golinsky In Little Bitter­root Cave - Jason Pitcher photo, 2016

our ropes from the lower drop and got ready to head topside. For the climb out I went 1st (nature was call­ing), with Andrew 2nd, and Jacob 3rd. The climbs up looked and felt like textbook. We shared our excite­ment as we took our gear off and packed up.

With the rope packed and bagged we were ready to hit the road. But before doing so we decided to take a look at the geology on the surface. A quick hike and look-see had us ready to roll...that is until I spotted what looked like an opening. We went right past it on our hike up, but our return trip had us at just the right angle to see it. We didn’t have any of our gear with us and our only light was a cell phone flashlight; but I was too excited to not have a peek.

The entrance took a little body maneuvering to find the right angle to slip in and down. Once in the passage I found it to be large enough to travel hunched over.It trended downward and continued for about 15-20 yards before sloping up. At the peak of the slope there appeared to be a fair bit of pack rat sign that I didn’t want to proceed beyond without my cave suit and gloves. I had a good look around before leaving in an attempt to determine if, or how, the cave may continue beyond that rise, but until my next trip up, it would all be speculation.

of my viewing. A little poking around and looking at other gaps was a must before we decided to get on rope for our ascent. This time Jacob went up 1st, Andrew in the middle, and I brought up the rear. Once on the main floor we cleaned

By James Cummins 06/26/2016Participants: James Cummins, Brian Gindling, Carl Froslie

During a ski trip across the Gallatin Range in earlyApril I spotted a cave

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Feature ArticleRediscovering The Devil’s Watch Pocket

entrance on a cliff band. Despite being an obvious entrance, the hillside it's located on is only visible from a few places in the valley below or the ridges above. It was across the canyon from us and there was no chance of checking it during that trip. I took a few photo's of the hillside that had the large obvious entrance and several other spots that might also be entrances.

burned boreholes into my imagination and I fidgeted restlessly waiting for a chance to go look.

Finally, the road was open and Brian Gindling and Carl Froslie were ready to go along. We got an early start and despite my initial "shortcut" that was strewn with dead fallen trees we found a fairly clear elk path that led toward the cliffs.

The nearest trail head is about 4 air miles from the entrance and the road to it didn't open until mid-June. I had to wait for almost three months before being able to hike out for a closer look. In the meantime the cave

James Cummins In Entrance To The Devil's Watch Pocket - Carl Froslie photo, 2016

Once we located the cliff and found the approximate place above the lead we decided to hike around and look for the other leads that were visible in the photo. We followed a goat track down through the cliffs and in the next hour located four other cave entrances that need to be dug a little to get into.

We hiked back up to the top of the cliff and rigged the rope to check the main lead. I got to go first and was full of adrenaline as I rapped down about 35 feet to the mouth of the cave. Traversing over to the flat floored entrance I could see that the cave continued into the cliff and that this was an exciting find! I tied off the remaining rope to a block of breakdown and called for Carl to come down. Mountain goat droppings cover the floor of the entrance and it is a very sheltered little hideaway.

We had decided to keep one person up top while the other two checked the cave. Carl and I crawled into the back of the cave and I dug through some loose rocks on the floor to reveal another 25-30 feet of walking passage that terminated in a small room with a small pool of water. Moon milk was on the walls and there were a few stalactites on the ceiling. All in all there was about 75 feet of cave with a spectacular view out the entrance.I was somewhat disappointed that it didn't lead to more cave so I took a few photo's and headed up the rope to let Brian come down and have a look. I ate lunch and scoped the cliffs above for more entrances.

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I heard Carl call out "on rope" and I waited at the top for him to arrive. When he reached the top he told me they had found the name for the cave and that we weren't the first to have been there!

Brian had located an old metal tobacco can wedged into a crack in the entrance room and inside was a note from the original explorers in 1920!

The name of the cave is "The Devil's Watch Pocket"Carl and Brian took pictures of the can and the note and then returned them to the crack in the rock.The name of the cave fits perfectly with it's position on a cliff band on the side of a mountain. One can imag­ine Old Nick checking his watch while surveying the valley below.

We plan to return later this summer to survey this cave and to have a closer look at the other possible entranc­es.

(Note: I did just a little bit of research on the names found on the note. George Flanders was the father of Clara Flanders Vestal who was apparently married to Billy Vestal - KRS)

Tobacco Can With 1920 Registry Inside - Carl Froslie photo, 2016

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"The Devil's Watch PocketDiscovered & entered both the first and second cavern. Sept. 7 1920. Francis Kyle, Geo Flanders, Clara Vestal, Billy Vestal" - Carl Froslie photo, 2016

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2016 AGM @ Lewis and Clark Caverns 4/09/2016 Minutes

Meeting Open @ 9:06 AM

Old Minutes

Current Business

Elections

❖ Secretary

> Nominations

■ Carl Froslie

> Elected

■ Carl Froslie

❖ Vice President

> Nominations

■ Ellen Whittle

> Elected

■ Ellen Whittle

❖ Member at Large

> Nominations

■ Zach

> Elected

■ Zach

News Letter

-Edited By Ken Staley

❖ Trip Reports

> More focus on reporting trip reports after trips

> Simple trip reports are okay, Just Do It!

> UM Cave Club is required to submit trip reports as well

> Giving more data will allow us more access to caves in the future

Web

❖ 155 paid grotto members

❖ Click to join has shown an increase in members

> Average of 2-5 new members per month

Reginal Trip Leaders

❖ Smaller cave trips for new members

❖ Informal leaders and Trips

> Ask about caves in your area that need projects done and the information and resources will be given to you to setup a trip.

> Be safe!

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Smaller NRMG Meetings

❖ More often than just once a year

❖ Central Montana Caves

> Cabins in areas for camping

❖ Keep the meeting in April and have one in the Fall after the end of Alpine Caving Season

> Vertical training in Fall meeting

> Workshops during Fall Meeting (Cave Camp)

■ Basic Vertical

■ Advanced Vertical

■ Cave Photography

■ Surveying

■ Bats

■ Rigging

■ Deacon Cleaning

• Need volunteers to make this happen!

> T-shirts for Fall meeting

■ Find a graphic designer

T-shirts

❖ Shirts for every event that is put on

> Need shirt designs for new shirts

> Contact graphic designer for shirts and posters

Lewis & Clark Caverns

❖ Place Poster at caverns

❖ Pamphlet at caverns

❖ Business cards in registers

> Contact graphic designer

Grotto Funds

❖ Used for patches and stickers

> Will make more money if all are sold

Big Fork Cave Club

❖ Accept money from Forest Service to give to the Big Fork Cave Club

❖ Pryor Mountain monitoring trip

Pryor mountain Monitoring

❖ $3,500 given to NRMG

> $1,000 reimbursed to Ken Staley

> $700 reimbursed to Ian Chechet

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New Business

Zach

❖ Mapping and locating new and know caves in the Little Belt Mountains

> Need help with camping and ridge walking

❖ Increase interest in the Great Falls area

> Posters placed in sporting goods stores and climbing gyms

> Need an official NRMG poster

WNS

❖ Discovered in Washington State by a group of hikers

❖ Important to practice clean caving

> 5 Easy Steps For WNS Decontamination

Mike

❖ Drop record in kayak

❖ Exhibition in Ravalli County Museum

> Will have a cave exhibit in the near future

■ In need of photos to pin up

■ Have some NRMG publications

■ Trashed wetsuit

■ Gold Line rope

■ Place squeeze box in exhibit

Small Party Rescue Course

❖ 20 people

> 10 for grotto

> 5 for forest service

> 5 for SAR

❖ June 5

> SAR building in Helena, MT

> $1,500 grant from forest service

❖ Requires prerequisites for course

❖ Practice a small party rescue with a small group of NRMG in the future

Papoose Trip

❖ Brian Gindling

> Set dates around work and school

Tribute to Jim Chester

34 members present at end o f meeting

Move to adjourn

Meeting adjourned @ 11:06 AM

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Nrmg Membership Across The U.s. And Canada

QUEBEC

Winnipeg

NORTHDAKOTA NEW

BRUNSWICKPRINCEEDWARDISLAND

INNESOTAPortland Montreal

MinneapolisSOUTHDAKOTA

WISCONSIN NOVA SCOTIA

TorontoOREGON NEWHAMPSHIREMilwaukee

Detroit MASSACHUSETTSChicagoNEBRASKA

PENNSYLVANIAPhiladelphiaOHIOILLINOISDenver United

COLORADO WESTVIRGINIA

AlbuquerqueCharlotteARKANSAS

ARIZONAPhoenix

AtlantaNEW MEXICO

DallasTucson GEORGIA

Bermuda

TEXAS

JacksonvilleAustinSONORA

San Antonio New Orleans

Orlando

FLORIDA

N.L V Monterrey

Gulf of MexicoBAJA

CALIFORNIA SUR TheBahamas

MexicoHavana

NRMG is in 13 States and 1 Canadian Province

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Gu

lf,

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