2nd Wednesday in December.

I had a wonderful meeting with Roy Bergstrom (USFS), and he has guided me on the process of obtaining a Special Use Permit for the Cave Next Door project.  I believe there was encouragement in that direction from Vicki Schnitzler of the NPS ORCA.  So, from a world of boulder uncertainly and haphazardly wedged in plugged cave-passage that I had to put together into one solid wall that will conceivably even withstand an average earthquake, I go into a world of organizations, agencies, interest groups--both special and community--and try to gather as much interest and support as I can for the CND project.  My hope is to encourage the USFS to issue that Special Use Permit!  

This is such an opportunity!  --To discover and explore an unknown pristine cave in real time with a WWW connection.  --To learn to apply 21st century technology to the process of cave discovery while maintaining the natural pristine environment of the cave for future generations.  --To teach and learn more about caves and how to care for them.

My mind races with such possibilities.  If I can make a phone call from inside the cave, what other information can be sent from there too?  How fast?  Virtual tours made from 3-D lidar technology.  Temporary trails that are taken out when the video mapping is done.  Exhaustive inventory from the beginning of biota and minerals.  Careful observations from an undisturbed environment that might yield clues to the past.  The story of the caves history.  


And these are just general questions and goals!  What I'm thinking about are the actual physical processes and infrastructure necessary to achieve these aims.  Materials, power, safety, Procedures, timing, safety.  Absolutes, limitations, safety.  All the time with maximum respect for the cave, each foot downward into the unexplored carrying its own surprises and challenges...  Sounds like fun sitting here beside the fire, sipping on a hot buttered rum.

another oldie

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Opening the lid